Last weekend, we introduced 12 new Knollwood Kids to the joys of academy showing at the ASAW Summer Showcase. Our fresh riders looked terrific in their new show clothes, rode like they had shown many times before, and had a ball.

We laughed, we cheered, and enjoyed an afternoon with the best lesson horses in the world.

 

We’re beyond grateful for the unbelievable personal assistants who made the trip to support our new show riders.

Great thanks as well to Karina who made sure hair and makeup were perfect, and to the parents who cheered for everyone, and helped us in so many other ways. Heck, one of them even baked a cake for the occasion!

Photo by Hanna Agathen

We had a ball, and are so proud of all our riders.  The riders learned many things that can only be learned in the show ring, and brought home some pretty ribbons, too.

Our newest lesson horse, Mulligan, made the trip to Cedarburg to show in the ‘school horse training classes.’ Ridden by Brooklyn, Mulligan made his way around the arena like a champ. Look for him at some of our fall academy shows!

Most of our newest riders will finish their first season with another show in October. We are looking forward to watching them progress after their initial show. They are even more confident after their first show!

 

That was last weekend, this weekend it’s time for the Knollwood Summer Show!

We’ve had a judging change due to a death in the family of our scheduled judge. We wish Terri Anne and her family peace at this difficult time.

The show starts inside on Friday night at 6:00 PM with the walk and trot Knollwood Challenge qualifier. We’ll continue with a full slate of pattern classes for both walk trot and walk trot and canter riders.

Friday evening will be judged by one of our home-grown equitation stars, Mia.

 

The 10:00 AM Saturday performance in the big outdoor ring will showcase our walk, trot, and canter riders as well as our 11 and over walk and trot stars.

Lifelong Saddlebred exhibitor, former instructor, and accomplished horsewoman Jeni will preside over all the Saturday events.

 

Photo by Hanna Agathen

 

Our newest show stars will take over the small outdoor arena starting at 9:00 AM on Sunday morning. Starting with our leadline division, the performance will also showcase our first time show riders, and all of our 10 and under walk trot riders.

Lifelong horsewoman and saddlebred exhibitor Jane will judge all the Sunday events.

 

 

Insider Scoop:

The theme of the weekend is ‘Beach Party,’ so please wear your tropical gear! The weather is looking perfect for Hawaiian shirts and sundresses.

Our show photographer is Hanna Agathen. She’ll be assisted by Tammy in the ring to get the perfect action shots. Her website is: https://hannaagathen.zenfolio.com/

Parking is available at the Kettle Moraine Curling Club.

Knollwood Rider Wendy will be announcing both Saturday and Sunday.

Knollwood Mom for Life Pam will be acting as the Sunday concierge while Jane judges the show. Pam is a master of number magnets, tie downs, and schedules. She can answer almost any question.

We’ve updated our ribbon process to assist the riders.

After each class, a ribbon manager in the school barn lounge will put each rider’s ribbons into a specially labeled bag. At the end of the performance, riders will turn in their back number in the school barn, and will receive their ribbons for the day.

We hope this will lead to fewer lost ribbons!

 

Our in-barn shows are a major fundraiser for the Knollwood Knockouts. Please support their concession stand, gift baskets, and their other options.

Funds raised at shows help defray the cost of our awards banquet, and are used for charitable donations. Your generosity is appreciated.

 

Horse showing is about much more than riding.

It’s about building confidence by making a horse pay attention.

It’s about follow through by never giving up.

It’s about sportsmanship.

It’s about appreciating your horse.

It’s about clapping for your friends, even if they do better than you do.

It’s about clapping for everyone.

 

Let’s have a great weekend!!

 

 

 

What’s Coming Up?

World’s Championship Horse Show

Louisville, Kentucky

August 17-22

Horses left today, and Knollwood starts showing on Sunday.

We’ll update with schedules shortly. There’s a paid webcast available if you’d like to watch from home!

 

Entries Close for Knollwood Fall Show

August 18

Don’t miss out on our final in-barn show of 2024 on October 18-20!

 

 

 

See you at the barn, or at the in-gate!

 

 

Last week, we welcomed a great group of Knollwood Kids who will be starting their academy show experiences at the ASAW Summer Showcase Show this weekend.

It was a busy week with lots of learning. The riders made incredible progress in their riding and horse skills while being immersed in barn life.

