Team Knollwood’s horses are resting up in Springfield, Illinois, waiting for the 2020 Mane Event to begin. Held in one of the most beautiful arenas for horse showing in the country, the show is a favorite of trainers and exhibitors alike.

Plus, it’s home to the first of the ‘Big Three’ equitation finals, The Good Hands.

And, you can catch all the action here, on SeeHorse Video, for FREE! If you’re really a show geek, and you know who you are, you can even review entries here.

 

This year’s Good Hands competition promises to be one for the ages. Seventeen of the nation’s top equitation stars are entered and all are coached by the best in the business. This competition is crazy deep.

Knollwood is proud to be well represented by (in alphabetical order) Finn, Heather, Laney, Payton, and Richie.

 

Preliminary rounds will be held Friday morning at 9:30 AM. Riders who make it through phase I will return to the arena Saturday evening at 6:00 PM for railwork and a pattern for phase II. The top 10 and awards ceremony will take place immediately after phase II.

 

There’s even an adult division, and Knollwood’s own Allison will be competing for the final. A juvenile equitation star back in the day, Allison is back in the division on her animated mare, Ava.

 

Mane Event is so much more than just the Good Hands finals though. The four day show features fantastic show horses and ponies in all divisions, and Team Knollwood will be in the thick of it.

Margit will continue her exciting inaugural suit year, showing Robert in the 3 gaited show pleasure division, and the one and only Charlie in 5 Gaited Show Pleasure.

Allison’s mom Kim will be showing Maddie in Country Pleasure, and Alison will show her new horse, Joe, in 3 Gaited Show Pleasure.

The Honkamp family will be there with both Rudi in the Hunt classes and Hershey in the 3 Gaited Show Pleasure ones.

Linda will be showing Parker in the amateur 5 Gaited division, and Richie will show Fergie in Show Pleasure as well.

 

In the Cinderella story of the year, Payton and Rescue Riddle will continue their adventure together, too!

Best of luck to everyone showing at this wonderful show!

 

Meanwhile, at the Home Office…

 

The school barn refreshing has begun. Frank of Molett Painting LLC has started painting in the lounge for color testing. We’re looking forward to some great changes!!

 

The lesson horses and a few show horses are heading to the last IASPHA show of the year next weekend. Nineteen academy stars will compete at Beyond Stable farm against other academy riders from around the Midwest, and it’s a SELL OUT! We can hardly wait.

 

The 2020 Knollwood Challenge Finals are coming up on Friday, November 13 at 6:00 PM, with Terri Anne Ullman judging the affair. We’ll host a qualifying class for both the walk and trot division and the walk, trot, and canter division before the two final classes.

Haven’t qualified yet? Sign up with your instructor for a qualifying class for only $40. If you finish first or second, you’re in the finals with a chance to win a custom shirt from DeRegnaucourt!

Riders already qualified for the final, don’t forget to pay your entry fee of $45.

Due to Covid, we’re limiting the audience for the evening to riders and their parents. If there’s enough interest, we’ll Facebook Live the finals.

 

We’re heading to Beyond Stable Farm for our last academy show of the crazy 2020 season on December 5-6. The show is expected to be another sell out, like the IASPHA show next weekend, so we’ll be turning in stall counts soon. If you’re planning on joining the adventure, please be sure to get your entry form and deposit in now to be included in our count!

 

 

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

Last weekend’s academy show offered something for every Knollwood Kid. From our newest leadline riders to our most experienced pattern riders, we can safely say that everyone had a grand time.

Here are some of our favorite stories:

 

The Knollwood Suite

For the first time ever,  customers were able to bid on a special viewing suite for their day at the show.  The suite offered a covered, screened area with comfy chairs, a cooler of beverages, free raffle tickets, a free photo from Hanna Agathen Photography, and even warm blankets.

Congrats to Jada’s family who enjoyed the suite on Saturday, and to Brae’s family for winning the suite on Sunday. All proceeds went directly to the Knockouts!

 

Patterns!

Knollwood Kids are known far and wide for their pattern riding ability. Actually, some of us have even been called ‘pattern geeks,’ which we take as a compliment.

Riders' skills were on full display on both Saturday and Sunday as riders of varying levels competed in both walk-trot and walk trot and canter classes.

In addition to the regular pattern classes, we had four riders advance to the Knollwood Challenge Finals, which will be held on Friday, November 13 at 6:00 PM.

Congratulations to all our pattern riders on a job well done.

 

Memories Captured

Knollwood Kid Hanna captured the show through her camera lens on both days of the show. Hanna knows her way around a show ring, and took some great arena shots as well as candid pics from around the farm.  In fact, most of the pics in this blog are Hanna's. You can view and purchase her pictures here.

 

Best.Parents.Ever.

Knollwood parents are a special group. Led by super organizer and Knockout President Mom Lisa, parents put together beautiful gift baskets, made lunches for pickup at the show, set up the concession stand, tents for the baskets, erected the suites, and even did some landscaping to make the entrance to the viewing area a little easier.

Our show ring staffs are super heroes as well. Our ringmasters kept order in the ring through wind, rain, and sun, handed out ribbons, ran the gate, and set up victory passes. Announcer Wendy kept everyone well informed and entertained from her tent.

 

Young Rock Stars

Our youngest walk and trot divisions were the most popular of the show. With three splits of 8 and under walk trot and two splits of maiden riders, these classes were so good they were difficult for Judge Ainsley to sort out.

Our leadline division was so popular that we had to add a walk only division!

The classes showcased our youngest riders, and they all looked fantastic, trotting with their Knollwood Kid mentors.  Our future looks very bright!

