Summer horse show season is in full swing, and Team Knollwood is right in the thick of it!

Last weekend, we enjoyed the Oshkosh Charity Horse Show, one of our favorites.  The grounds are beautiful, show management is fabulous, and hospitality is top notch.

Oh, and it was quite a horse show!

Amanda and Pixie

Amanda has been working hard at home, getting to know her new horse Pixie.  Scott has been preparing this beautiful four year old, showing her lightly in Equitation Prospect classes along the way.  So at Oshkosh, Scott decided it was time for Amanda and Pixie to make their debut in their age group qualifier.  

They had a wonderful first class together, and we're looking forward to seeing this team come together as the season progresses.  Amanda was fortunate to show Sadie in her other equitation classes, finishing second in the Good Hands and Saddle and Bridle Medallion qualifiers.

 Hanna and Tucker

Fresh off a successful walk and trot academy season last year, Hanna has moved to the big time with Tucker, officially known as WC Fine By Me.  This team really came together at Oshkosh, winning their Challenge Cup, Good Hands, and Medallion qualifiers.  They're now qualified for their fall finals and are looking forward to showing at Summerfun!

BIG Academy Classes

The big arena at Oshkosh hosted some of the largest, most talented academy classes we've seen yet this year.  The walk, trot, and canter championship had 11 riders, while the walk and trot finale hosted 15 contenders.

 The workout for the walk trot and canter championship was a pocket pattern.  Usually only prepared for riders in suits, these academy stars welcomed the challenge of coming up with a pattern that would show their abilities off well with the horse they were showing at Oshkosh.

After a workout of six riders, Emma and Cashew were champions with Zada and Sadie a close reserve.

The big walk and trot championship finished with six riders performing a UPHA serpentine for their pattern.  Team Knollwood placed five of their riders in the workout group, and Richie earned the champion title showing Heist.  

We are so proud of all of our 14 academy riders who made the trip to Oshkosh with us.  We had riders of all different levels of experience, and they all rode to their personal bests!

After a quick trip home from Oshkosh, Scott left again with a few horses for the Lexington Junior League Horse Show.  It's the last year this classic show is being held at the Red Mile Harness Track before it moves to indoor facilities at the Kentucky Horse Park for 2018, and this year's edition is really big.

The show hosts the adult equitation finals each year, and Team Knollwood has two riders competing this year.  Sarah and Fergie will be showing in both the USEF Adult Medal Final on Wednesday night, and the UPHA Adult Challenge Cup Final on Friday afternoon while Frannie and Butters will be in the Challenge Cup Final.

The show is also hosting the first ever Triple Crown Challenge, in which all the winners of equitation's Triple Crown were invited to compete in a class together.  Team Knollwood has had two Triple Crown winners with Sarah in 2001 and Nick in 2010, and they're both coming to Lexington to join the event.

It's a fundraiser for the ASHA's marketing efforts, and if you'd like to support the benefit, you can click here to support Sarah, or here to support Nick.

Lora and Finn are also showing in Lexington, and have had some great early success, with Lora winning her Challenge Cup qualifier on Wednesday after Finn won her pleasure equitation qualifier on Tuesday.  We wish them both good luck in their championships later in the week.

What's Next?

While Lexington finishes up, Carol, Lin, and Carlos will be at home prepping horses and riders this weekend, and the academy and 'B' horses will be off to Gurnee for the IASPHA Summer show.

The following weekend, we'll be at State Fair Park for another favorite, ASAW Summerfun. We'll be there with plenty of horses and riders, and hope you'll join us.

The academy performance on Saturday morning at 9 am promises to be another good one.  The Knockouts are hosting a meeting in the stands just after the performance which offers a  great chance to watch the show, and then join up with fellow Knockouts to put the finishing touches on their next event.... 

Knollwood Summer Show

It's coming up fast!  We're looking forward to a fun weekend of horse showing at home on July 22 and 23. Please stay tuned as we'll be posting gift basket info and concession stand sign ups.

We still have limited openings in our prep camp the week before the Knollwood show.  Please talk to your instructor if you'd like to enjoy a week of camp designed for riders competing in our summer show!

Thanks for joining us for Knollwood Summer, 2017.

See you at the barn!