Photo by Collective Grace

Team Knollowood is excited to announce that Addison is moving up from our academy team into the horse show world this season.

Addison has grown up a Knollwood Kid. She's shown academy for several years, and her skills have taken her to the top of that division.

She's attended pattern camps, helped beginner riders, and has participated in many, many Knockout events.

Oh, and she's a heck of a volleyball player.

Addison will hit the ring on the beautiful Rosewood's Homecoming Dance. Known to all as Robert, this grand gelding has been a star for several Knollwood riders, including Haley Berget, Laney Lonchar, ALexa Gross, and most recently, Margit Rhode.

Photo by Collective Grace

 

Robert's charisma catches a judge's eye quickly whether he's showing in an equitation or a pleasure class. His height and personality make him a wonderful match for Addison.

These two will be so very fun to watch!

 

Team Knollwood is thrilled to announce another new horse and rider combination for the 2025 show season.

Averie is following in her sister’s footsteps, and is starting her equitation career this year. Averie will be showing Pure Royalty in the 10 and under walk and trot division.

Prince’s registered name may sound familiar, as he carried Leighton last season, her first our of academy. Prior to that, Prince was older sister Shaye’s equitation mount.

Averie has been working really hard in the off season to make the transition to the show horse world, and it really shows.

Definitely not a wallflower, Averie brings her spunk to the ring. She and Prince are going to have a grand time.

For the first time, Knollwood will have two riders in the 10 and under walk and trot equitation division. We know that Averie and Maddie will have adventures to share.

Congratulations to Averie and the Jensen family.

We can hardly wait to watch Averie and Prince enter the ring.

2024’s school horse of the year Fred here with some important news!

 

Entries for the Spring Knollwood show start tomorrow, March 20.

You may call it a horse show, but for us, the best lesson horses in the world, we refer to the event as our Spring Recital.

We’re proud and grateful to be part of this nationally recognized lesson program. We work in a competition-based riding school, so this is our time to show off our riders' skills, and our own

abilities as well.

Why should all Knollwood Kids participate in our in-barn shows? Well, we’re proud to be a competition-based program.  

What’s a competition-based program?

We equine faculty members believe that showing horses teaches persistence, mental organization, problem solving, resilience, creativity, and compassion. There’s nothing better.

Did you know that in 2024 alone Knollwood’s show riders earned 17 national and world championship titles? And did you know that many of those riders enjoyed lessons with me at the start of their riding lives? Here at Knollwood, we’re always working towards the same goal: to turn out skilled horse people who know how to compete.

All of the lesson horses have a job to do in this process, as they help riders learn and improve their riding skills.

Us real horses, AKA the slip stall horses, teach riders at the start of the process. We provide the foundation. We teach posting, steering, stopping, and all the building blocks that make a rider. We rock.

Of course, there’s a progression of horse instructors as a rider improves their skills.  Knollwood has what the instructors refer to as the ‘library’ in the school barn. Instructors enjoy a selection of horses and can always find the perfect mount for each rider’s lesson of the day.  As skills advance, riders have more horses available for their education.

The 'fancy horses,' AKA the box stall horses who are reserved for riders who have chosen to join the academy travel team teach more advanced show skills including patterns and show ring strategies.

Photo by Hanna Agathen

Knollwood shows offer Knollwood Kids a way to apply their skills in a different setting.  Riders get to choose horses on their entry forms, and the instructors review the selections. (Please choose me!!)

Instructors assign horses based on a number of factors including a rider’s experience, the show division, whether the horse involved enjoys showing, and of course, the horse’s schedule for the weekend.

Photo by Hannah Agathen

Each rider will have plenty of time to practice on their horse prior to the recital. We brilliant lesson horses will teach showing rules and etiquette and build the confidence of each rider we’re partnered with. We love Knollwood shows.

The atmosphere on show weekends can’t be beat.

We horses are treated like absolute kings and queens, with spa treatments and fancy saddle pads. Our behavior at shows is a big part of our annual performance reviews, so we’re extra sparkly in the ring.

The personal assistants are the best and they take care of us all weekend.

For those of you who don’t get food delivered to your stall, there’s a concession stand, and there are even gift baskets you can win!

Lots of nice Knollwood Kids and parents man the tents of food and other fun show activities. You’ll even get a chance to volunteer to join the fun.

 

Please consider this your personal invitation to participate in our recital, your Spring show.

You'll learn, you'll make new friends, and you'll get to spend time with the best lesson horses in the world.

What's Coming Up?

