This is a wonderful time of the year. Kids are looking forward to summer vacation, windows and screen doors are finally open, horses are out enjoying the fresh grass, and everyone’s looking forward to show season.

The last couple of weeks have been busy, so let’s catch everyone up on all the happenings at Knollwood!

Our show horses just returned from their first long road trip show of the 2018 season. Team Knollwood attended the UPHA Chapter 5 show in Kansas City for the first time, and everyone agreed it was a wonderful show. The facility was convenient, and even air conditioned in the hot KC weather, the schedule was exhibitor friendly, the footing was horse friendly, and the hospitality was continuous. Great thanks to Missy and Tuffy on putting on a great show.

Gabby and Charlie picked up where they left off last season, winning their qualifier in the Junior Exhibitor 5 Gaited Show Pleasure division, and finished reserve in the championship. These two have an exciting season ahead.

Richie and Tink also started 2018 with a bang, winning their walk and trot equitation qualifier, and finishing reserve in their championship. Few horses light up as much as Tink when they enter the ring, and this charismatic pair is a blast to watch.

Is there anything Ainsley can’t do? She and Millie are always in the thick of it in the Junior Exhibitor 5 Gaited division, and this show was no exception. The dynamic duo finished second in their qualifier, and came back to win their championship.

Ainsley has always enjoyed equitation, but has been concentrating in the performance divisions for the past few years. She decided she wanted to take up the challenge for her final year, and her family has leased Mina to allow that to happen.

 

Ainsley is no stranger to equitation success, having won the National Walk and Trot Final in 2012, the UPHA Pleaseure Challenge Cup National Final in 2013, and won the Reserve World’s Grand Championship in Junior equitation in both 2014 and 2015 as well as the National Championship of equitation in 2014.

Ainsley returned strong at Chapter 5, winning the Saddle and Bridle Pleasure Equitation Medallion qualifier, and finishing 4^th in a deep championship. Ainsley and Mina are going to be a force this year.

 

Payton made her Team Knollwood debut, and wowed everyone with her presence and poise. She and Eli won both the qualifier and championship in the  Junior Exhibitor 3 Gaited division.  She then teamed up with Dos to win their Open Junior Exhibitor Pleasure qualifier before they showed back in the championship that included Junior and senior exhibitors, and won that too.  In between, Payton and Dos also finished second in a UPHA Challenge Cup qualifier.

Finn enjoyed great success at her first show riding Sophie. These two make a beautiful team, and finished second in their first class together, the  USEF Medal qualifier.  Finn showed back in the championship, and came out on top of a wonderful group of riders.

When she wasn’t showing in equitation, Finn was busy showing her beautiful pleasure horse Frankie in the 3 Gaited Show Pleasure division.  Finn and Frankie finished second in both their qualifier and championship.

 

Knollwood Kid Haley had quite a show at Chapter 5.  Haley showed the one and only Brookhill’s Passion Punch in her first ever equitation classes, and Leila seemed to like it. The new pair won the Good Hands class as well as the UPHA Pleasure Challenge Cup qualifier. These two are going to be beautiful to watch.

Haley is also a sought after catch rider, and had the opportunity to show Kalarama’s Out of the Ordinary to 2 wins in the Junior Exhibitor Park Division. Haley had previously shown this grand gelding to wins at  River Ridge, and will show him again at the Madison Classic. He’s owned by Amanda Dellinger-Allen and trained by Hollow Haven Farm.

 

While the show horses were away, the home office enjoyed lots of lessons and other horsey fun like the Knockouts’ street clean-up, the one and only Willy’s 30^th birthday party, and a laugh filled Mom’s Day ride.

 

What’s Coming Up?

This Saturday is one of the biggest days of the year at Knollwood. We’ll kick it off with our Open House starting at 11. We have the best customers in the world, and we  invite you to bring your friends to enjoy FREE mini rides, tours of the beautiful historic farm, pony painting, and the chance to watch lessons in progress. New customers will also receive a 10% discount on any lessons purchased at the Open House.

