The Knollwood banquet was once again a perfect way to spend an evening.

We celebrated the accomplishments of 2025, and got a sneak peek of 2026.

Some of our favorite memories of the evening?

Assigned Tables Were a Hit.

For the first time, we assigned tables for all attendees. Great thanks to Court, Kerry, and Susan for their expertise of creating tables enjoyed by all.

 

The Venue and Food Were Fabulous.

Our friends at the Legend at Merrill Hills went above and beyond in their event execution. And the food, as usual, was beautiful and delicious.

 

Speeches

 Who knew a banquet could be so entertaining?

The Knockout officers signed off for 2025, and introduced the new officers and board members for 2026.

Kylie led the crowd through the introduction of Thomas, our new school horse of the year.

Congratulations to Thomas, officially known as Fort Chiswell’s Aristocrat. He’s a gem.

Scott reviewed the show barn accomplishments, and clued us in to some upcoming events in 2026.

Awards

Our booming academy program recognized champions and reserve champions for participation in both in-barn shows and out of barn shows.

All Knockout members who complete two hours of club service during the year are eligible for year end awards. We keep track of points for both types of shows, and award riders who have accumulated the most points.

Competition was fierce, as shown in the number of ties in the total, including three way ties in the walk and trot in-barn pattern for both champion and reserve champion.

By the end of the awards presentation, we had awarded 19 championship titles, and 24 reserve championships.

 

Our DJ kept the dance floor full, while barn friends hung out together. There was a big age spread on the dance floor, ranging from our five year old leadliners to our Knollwood Kids who drive,

Our photographer, Collective Grace captured some terrific memories of the evening. If you’d like to check out their gallery and purchase pics of the evening, please click here.

Thank you to the Knollwood community for joining us at the celebration. We’re looking forward to a show season filled with adventures, friendships, and the horses we all love.

What’s Coming Up?

February 1-25

Enrolled students can choose their weeks of camp during the month of February before dates are released to the public on March 1. Please talk to your instructor, or admin to select your session. You don't want to miss the highlight of Knollwood summer 2026!

Orders are underway for Jelly Bean jods through the month of February. These classic Knollwood jods are in navy with tan patches and our embroidered logo, are perfect for our smallest riders. The stretchy fabric and the ability to personalize length at production make these jods a great choice for everyday wear as well as for Knollwood shows. 

Size samples are available in the school barn lounge.

Trish is Coming

Our favorite tailor, Trish, is coming to the farm on Saturday, February 21 to measure for new academy shirts and vests, and to alter existing clothes for the perfect fit.

We have a couple of appointments left. Please reach out to Ann if you’d like to get a spot.

Knollwood Entry Window

Our spring in-barn show is coming up May 15-17, and we can hardly wait.

We’ll be accepting entries from March 6-20. Please talk to your instructor to see which classes and levels are best for you.

You won’t want to miss show weekend!

Academy Kick Off

March 14 at 6:00

All academy riders and their families are invited to attend our show season kick off. We’ll learn about hair and makeup from expert Karina, learn about preparing and packing, and learn how to tie the prefect knot.

Save the date!

 

Easter Sunday

April 5

We will not be holding lessons on Easter. Your instructor will be in contact to arrange a makeup.

 

Bridlespur Society Horse Show

April 9-11

St Louis, MO

The show barn is traveling to the National Equestrian Center for the first show of the year.

 

IASPHA Spring Show

April 11-12

Our academy team is heading to Beyond Stable Farm for our first show of the season. Come join us!

Mom’s Day Ride

May 9 at 6:00

It’s back!

Knollwood Kids can be their Mom’s helper for an intro lesson at 6:00.

Save the date. We’ll start taking entries in mid April.

Knollwood Spring Show

May 15-17

Our first show weekend of 2026 is coming soon!

We’d love all Knollwood Kids to join us for a weekend of friends,   friendly competition,  your favorite lesson horses, and helping the Knockouts.

We can hardly wait.

 

See you soon at the barn.

  

 

OK, now we’ve done it.

We walked through the barn asking people we met a simple question:

'If you were a Knollwood lesson horse, who would be? And why?'

The answers are unexpected, hilarious, and some are even wise.

Here, in alphabetical order are the people we met, and their reflections.

 

Instructor Ann would be Thomas.

They both like to go to horse shows.

She forgets things, just like Thomas who forgets where his stall is. Daily.

She gets crabby when her belt is tight, just like Mr T and his girth.