We took some time to chat during our tack cleaning sessions last Thursday, and came up with their five favorite things about their first official academy camp.

 

 5. Learning from Scott

To new Knollwood Kids, Scott can appear a little scary. He has a big voice, is often quite expressive in his choices of words, and is pretty clear what he expects of his equine students (Human ones too, for that matter).

Campers enjoyed the chance to listen to his take on showing for the first time. He simplified the experience into listening to your horse and instructor. Scott emphasized keeping their horses lined up and paying attention while staying smooth.

He answered questions from the camp stars. The best was when one rider asked which horse was Scott’s favorite to work. His answer was, ‘Do your parents have a favorite child?’

Pitch perfect.

 

 4. Learning to Plan Ahead in the Arena

Our riders rode in the big outdoor arena, frequently referred to as ‘patternland’ where there’s plenty of room for nine riders to spread out, if they’re paying attention.  The Knollwood Kids quickly learned that things happen that you hadn’t planned for, that people do unusual things around you, and that you should always have two ideas of where you could end up.

Of course we added counselors on Pony Frank and Bee who acted as ‘interrupters.’  Our new show stars learned all about clearing a path and finding good arena spots even while being covered up by a creative counselor on a Hackney pony.

 

 

 3. Riding New Horses

The campers agreed that riding and learning from some different horses was great.  Everyone loved Bee and Mulligan, who are a little challenging with patterns. Beau was also a favorite, and was a good challenge in the energy production department.

These different souls helped bring home the point that each horse has their own personality. While they must perform the same tasks, different strategies are important with different horses.

The kids are becoming horse people!

 

 2. Rein Length

While it may seem elementary, rein length was driven home in the giant arena while performing patterns.

You may be able to get away with long reins on the rail, but patterns implode pretty quickly with too much length.

Plus, you just never know when a big truck may go by,  the mares in the pasture might start a kicking fight with each other, or a whooping crane might fly over.

Lesson learned.

 

1. Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

We banished the word ‘hot’ from our vocabulary, and replaced it with ‘summery.’

We agreed that we couldn’t change the weather, and that complaining about it only makes people feel worse.

So, we drank tons of water, used the shade, rode early, and drank more water.

Learning was sometimes uncomfortable when riders were frustrated or summery, or both. That’s part of becoming a horse kid, too.

These kids were fantastic, became good friends and are well on the way to being ‘horse girls.’

After traveling to Cedarburg for a day of Friday camp at the show grounds, they’ll make their show ring debuts on Sunday afternoon.

We can’t wait to see them shine.

 

 

What’s Coming Up?

Knollwood Show Entries

Through August 18

 

 

 

ASAW Summer Showcase

Ozaukee County Fairgrounds

August 10-11

 

 

World’s Championship Horse Show

Louisville, Kentucky

August 17-22

 

 

Knollwood Summer Show

August 16-18

 

 

Academy Photo Shoot

September 14,  Rain Date September 21

All of our academy show riders have received an invitation for a photo shoot. We're doing a group shot for a magazine ad. Please let Ann know if you'll be participating by September 1.

 

 

Knockout Street Clean Up

September 14

1:00 PM

 

Mini Camp

Riders 7 and Up

Noon to 3:00 PM

 

UPHA Fall Show

October 11-12

Beyond Stable Farm

 

 

Knollwood Fall Show

October 18-20

 

 

IASPHA Fall Show

October 26-27

Beyond Stable Farm

 

2025  Ac PMademy Parent Meeting

November 9

Parents, come join us for an adults only meeting about academy showing 2025. We'll discuss preparation, pricing, and schedules.

 

Mini Camp

Tiny Tots

1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

 

2025 Academy Meeting #2

November 23

Riders are welcome to our second academy meeting where we'll offer demos of riders in their academy attire.

 

 

Parents Night Out

November 30

Join the Knockouts as they wrap gifts for their adopted families for the holidays!

 

 

Knockout Holiday Party and Election

December 7

All Knockouts are invited to join fellow club members for an evening of holiday fun.

Plus, we'll be electing new club officers for 2025!

 

 

 

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

 

 

Team Knollwood lost one of it’s finest teachers today when Jelly passed after a brief illness.

Jelly was a schoolmaster. He could teach the youngest riders how to post, and was endlessly patient with lessons about diagonals and steering.