We’ll finish lessons up before we host our biggest charitable event of the year, the Knollwood Olympics. Riders have been collecting food kits for the Food Pantry of Waukesha County all month. Those who have collected a minimum of 5 kits have earned the right to compete in our version of Olympic events.

Teams based on the day the kids ride will compete against each other in events such as the blind buggy race, the helmet toss, and the blanket race. Following the events, all the participants will gather for a potluck cookout while we finish the final tallying of food donations. The teams who collect the most food kits over their goal will receive special prizes donated by our friends at Wild Impact Marketing.

Bring a food kit to donate to your favorite team, and come cheer on the teams as they help their neighbors in need!

The following weekend, both academy and show horses will be heading to west for the Madison Classic Horse Show. Always a popular event, it’s a sell out this year, with horses coming from all over the country to enjoy the well managed show known for its hospitality and friendly competition.

This is the second sold out show in our area so far this season, with the first being the Spring IASPHA show. We're excited about the strength of the industry in our 'neighborhood!'

We’ll post the schedule so you can plan your weekend trips to the show. Academy horses will show at 9 AM on Saturday, and show horses will compete from Thursday through Sunday. You won’t want to miss it!

We hope you can join us for all the fun the next few weekends.

See you at the barn!

 

It’s finally getting warmer, the grass is greening up, and the end of the school year is approaching. Summer is finally coming!

Here at Knollwood, summer is a very special time.  The screen doors are open, our foals Frito and Robin will be growing every day, lessons can be held indoors OR outdoors, and Knollwood kids can be at the barn longer hours.

There’s plenty to love about summer at the barn, and here are our five favorite things we’re looking forward to for Knollwood Summer 2018.

Riding lessons

We continue our full schedule of group and private lessons through the summer. Actually, with kids out of school, we can start private lessons a little earlier during summer break without the worries of homework.

Plus, when the weather cooperates, we can ride outside for a change of scenery. With a choice of two outdoor arenas, we have the perfect spot for lessons for riders of any level.

 

 

Show Season!

 

Our more experienced riders are pumped up for summer show season. We’re hosting our own in-barn show at Knollwood on July 21-22 for riders in our program. Students who have made their journey to showing level will compete against other riders in our program while showing our lesson horses.

The show is one of three that we host throughout the year. Our first show was held in March, and we’ll finish the 2018 show season with a big event in November.

 

We love to travel. A lot.

Our academy show riders will be showing in Wisconsin and Illinois this season at events large and small. We travel with a special group of our academy horses and compete against riders from other lesson programs throughout the Midwest.

Interested? The Knollwood Kids will be showing close to home at the Wisconsin State Fair Park on July 14, and at the Ozaukee County Fairgrounds on August 11 and 12.

We also have a full group of privately owned American Saddlebred show horses that travel as far as Kentucky and Kansas throughout the show season. Many of the riders who compete at the national level started right here in our own lesson program, and we couldn’t be prouder of their achievements which include many National and World Championships.

You can also see the show horses at the ASAW Summerfun Show at Wisconsin State Fair Park on July 12-15.

 

 

Tiny Tot Lessons

Our special program for riders aged 3-6 really takes off in the summer. While our Tiny Tot camps are all sold out, we do offer half hour private tiny tot lessons on a select group of our lesson horses all summer long.

Our youngest horse lovers are able to learn riding at their own speed in a fun atmosphere. These kids are always amazing us with all they can learn at such a young age!

 

 

Summer Riding School

A summer tradition, we offer four weeks of summer riding school for riders aged 7-17.  Camp runs from 9 am to 3 pm, Monday to Thursday, and from 9 am to 12:30 pm on Friday. It’s a week of immersion into the horse world with kids learning to take care of their horse as well as ride. They get to prep their horse and take care of him after each ride and learn plenty of hands on skills in daily sessions.

We are fortunate to have partnered with Soul Fire Art Studio for the craft portion of summer riding school. The studio comes to Knollwood with special ‘horsey’ crafts for the campers to work on each Wednesday afternoon. The crafts make a great memory of their summer at Knollwood.

