Knollwood Summer 2023 has been a ball, and it’s only July 5. Here are some of our favorite things about summer so far …

Summer Camps!

We’ve already had a pattern camp, 2 Tiny Tot camps, and 3 sessions of summer riding school, and we’re having a ball.

We’ve introduced new kids to horses, and hosted some of our current riders who wanted more ‘hands on’ time with the best lesson horses in the world.

We’ve enjoyed welcoming some out of state riders who come to camp every summer while they’re visiting family for the summer.

 

 

More Horse Time

With Knollwood Kids out of school for a bit, our horse kids are enjoying more time at the barn. They’re helping with camp and lessons, getting to spend time bathing and grooming after lessons, and hanging our with friends after lessons. Of course, there are always kittens to socialize, show horses to watch, and lessons to learn.

 

 

Summer Weather

The barn doors are open, the fans are moving the air, and we’re riding outside! Plus, bathing horses is much more enjoyable than blow drying!

 

 

Watching Animals ‘Enjoy’ the Heat

There’s nothing better than hanging out with melted kittens, and sitting with the kittens while they’re seeking shade in the lilac bushes.

 

 

 

The Arrival of Fiona

We recently welcomed a new faculty member to our staff, who we’re calling Fiona. Her original name was Hazel, but as you all know, we already have a Queen Hazel at Knollwood.

Horse Hazel became Fiona, and we love her already. She came from the same trainer that sold us the legendary Pumpkin, so we know great things lay ahead.

 

 

Watching Show Horses Work

It’s show season, and the show horses are in peak form after a long off season of conditioning and learning. There’s nothing better than watching Scott, Carol, and Lin work the beautiful show stars.

 

 

More Lessons

Summer is the perfect time to take extra lessons. With school out for a while, schedules are opened up, and it’s a great opportunity to intensify your riding education.

 

 

‘Melting’ Kittens

One of the joys of having kittens around is watching their sometimes dramatic behavior. We think that Emma and Margit have been educated by Richmond, as they’ve adopted his ‘melting’ pose which he perfected when a kitten.

 

Horse Shows!

We just returned from a fantastic weekend at the Oshkosh Charity Show where our show horses and academy riders had a successful outing. The academy classes were gigantic, and show horse competition was deep.

 

Next, everyone is off to Summerfun at Wisconsin State Fair Park for the ASAW Summerfun Horse Show. Most of the show horses are going, and we’ll have plenty of academy riders joining the fun as well.

The Knockouts are inviting members to come and watch the academy performance on Saturday morning  around 11:00 AM. Please join us for the show, and for the ice cream social immediately following. FYI, the Knockouts sponsor the social!

Upcoming shows include the IASPHA Summer and the Signature Show, both at Beyond Stable Farm.

 

 

 

Hazel’s Summer Schedule

During the winter, Hazel prefers to sleep in.

However, once camp season starts, she tries to get out of the house ASAP so she doesn’t miss a moment of time with the campers. She loves to spend the day at camp, even napping with the kids during lunch.

Can you tell, we LOVE Knollwood Summer!

 

What’s Coming Up?

ASAW Summer Fun Horse Show

July 13-16

Wisconsin State Fair Park

Join us for a big horse show. The Knockouts would love to see everyone there on Saturday at 11:00 to cheer on our academy stars. Stay for the Knockout sponsored ice cream social after the performance!

 

Knockout Car Wash and Brat Bash

July 23

Hartland Piggly Wiggly

Calling all Knockouts! We need many, many hands to make our fundraiser a success. Please sign up here to volunteer for a shift. You can also sign up in the school barn lounge.

 

IASPHA Summer Show

July 28-30

Beyond Stable Farm

Join us at this sold-out summer tradition. Great horses, great hospitality, AND we get to show in the beautiful covered outdoor ring!!

 

Mid America Signature Horse Show

August 3-5

Beyond Stable Farm

Another show in the beautiful outdoor arena! Academy classes are on Friday and Saturday morning. Please join us!

 

ASAW Summer Showcase Show

August 12-13

Ozaukee County Fairgrounds

Join us for our friendly, entry level show held in nearby Cedarburg! We’re introducing several riders to the show ring, so please come cheer them on! 

 

 

Knollwood Summer Show

August 18-20

3 days of horse showing!

Don’t miss the fun!

You can sign up to volunteer here. It takes everyone’s help to put on an event of this size.

 

World's Championship Horse Show

August 19-26

Louisville, Kentucky

Team Knollwood will be there with beautiful show horses and skilled equitation riders.

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

We’re all set up at Oshkosh, ready for a beautiful weekend of horse showing. Please come join us for a fun show in a park-like setting. There’s plenty of great competition from the academy division to the jackpot classes.

