Baby, it's cold outside!

Well, the sun has kept shinning and even blessed us with a beautiful day for our annual work party - and what a lot what got done!! So many Sundancers came out and worked so hard that the barn pretty much sparkled with the extra attention! Jumps have been painted, the weeds are all off the hill, the wire has been re-strung, and five years of dust and disorderly have been swept away from the upstairs storage area - it's a whole new world out there! Thanks to all of you who came out and spent the day making YOUR barn the best barn in town!

Toby also joined the Sundance team this last month. He is Chelsea's new jumper horse and an adorable gentleman as well. We have been enjoying getting to know him and Maia and he are plotting all sorts of fun rides for Chelsea - as all good children do!

In other barn news, the Susie Hutchinson Clinic is coming up in November- if you want to ride or audit the clinic, touch base with us now as we have pricing and more details. Registration forms are due soon, so let us know if you'd like to spend your Thanksgiving weekend learning even more about your favorite sport! The winter is a great time to go and check these things out - make sure you get to at least one before show season starts!

The weather is beautiful, but chilly, and the horses are staying warm and dry with their sheets on full time now. We may look at warmer clothes next month depending on the weather trends - we will update everyone as we get closer to the end of the month.

On the horse front, everyone seems to be doing well. Mexico is getting the hang of her new home and has settled into the routine very nicely. Boo is about to graduate to full turn out this week and we are all super excited to see her get to be a "real" horse like the rest of her barn buddies. Pink wound up getting a great 1/2 lease with Elizabeth and her daughter Aly and is enjoying getting a little spoiled. She is still looking for someone to grab the other "1/2" so if you've been dying to lease a super cute pony, this is your chance! Titan/Sinatra continues his amazing riding routine - he is super quiet and is working hard toward becoming the perfect kids' horse in the future - hopefully he can find a fun home soon! The other horses are doing well - lots of flat work during the week now as we get ready for next season by staying in shape, keeping those legs strong and healthy, and challenging those horse minds with fun exercises for mind and body!

With November on the way, make sure to check with staff about some upcoming schedule changes for holidays and other staff events during the month and make sure to come on out & enjoy your clean and shinny barn!!

Good News, Bad News...

Well, the one thing that we all share in common with all of our other horse owners, friends and barn managers is that we have our good days, and our bad days - we just all hope the bad days are few and far between!

On the plus side, we just came home from another great Gold Creek show, where our riders and horses went out and put down some great rides in all of the divisions in which we rode. We had several new riders to the barn and even some showing for the first time and we were pleased to come home with a lot of great ribbons - including 2 Championships - 1 in Crossbars for Bailey; 1 in Pre-Children's Hunters with Aly and 1 Reserve Championship for Ella in the Tiny Hunter Division. All 3 Championships were won with Cookie who brought her "A" game and showed off what makes her a barn favorite. Both Cookie and Finesse were great and Maia also moved up a level into the 2' division for the first time and earned some more 1st place ribbons in her flat classes - she is doing great and getting lots of experience for her 2011 show season! Go Baby Horse!!

Unfortunately, this last week both Finesse and Cookie came up lame. They are both enjoying some well deserved time off to heal and will get to see the vet on Monday to make sure they get on the road to recovery ASAP. We are fortunate enough that Pink/Dia has been able to step up and fill some pretty big shoes with the help of both Farley and Wally who have stepped in for a lesson or two. Hopefully our regular ladies are up and running soon, but how lucky are we to have such great horses in the barn that the mares can get a break to heal!

Horse show season is dwindling to a close. We are still looking to see if anyone is interested in the Gold Creek show in October on the 29th & 30th, and are, of course, looking for folks to sign up for the barn work party this month on the 17th . It's work, but it is fun and a great time to come out and help get your barn ready for winter and next spring. We'll be painting jumps, pulling weeds and lots of general clean up - make sure you come out, help and hang out with your barn teammates! We are also looking to go to the Susie Hutchinson clinic in November - if you are interested in riding or auditing the clinic, let us know ASAP so we can get you on the list. Clinics are a great way to see some of our top riders and hear their feedback and ideas, so come on out and watch and cheer on your teammates that are riding!

In other barn news, Boo has graduated to cantering and longer turn out times. She is practically a "normal" horse now in the program and we are so excited that she is coming along so well. We are hoping to get some ground poles worked into her routine soon and be able to change her turnout to all day like the rest of the horses as well.

Wally's lease with Erica ended which was sad and we were all sorry to see Erica leave. We are hoping, as she is spending time on her new home improvements and additions, that she will come out and get her horse fix every once in awhile so we can visit! However, being the popular boy he is, Wally has a new lease with Teague and we are really excited to see them work together. Wally even stepped up and let Bailey finish her lesson on him this last week, which was a pretty cool ride for her as well. Great Job Wally! We are so proud of how far he has come during his time with us!

Titan/Sinatra had a great week as, with the help of Vera and Aidan, Danika's bake sale was productive and he has a nice savings to draw from for his next item. Ella donated a beautiful indoor sheet for him, which fits him beautifully and we have heard rumors that the folks from SAFE will be bringing him an outdoor sheet as well so he will soon be outfitted the same as the rest of the horses. His riding continues and we even cantered this week - he was very good and seems to enjoy a nice light seat. He is very quiet and with some more miles will be a great project for a kid looking to have a fun pony.

All of the horses had their shots and worming, and Finesse and Pink had their teeth done and Phalcon had his stitches out and returned to work - which was fun for Aidan, but now they both get to get in shape all over again - amazing what a week off will do! But we are glad he is feeling better and it is fun to have Aidan back out at the barn again.

We'll be adding another layer of clothes for the horses next week - check with us if you aren't sure if you have the right clothes for your horse or not. We will also be doing a major cleaning with the work party this month and will be reducing the amount of trunks in the aisle way, so if your things have spread out on their own, take the time to look through and see what you need at the barn and what can go home for the winter.

See you out at the barn!