Bring on 2012!

Happy New Year, Everyone! Hopefully this writing finds you all happy, healthy and well on your way to a wonderful 2012! We are excited about the upcoming year!

We ended last year with our favorite Holiday Party - the highlights included the wonderful year-end video put together by Rory (thank you! thank you!) and our annual in-barn year end awards. The video included tons of highlights from the year at shows as well as at home, and some great photos of everyone enjoying their horses. If you haven't seen the video, make sure to check it out! And if you have seen it, watch it again and share it with your friends! What a great way to show everyone how much fun we have - and all the work too! As for our barn awards, every year we have a tough time picking out our barn winners - and this year was no exception - but we were excited to give Aidan and Ella their awards in Most Improved and Sportsmanship, respectively. Aidan and Phalcon have had a long road since coming to the barn and we were delighted with their accomplishments this year. Not only did they do well at the shows, but Aidan was able to reach her own personal goals of showing in the Children's Hunter Division this year - which not only did she do, but she did well, and earned the Reserve Championship in the WSHJA National Awards Program - a pretty big deal for their first time over the bigger jumps! Aidan's commitment over the years truly paid off and we were very proud to be able to help her achieve her goals! As for Ella, anyone who has been around the barn at all, knows that we have a big fan in Ella! Ella is always happy to be at the barn, tries her best (no matter how hard Katherine pushes her) and is always at the back gate when she isn't riding, taking great pictures and videos. Ella is always the first to ask questions about what is coming up in the future and is more than willing to catch a ride with anyone who is driving to the show even if it is to just "hang out". We love her enthusiasm and can't wait to see her get a chance to ride in more shows this year with her favorite pony, Pink.

December was also Christmas time and, of course, all of our ponies were good - enjoying some nice treats and special magnets in their holiday stockings. Jasmine had an extra special present this year - a new home! Although we miss her terribly at the barn, we were very excited about her new owner, Emma, who received Jasmine as a Christmas present - we can't think of a fancier Christmas present for a little girl! Emma and Jasmine will live in Ellensburg where they will continue to pursue Emma's dreams of eventing. Look for photos of Jasmine and Emma on Facebook soon.

January brought the WSHJA banquet and the snow. More and more snow.... Chelsea, Katherine and Nicholas held down the fort as everyone else was stuck (or sick!), and ponies stayed warm, cozy and ridden during the time off from lessons. We're not sure if anyone was happier to see all that white stuff go then this small group of workers, but it was sure pretty while it was here - let's hope it is gone for awhile!

The banquet was a lot of fun - it's a rare chance for us horse people to get all dressed up, so it was great to see everyone looking so lovely! Hopefully you all had a chance to see some of the photos online - it was a fun evening, the food was great and the company even better! Congratulations again to all of our SE winners!

The beginning of the year also brought a new horse to the barn. We are excited to have Heidi and her horse Avram at the barn. Avie is off the track and very green. We have enjoyed getting him started in some of the lessons and watching him try and learn some very new skills! He seems to be learning fast and has a kind, calm disposition. Anyone knowing of a potential new home for Avie should let us know as he is going to turn into a pretty nice ride with some training.

Sam came out and adjusted all the horses - everyone needed an adjustment this time around and several of the horses felt pretty amazing the next day - ahhhhhhh - thanks to Sam for coming out and keeping our ponies in tip top shape! Next on the list for February is more worming as we get the horses ready for the warming weather.

Speaking of warming weather, be prepared for some blanket changes at the barn in the near future! Now is also a great time to wash those saddle pads if you haven't done so recently - not too mention a nice bath for your four footed friend! They can get a pretty solid layer of grunge built up after all the cold, and a nice bath can help make them feel a whole lot less itchy.

We have really enjoyed working so hard on some complicated flat work over the last couple of months and hope you have all noticed a change in your riding. We're excited to start getting back into more jumping as we prepare for the upcoming show season! Hopefully you are all prepared for the show season as well! Remember to talk with Staff about what shows you would like to aim for this year and find out which memberships you should be signing up for for the year.

Lastly, trainers and riders are getting ready to head to Thermal later this month for the first show of the year! Horses and riders are working on getting prepared for some big, tough classes, but are excited to see some warm weather as well! Make sure that you have touched base on the schedule as we are doing extra rides/lessons before we leave/after we get back so that everyone stays current - AND, make sure you keep up with our days in CA while we are gone by checking out the SE page on Facebook! Better yet, book your tickets now and join us for some fun in the sun!!

