Monday, February 22, 2016

Welcome to 2016!


It's 2016 and Team Sundance is off to a roaring start! With a barn full of horses and riders, we have stayed busy all through the winter months - and have even managed to avoid drowning in all the rain! However, as a reminder to all our Sundancers - if it has rained enough so that the valley is flooded, please give yourself extra time to get here as they close the bridge in Duvall, meaning some long back-ups as everyone heads over to "our" bridge. Fortunately, our hill keeps us free from the raging rivers, and horses have managed to squeak in some outside time when we get dry days!

With a busy show season in front of us. we were so delighted with how organized all of our riders were in getting their show requests in for the season. If you weren't sure of which show you wanted to attend, some shows still have room, so please make sure you touch base with your trainers ASAP so we can get you on the list! We are excited to be attending; San Juan Capistrano, Thunderbird, Thermal and the Cascade Horse Shows in Cle Elum, to name a few, and would love to have all our riders there! If you haven't signed up for a horse show yet, now is the time to get on the list!

With horse show season right around the corner, it is also time to make sure your show gear is up to snuff! Congratulations to Gigi on her brand new Antares saddle, and to Kim on her pending SE trunk! If you are in need of any tack, helmets or show equipment, please check with us first so we can help guide you to the right items - and, maybe even get you a discount in the process! For those of you who do not have Sundance trunks, covers, name plates, halter boards and standing wrap holders, these items will be rented to you at the shows. However, there is still time to order before show season gets under way, so make sure you get organized now and you will have your very own equipment to start the season!


San Juan Capistrano looks pretty great, framed by some horsey ears! 


With a busy barn, and a busy show season, we are very excited to welcome our new Assistant Trainer, Hannah Paradis to Team Sundance! Hannah brings with her a wealth of teaching and riding experience and is an exciting addition to our fantastic staff! We have loved the warm reception she has received from all of our riders and are looking forward to her contributions to the barn.

Our Sales Horses are keeping Chelsea busy, with Charlie and Kash both coming along nicely. Charlotte wiggled her way into Katherine's heart, and has also joined the team - although how "for sale" she is, remains to be seen as she continues to win everyone over with her abundance of cute. She may, instead, find herself a member of the Best Lesson Horse Brigade, that Sundance is proud to host, as she earns more miles under the saddle - and over those scary fences! Our good friend, Mexico, found a new home in Eastern Washington, where she can continue to teach, and eventually enjoy a well deserved retirement. Although she will be missed by all of us, we are delighted she has found such a wonderful new home!

Brisky, Monte, Skye and Landon all joined the Team since last year and we are excited to have them on board with us for 2016. Brisky will start the year off first, making her showing debut with Team Sundance this March, as she and Katherine head to San Juan to get the show season off and running. And by running, we mean RUNNING, if you haven't seen this mare in action!

We have also started off the year by working on some new projects around the barn, including finishing the installation of the new water heater in 2015, a new set of doors (that close!) and another layer of felt for our fabulous footing! We are excited about all the improvements and are looking forward to continuing to better our facility for our horses and riders! We hope you've enjoyed them as well!!

We are, as always, excited to get started on a new year of showing, and hope that you are as well! If you are looking for some inspiration, make sure you check out the Year-End Video from 2015 - huge thanks to Rory for putting it together and to everyone who took photos and video during the season! It is great to have a fun way to look back at another great year of riding.

And, finally, congratulations to all our horses and riders on conquering the "Open Water"! We were so excited to add this larger liverpool to the jumping equipment, and even more delighted at how well everyone did! All of your hard work paid off and we couldn't be more proud! Looking forward to coming up with a new challenge for 2016!!

Looking forward to another great year with Team Sundance!

See you at the barn!