Jelly was a lunge lesson master for the show barn riders. His trot cadence never changed, allowing total concentration on the smallest of rider adjustments.

Jelly was a wonderful cantering teacher. As riders progressed, he’d test them about leads and follow through.

Jelly was a pattern king. He was patient beyond campare teaching the littles how to trot circles, and could be a genius at pattern camps, teaching our advanced riders to listen to all his subtle clues before he became, shall we say, creative.

Most of all, Jelly was a grand soul.

Friendly to all, Jelly loved everyone and loved being a horse.

We’ll miss him dearly, but he’ll live on in all the memories he made with us. We are truly better for having spent time with this gentle soul.

 

Peace, Jelly.

 

We enjoyed a quiet week at Knollwood, with everyone home, and only 1 camp going on. Our Knollwood Show Prep campers are having a blast learning all about horse care, horse prep, and of course, riding skills for their upcoming show.

Things are changing soon…

Both the show and school barns are heading to Woodstock for the IASPHA Summer Show this weekend. We’re looking forward to a beautiful facility, IASPHA hospitality, and big, competitive classes. The outdoor arena is beautiful in any weather, and it’s even quiet when it rains. Summer horse showing just doesn’t get any better.

Next week, Knollwood will be rocking and rolling with our last sold out Tiny Tot camp of the summer, and our Showcase Prep camp. Our riders making their show ring debuts at the ASAW Summer Showcase on August 10-11 are joining us for a busy week of learning and fun.

They’re furthering their show ring educations with sessions on using the arena,  riding patterns, sportsmanship, and show preparation for horse and rider. They’ll even get to spend the Friday before the show at the Ozaukee County Fairgrounds and ride in the arena before they show.

Following Showcase, everyone will team up for the Knollwood Summer show the following weekend, August 16-18.  With over 90 riders competing over three days, it’s going to be an action-packed adventure.

We’re looking for volunteers to help with grilling, the concession stand, and other activities that make the show so special. If you haven’t already done so, you can sign up here.

Our gift basket listings are up the school barn lounge, too. There are some nifty new themes, and we’d love your donations to make the baskets extra special. Please sign up when you can.

While we’re hosting our in-barn summer show, the show horses will already be competing at the World’s Championship Horse Show in Louisville, Kentucky. The show starts on Saturday, and you’ll be sure to see some Knollwood spectators watching the live feed while also cheering at the Knollwood show.

Team Knollwood has some spectacular riders and horses making the trip to Freedom Hall, and we’ll be sure to update all of you as the week goes on.  Most of the Knollwood Kids riding at the World Championship are veterans of the Knollwood in-barn shows.

Truly, the world champion in any event was once a beginner.

 

 

What’s Coming Up?

Knollwood Shirts

Don't forget to purchase your Knollwood tanks, tees, and parent shirts. They're all available in the school barn, and our reorder of 'Knollwood Mom' shirts just arrived!

 

Knollwood Fall Entry Window

August 1-15

Be sure to get your entries in for the grand finale of the in-barn season!

Our fall show features the finals of the Knollwood Challenge, and will be judged by our former instructor, Abby.

 

No Lessons

Monday, August 19

All Monday lessons will be credited as the horses enjoy a quiet day, and the instructors get a change to regroup after show weekend.

 

Labor Day

Monday, September  2

No Lessons. Your instructor will arrange a makeup time.

   

    

Fall Street Clean Up

Saturday, September 14 at 1:00

The Knockouts are cleaning up Oakwood and Nagawicka Roads for Fall. Please join the fun, meet fellow Knockouts, and get your service hours in!

 

Mini Camp

Sunday, September 22

Noon – 3:00

We’re hosting a mini camp for new riders ages 7 and up. If you know of anyone who’d like to start riding, it’s a wonderful way to learn about horses, and enjoy a lesson. Best of all, mini camps are only $99, and are a way into our enrollment system.

 

UPHA Fall Show

October 11-12

Beyond Stable Farm

 

Knollwood Fall Show

October 18-20

 

IASPHA Fall Show

October 25-27

 

Academy Meeting for Parents

Saturday, November 9 at 6:00

Think you may be intereseted in joining our academy team for 2025? Parents are invited to join us for an informtional meeting to learn about why we love academy showing so much. 