What they use for "flowers" in Thermal, CA.!

Hope you all have had a chance to take advantage of some WA sun while it was out this week! Enjoy it while it is here and we will see you all out at the barn!

Well, we THOUGHT it would get warmer....

Well, we all know how fickle WA weather can be, and this month has been no exception. After hinting around at MAYbe being able to shed a layer off of our four footed friends, the Weather Gods apparently thought we had spoken too soon and, although we have had some beautiful days, they have been chilly. Your trainers have truly appreciated the heater these last weeks and we promise to never predict warmer weather again!!

We were delighted to receive a lovely "Thank You" note from Allison who had known Titan/Sinatra from his early days this last month. She wrote to us to thank us for all the work that we have put into him and told us about what a cute little guy he was right from the start. It was a wonderful surprise to get such a nice note in the mail, and neat to get to hear about his past. We are very excited about all the progress he has made and have all our fingers crossed that he is able to find a new home soon. He has someone coming to visit him this weekend, so hopefully she'll fall in love - after all, how could she not?

In show news, we are preparing to leave for CA next week! The horses are ready and the trailer is almost all packed for the trip. The truck went off for some last minute repairs and is patiently waiting to get started on the long journey down - we are all very excited to get the chance to show in the sun and watch the best in our sport compete! The week we are heading into is sold out so we are expecting a huge turn out and long days with lots of horse show to watch - what a fun way to start off the season! For those of you staying at home, Danika and Katie will be manning the barn and handling the schedule - please check with us if you need to make any changes, and while we are away, make sure to touch base with Danika if you need anything. We'll do regular updates on the SE Facebook page, so make sure to check in and see how things are going down South!

In other show news, there is a GCEC hunter schooling show in March as well as the three weeks of Monroe shows in April coming up quickly. Let us know ASAP if you are interested in riding in any of these events!

Sam will be out to see all of the horses on Sunday. If you were planning to ride Sunday, please make sure that you do so before noon as the horses need 24 hours off after an adjustment.

In other barn news, Ella officially started her 1/2 lease on Pink and has been doing great! It is fun to have Pink back in the mix and for Ella to get the opportunity to ride more often. Cookie has also returned to some light work and we have our hopes high that she will get back into the lesson program soon - we have missed her!

We are also currently working on ordering sweat pants for the barn! These are warm and protect your riding clothes as well as being super cool and fashionable! You can get them with a cuff at the bottom or open and they run about $20/pair. Let us know ASAP if you are interested!

Hopefully you have all had the chance to get out and ride during one of these beautiful sunny days - it may be chilly but it is hard to be cranky when we have this lovely PNW weather!

See you at the barn!

January - world's fastest month??

Woosh! There it goes! As long as it seemed to take to get to the New Year, January has come and gone so quickly it has left us wondering if Spring will show up next - wait, let's not get too excited....

We've enjoyed some lovely sunny days at the barn - and even a week of one less layer for our ponies as they enjoyed some warmer temperatures. In true, WA winter fashion, they are bundled up again against the cold, but stay tuned to your SE Facebook page as there may be a blanket change for your horse before the month is over - we can hope!

Last month, after attending the TCP clinic (see last blog post for details), Katherine completed the process and became the 4th Trainer in WA state to get her certification (and the 9th in Zone 9). More bragging rights for a barn that is already SO cool! We've enjoyed the process, and, as the USHJA continues to work on the program, we will be investigating Level 2 for 2012.

We all had a long, but fun night, at the WSHJA banquet. Hopefully everyone had a chance to check out the photos - especially of the new trophy that Chelsea brought home this year. As a hint, it will be available in 2012 for the top 1.0M Open Jumper rider so..... Hopefully another Sundance rider can bring it home again!

In terms of shows, we went to our first one for 2011 at GCEC. We took Sinatra/Titan with us and he and Dankia were great in his showing debut! We are hoping to be able to take him again in February and see how he does - he handled the chaos of the schooling ring, the scary jumps and crazy jumper patterns like an old pro - who doesn't want this adorable pony? The folks at S.A.F.E. came out and took some more video as well, so we are all hoping, at some point, someone will step up and adopt him - he really is very deserving of a nice permanent home. The other riders had a good show as well - both Kristin and Ella stepping into the jumper ring for the first time, and already excited about doing it again in February! Aubrey and Finesse put down some great rounds and a special "Atta Girl" to Chelsea and her baby girl - Maia galloped around the ring over the bigger jumps and the exciting courses like she was born to do it (ok, she was!). We are looking forward to letting both Maia and Sinatra/Titan try some bigger classes at the next show.

