0 comments / Posted by Ann Wilt

Team Knollwood is back from a memorable week at the Worlds Championship Horse Show in Louisville, Kentucky.  We competed against the best horses and riders in the country, and held our own in the deepest of competition.  We had a great time, too!

 

Preparation started months ago for both horses and riders.  Of course, the training became even more intense most recently, with some riders staying in town for weeks at a time to prepare for the big show.  Besides lots of extra private lessons, Scott and Carol also ran group lessons for Louisville riders on the show barn lesson horses to practice and perfect using the arena to your advantage. These groups were especially beneficial for our riders new to the intensity of the Louisville experience. Besides the riders learning a lot from each other as well as Scott and Carol, these groups were an absolute blast to watch!

 

All the extra work paid off, as our riders all rode incredibly well, and their horses performed beautifully.  We couldn’t be happier with their performances!

Here are just a couple of stories from the big show…

 

The show celebrates riders competing for the first time at the World Championships, and this year, Knollwood had three strong contenders.  Bella showed Garfield in the Country Pleasure division, Heather showed Tucker in the Junior Equitation division, and Richie was there to show TInk in the Walk and Trot Equitation classes. They all turned in great rides, and Heather and Richie even made it through to their championships!

 

Our performance riders showed their horses against the best, and turned in some great rides and came home with some wonderful ribbons, too!

Gabby and Charlie racked and trotted their way through a huge qualifier to earn a third place ribbon, Ainsley and Millie rode hard to earn an 8th place in their qualifier and earned the right to ride in the championship.

 

Bella and Garfield turned in a strong first Freedom Hall ride in their qualifier, Ainsley and Robert rode to a great 4th place in their Show Pleasure Championship, and Payton rode Dos to a Reserve World Grand Championship in Show Pleasure for riders 13 and Under.

 

 

 

 

Hard work really did pay off for our equitation riders who all made it into their championships.  Finn, Haley, and Matthew made it through their deep qualifying classes to ride in the 23 rider Senior Equitation Championship on Thursday night.  When the judges cut the class down to 10 riders to perform the workout, Haley earned the right to compete with the best in the country. After a strong pattern with Leila, Haley earned 5th place in the senior final.

 

First time Louisville rider Heather rode Tucker with confidence to advance to the Junior Championship, and performed a beautiful pattern to earn a strong 5th place in the Junior Worlds Championship. Quite an accomplishment for her first time in Freedom Hall!

Richie and Tink made a strong showing in their Louisville debut, earning a 6th in their qualifying class.  Always striving to improve, Richie rode even harder in his championship class, and moved up to 4th in the final. Another great result for a first time World Championship rider!

 

 

Horses are resting at home for a bit before some of them head to Indianapolis for the All American Horse Classic next weekend. It's the start of equitation final season, with this show hosting the Pleasure Equitation Olympics and the UPHA Pleasure Challenge Cup National Finals.

 

 

 

What’s Next In Hartland?

 

Our Fall Open House is coming up Saturday, September  15 from 11-3.  If you know of anyone who might be interested in lessons, please bring them to the farm for FREE mini lessons, tours, Forest painting, and the chance to watch lessons in progress.

 

 

Wisconsin Futurity Horse Show is coming up at State Fair Park the weekend of September 22.  We’re expecting a big show with huge academy classes, so please come join us!

 

 

The Knockouts fall Street Clean Up is coming on Saturday, September 29 at 1:00.  Help us tidy up Oakwood and Nagawicka Roads for fall, and stay for the Knockout Meeting at 2:30!

 

See you at the barn!

Comments

Leave a comment

All blog comments are checked prior to publishing