Time Flies!

Well, it doesn't seem like it has been that long since our last post, but then the last month has flown by - sort of like the sun that shows up once in awhile....

May found us showing at both the Pacific Northwest Hunter/Jumper show in Monroe as well as Thunderbird up in Langley, Canada. We were lucky enough to be able to hire a new farm hand just before the horse shows - Thomas has hit the ground running and has been working hard to learn the system. We've really appreciated having the help and hope you have all had a chance to meet Thomas and welcome him to the barn.

We had a large group head out to Monroe in May with riders showing in everything from the Walk/Trot division to the 1.15 jumper classes. Everyone was great, with both horses and riders getting new experiences in the show ring: Pink and Ella tried out their first "A" circuit show together and came home with a Reserve Champion in the .75M jumpers. Amelia and Mexico attended their very first "A" show and brought home the ribbons in the walk/trot AND moved into the cross-bar division with Emma (also attending her first show) with both horses and riders placing in every class. Phalcon and Aidan moved up to the 2'9" division for the first time, and Phalcon moved into the 3' division as well - inlcuding competing in the Hunter Derby that weekend, going over all the "big" options and just being a general stud! Finesse and Nicholas moved up to the .90M jumpers for the first time together and brought home a Reserve Champion in both the Children's & the Low division. The jumpers - Toby, Maia & Jasmine, all moved up in their divisions, with Toby & Jasmine riding in the 1.15M classes and Maia moving from the .75M to the .85M - in her first show! Danika and Farley played in the 1.0M jumpers and Ella (the horse!)added her first show in the walk/trot group. Marla and Webster rounded out the group by coming out, showing and winning the Champion in the 1.0M adult group - all in all a busy, but very fun show. We really appreciated all the help we had as we ran from ring to ring and we are very proud of all our horses and riders!

Jasmine plays in the Grand Prix field at Thunderbird

We came back from that show and, in true horse show season fashion, packed up and headed North with the jumpers for two weeks at Thunderbird. The rain was icky - and the footing made it tough on a couple of days - but the horses stepped up to the bigger (and scarier) fences that Thunderbird offered with Jasmine and Toby working in the 1.15 and 1.10 jumpers (including Jasmine with the win in the 1.10M division and Toby bringing home some cash in his 1.15 classic). Maia continued to impress, earning great ribbons in the .85M and then getting to move up AGAIN to the .90M group and earning a division Championship our last week. It was a great couple of weeks and a wonderful learning experience for horses and riders.

We're back to the barn now and the horses are doing great - everyone is enjoying the larger grass field turn outs and Thomas is working hard on pulling the spring weeds which have enjoyed all the rain. Horses are up to date on shots and worming and are getting their dental work done for the spring as well. Feel free to come out and help mow the lawn by taking your horse for a nice grass walk around the barn!

We're getting a few weeks of down time in between shows and will be working getting ready for the next show! Maia, Toby and Webster will be heading up for a couple of weeks in Thunderbird at the end of the month and we are currently working on getting show forms done for the Emerald Classic in July. Make sure you get signed up at the barn so you can come join the fun down in Donida this July!

Fingers crossed for a few more days of sun to come our way - horses have enjoyed a couple of days without sheets, but nothing consistent yet - maybe in July...?

See you out at the barn!

Round and Round it goes...!

Phew! What a whirlwind! After a quiet few weeks, the end of April and first part of May find us spinning around in a flurry of activity!!

April ended with Dinner and a Horse Show out in Monroe. Thanks to everyone who was able to join us! It was a fun night of horse talk (and Dave's injury and recovery - we're all pulling for you!!) and showing. We were especially excited to get to see Jill ride both of her horses in the show and cheer her on to a 5th place finish on her horse Koa. Chelsea says it is because of all the exercise riding she does on him....

We also had the chance to introduce everyone to the new barn mascots - Bacardi and Shooter joined the Sundance Team  and have been working hard at keeping the entire staff wide awake for all hours of the evening. If your trainers have seemed a little punchy lately, talk to the puppies!! Big thanks to Michelle for the large crate as the two dogs seem to enjoy cuddling up together at night, and even slept for a whole 6 hours in a row the other night - a red letter event for all! We are excited to have them here and introduce them to the world of horses and showing. We appreciate everyone's patience and help as we bring the pups to the barn and teach them all about sharing their new home with horses AND humans! It has been exhausting, but fun.