The Horses

Our horses love their jobs. They really do.

Several of them have been with us for 20+ years, and all the boys are well versed in their jobs. They may not all be beautiful on the outside, but they’re pure gold on the inside.

They come in all shapes and sizes, and they all love what they do.

We think our fabulous group of lesson horses love summer as much as we do. They really enjoy the extra attention from campers with their grooming and baths after each ride.

You can actually see them relaxing while they’re enjoying their kid time each day.

If you’re interested in learning more about Knollwood Summer 2018, please visit us at our Open House on Saturday, May 19. From 11 am to 2 pm, you can take a tour, enjoy a free mini-lesson, paint a pony, and watch lessons in progress.

We’re even offering a 10% discount to new customers on any lessons purchased on Open House Day.

Please give Ann or Nancy a call at 262-367-2391 with any questions. We’re looking forward to Knollwood Summer 2018, and we hope you’ll join us!

 

We are happy to honor one of the best lesson horses ever as Willy celebrates his 30th birthday this week.

Born in South Dakota, and originally named and registered as Dakota’s Diamond Sam, the Quarter Horse who stole the hearts of many a Knollwood Kid came to the farm as a three -year old.  Legendary horse dealer Gary Lohman thought Willy had the brain to make a wonderful lesson horse, and he was right, as usual.

Side note, Gary’s brother Mike is also a great horseman, and has found many of our current lesson horses for us.  Brinkley, Forest, Pony Frank, Tony, Fred, Sparky, and Picasso all came to us through Mike’s great eye for horses. He and his family operate Southwind Ranch in Eagle where they teach, train, and sell horses.

 

Back to Willy’s story …

From the beginning, it was evident that Willy would be a big player in the Knollwood lesson program. Willy and his perfect jog trot with the consistent rhythm of a metronome has taught countless, and we mean countless, riders to post. Even the most timid riders feel they can ride when they encounter Willy’s calm personality. He’s a big golden confidence builder.

 

In his younger days, Willy was the fastest horse in the pasture. Over the years, he may have slowed down a bit physically, but he still maintains his sense of humor in his stall and in the arena. While enjoying the box stall life with his fellow senior citizen Brinkley, Willy enjoys ‘escaping’ from his stall while it’s being cleaned or bedded. Of course, he trots to his slip stall where he enjoys his senior feed every day while kids brush and tack him for lessons.

Oh yes, he’s still teaching lessons, and would go insane if he didn’t have a job to do. Willy is still a master of tiny tot lessons and of walk and trot bareback lessons. He does occasionally get caught up in the moment and canter a few strides if other horses in a group lesson are doing the same.

Few horses have the sense of humor of this one. Over the years, he’s been dressed up as a witch, a nerd, a scarecrow, and even as a pommel horse for gymnasts. As usual, he takes it all in stride with a sigh.

 

Willy fears only one thing in the world, and it’s aerosol spray. He’s terrified of fly spray and can hear it from across any arena. His kids have learned to spray a towel out of his ear shot, of course, and wipe it all over Willy to keep him comfortable  during fly season.

 

These days, he’s a member of our ‘Entitled Old Gelding Club,’ and enjoys whatever he wants. He loves the sun on his back outside, as well as his cushy box stall next to his friend Brinkley at night. Of course, Willy’s stall also happens to be next to the feed room, so he begs every evening for some extra goodies to help him through the night. Every night.

We’re celebrating Willy’s birthday on Saturday, May 5. Please stop by and tell him what he’s meant to you and to wish him a Happy Birthday.  He’s truly one in a million and we are so fortunate to have known a soul like his.

 

In celebration of his three decades, Willy would appreciate gifts of carrots and apples. He is a health nut, and doesn’t eat candy, but really loves a good carrot.

 

Happy Birthday, Willy!

Team Knollwood has started its annual food drive for the Food Pantry of Waukesha County, and we’re looking for members who want to become Olympians.