 

Second generation, and 5 year old  Knollwood Kid Ariya was very sure of her answers.

She would be Sparky.

He’s amazing at trotting.

He’s an antique. He’s 92 years old.

He’s a good snuggler.

He shed all over my pants today.

 

Instructor Brenda would be Bilbo.

He has a sparkle in his eye. (This usually means there’s a joke coming.)

He has awesome yoga moves like Brenda. His best known is downward facing pony.

He loves teaching. His specialties?

  He’ll back up the chute a few feet. Silently.

  He’ll happily reverse continually when a rider’s outside rein is too short.

 

Instructor and master scheduler Court would be Earl.

He loves to sleep and has good dreams.

 (You can tell when he’s dreaming because he moves his feet, twitches his nose, and whinnies with his eyes closed.)

He has a big happy heart.

He achieves what he needs to be successful, but reserves some energy for things he loves, like eating.

 

Knollwood Kid for life Jane would be Sparky.

 They both have manes of silver.

They’re both elders but prefer the term ‘vintage.’

They both like to snuggle but are particular about who they snuggle with.

 

Knockout Co-President Kylie would be Pumpkin

They’re both chill, but are willing to step it up to get stuff done.

They’re both unflappable.

They both love to help young Knollwood Kids become horse people.

 

Knollwood academy rider and Richie protégé Luke would be Pumpkin.

They’re both cool and confident.

They both enjoy daytime naps.

They’re both friends with everyone.

 

Instructor and Official Arena Timekeeper Molly would be Sparky.

 

Sparky has an internal clock set to the 15 minute mark to know when to reverse. So does Molly.

Sparky goes with the flow of lessons and so does Molly except if reverse timing is ignored.

Sparky is ‘older’  and yet young at heart. Molly is the same.

Molly grew up with Sparky and he taught her how to ride.

Instructor Nancy would be Dexter.

She pins her ears when someone comes near her ‘stall’ just like Dexter.

She’s been here forever, too!

She trips a lot, just like retired Dexter.

She gets fat off air just like him

 

Academy rider, Knollwood Kid and barn personality Olivia would be Leon.

They both like to nap during the day.

They’re both kind, but take no nonsense, unless it’s from their friends. Nonsense from friends is OK.

They don’t need to be flashy to shine.

 

Finally, third generation Knollwood rider and academy star Sammy would be Bee.

They’re both fast.

They can both be bossy sometimes.

They’re both pretty patient at most times.

 

Thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts about the best lesson horses in the world.

We look forward to asking more questions in future blogs, and we have some goodies planned!

 

 

What’s Coming Up?

The banquet

This Saturday at Merrill Hills.

After you hang up your coat, please find your name tag on the welcome table. Your name tag will also have your table assignment.  Courtney, Kerry, and Susan spent a lot of time creating the seating plan, so please stay at your table for dinner.

The Knockout officers and board members will be on hand to help guests locate their tables.

We can’t wait to see everyone!

All through February

Jelly Bean Jod ordering

  Size samples and order blanks are available in the school barn lounge. Our ‘classic’ kids jod comes in navy with tan sticky knee patches. They’ll also have our name embroidered on the back of one of the legs.

Jelly beans are perfect for everyday and Knollwood show wear. Best of all, they’re customizable by length, pocket selection, and waist.

Camp selection for enrolled riders.

If you’re a currently enrolled rider, and didn’t add your camp week in your monthly bill, here’s your chance to pick a week of summer riding school before dates are released to the public.

Please talk to your instructor to see which session would be right for the rider in your house.

All camp fees will be billed in March.

 

Used Clothing Donations

Through February 5

Bring in your gently used academy clothes for the sale on February 7. We’re looking for show jods, shirt and vest combos and boots.

Please bring them to the school barn lounge where you can tag your items with your info.

 

Used Academy Clothing Sale

Saturday, February 7 at 10:00 AM

Join our academy moms to shop for the 2026 season.

Jodi will be here with her accessories and ties as well.

 

Alterations with Trish

Saturday, February 21

9:00 – noon

The amazing Trish is coming for measuring for new show clothes, or for alterations existing clothing.

Please contact Ann if you’d like to set up an appointment.

 

Knollwood Spring Entries

March 6-20

Spring is coming. Really.

Get your entries in for our first in-barn show of 2026. The show is May 15-17, and the schedule remains the same.

We’re excited to announce that our judge for the weekend is Margit Rhode, champion rider, UW student, and Knollwood Kid for life.