Speaking of shows - February includes one GCEC jumper show on the 19th - if you are interested, let us know ASAP! We will also be heading to CA at the end of the month. Make sure you touch base with Staff about the changes in schedule during the last part of CA and the first part of March while we are away - hopefully you are coming down to CA to watch!

In other barn news, Richochett Rabbit returned home - we miss his cute little face, but are excited to have Pink back in the mix. Ella is hoping to start a 1/2 lease on her this month, so, if anyone is interested in leasing the other 1/2, make sure you let us know ASAP.

Fingers crossed that we can continue to enjoy some of this nice warm weather for awhile before the rains return! Come on out and enjoy your horse and some sun while it is still here!

See you at the barn!

We're Back!!

Just like the snow, your trainers came back to work after the holidays and then left for the weekend for a trip to AZ, only to reappear again this week. Unlike the snow, we came and went for an educational experience, and not just to make everyone's life a little more messy!

a shot of the pool (we didn't get to use) at the hotel :)

For those of you who do not know what your trainers have been up to, both Katherine and Chelsea participate in Continuing Education (CE) Clinics every year. The USHJA - which is the governing body of our sport - now has a program wherein they are certifying trainers in order to make sure every trainer has the proper amount of education necessary to safely teach their students. Although we have always worked to continue our education at this barn, there has never been a requirement from "the top" to do so, and, although the USHJA is not currently requiring trainers to take part in these classes, the idea is, some day trainers will be regulated - fortunately for our clients, we have a strong belief in CE here and are already ahead of the game! We had a great time with a wonderful clinician (Geoff Teall) and encourage you all to watch the Sundance Facebook page for some great clinic quotes. We have already enjoyed putting some new ideas into play in the lessons and hope everyone has enjoyed it as much as we have!

In other barn news, show season is officially here! After wading through the winter weather we have something official to look forward to as the show calendar is up and posted in the tack room. The best idea for a successful show season is to plan NOW, so make sure you make the time to chat with either Katherine or Chelsea about the shows that are available, your schedule, your budget and your goals and we can give you a realistic approach to the 2011 season.

Speaking of shows - we are underway and have officially signed up for Thermal in 2011! Best of luck to Toby, Jasmine and Jill's Vince on their upcoming trip down south and a fun filled (hopefully) start to the show season! To those of you not showing, this is a great show to come and watch, so plan on making some vacation days in March and heading down to the sunny skies in CA to cheer on your teammates!

In other show news, GCEC is underway starting in January. There is a jumper show that we are able to attend, but we need at least two riders willing to show in order for us to put it all together - make sure, if you are interested, to touch base with Katherine or Chelsea ASAP.

In barn news, our new ponies are an adorable hit! CJ (or "The Rabbit" as we call him) is super fun to ride and about as adorable as can be! He is still looking for a lease, so if you have been thinking about showing this year, grab this little guy while you still can - he is a winning ride! Our other new pony (Abby) has been lucky enough to secure a lease already! Congratulations to Teague on her new lease with Abracadabra! Can't wait to see the two of them in the show ring!

In sad barn news, Wally left for his new home in CA. Although we are super excited that he gets to go live with his mom, Laura, we will definitely miss him here. Laura promises to keep in touch and we all enjoyed getting to see her video of him enjoying his first roll in the sun! We're sure he'll be making new friends soon!

Farley also left the barn for a temporary job up in Canada. He moved to the Milner Downs stable for the next month as they try out some riders who have been looking for a fun horse to ride. We're sure that we'll see him again soon, but hope he is having a good time up North!

Lastly, this weekend in the WSHJA banquet. Congratulations, in advance, to all of the Sundance riders on their upcoming awards this weekend. We're looking forward to a fun evening of getting to dress up in something besides breeches and barn boots! Hopefully we will all recognize one another!

Hope you all had a wonderful New Year and are as excited about the upcoming year as we are!

See you at the barn!

The Weather outside is....

Since our last post we have seen rain, snow, ice, some very chilly nights and some lovely sunny days! Hopefully you all stayed safe, warm and dry and have had a chance to come out and ride in-between snow days. There is a possibility that we may have some interesting weather this winter so some winter tips for the barn:

1) Our hill is SLICK. If it starts to snow while you are out riding, feel free to end things quickly if you are concerned about making it down the hill. Although we don't encourage you to leave your horse wet and chilly, keep an eye on the weather and make your ride shorter if you need the time to get down the hill safely.