Let’s back up a little bit …

Our youth group, the Knollwood Knockouts, has a tradition of giving back to neighbors in need. We support the Honor Flight, breast cancer research, the American Heart Association, Saddlebred Rescue, and others.

 

Our biggest annual charitable event, the Knollwood Olympics, is coming up on May 19, and we are looking for Olympians to join our teams. To be a Knollwood Olympian, ask your friends, family, or neighbors to donate food kits in your name. Each food kit consists of one:

Can of vegetables

Can of fruit

Boxed potato

Package of gravy

Box of cereal

Can of soup

Boxed dessert

Box of Jello

Put these items in a bag with your name and day that you ride in the Food Pantry bins in the show barn lounge. When you have a minimum of five bags donated, you’re a Knollwood Olympian! (Of course, you can collect as many food kits as you’d like, as the pantry runs short of food after school ends. The team that collects the most food kits is the winner and will receive a special prize.)

If you have donors who are too busy to shop, they can write checks out to ‘The Food Pantry of Waukesha County.’ A food kit is equivalent to $15, and the checks are tax deductible. We’ll send all the checks in after the event.

Qualifying food kits must be in by May 12th, so we can set rosters and the team captains can get to work on the competition plan!

We’ll have a team for each day of the week, and you’ll join the team of your riding day. Helpers will serve as Olympians and team captains who will assign events to team members. Rosters will hold a maximum of 10 team members, so get your food kits in soon to join the fun.

 

The Olympic Events

Team captains will assign members to some of the following events based on their interest, age, and schedules. Olympians will be competing in these events:

 

 

The Helmet Toss

Weather permitting, as this is an outdoor event only, one member of each team will try to toss a size large riding helmet as far as possible. Why outside only? We’ve seen some pretty wild tosses, and fear for the ceiling fans and the light fixtures in the arena!

 

 

The Dance Off

Each team will pick a song and choreograph a dance using the barn prop of their choice. Previous props have included muck buckets, brooms, coolers, crops, and ribbons. The event is judged by an esteemed guest, and bribery is often attempted. Trust us, this one is well worth watching!

 

 

The Blanket Race

Picture this: Seven horse sheets with three Olympians in each one, Unfortunately, only the one in front can see where they’re going as the back two are crouching down inside the sheet. Yup, line seven of these creatures up at the gate of the little outside ring, and send them out for a lap around the arena. Usually, the team that stays upright, or gets up the quickest wins. It’s another great event for the spectators.

 

Hop, Skip, and Wrap

This event features two Knollwood Olympians, one leg wrap, and a lot of hopping - fast hopping.

 

 

The Blind Buggy Race

Weather permitting, this event is held in the big outdoor ring as it has a warning track.

Two Olympians are blindfolded, and each are given a shaft of a jog cart. The sighted Olympian is seated in the cart and must direct their blindfolded teammates through an obstacle course using only their voice. The sand track comes in really handy as the blindfolded runners know they’re lost if they don’t feel the grass under their feet. In previous years, we’ve lost blindfolded contestants, had drivers try to direct their blindfolded helpers with hand signals, and, well, hit the fence. It’s a classic.

 

 

Be The Horse

Take four Knollwood Olympians and make each of them act as one of a horse’s legs. These fearless foursomes will act as a horse and complete all five gaits around the arena. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen four horse crazy kids try to be a racking horse. It’s good.

 

Depending on team sizes, we may swap out an event to bring back the garbage relay which goes all the way from the arena to the garage to the big outdoor ring and back to the arena.

We’re always open to new events, so please bring your ideas to Ann or Nancy.

 

We’ll finish the evening with a celebration cook out, so everyone can hang out with barn friends and rehash the memories of the events. We’ll also load up the trailer with all the food kits!

Food feast coordinators Nicole and Kristen will assign each Knollwood Olympian a food item to bring to the picnic.

We hope you can join us for our biggest charitable event of the year. Admission to watch is one food kit (or a $15 per person donation) supporting the team of your choice. Remember, prizes are awarded for the team with the most food kits, so please write the day of the week you’d like to support on the bag.

 

Thank you for helping us help our neighbors in need.