A rare moment of sleep 

The end of April also had us all filling out show forms! We have a lot of horses and riders heading off to the Monroe show this month, as well as a two week trip to Canada for our jumper crew. Check with Staff about any scheduling questions you may have during that time period. We are excited to get to go to the show with everyone and hope that you are all looking forward to it as well!

June Thunderbird forms will be due soon as well so if you had been considering trying that show, make sure you touch base with Staff in the next week as we'll need to have your information organized before we leave town for Canada. This is a great horse show so even if you aren't able to show, make sure you set aside some time while we are gone to come up and cheer on Team Sundance! Plus, there will be puppies needing some love......

Dr. Bergevin will be out to the barn on Monday so the horses will get the day off for shots and wormer. He will be checking teeth as well and we will have a list of horses that will need to get their teeth done. If your horse is on the list after Monday we will let you know.

In an attempt to fool the weather into Spring, we have officially moved to lighter clothes for our horses. It is still too chilly to go without, but we have enjoyed a couple of nice warm days - followed, of course, by rain. We have our fingers and hooves crossed for some sun during the horse shows!

April also found us taking Abby to her new home! After living here with us and having a great time giving lessons and supporting a lease, Abby has found a new little girl to love her. We wish Kenzie and the folks out at Woodside Stables all the best and hope to see them at the shows!

Sadly, April was also our last month with Javier. Javier worked at Sundance for 5 years and has been a great addition to the Team and will be greatly missed. We are in the process of trying to find a replacement, so if you know of someone looking for a part time job with horses, let us know! It is not work for the faint of heart, so, as much as small kids may think it is "fun" to work with the horses, we are looking for someone who will be able to drive the tractor and lift trunks as well!! Keep your ears to the ground and let us know if you hear of someone who might be a match!

That's the latest for now - we hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day!

See you at the barn!

April Showers - & then some...

Hopefully you're reading this and enjoying a small reprieve from the rain (and hail) that we've "enjoyed" over the last few weeks. The horses are enjoying a few moments of dryness outside and we have our fingers crossed that this next week will be a little easier on everyone than the last - needless to say, we appreciate our covered arena more and more during these types of "Spring"!

Proof that sun exists somewhere!

Next week, on Saturday, we'll be heading out for Dinner and a Horse Show. If you haven't signed up already, make sure to do so! This is a great barn event and a fun evening for all. We enjoy dinner together at the Monroe Red Robin and then head to the horse show to watch the Grand Prix. There are two going on at this show and it is a great opportunity to hang out with horse people and watch the big jumpers - not too mention get excited about showing your OWN horse!

Speaking of shows, we have quite a few weeks coming up in May/June (5/16-6/5) so mark your calendars now. We've enjoyed some down time at home after Thermal and have been prepping the horses to head back out to the circuit. In May, the majority of the barn will be heading out to Monroe to show in the Pacific Northwest Hunter/Jumper horse show. If you aren't showing with us that week, come on out to cheer on your teammates! We'll have riders in everything from the cross bar hunters to the 1.10 jumpers so there should be something for everyone to watch. Following the week at Monroe, your trainers will head up to Thunderbird to campaign the jumpers for 2 weeks. Danika and Katie will be holding down the fort again, so make sure to check with Staff about the schedule for those 3 weeks if you want to try and get some extra lessons in before/after we leave. It'll be a busy, but fun, 3 weeks.

Horses will be getting shoes on Monday (4/18) and then, at the end of this month, we'll have the vet out for spring shots and worming as well as a check up for teeth. Healthy horses are happy horses!

In other barn news, Ella has settled in and jumped her first jumps this last week. We are very excited about her quiet and willing personality and are hoping she'll continue to progress quickly. She'll be making her show debut at Monroe next month in the Walk/Trot division.

Abby is still looking for a lease (or a new owner!) so please keep your ears open for anyone who might be interested. We hate to have to see her leave, so if you know of someone looking for a fun pony to lease, let us know!

Bowling is still on the agenda as well! If you'd like to join the Sundance bowling team, let us know! It's a fun day out and a great cause as well.

With show season in full swing, make sure you continue to touch base with staff about scheduling. Show entry forms are quite often due well in advance and you don't want to miss your deadline. Also, make sure to take the time to follow along with Katherine's examiner articles. The last 3 have all been about show costs and are a great way to know what to expect and why. Quite often there is a lot of misunderstanding about who is getting paid what and why, and these articles are designed to help educate everyone on the mysteries of horse showing! Also, for those of you that do go out to visit at the Monroe show, make sure you check out the program - there's another article in there about what makes a great horse show. As always, if you have any questions, just ask!