There are lots of events coming up on Knollwood’s summer schedule, so let’s catch up.

 

 

Our ‘home show,’ ASAW Summerfun is coming up at Wisconsin State Fair Park July 13-16. Most of our show horses will be attending, and we’ll be there with plenty of academy riders as well.

 

Saturday the 15^th is a big day at the show, with the academy riders competing late in the morning. The Knockouts are inviting all members to come and watch the performance with officers and board members.

The Knockouts sponsor the ice cream social that takes place right after the academy performance, so come enjoy the horse show and some ice cream!

 

 

The Knockouts are holding a meeting at the farm at 1:00 on Saturday, July 22. They’ll finalize plans for the Knollwood show and cover some other topics as well.

 

The Car Wash is coming!

We’re asking all Knockouts to volunteer for a 2 hour shift on Saturday, July 23 for our most enjoyable fund raiser of the year.

You can sign up from 11-1, or from 1-3 to wash cars and work selling brats at Piggly Wiggly in Hartland.

Please sign up here.

 

The IASPHA Summer show is coming up July 28 – 30 at Beyond Stable Farm. The show will be held in the beautiful outdoor arena, and the show is a sell out. It’s going to be a marvelous summer weekend!

 

 

The Mid America Signature Show is happening at Beyond Stable Farm August 3-5. We’ll be there with academy stars, again in the perfect covered outdoor arena.

 

 

The ASAW Summer Showcase is the following weekend, August 12 – 13 at the Ozaukee County Fairgrounds in Cedarburg. We’ll be introducing some new riders to the show ring at the event, which is always a pleasure to watch.

 

 

The Knollwood Summer Show is the following weekend, August 18-20. Pattern classes will be held indoors on Friday night.  The Saturday performance will be held in the big outdoor ring and will feature all of our walk trot and canter riders as well as our 11 and over walk and trot riders and our premier walk and trot riders who compete away from home.

The Sunday performance will take place in the little outdoor ring, and will feature lead line, maiden walk and trot, and our 10 and under walk trot stars.

This big summer celebration requires many hands to make it work, and you can sign up to volunteer here.

 

We hope you can join us for all the fun we have planned for Knollwood Summer 2023!

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

Knollwood lost one of it’s grandest members when CH CH-EQ Brookhill’s Passion Punch was laid to rest yesterday.

A legend in the show ring, Leila has a long history at Knollwood with many, many accomplishments.

Bred by the O’Brien Family Trust, Leila entered the world on May 17, 2004, and was destined for the spotlight. Always big, physically gifted and an intellectual in her own right, she and Scott were a match made in heaven.

One of her earliest trainers used to work her in a western saddle because Leila was so good at bucking her off.  This same trainer would come to the ring to watch Leila complete patterns at shows because she had a hard time believing it was the same horse who liked to dump her in the past.

Kerry purchased the firey mare in 2013, and had a colorful and successful show career in the amateur park division. Leila loved to do things her way, and she and Scott had many, many discussions about just how things would be done.

She was gifted and beautiful, and started her habit of ‘talking’ the entire time she was in the lineup.

Did we say she was big and powerful? Carol said she was the only horse she’d ever seen buck Scott off. She did it in the warm up ring at Midwest, with Scott landing on his feet facing the queen. Carol said it was such a physical feat on Leila’s part that she couldn’t stop watching.

While Kerry was out on maternity leave, Scott started to equitate Leila, and the rest is history. Many of Leila’s former trainers didn’t think it could be done, but Scott worked his ‘mare magic’ on Leila, and put Haley on her to see where it would go.

In 2018, Haley and Leila won:

  The UPHA Senior Challenge Cup Final

  The ASHA National Championship of Pleasure Equitation

  The Saddle and Bridle Pleasure Equitation Medallion Final

  The Good Hands National Final

  The UPHA Senior Challenge Cup Final

  The USEF Medal Final.

 

The Cooper Family purchased Leila for Finn to show in equitation, and they became a historic team. During their time together, the beautiful tall blonde rider matched Leila step for step and enjoyed great success.

Finn and Leila were third in the Senior Challenge Cup National Final in 2020, and in the Good Hands Final the same year.

In 2021, this polished duo were Reserve World Champions in 17 year old equitation, and were Reserve World’s Grand Champions in the Equitation World Championship.

They were also 3^rd in the USEF Medal National Final, and 4^th in the UPHA Challenge Cup Senior Final.

Finn owned Leila until her last days, and loved her dearly.

 

 

 

The Dallens leased Leila for Richie when he entered the senior equitation division in 2022. They hit it off immediately, and really came into their own at Lexington with a 3^rd place finish in their age group, and 5^th in the equitation grand championship.

