More Showing Fun!

We are back from another fun horse show down at The Emerald Classic at Donida Farms in Auburn. We had a great time with the horses down there and had some highlights, including Wally's Reserve Champion in the Pre-Green Hunters and Laura's 1st place finish in the Long Stirrup Derby on Sunday! Chelsea and Finesse did well in the .90's & the 1.00 jumpers - even if they weren't crazy about the optimum time - and Marla and her adorable horse, Bud Light, did great as they moved up the jumper divisions to the .90's! Jasmine and Finesse enjoyed a fun relay and placed 3rd as they had the chance to run the course together - they made quite the pair!

Now we are getting ready to go to the Evergreen Classic. Most of the horses will be joining us at the show, so if you are planning on coming out to the barn expect to get the place all to yourself! Hopefully, while we are away showing Javier will have lots of extra time to get the place ready for Fall - yes, Fall is just around the corner - shudder! For now, the horses are enjoying getting to be without blankets and sheets and having the windows open day and night in the barn.

We've had some new students join us and are currently looking for a horse for a couple of students to lease in both the hunter and jumper divisions so hopefully we will have a new horse or pony soon!!

Titan continues to do well on the line. Danika has to get out to the tack stores to buy him a girth, but if you know of anyone who has a small girth they would like to donate, it would be much appreciated - he is definitely ready to do MORE! :)

We've had some interest in the Gold Creek show in August as well, so if this is a show you are thinking about, make sure to let us know now as things will get busy this next month and we want to make sure we have everything planned so nothing falls through the cracks - believe it or not, show season is winding down - but not before a great turn out at the Evergreen Classic - remember, if you aren't showing, we'd love to have you out to cheer everyone on while they show! Go Team Sundance!!

Our big summer barn party is Friday, August 6th at Wild Waves! Hopefully you are planning on coming out and joining us for a day of fun - and hopefully sun! This is our 3rd year at Wild Waves and we do tend to get cooler weather, but nothing deters Team Sundance from making everything we do FUN! Come on out and play!

We will see you at the barn - remember, it is nice and cool out there during the summer so enjoy it!!

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!

Horse Showing Frenzy!

Well, it's been awhile! Things have been busy at the barn lately....

First off, a big "Welcome!" to Boo and her owner Michelle. We have enjoyed getting to know Boo and her family and helping Boo in her re-hab as she increases her trotting. We are all excited to get her to the point where we can try out her canter! She is super cute and seems to be a great neighbor to Wally.

We've also been showing a lot here - we went to another Gold Creek show as well as The Bainbridge Island Classic and are currently up in Canada attending the Thunderbird horse show. Hopefully, if you weren't showing, you had a chance to come out and cheer your fellow Sundancers on while they were showing! Everyone has been quite successful - with Championships for Nicholas and Finesse at Bainbridge, Maia and Danika at GCEC and some fancy ribbons for Phalcon up in Thunderbird this last week. We've also had quite the string of Reserve Championships at Bainbridge for Phalcon, and at GCEC in several different divisions for Grace on Cookie, Ariel on Finesse and Erica on Wally - what a great show month everyone has had! Great Job Team!

Danika was also, with the help of Vera and Aidan, able to raise some money from her Bake Sale for Sinatra/Titan and, with the donation of a bridle from Sue (and the bit from Vera's bridle) we finally have a bridle for Titan! He has started his work on the line with that and we are hoping that Danika raised enough money to purchase a girth soon - and some sun block! Poor Guy - his nose is sensitive to the small amount of sun we have seen! But we are excited to finally get him working under saddle so he can find a permanent home - remember, if you know of someone looking for a horse he is available for adoption!!

We are excited for the 2nd week of Thunderbird starting this week and for the sun to make an appearance - might even be time to get out the fly masks....?

Horse Shows are here!

It was cold, wet and rainy - but it was almost June - what else were we to expect at the Gold Creek Show on May 29th? Despite the wet weather, however, horses and riders had a good day - lots of horse show ups & downs, but a good time was had by all!

Chelsea's horse, Maia, proved to us all that she isn't just a silly baby, and she went out in her Walk/Trot classes with Danika and cleaned house! She was super cute as she trotted around and whinnied her concern at being alone, but not one bad horse moment out there and she won each class she was in and brought home the Championship for the day!

Cookie and Finesse were both fired up - yes, Cookie too! and they greeted the wet weather with enthusiasm! Both mares showed in the 2' division with Aly and Caroline who were moving up to this division for the first time. Both girls brought home some nice ribbons - a couple of firsts for Aly and some seconds for Caroline - and also learned some lessons about remembering your course and keeping that paint mare cantering ALL the way to the fences! But overall the girls did well and the horses had fun.

Lisa also showed at her first show, taking Cookie into the 2'3" division where they did everything from Hunter Hack, flat classes and Over Fences. Cookie, unlike her normal self, continued her speedy ways, but Lisa did a great job working on the walk in her flat classes and keeping Cookie organized for the jumping ones - they had a great first show and placed in all of their classes and, by the end of the day, Cookie remembered she had done this all before and was settled into her happy place - just in time to head home!

In other barn news, Sinatra/Titan has continued to enjoy his time off. He is so quiet you hardly know he is there sometimes and he is just waiting to get his feet trimmed so he is good to go. We are going to test him out on the line again and see if he is feeling 100% again. No new tack on the horizon yet as Danika wasn't able to show and sell cookies at the horse show BUT, Vera donated a bridle that we are going to try & see if it fits. Fingers crossed as it would be great to get to do something with that little guy! He also manged to tear up his sheet as well (it was just too big & finally got tangled) so he will have to add that to his growing shopping list. But otherwise, he is great - happy and hoping to get noticed out there so someone will give him a permanent home!

Barry continued to work on the  burn pile while it wasn't raining and, with that gone, we are hoping to finally spread the dirt up there by the parking lot. We know some kids will miss playing "King of the Hill" on it, but we are excited to see it go! One step closer to more turn out paddocks!

Bainbridge Island horse show is next week, and we are doing Thunderbird show forms this week so check your calendars and sign up to join us at a horse show! That is what summer is for after all!

See you all 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....!!

Welcome Sinatra

Well, the new horse has arrived! Sinatra pulled into Sundance on that very chilly Sunday, and, even though we were afraid he wouldn't acclimate to being in a stall, he has settled in very nicely.