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!

We Did It!

Well, after months of prep work we loaded up the majority of the horses in the barn and headed out to The Evergreen Classic! With lots of riders and horses ready to go, we enjoyed a lot of great rides, good food (the breakfast sandwiches were a Chelsea favorite!) and fun! Thanks to everyone who came out, rode, played and cheered Team Sundance on during the week! Big thanks to Rory for bringing out his amazing wings for the aisle party and to Amy for the great pizza fest during the Hunter Derby!!  Special congratulations to Emma and Finesse on their Reserve Championship in the jumper ring - Good Job Ladies!!

This coming week we wind up our away show season with Octoberfest at Donida Farms in Auburn. If you aren't riding, head down to watch! We will have riders in both the hunter and jumper rings at this show as well and there will be lots to see. This show packs a lot of classes into 2 days and is a great wrap up for the bigger show circuit. After that we will return to Gold Creek - if you are interested in the September GCEC show make sure to sign up at the barn ASAP!

In other barn news, Pink arrived at the barn in August. Katherine has known Pink for years as she was Candy's horse and then Heidi's and she is now looking for a lease so she can stay at Sundance and play in the Pony Jumpers with Finesse. She is fast and fun and she has pitched in on some lessons as well as getting to play some with Vera as they test the waters for a potential half-lease. If anyone else is looking for a fun Pony Jumper, make sure to let us know!

Boo has graduated to being able to be outside for a bit - something we are all excited about for her! She is sharing a small space in the turnout field and slowly getting more time outside. She has been very good about it and we are delighted that she finally gets to be out of her stall a bit! Fingers crossed she continues on the road to recovery.

In sad barn news, Laura (Wally's Mom) moved to CA this month. But, on the bright side, Wally gets to stay with us and keep playing with Erica - we are so excited to get to keep Mr. Walter in the barn! We are looking forward to seeing him show at Octoberfest and planning on spoiling him rotten while his Mom is away!

All the horses are looking forward to getting their shots updated this month (well, maybe not looking forward to it!) and their teeth checked as well so we can start the Fall off on a nice healthy note! Make sure that your horse has the right clothing out at the barn (check with Staff) and take home any fly masks that you may have had out there - yep, summer is gone! This is also a great time to take home and wash all of your saddle pads!! If you don't want to wash them at home, the Blanket Express will take them for you so just leave them down at the barn - if you aren't sure how to get that done, check with us and we will get it together for you.

Looking forward to Octoberfest and Gold Creek this month! Good luck to All!!!