'Tis the Season!

The holidays are officially upon us & 'tis the season to celebrate! We are very excited as our WSHJA Year-End awards have been finalized and we have lots of fun prizes to go pick up from the banquet next month! An extra BIG congratulations to Aidan & Phalcon for their Reserve Championship in the Children's Hunter division this year! Aidan has been working very hard to move up into this division and it is a tough group of horses and riders - to do so well in her first year is amazing!! We are very excited and very proud of both of them! All that hard work pays off! We are also excited about our own Super Pony, Finesse, and her two riders Chelsea and Nicholas on their Reserve Championship in the .90M Open Jumper division. This was also Nicholas's first year moving up into the .90's and another large group of competitors. Of course, WE all know Finesse is amazing, but someone has to do all the riding too, so it's a great award for them both. Look for the Sundance ad in the Flying Changes next month showing off our star performers and, of course, our ad at the WSHJA banquet in January where we get to brag about all of our year-end success! As a side note, all of our riders participated in the National division of the WSHJA which is a larger and more competitive group - so give yourselves another "high five" for sticking it out against some tough competition!

Nicholas & Finesse strut their stuff at the Finals in Monroe. Thanks to  Pink's Pride Photography for this shot!

In barn news, all of the horses are up to date on their shots and we will start having their teeth done next week. Several horses made the list this time but we should have them all done by the end of the month. A happy horse is a healthy horse! Thanks to all of our vet and shoeing support teams out there that keep the ponies in tip top shape! We are planning on getting Sam back out to see the horses after the holidays to start the year off with a nice adjustment as well - 2012 getting off on the right foot - or hoof!

In other news, the yearly barn holiday party is NEXT Saturday the 17th! Make sure you put this one on your calendar! We have a lot of fun every year and it is always exciting to get to have a horse party INSIDE during the chilly weather. Bring a gift for the gift exchange if you think you are up to the cut throat, "happy holidays, no I want that sweater", competitive gift giving! It is always exciting to see what you may go home with at the end of the evening!

The last two weeks of this month are horse "down time" and a great opportunity for you to come out & spend some extra time with your favorite equine! Let us know if you want to get some extra practice rides in on your pony (or our's!) during the holiday season. Now is a great time to practice all of the skills you've been working on AND stay in shape for that pending no stirrups lesson!

Speaking of no stirrups; Toby and Katherine just came back from the George Morris clinic in Wilsonville, OR. They had a great time and George loved Toby calling him "A GREAT horse" "Smart" "Catty" "Careful and Brave". All pretty high praise for a horse that started the year in the .90M division. We are very excited for Toby and are looking forward to share all the challenges George put them through with all of our riders at home! We are very excited to see how our riders have stepped it up this winter by attending clinics and working hard at home - your dedication to your sport is what makes it fun for us!

As we get to the end of the year, start thinking about your goals for the 2012 season and make sure you take the time to chat with your trainers about them! We want to help you get where you want to go in 2012!
Stay bundled up this month and we will see you all out at the barn!!

Well, Howdy!

Boy, it sure has been awhile! It's time to get your barn updated after a very busy show and Fall season!

September had us showing down at Donida for Octoberfest as well as up in Monroe for the Northwest Autumn Finals. Both shows were a hit, with Ella and Pink bringing home the ribbons at Octoberfest, as well as moving up a division and Toby and Chelsea making their debut ride in a Mini Prix against some tough competitors and bringing home a 6th place finish! It was a great show, and for anyone not sure how to break into the show ring in 2012, a good show to put on your list!

Horses aren't the only things we ride!

The Finals show was fun as well, with all of the horses bring home ribbons - including a Championship for Toby in the 1.15M division as well as a win in the 1.20 age group class, and another Championship for Farley in the .90's, just edging out Finesse who brought home a very nice Reserve Champion ribbon as well. Both Toby and Phalcon participated in the big USHJA hunter class - Phalcon had an amazing round, but a couple of rails kept him out of the ribbons, so Toby represented the barn in the 2nd half of the competition, showing those hunters how to make the turns, and coming in 10th out of 27 rides - pretty good for a jumper! All of the horses and riders earned points toward their year-end awards, so, if you haven't looked them up yet, take the time to check them out now! Points for the WSHJA are FINAL as of 11/30/11, so make sure they have all your ribbons accounted for before they are set in stone. We have some horses and riders looking to get some neat ribbons in the National division, which is great! Look for an update on their final placings soon!

At home we had our annual barn work party. Thanks to everyone who attended - this was an incredibly productive day with jumps being painted, the hill getting weeded, pasture wires restrung and just an all over good time. We always appreciate everyone coming out to help keep the barn looking great!

The weather has turned chilly now and horses (and riders!) are bundled up against the chill. We've started body clipping, so if your horse hasn't lost their puffy fur coat yet, don't be surprised if you show up to a pretty fancy looking horse in the next week or two! All of the horses made the list this year, so your horse may be next! We'll be changing blankets again at the end of the month, so keep an eye out for updates on the SE Facebook page!

We have several horses and riders participating in the Jeff Cook clinic next weekend. We are very proud of all of our riders who signed up for this opportunity as well as those of you who will be auditing. This is an incredible learning experience for both horse and rider, as well as the chance to show your trainers how committed you are to your sport! Kudos to you all in advance!

We were also invited to participate in the George Morris clinic in Wilsonville, OR this year. Katherine and Toby will be riding in the 1.20M division with George which is a great chance to get input from one of "the greats", as well as getting the chance to see other, top of the line riders, in a very intense, learning weekend. Make sure to check your calendar and head down for the weekend or the day.

With the holidays approaching we are making plans for our annual Holiday Party! This is a great - indoor! - event with your fellow riders, food, and one ridiculous present swapping game. Come on out and see what mystery may hide beneath the SE Christmas tree! We will also be handing out our yearly "Most Improved" and "Sportsmanship" awards - fortunately for us, you have all made it very hard to choose this year's winners!

We had a fun new addition to the barn this last week - Chelsea (and Danika) are the proud owners of a brand new SE trunk! Check it out - but don't touch (kidding!)!! We're excited to see another beautiful trunk in our midst. If you are interested in ordering one, let Katherine know and we'll set you up through Olson's. Sometimes we are able to get used trunks as well, so if budget is a concern, let us know and we'll see if we can dig one up for you. If you don't have a trunk cover, make sure you put that on your Christmas list as well - outside of looking great, they protect your trunk both at home and the shows.

Lastly we just did a big coat order for the barn and are excited to see a bunch of new SE jackets in our midst! Go Team Sundance!

We want to thank you all for your support and enthusiasm throughout the show season this last year - we hope you all had a great time and enjoyed all the learning and improving you did as much as we enjoyed helping you get there! Don't forget, now's the time to start thinking about your goals for 2012! Make sure you take the time to sit down with Katherine or Chelsea and chat with them about where you want you and your horse to be next year!

See you out at the barn!