2025 By the Numbers

Not a math person? 

We promise it will be fun.

So we’ve just finished up recapping our action packed 2025, and we came across some informative numbers.

In 2025, Team Knollwood taught over 12000 lessons at home.

How did we do that?

First off, we have an amazing staff of instructors.

Our full and part time instructors come from varied backgrounds. We have former classroom teachers, a professional in autism intervention, a pediatric nurse, a professional marketer and fundraiser, and 2 former corporate executives.

We’re a team with many, many experiences on which to draw, and we work together to personalize rider’s plans to make them successful.

We teach  because we love the process, and the kids we work with.

Secondly, we have fantastic horses as our fellow faculty members.

We actually have three sets of lesson horses.

Our fantastic ‘outside’ horses teach our beginner riders, our summer riding school students, and do roughly 2/3 of lessons.

These are the unicorns among us who offer unlimited patience, kindness, and the perfect jog trot to make a beginner’s first lessons full of fun and confidence building. They may not be the most beautiful on the outside, and none of them are youngsters, but they’re beautiful on the inside, and are priceless.

Our second group of horses are referred to as ‘the box stall boys.’

These are saddlebreds who travel with us to academy shows.

They’re reserved for our academy show riders, and for show barn riders. They’re more powerful, more highly educated in patterns, and LOVE traveling to horse shows.

They’re also pampered a bit more than the outside fellows. The box stall boys stay in at night, and go out during the day when the weather is nice.

They wear sheets and blankets to protect their coats, and many of them have their tails braided up to protect them during play dates outside. They come down at horse shows and look fabulous.

Our third set of horses are those who work for the show barn instructors. These are higher level teachers, and many of them double as show horses at smaller shows.

They teach the highest skills to our most advanced academy riders and show barn riders. If you see them in the arena, you may well mistake them for privately owned show horses.

The third ingredient to the lesson number is our admins, barn managers, and helpers.

Our admins keep parents informed about upcoming events, help kids sign up for shows, Knockout events, and merchandise sales.

They can answer questions, check fit on clothes, and explain almost anything.

Our barn managers keep the back of the barn organized while lessons are going on. They assign tasks to helpers so horses and riders are on time for lessons and are taken care of after lessons.

Barn managers know riders’ names on their work day, make riders feel welcome, and follow through with helpers to ensure riders are taken care of and that chores are completed.

These horse girls are going to rule the world one day.

Our helpers are an early point of contact, and are super important.

They prep horses for lessons, take young riders to the arena and bring them back safely, perform glamorous tasks that all horse girls do, such as dumping muck buckets and taking out garbage in all kinds of weather.

They do this while being kind, welcoming, and answering lots of questions.

The most important key to teaching that many lessons is that we really love what we do. We’re grateful for working with supportive families, interested riders, and the best lesson horses in the world. Hands down.

What’s Coming Up?

Parent Meeting

This Saturday at 10:00 AM

Parents, please join Knollwood Parent Melissa in the show barn lounge to learn about opportunities to help the Knockouts in 2026. Our youth group is full of great kids who are planning 3 horse shows, 2 street clean ups, 2 parent night outs, a food drive, and the holiday party.

We need all the help we can get!

Helper Training and Refreshing

Monday, January 19 10:00 AM-1:00 PM

Helpers and future helpers are invited to join the Knockout officers and board members for a three hour session in the barn. For only $25, your Knollwood Kid can learn from current barn managers. Please sign up and pay your admin or instructor.

Knockout Banquet

January 31

The Legend at Merrill Hills

It’s time to celebrate Team Knollwood’s 2025 and to take a peek forward to 2026.

We’re excited to have a big crowd joining us. Courtney and Kerry are hard at work on seating arrangements to make the evening more enjoyable.

Please remember that Merrill Hills enforces their country club dress code.  Their code means no denim clothing, and men must wear collared shirts.

Let’s celebrate in style.

Used Academy Clothing Sale

Saturday, February 7 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Looking for new academy clothes for the 2026 season?

Come shop our sale of gently used clothing. We’ll have academy moms on hand to help with selection and fit.

Tailoring With Trish

Saturday February 21 starting at 9:00 AM

Trish will be at the farm for alteration fitting, or for measuring for new outfits.

We’ll start making appts the beginning of February

Knollwood Spring Show Entries Start

March 6

Entries are due March 20

Academy Kick Off Night

Saturday March 14 at 6:00 PM

All academy show riders and their families are invited to join us for a fun and informative evening.

Save the date!

See you at the barn!