Where is Bear Valley Springs and what is the weather like?
Bear Valley Springs is a private community located in Tehachapi, CA (2 hours north of Los Angeles). The weather averages 53°/86° in the summer and 32°/52° in the winter. Annual snowfall is approximately one foot a year.
Can I visit/ride my horse?
Sure! We encourage you to come out visit your horse. If you wish to ride, we have access to beautiful trails right outside our property. If the weather is bad you can ride in the indoor arena, as well. Please contact us ahead of time so we can provide you a gate pass to enter the community.
What if my horse has dietary restrictions?
No problem. The horses are separated 1-2x a day when given supplements and/or extra hay, which can be customized for each horse. If your horse can no longer eat hay and needs a mash provided 2-3x a day we will be able to accommodate this.
What if my horse has Cushings/EMS/IR?
All the hay and supplements we feed are low in sugar and starch however, our pastures can be too rich for some horses. In the spring we usually limit access to the pastures during the day and allow access at night and early morning when the sugars are the lowest. We have had Cushings horses that had no problem with the pastures. The EMS/IR can be more sensitive to the grass and weeds and the free choice hay and are generally not a good fit for our facility.
How many horses are in the herd now?
At the moment there are 6horses and 1 goat in the herd with ages ranging from 18 years old to 40 years old. There is 1 mare and 5 geldings. We have an age limit of 18+ years.
How is my horse integrated into the herd?
All new horses are put into a 4 acre dry lot with a shelter, access to water and unlimited grass hay. For some horses, the 4 acres is too overwhelming so we have the option of keeping them in a stall with stall buddies on each side and turning out to pasture daily until they get comfortable. While in pasture the new horse will be next to the herd but separated by fencing. The next step will be adding an easy going, “been there, done that” horse to the pasture with your horse and eventually another well-mannered horse will be added. The integration process varies per horse. If your horse comes during the pasture season, it will be in the dry lot for roughly 2-3 weeks as he/she transitions to the pasture.