2) Coming up the hill isn't too much easier. If you are concerned about being able to make it out to ride your horse or take your lesson, feel free to call. A happy barn is one filled with safe and happy clients, so don't worry about sending a text or calling to check on conditions. We can, quite often, have more snow and ice up here than they do "down below", so feel free to check. We do continue to teach and ride in the colder weather, but if you can't make your lesson due to icy roads, let us know as soon as possible.

3) When it gets cold, we turn the water off down at the barn - this keeps our pipes from breaking in the chill and keeps the water flowing during the day. If you are at the barn in the evening after we have closed or in the morning before we have started the hoses up, expect to not have running water and plan accordingly. You can bring some bottled water or cleaning wipes for your tack and there is hand sanitizer in the tack room.

4) Parking! Tis the Season for the neighbors to get their Christmas display up and running! Hopefully you will all enjoy the chance to get to see (& hear) it, but please remember, as we get closer to the holidays, it can get busy up there at night. It is important, if you are the last one out of the gates in the evening to close them behind you - otherwise we can get a lot of people thinking we are a parking lot for the event. If there aren't any cars up top when you go to leave, just close the gates - if you aren't sure, feel free to ask.

5) Our pastures will get snowy, but generally not slippery - however, the same is not true for some of the pathways - the one down to the barn in particular. There is a yearly stream that runs down the hill and it can make for ice under the snow - please walk carefully down to the barn - even after the snow has gone - just in case.

6) Riding in the snow! Although this sounds romantic and fun, remember snow can be slippery! Feel free to take your horse for a nice hand walk if you would like, but keep his (and your!) safety in mind! We don't want any ice injuries!!

As always - any questions - just ask!

We also have some other fun events:

The Susie Hutchinson Clinic - this was a great weekend for all horses and riders! Hopefully you had a chance to come out and audit and if you didn't, never fear, we took some great notes and will be practicing all of it on YOU!! Winter lessons are all about flat work and details as we prepare our horses for the 2011 show season - expect to work hard on the "little things" this winter!

Year End Awards - the results are in and, once again, Team Sundance had a great turn out for the WSHJA awards - the highlight going to Chelsea and Farley who were Champions in the 1.0M jumpers for the year! This division was HUGE so we are very excited that these two were able to dominate - even with a run in with hives for poor Farley!! Great job to them and everyone else who placed in the Top 10 for the end of the year - look for your name in lights coming soon to a magazine near you!!

Holiday Party - it's back!! We will be having our yearly Holiday Party at Katherine's house on Saturday, December 18th. The fun starts at 7pm and includes the annual SE Year-End awards for Most Improved Rider and the Sportsmanship award, as well as a slideshow and lots of yummy treats. Mark your calendars now!

The 2010 Survey - this is our yearly survey which we ask you to all fill out so we can plan the 2011 show calendar. This is YOUR chance to let us know what shows you liked/didn't like and which ones you want to go to in 2011. This is also a great time to talk to your trainers about YOUR goals, so start thinking on what it is you want to do with your horse in 2011 and beyond and fill out at survey ASAP. Look for the link on the Sundance Facebook page ASAP.

Lastly, we have started our plans for our final two fields up by the parking lot. If you see some posts sticking out of the ground up there, don't move them!! We have measured the fields out and are preparing to order supplies this month and are excited about having more fields for our horses to enjoy!

Hope you are all enjoying the Holiday Season - and, as a personal plug, that you have all had a chance (or will make the time!) to go out and cheer on the drummers (Nicholas in particular) at Snowflake Lane at Bellevue Square. It runs every night from now until the New Year at 7pm and is a fun, Christmas Cool Holiday event! 

See you at the barn!

Summertime at the barn

Well, we are back from Thunderbird and getting ready to head off to The Emerald Classic! This is our first year showing at Emerald, so we are excited to see how the show goes!

Thunderbird was a ton of fun - not only in the show ring, but at the exhibitor's bar-b-que and bull riding and the horseless foot race as well! Our group won in both the bull riding and the foot race so we had some other fancy items to add to our Thunderbird weeks - as well as 3 Reserve Championships: Chelsea and Finesse in the .90's, Vera and Finesse in the Pony Jumpers and Aidan and Phalcon in the Short Stirrup Hunters - a great couple of weeks for all!

