Well, that went quickly.

June was filled with horse shows, the start of camp, including two weeks of academy and 2 tiny tot camps, as well as the Knollwood Olympics.

Oh, and just a tad of hot weather...

The latest happenings?

Team Knollwood had a successful Oshkosh Charity Horse Show. It was the 50^th edition of the show with hospitality plus, and everyone who showed had a grand time.

Knollwood horses and their riders were at the top of their games.

College girl Tori and her beautiful Country Pleasure mare Stella are having quite a summer. After great classes at Midwest, this dynamic duo won both their qualifier and championship at Oshkosh.

Equitation star Shaye enjoyed Oshkosh with a new partner. She showed the always beautiful Garden of Roses in equitation classes, winning both the Good Hands qualifier and the equitation championship. Friend and barnmate Brooklyn was reserve in the Good Hands.

Our academy team competed at Oshkosh with gusto. Classes were so big that the championships had to be split by age.

Our senior walk trot and canter riders had quite a show. Samara, Aubrey, Thea, and Jules used the spacious arena like the experienced riders they are. They came out of the arena with some nice ribbons, too.

The 13 and under riders showed in a huge class, and were stars. Jilly and Dilly have been having quite a season, and their success continued at Oshkosh. Newcomers to the big ‘A” show academy world Hailey and Teagan looked like they’ve been there before, too.

Our walk and trot riders were all first time riders at this level, and they made us proud. Kelsey, Rielle, and Rebecca competed in the big 11-13 division with 13 riders in the arena.

Olivia competed in the 10 and under division. She may not be the tallest rider in the class, but she and Thomas made a smooth and compelling pair.

We’re grateful for the strong lesson programs in our area that provide such wonderful competition to create strong riders for the future!

The UPHA Horsemanship challenge has previously been held at the ASAW Summerfun Horse Show at State Fair Park in July. The event was moved to Oshkosh this year because of the Lexington show dates overlapping Summerfun.

Team Knollwood had three riders in the event, and they were fierce.

The first round involved 20 riders entering the ring on horses they had picked from a hat, and had never ridden before.

After a first class at all three gaits both ways of the ring, an entry cut was made. Horses and riders who made the cut remained in the ring, and showed the second phase on the horse next to them in the line up.

At the end of the event, Knollwood’s own Shaye was the reserve champion, and Maiya was 5^th.  It takes a lot of skill to show a horse you’ve never ridden. These ladies once again showed the value of Knollwood’s grand ‘library’ of lesson horses.

The week before Oshkosh, 14 riders spent the week at Knollwood participating in an advanced camp. These riders spent hours with their horses practicing show skills, patterns, and building their muscles.  In addition to riding, they learned Scott's two best tie knots, had to walk to camp some days through construction on Oakwood, and laughed a lot.

The highlight for many of the riders was our 14 entry horsemanship challenge at home. Riders picked a horse out of a hat, and showed at the walk and trot in the arena while counselors acted as judges. (We were limited to walk and trot because of the number of entries.)

Classes were hotly contested, and riders learned a ton about spacing, timing, the importance of looking ahead, and the skill of mental organization.

We had a ball.

What’s Coming Up?

Knollwood Summer Show Entry Window

July 1-13

Please sign up in the school barn lounge.

Fill out a form with horse choices, even if your show is included in your enrollment.

Lexington Junior League Show

July 7-12

Rolex Arena, Kentucky Horse Park

Richfield Video is webcasting the event for ad additional fee.

We’ll post updates as we get them!

ASAW Summerfun Horse Show

Wisconsin State Fair Park

July 10-13

The academy performance is Saturday morning at 10:00 AM.

Please join us!

Knockout Car Wash

Sunday, August 2

10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Hartland Piggly Wiggly

Please join us for the most entertaining fundraiser of the year!

Help us wash cars, sell some brats, and have a great time with your barn friends.

We’re asking all Knockout members to work a shift, as the fundraiser helps us defray the cost for our fabulous award banquet.

You can sign up here.

World Championship Horse Show

August 16-25

Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky

Team Knollwood will be there competing with the the best of the best.

Knollwood Summer Show

August 22-24

Save the dates!

See you soon at the barn, or at the in-gate.