Parents Night Out

Saturday, April 5

All Knockouts are invited to join the officers and board members for a night of fun at the barn. For only $25, you'll enjoy pre-Easter fun, dinner, and of course, games in the arena.  Please talk to your instructor or an admin to join the event.

Knollwood Spring Entries Due

April 10

Entries are due for the Knollwood Spring Show May 16-18.

IASPHA Spring Show

April 12-13

Our first academy show of 2025 is almost here!

Please join us at Beyond Stable Farm in Woodstock, Illinois to cheer on Team Knollwood. Walk trot and canter riders will show on Saturday afternoon, and walk and trot stars will show on Sunday. We're introducing Mya and Vienna to the joys of showing at the show, and we can hardly wait.

Some show horses are making the trip as well!

Easter Sunday

April 20

We're not holding lessons on Easter. Your instructor will schedule a makeup.

 

Street Clean Up

April 26

1:00 PM

All Knockouts are invited to our first service project of the year. Please join your fellow club members as they clean up Oakwood and Nagawicka Roads for spring. Be sure to stay for the Knockout meeting immediately following the event.

Not yet a Knockout member?

We'd love to have you! You can enroll with your instructor or an admin to join the fun.

UPHA Spring Show

May 3-4

Beyond Stable Farm

Woodstock, Illinois

We're back at our favorite facility for another academy show!  Please join us.

Mom's Ride

Saturday, May 10

6:00 PM

Knollwood Kids are giving their mom's an introductory lesson! For only $50, kids can tell their mom 'how it's done.' We'll start signing up on April 15.

Helpers must be at least 10, or an academy rider to be a 'helper.'

 

Food Drive Starts

May 16

Our annual food drive begins on May 16 and runs through May 30. 

Team Knollwood members who collect a minimum of five food kits or $100 in cash donations are eligible to participate in the Knollwood Olympics on June 7.

It's a great opportunity to help neighbors in need, and to have a blast at the Olympics.

KF Spring Show

May 16-18

It's almost here! Get ready to participate in our first show weekend of 2025.

Keep your fingers crossed for good weather, too!

Madison Classic Academy Classes

May 24

Our academy riders take over the ring on Saturday. Please come to cheer us on.

Show horses will be competing at this fabulously deep show from Thursday to Sunday, AND the Brat Bash is going on at the same time. What could be more Wisconsin?

Memorial Day

Monday, May 26

We'll be rescheduling lessons for the holiday. Your instructor will be in touch.

Prairie State Classic

May 30 - June 1

Beyond Stable Farm

The academy team will be showing in the big beautiful outdoor ring.  

 

Knollwood Olympics

Saturday, June 7

 

Photo by Collective Grace

 

See you soon at the barn!

Photo by Collective Grace

Team Knollwood is happy to introduce another team for the 2025 season.

Sophie, a graduate of our lesson program, has moved up to the show horse world. Sophie's parents Kari Resel and J.J. Stanwyck have purchased the accomplished equitation horse Gamora to introduce her to the world of show horses.

Sophie has grown up a Knollwood Kid, and is an accomplished competitor. The sky's the limit for her and her accomplished mare, Gamora.

 

Gamora was previously owned by the Bonness/Whitmore family, and was shown by daughter Brooklyn. These two made quite a name for themselves the last few years, with 2024 wins at Midwest and Lexington, and finishing Brooklyn's 13 and under equitation career by winning all three pleasure equitation finals for the junior age division.

 

Photo by Collective Grace

 

All of Team Knollwood is thrilled that Gamora will stay on the farm and teach another rider the ways of the show horse world. 

And we can't wait to watch Sophie learn from the best.

Knollwood is a busy place.

It takes a lot of human capital to keep the show and school barns running smoothly.  We have many different employees with many different skill sets, and we’d like to show you how we keep the Knollwood world running smoothly.

Let’s start at the top.

Scott started Knollwood in 1978 when he was a child. After making the best decision of his life, and marrying Carol, they eventually purchased the current Knollwood Farm in 1992.

Scott and Carol both train world class show horses, and turn out champion riders year after year.

They both work horses daily, except for Mondays, and teach lessons most days of the week. Scott and Carol teach horse owners as well as advanced academy riders. They both adore teaching, as you can tell if you listen to lessons.

In addition to their base duties, each of the power couple have individual specialties.

Scott is a highly licensed judge, and travels around the country to oversee competitions. He enjoys judging, and gets to see horses in other parts of the country, which lets him see horses he may not at local shows. This oversight comes in handy when he’s shopping for horses for customers.

Scott has served on many, many boards, and is currently serving  the American Saddlebred Horse Association of Wisconsin.