 

Academy Kickoff

March 14 at 6:00 PM

All academy riders and families are invited to an informative and entertaining evening. We’ll learn about clothing, makeup, hair, packing, and so much more.

Of course, snacks and beverages will be available.

 

Parents Night Out

Saturday, March 28

Save the date to join the Knockout officers and board members for a fun night of pre-Easter activities.

 

IASPHA Spring Show

April 10-11

Our first academy show of the year!!

 

Knollwood Spring Show

May 15-17

Knollwood’s 2026 in-barn show season starts here!

 

See you at the barn, and the banquet!

 

Our trusty lesson horses have their own strategy when the weather turns extra chilly.

 

Lesson horses take extra naps.

If you’ve ever walked through the school barn on a chilly day, you’ll see lots of ‘tails on the ground.’ Sleeping horses will be dead to the world, dreaming of summer days. You’ll see horses so relaxed that their snouts are in the shavings, creating fountains of bedding. If you’re extra quiet, you’ll even hear snoring and maybe even Fred whinnying in his sleep.

Oh, and we think Vaughn may have a sleep disorder. Does anyone have a sleep mask in horse size to save him from his sleep apnea?

 

Lesson Horses Eat and Sleep In Extra Hay.

Nancy makes sure the horses have all the hay they can eat outside. The hay keeps the horses warm and safe in the chilly weather.

You may never see Bee and Fiona’s heads come up from their hay tubs when the chilly weather arrives.

Lesson Horses Enjoy Hot Breakfast.

 That’s right, when it’s extra chilly, the lesson stars enjoy a hot bran mash to keep their bodies happy.

Watching and listening to them slurp their hot steaming breakfast is a highlight of your life once you hear it.

 

Lesson Horses Wear Stylish Clothes.

Our lesson horses have coats for when the temps fall below zero at night.

Some of their blankets have turtlenecks, some are in loud colors, and some are tastefully neutral colored, but they all keep our precious lesson horses toasty warm.

 

Attendance Increases at Bilbo’s Yoga Classes.

Chilly weather brings stiff bodies. Bilbo invites all his fellow lesson horses, regardless of body type, to join in stretching and spiritual growth.

 

 

While they’re in, the lesson horses enjoy their heated barn and lots of shavings, lots of attention from students and staff, and lessons in their heated arena.

We are grateful for our furnaces.

 

We take care of the horses in cold weather, and we want to make sure riders and helpers take care of themselves.

Riders should have gloves for their riding lessons, and warmer gloves for work in the barn.

Helpers should have hats for outdoor work, and dress in layers. You’ll want all the layers outside, but will get warm while working inside with the horses.

We appreciate our helpers, and want to make sure they stay safe and comfortable when the cold weather appears.

What’s Coming Up?

Knockout Banquet

Saturday, January 31

The Legend at Merrill Hills

 

160 Knockouts and  friends will gather for our annual celebration of all things Knollwood.

We’ll enjoy wonderful food and company, review 2025 with treasurer Susan, hear Scott’s State of the Farm address, award academy riders, learn who won the School Horse of the Year award, review the year with a slide show, and dance the night away with our DJ.

Please remember to follow the club’s dress code: No denim of any kind, and men must wear shirts with collars.

 

Enrolled Rider Camp Selection

February 1 – 28

 

Riders currently enrolled in our lesson program can pick their week of summer riding school before dates are opened to the public.

Be sure to pick up your list of dates, and fill out the form once you’ve made your selection.

All camps will be billed in March.

 

Order Your Jelly Bean jods!

Also February 1-28

 

We’re offering navy jods with tan patches and the Knollwood logo embroidered on the back of one pant leg.

We’re offering the jods in youth sizes XS – XL,  and the base price is $104, tax included. Jods can be customized by length or width, and belt loops can be added as well. These have a small additional charge, please see the order blanks for more information.

Size samples will be available in the school barn lounge.

 

Used Academy Clothing Sale

February 7

10:00 AM

 

Looking for academy clothing for the 2026 season? Come shop our in-house sale, and shop with seasoned academy parents who are ready to help with sizing and colors.

 

Trish Tailoring Appointments

February 21

9:00 AM

 

The amazing Trish will be at the farm to measure for alterations, or for new shirts and vests.

Please talk to Ann if you’d like an appointment.

 

Knollwood Spring Show Entries Begin

March  6

Our first in-barn show of 2026 is happening on May 15-17, and we’re taking entries from March 6-20.