We'll follow up with a 'kid friendly' meeting on Saturday, November 23.

 

 

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

 

       

Team Knollwood enjoyed a fabulous week, and we have stories to share!

The show horses were in Kentucky at the 88^th annual Lexington Junior League Horse Show. Held at the beautiful and spacious Kentucky Horse Park, everything about the show is top notch. Competition, stabling, the scenery, and most of all, Rolex Arena were a joy.

And, Team Knollwood was at the top of the deep competition.

Payton and Gigi were named Senior Saddle Seat Equitation Grand Champions at the show. Payton was most certainly a horse in her former life, and her beautiful mare can be quite a handful of enthusiasm.

Payton and Isn’t She Something used all their enthusiasm to complete a beautiful and challenging pattern in the championship to earn the top spot.

Congratulations to Payton, Gigi, and their support systems!

 

Also in the senior championship, Alivia rode her young, new to equitation mare Harley through the finals level pattern. They both did a beautiful job, and looked like they belonged with the highly experienced equitation riders in the ring. Their future looks bright, indeed.

 

Brooklyn and Gamora have been building through the season, and came to Lexington all fired up. This charismatic duo won the Junior Saddleseat Equitation qualifier, and championship. These two are a bold team, and you just can’t take your eyes off of them.

 

Shaye, Maiya, and Natalie were stars in Senior Pleasure Equitation in the deepest of competition at Lexington. Shaye and Teddy were named grand champions with Maiya and Riddle in reserve. Natalie was a strong 4^th to round out our three riders in the top 4 finishers.

 

Leighton and Prince ventured to their first really big show, and turned in strong performances.  Leighton rode above her exoerience level, and earned some great ribbons.

 

Our pleasure riders had a ball with wonderful performances.

Both Robert and Joe enjoyed showing outside, and finished with great ribbons in the Show Pleasure divisions. Ridden by Margit and Alexa, they ribboned in each deep class full of champions.

Tess and Eli also enjoyed the great outdoors in the Country Pleasure division, earning top ribbons in the deep talent of Rolex. These two are a great pair!

 

New to the ‘grownup’ division, college girl Tori and her Stella rode into the ribbons in a crazy deep Country Pleasure championship.

 

Meanwhile, at the home office…

It was another big week of camp at Knollwood.

We hosted 6 tiny tot riders from Monday to Wednesday, and they had a ball with the best lesson horses in the world.

We also hosted 11 academy stars for the week, and what a week it was.

Our show riders learned how to use the ring, even when there were 2 counselors mounted on ponies trying to ‘interrupt’ their rides, how to put pattern elements together in all different combinations, how to promote sportsmanship in all situations, and how to have fun with horses!

Games were ridiculous, while teaching riding skills in an unstructured way.  The riders came out of the week better friends and stronger riders with memories that will last forever.

 

What’s Coming Up?

 

Reorders of ‘Knollwood Mom’ shirts has arrived! Get yours now while supplies last.

 

IASPHA Summer Show

July 27-28

Beyond Stable Farm

Woodstock, IL

Please join us for a BIG show.

It’s a sell out, and Team Knollwood will be there in numbers.

 

 

 

 

Knollwood Fall Show Entries

August 1-15

Sign up to compete in our fall show October 16-18

 

 

 

Tiny Tot Mini Camp

August 4

1:00 – 3:00

Molly will be running one of her fantastic mini camps for new young riders.

 

 

ASAW Summer Showcase

August 10-11

Ozaukee County Fairgrounds

Join us in Cedarburg for a fun outdoor academy show.

Team Knollwood has 10 riders competing at their first out of barn show, and we can hardly wait.

 

 

Knollwood Summer Show

August 16-18

It’s almost time for the most fun weekend of the summer!

Shirt packets could be ready for pick up as early as next week. Stay tuned.

 

 

Horse rest day.

August 19

Monday riders will receive a credit to their bill.

 

 

World’s Championship Horse Show

August 17-24

Louisville, Kentucky

The best of the Saddlebred and Equitation worlds will gather on the green shavings of Louisville. Team Knollwood will be there ready to challenge the world. We’ll post schedules and webcast info as soon as it’s available.

 

 

 

Labor Day

September 2

No lessons, your instructor will schedule a make-up.

 

 

 

 

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