At Louisville, the duo were named Reserve World’s Champions of 14 year old equitation, and finished 4^th of 22 riders in the senior World’s Grand Championship of equitation. 

At the Royal, Richie and Leila were 3^rd in the UPHA Senior Challenge Cup Final, in his first year of competition in the senior division.

 

In 2023, Knollwood Kid Amelia leased Leila, and had the privilege of showing her at FASH to two great red ribbons.

Amelia is grateful to the Coopers for giving her the chance to show Leila, one of the greatest equitation partners ever. 

 

Leila was not an easy horse, but was so very smart and talented. Scott spent countless hours and days working with her to bring her around, and she became a legendary equitation partner for a number of Knollwood Kids.

Peace to you, Queen Leila, and to everyone who loved you, appreciated you, and learned from you.

You were royalty through and through.

OK, so we took a blog break last week to settle into our new summer schedule. We had two camps going on, and the show horses were at the Midwest Charity Horse Show. The summer adventures have begun!

 

Camps?

Last week we welcomed seven Tiny Tot campers who learned all about horses with the help of their personal assistants. These riders dove right in, and were posting after only three rides. The best news? Three of them that have enrolled in lessons are new Knollwood Kids.

We also hosted some of our most advanced academy stars for a week of non-stop horses.  We introduced our newest faculty member, Fiona, to some simple patterns, we furthered the always energetic Bee’s education, and found that Poppy is willing to try, well, almost anything.

In addition to learning to show and ride some tough patterns, we had some fantastic fun game sessions, and a killer ‘pattern challenge’ session.

This week, we’re hosting 12 brand new riders, and having a blast.

 

Midwest?

Knollwood’s horses and riders were on fire in Springfield last week.  The show featured deep competition, with riders from all over the country.

Our performance horses held their own at the top, with good ribbons all the way around, and the equitation riders were at the top of their games.

 

The story of the show?

Rescue Riddle

Riddle was rescued as a very young horse by the Duerr family, who have several horses at Knollwood. He needed some surgery, which they took care of near their home in Colorado. After working with him at home, Nicole sent him to Knollwood to see what he could learn.

After working with him for a bit, Riddle has become a wonderful show horse.

Payton showed him for a year or so, and this rescue guy looked like he belonged everywhere he went.

For the past two years, the Duerrs have leased him out to Maiya who has learned many, many things from him. At Midwest, the team won the Good Hands qualifier.

Riddle wasn’t done.

He filled in for a horse that couldn’t make it to the show, and won the 13 and under UPHA Challenge Cup, and the 13 and under Saddle Seat Equitation Championship for Amelia.

Great thanks to the Duerr family for rescuing this gem, and for sharing him with Team Knollwood.

 

 

What’s Coming Up?

June 29

Summer Knollwood entries are due!

 

July 1

Noon

Academy classes at the Oshkosh Charity Horse Show

 

 

July 4

Happy 4^th of July!

No lessons on the 4th, your instructor will be in touch to arrange a makeup.

 

 

July 13-16

ASAW Summerfun Horse Show

Wisconsin State Fair Park

Come join Team Knollwood for our ‘home show.’

Academy classes are on Saturday morning at 11:00 AM.

 

 

July 15

11:00 AM

Join the Knockouts at the Summerfun Show!

Sit with the officers and board members and cheer on our academy riders.

 

July 22

1:00 PM

Knockout Meeting in the show barn lounge

 

July 23

11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Car Wash and Brat Bash at Hartland Piggly Wiggly

Calling all Knockouts to wash cars and sell brats to raise funds for the club.

Please sign up for a shift in the school barn lounge.

 

 

 

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

Team Knollwood lost one of it’s most valuable members today when we had to put Klem down after a pasture accident.

The legend came to us from Hollow Haven Farm where he was known as Tony. Because we already had a lesson horse named Tony at the time, the fat little Morgan needed a new name.

He was shaped like a sausage, so he became Klem as in the Klement Sausage Company, and the rest is history.

He traveled to countless academy shows teaching a generation of Knollwood Kids the fun of showing horses.

He held his own in a ring full of bigger Saddlebred lesson horses because he thought so highly of himself.

(We often joked that we should have named him ‘Napoleon’ instead of Klem.)

His sweet nicker of greeting made him friends everywhere he went.

 

Always on the hunt for treats, he could get a mint or a carrot from anyone with his big brown eyes and his talking.

If humans didn't give him treats, he sourced his own.

We’ll miss his teaching littles how to canter, his opinions at pattern camps, and his drama about flies.

Mostly, we’ll miss his nicker greeting you when you entered his stall, and his patience with every small person he ever met.

Peace to you, Klem.

You were well loved by many, many fans who will never forget all that you gave them.