Enjoy the small sun break - hopefully it'll stick around for a few minutes!

See you at the barn!

They're Here!

Well, it's official - as of this afternoon both Farley and Ella settled into their stalls and introduced (or re-introduced) themselves to the rest of the gang. Farley seemed glad to be home, and quickly marched down the path and strolled across the arena in that "Yes, yes I'm back, you may all resume your worshiping" way that he has. Good thing he's modest.... Ella seems to be settling in as well. Sue brought some blankets out for her today and she'll head to work tomorrow getting used to the new routine. It'll be fun to see what she has to offer!

In barn news we have some events coming up, so make sure you put them on your calendar! We are doing Dinner and a Horse Show on the 23rd of April. This is a great event with food and horses - what could be better? And this year, a special treat, in that Jill will be showing her two horses in the Grand Prix to give them some "inside" exposure so we'll have a chance to cheer her on again! Everyone can check out Katherine's (secret) favorite horse, Poppy, in the ring - shhh, don't tell the other horses!!

We have a couple of shows that we are looking at doing, so make sure you touch base with your trainers ASAP if you are interested so we put them on the calendar as "for sure". GCEC has a hunter show in April (30th) that we are considering, and then there is the Mother's Day Classic in Wilsonville (9th-15th) and, of course, the Pacific Northwest Hunter/Jumper show (16th-22nd) in Monroe. Both shows are in May, but forms will be due soon, so if you're interested in either show, let us know now so we can work toward getting you there.

We will be going to Thunderbird the end of May/beginning of June (5/23-6/5) to give the jumpers a chance to get some miles up there. If this is a show you're interested in, let us know. The show runs for 2 weeks, but horses can go for 1 week if you are unable to do both weeks - let us know and we'll help work out the details with you.

Nimh enjoys the view!

We're still working on doing some bowling (May 1st) - remember, if you are interested in joining the bowling team, let us know! It's a great way to spend a Sunday and a good cause as well!
Hope you have all been able to make it out to the barn through all the rain. The horses haven't minded staying in a bit during all the liquid sunshine - we have all our fingers and hooves crossed for some solid sun later this week.
Stay warm and dry and we'll see you out at the barn!

Spring has Sprung!

Well, for those of you who may have missed it, your trainers headed down to CA for a few weeks to experience some HITS (horse shows in the sun) action! All of the horses were wonderful - including Toby who moved up into the 1.10M division for the first time and Vince and Jill winning the PCHA medal class - which was quite an accomplishment when faced with the fancy CA horses! We had a great time and enjoyed the sun - hopefully you all had a chance to follow along on Facebook - and, for those of you who weren't able to ride or visit this year, put it on your calendar for next year - it is a once in a lifetime show, and a wonderful time of the year to get out of the barn.

In other barn news, we are getting ready for our annual "Dinner and a Horse Show" event. This is a yearly tradition where we all get together for dinner at the Monroe Red Robin and then head over to the Fairgrounds to watch the Grand Prix. It is a fun, relaxing night of horses and friends, so save the date (Saturday, April 23rd) and make sure to let your barn staff know you'd like to come so we save you a seat!

In sad barn news, our buddy Sinatra/Titan will be leaving the barn. We have loved having him here and wish him all the best on his new journey. We have our fingers crossed that he will find a permanent home soon! However, we have had to make room at the barn as we will be welcoming Farley back home soon and a new horse, Ella, will be coming in to start her training next week. We're always sad to see someone go, but are excited about bringing the new horse into the barn.

In SAFE news, we are putting together a bowling team! Yep, that's right, your trainers will be showing off their skills at the bowling alley! SAFE is hosting this event as a fund raiser and we would love to see a strong Sundance showing. Lanes are $200/lane for 6 people, so if you would like to be part of our lane, let your barn staff know! Bowling is Sunday, May 1st, so check your calendars and come out and support the horses of SAFE!

In exciting barn news, it's official! Both Farley and Jasmine will be for sale in the next month. This is YOUR time to head out there and talk up both of these wonderful horses to all of your horse friends - we would love for both of these great horses to get a home from someone we know, so help these 2 find a wonderful new place! And, there just may be a plate of cookies in it for you too! ;)

We're taking a bit of a show break for this month, but are taking sign ups for anyone wanting to show at the GCEC hunter show in April as well as the Thunderbird shows in May/June. Make sure you chat with staff and figure out which shows are best for you.

It's great to be home - we missed all of you! Hope you all had a chance to enjoy some of the spring sun, before those April showers show up for a visit!

See you 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!