At home, Farley continues his struggle with his "lumps". He is quite bumpy for anyone who hasn't seen him, but is under the care of several different vets - hopefully they can all decide on what will return him to show form before the shows are over for the year! We are truly blessed to have Finesse to take over for him while he recovers.

Jasmine tried her hand out in the Grand Prix field at Thunderbird - although she was quite sure some of those jumps were out to get her, the experience, over-all, was a good one and hopefully we will get some fun pictures out of it as well!

Titan/Sinatra has progressed so much on the line! We are so exited about him! He is now able to canter calmly and quietly as well as trot like an old pro -we are all very proud of him and the work the Danika and Chelsea have put into him. With the addition of his new bridle, we were able to add the rig into his routine this week - readjusting him to work with bridle and tack in order to prepare for the day we can hop on for real! Danika is planning on trying to raise some more money in order to purchase a girth to fit her saddle - if anyone has a size 40 that they would like to donate or loan to a good cause, we'd love it!

Everyone else is getting ready for the Emerald Classic this coming week, followed by Wild Waves on August 6th and The Evergreen Classic in August - make sure you get signed up at the barn if you haven't already!!

We are breaking out the fly masks and fly spray so that means summer is officially here! Enjoy it while it lasts!!

See you all out at the barn!

Hey - what's the wet stuff in the sky??

Well, the rain returned and it was suddenly cold and wet after such a nice break, but, lucky us, today the sun is out again and the horses are all back out and soaking it up before it disappears!

In Sinatra/Titan news, he is doing great! The lunging is going really well, and, even though he is taking a week off to get some foot care done, we are impressed with what a fast learner he is - he will truly be a great little horse for someone wanting a buddy for anything! He was very soft - even at the canter - the last week and is understanding that the lunge line is a safe place, not a "run and pull" place - yay! Props to Chelsea and Danika for their time and patience while he works on new skills! I hear rumors of a girth coming his way and hopefully, after a very successful bake sale this weekend, maybe a small bridle in his future so he will be dressed and ready to go with his next steps - we are looking forward to doing some line work with him under saddle next!

For the rest of the barn, thanks to the sun, Barry is out chipping away at the massive burn pile out front! The pile has lived with us since the big storm a few years back and we are so glad to see it get smaller. This will open up the fields up top and allow us the room to build some new turn outs which is a long term goal out here - fingers crossed the sun stays out while he burns today!

Cookie, Finesse and Maia are preparing to go to the Gold Creek show this week with Caroline, Lisa, Aly and Danika - good luck to all of our Sundancers and for everyone not showing, make sure you come out to the show and support the cookie cause for Team Titan!!

Looking forward to some great summer horse shows!! See you all out at the barn!

Sunny Days!

The weather has suddenly turned amazing & we are all out loving that spring sun - at least while it lasts!

Sinatra has continued his new life out at the barn, &, as Danika is still without a girth (I've heard rumors of a bake sale at Gold Creek so make sure you come to the horse show hungry!), we have continued to work Sinatra/Titan (sorry Girls - I forgot!) on the line. This week he made amazing progress & started to get more comfortable working to the right as well as the left and even some consistent cantering on the line both directions. He has a way to go before he is truly soft & comfortable each way without having a wall to lean on, but we are really excited about his progress. AND his ground manners are AMAZING! He is no longer nibbling at us and has really taken to some "in-hand" halter type training - walking, backing, the whole thing -who knows, we may get really fancy & try a pivot next week! ;) We are also thinking about introducing a bridle into his lunging experience - we just need to get them smaller - he may have a big head, but it is still dainty compared to the critters out here!

In other barn news, all of the grass gates are open for May & the horses suddenly look a little chubby! But they are all enjoying their larger turn outs and have even had some "naked" days in the sun when we have been able to take blankets off during the day - hopefully you all have had a chance to come out & take your favorite equine for a grass walk - & I know Javier would love not having to mow the hill - a win-win for everyone!!

Gold Creek is coming up at the end of the month - if you are going, make sure those forms are done & turned in to Gold Creek or Katherine ASAP - need help - just ask!

Bainbridge is also coming up next month & we are excited to head over there - it'll be the 1st time the barn shows over there as a Team so we are looking forward to it!

Come on out & enjoy the weather while it lasts - I hear rumors of rain next week....!!