Scott is our driver, and gets horses and equipment to shows all over the Midwest. If you ever get a chance to watch him park the rig, please take a minute to admire the skill involved.

In his spare moments, Scott shoes horses. He works on everything from lesson horses to beautiful show horses.

Carol? She runs the place.

In addition to horse training and teaching riders, Carol oversees the business end of Knollwood.

She keeps all the bills paid, the supplies coming, the show schedule organized, and the staff going in the right direction.

Even with her insane show travel schedule, Carol finds time for creating art, and spending time with her therapists, Hazel Belle and Izzy.

 

Lin keeps the whole thing running.

Officially, she’s a horse trainer and instructor, but she’s much more than that.

Lin started our enrollment system in the school barn, which has made everyone’s life easier. The system has freed up time for everyone to do the things that matter to Knollwood Kids instead of back tracking on paper notes.

Lin is our IT person and keeps the latest technology working.

Over in the school barn…

Nancy is one of the riding school directors, and teaches lessons four days a week.

She wears many other hats, too.

She’s responsible for the health of the lesson horses, and for their farrier care.

Nancy manages the ASAW Summer Showcase event in Cedarburg each summer.

She also manages the school barn care and maintenance, and for landscaping around the farm. She even orders grain for the whole farm!

Ann, the other lesson program director, teaches lessons 5 days a week.

She enjoys watching riders progress and build confidence in themselves. She travels to academy shows and preps riders with 3 academy groups each week, and 4 weeks of academy camp in the summer.

Other duties include managing three in-barn shows each year and advises the Knockouts on their activities.

Our staff instructors keep Knollwood running at capacity!

They teach lessons, and introduce new Knollwood Kids to the joys of riding and horses. Their enthusiasm is contagious.

They schedule their own lessons, and love to communicate directly with the parents of their students.

Some of the staff instructors have some added responsibilities, too.

In addition to teaching on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays, Molly runs our mini camp program. She and her enthusiastic helpers introduce first time riders to horses and Knollwood.

In addition to teaching Mondays and Tuesdays, Brenda is our helper trainer and scheduler. She keeps weekdays and summer riding school staffed with friendly, helpful Knollwood Kids.

After teaching Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Courtney is our master scheduler. She keeps schedules straight for 7  lesson instructors, manages the wait list, and communicates with customers about day and time changes. She’s a gem.

Courtney also handles Woodwear ordering, awards for horse shows and banquets, and generally keeping us organized. Her next project is a summer camp handbook for instructors.

Our admins are the first friendly faces you meet when you arrive at Knollwood. 

They help riders stay informed about upcoming events, get show entries in, and answer questions about many topics.

Admins also answer phones, forward billing inquiries, and help instructors with all sorts of projects in their quiet moments. Heck, some of them even clean saddles in their spare time!

Great thanks to Jane, Lisa, Marnia, Michelle PF, and Michelle Pi!

Here at Knollwood, we’re lucky to have a team of enthusiastic friends who are working for the Knollwood Kids.

What’s Coming Up?

Academy Kick Off

This Saturday at 6:00 PM

We can hardly wait to get geared up for show season 2025!

Knollwood Spring Show Entries

March 20 – April 10

Be sure to get your entries in to join the party on May 16-18!

We can hardly wait for the show!

Easter Themed PNO

Saturday, April 5 at 6:00

You can now sign up in the school barn lounge to join the fun. The Knockout officers and board members are hosting a fun night of dinner, crafts, and Easter themed activities. The event is only $25, and you can pay and signup in the school barn.

IASPHA Spring Show

April 12-13

Beyond Stable Farm

Our first academy show of 2025!

Please join us to cheer on 2 academy riders making their debut, and a host of other fun Knollwood Kids.

Sime show horses are making the trip as well, and you won’t want to miss it.

Easter Sunday

April 20

We will not be holding lessons. Your instructor will be in tough to schedule a makeup lesson.

Street Clean Up

Saturday, April 26 at 1:00

Everyone’s invited to join the Knockouts as they clean up Oakwood and Nagawicka Roads for Spring. Stay for the Knockout meeting immediately following the event!

UPHA Spring Show

May 2-4

Beyond Stable Farm

Sporting a new schedule, the UPHA show is always a favorite.

New this year, academy walk trot and canter classes will be held on Saturday, and our walk and trot riders will compete on Sunday.

Mom’s Day Ride

Saturday, May 10 at 6:00

Knollwood Kids, here’s your chance to help your mom in a group riding lesson. For only $50, you can teach your mom why you love horses so much.

We’ll start signing up April 15.

Knollwood Spring Show

May 16-18

Our first in-barn show of the year!

 

See you soon at the barn.