Be sure to talk to your instructor to see if the show is right for you.

Academy Kick Off

March 14

6:00 PM

 

All academy show riders and their families are invited to join us for a fun and informative evening.   Karina is joining us to teach hair and makeup tips, and we’ll have other experts to help with packing, prepping, and how to tie the perfect tie knot.

 

IASPHA Spring Show

April 11-12

It’s our first academy show of 2026, and we can hardly wait.

Knollwood Spring Show

May 15-17

It’s time for our first in-barn show weekend.

Please plan on joining us!

See you soon at the barn.

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!

 

 

 

 

Happy 2026!

We have lots of events and experiences coming up in the new year. We hope you can join us for all of our 2026 adventures.

Your first chance to purchase your show outfit for 2026 is coming up this Friday when Jen from Midwest Saddleseat Consignment sets up shop. Knollwood has a private shopping night from 7-9 PM at the Hilton Garden Inn at Pabst Farms.

Jen has a broad assortment of show attire, including academy show jods from several lines. Plus, customer service is the best.

Carol and Ann will be there to help with selection and fit.

Banquet reservations are due this Saturday, January 10.

Please place your RSVP card and payment in the basket on the counter of the school barn.  You really don’t want to miss the celebration!

Melissa and Amy, two ‘Knollwood Moms for Life,’ are hosting a parent meeting on Saturday, January 17 at 10:00 AM.

Our youth group, the Knollwood Knockouts, is a very busy group of horse-loving kids. The group manages fundraising at three Knollwood shows, manages a food drive in May, hosts 2 street cleanups in the neighborhood, 2 Parent Nights Out,  hosts their annual holiday party and officer election, and also hosts fun events for the members.

As you can imagine, these kids need some adult guidance for hosting their events. We’re looking for parents willing to volunteer their time for an event or two throughout the year. It can range from taking shifts at the concession stand to picking up pizzas for Parents’ Night Out.

Please join the meeting if you can. If you’re interested in helping but can’t make the meeting, please contact Ann and she’ll pass on your contact info.

Since most Knollwood Kids are off school on January 19 to commemorate Martin Luther King Day, the Knockout officers and board members are hosting a helper training day in the barn.

Current helpers and riders who are interested in helping are invited to a 3 hour session to learn how the back of the barn works.

The event will run from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, and the cost is only $25. Please sign up with your instructor or admin.

The Knollwood Banquet!

We’re celebrating all things Knollwood on Saturday, January 31 at the Legend at Merrill Hills.

New this year, we’ll have assigned seating to make everyone’s lives easier. When you arrive, you can pick up your name tag which will have your table assignment. Big thanks to Court and Kerry for taking this on!

Please remember that Merrill Hills enforces their county club dress code at all events. This means denim is off limits in any form, as are sweats. Men must wear collared shirts as well.

Thanks for your cooperation as we celebrate Knollwood in style.

 

Team Knollwood is hosting a used academy clothing sale on Saturday, February 7 at 10:00 AM in the show barn lounge. We’ll have a selection of show jods, shirts, and vests that our current show riders have outgrown. Jodi will also have her beautiful ties and show accessories to complete your outfit.

We’re also looking for sale items. If you have academy show clothes that you’ve outgrown, please consider running them through our sale.

You can bring them to the school barn where we have tags to mark your clothes with your name, contact info, Venmo info, price, and approximate size.

We’ll take care of the rest.

Our fabulous tailor Trish will be at the farm on Saturday, February 21 to measure for new academy show clothes, or to alter previously purchased items. We’ll start setting up appointments at the beginning of February.

We’ll start taking entries for the Knollwood spring show on March 6. Our first in-barn show of the season  is coming up May 15-17, and we can hardly wait.

Our academy kick-off evening is coming up on March 14 at 6:00 PM. All families involved in the academy show team are invited to attend our evening of education and fun.

Karina will be onhand to teach makeup and hair for the ring. We’ll also have experts on hand to teach packing, final tips on clothing, and how to tie the perfect tie for the ring.

Signups will start at the end of February.

We’re traveling to our first out of barn show for 2026 on April 11-12. The season starts at one of our favorite venues, Beyond Stable Farm, and is run by our favorite organization, IASPHA.

We’ll be traveling with many academy stars, even some who are making their academy debuts, and some show horses, too.

The Knollwood Spring Show is coming up at home on May 15-17.

Start hoping for beautiful spring weather!

 

See you at the barn.