 

Judge Ainsley

Life long Knollwood Kid Ainsley presided over both days of the show, and it required all of her well honed decision making skills. Ainsley pretty much grew up in the show ring, and really enjoyed spending the weekend at her home away from home.

 

After the regular performance on Saturday, World Champion Rider Ainsley and her World Champion sister Sydney participated in the games division of the show. We had a blast watching these two compete in relay games, ride a $5, and musical towels.

The laughter was contagious!

 

Amelia’s Skill and Generosity

Speaking of games, 9-year-old Amelia beat the world champions and people with much longer legs to win the Ride a $5 event. Amelia and Pony Frank were not to be denied, and won a total of $70, which they donated back to the Knollwood Knockouts.  Thank you, Amelia!!!

 

Pony Frank Gives In

Pony Frank has always refused to participate in shows when they were held inside. Maybe he knows something we don’t know, or maybe he’s just being a pony, which is way more likely. In any event, Little Frank participated in the show, and was a perfect gentleman.

No more show weekends off for Pony Frank!

 

Knollwood Helpers

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: We couldn’t do it without these amazing horse girls. The helpers assisted the mostly self sufficient riders on Saturday, and took care of inexperienced walk and trot riders on Sunday.

Taking care of riders on Sunday means that each helper  changes tack, adjusts stirrups, offers pep talks and encouragement, explains schedules and patterns, locates riders for their classes, and makes sure the right riders enter for the correct classes.

They are organized, knowledgeable, and kind, and we are grateful for each and every one of them.

 

Best Lesson Horses in the World.

Period.

Again, you’ve probably heard us say this a million times, but these are the best lesson horses in the world.

The boys showed in two different arenas in two different climates with many different riders, and they all behaved like little choir boys.

They took care of their riders, challenged some, and looked like they enjoyed the extra attention that horse shows provide for them.

We owe each one of them dinner and a movie after we get through these crazy times.

 

 

What’s Coming Up?

 

Knockouts Street Clean Up and Pumpkin Farm Outing

This Saturday at 1:30 PM

Join your Knockout friends as they clean up Oakwood and Nagawicka Roads. After the clean up, everyone is invited to travel to Schuett Farm where you’ll enjoy pumpkins, a corn maze, and a hay ride. 

The pumpkin farm outing is only $15, parents must provide transportation, and reservations close on Thursday.

Here’s the link to the sign-up.

 

Mane Event Horse Show

Show horses will be traveling to the Mane Event Horse Show in Springfield, Illinois on October 15-18.  The show features the first of the ‘Big Three’ equitation finals, the Good Hands. It’s also a fantastic horse show in all the other divisions.

Team Knollwood will be there in numbers, and you can watch the livestream for free on the SeeHorse Video!

 

 

One Last Academy Show!

The IASPHA Show on October 24-25 is a huge academy show for us, with 12 horses traveling to Beyond Stable Farm in Woodstock, Illinois.

Our last show of the season is The Holly Jolly show, which is being held December 5-6 also in Woodstock.

Please get your entries in soon so we can start planning for another big outing!

 

Knollwood Challenge Finals

Because of the COVID-19 situation, we’re not holding an indoor fall show. We WILL host the finals of the Knollwood Challenge, however, on Friday, November 13.  We’ll offer one more qualifying class for both WTC and WT divisions, and proceed with the finals immediately after.

Judge Terri Anne Ullman from Winsome Farm will preside over the finals.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 restrictions will apply, and we’re limiting the event to riders and their families only. Those interested in seeing the event can watch on Facebook Live.

 

Woodwear is Coming!

 

We’re putting the finishing touches on our Woodwear for holiday giving. Samples will be arriving shortly, and we’ll start ordering right away.

And yes, we’re ordering our classic navy jackets again! We’ve added #KnollwoodStrong down one sleeve for this year’s edition, too.

 

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

 

Show weekend is almost here, and we can hardly wait!

Here are some insider tips about the upcoming show:

If you haven’t done so already, please pick up your shirt and back number packets in the school barn lounge. Your packet also includes information from our official show photographer, Hanna Agathen. We’re looking forward to seeing her photos of all the show smiles!

 

 Lunch Preorders can be picked up from our friendly concession stand with a minimum of contact. Chef Lisa may have a few extra meals, so if you forgot to preorder, please inquire at the stand.                

 

We’ll also be selling some #knollwoodstrong shirts for $25 as well as some clearance items at reduced prices. Check out the selection! And don’t forget to purchase your tickets for the gift baskets!

 

 The weather may be a little iffy on Sunday morning. We are thinking of postponing the start of the show to 1:00 PM if needed to avoid the rain. We’ll post any changes on Facebook and Instagram, and try to make contact via text or phone with everyone by Friday. 

Keep your fingers crossed!

 

 Raffle donations and the final bids for the Knollwood Suites are due tomorrow. The baskets are already looking great, and the VIP Suite is a great way to view all the action.

 We have a few spots left for practice rides on Friday late afternoon. With the sun setting earlier and earlier, and the show being outside, we’re starting at 5:00 PM. Please contact your instructor if you’d like to join the event.

 

 We have some great used clothing in the show barn lounge! Proceeds benefit our retired lesson horse fund, and jods and boots are only $10. Please feel free to check out the selection the next time you’re at the barn. It’s a great way to stock up on show clothes at a good price, and help our older chaps as well.

 

 We’re so excited to welcome Ainsley to judge both days of the show. One of Knollwood’s brightest stars ever, she brings years of experience in the ring. AND, she’s staying for the game portion of the show on Saturday. Watch out, world!

 

 Should you have any questions during the show, be sure to ask any of our helpers. We are grateful for the parents and Knollwood Kids who make these grand events possible.

 

 The show barn (and thus, the big rig) will be gone this weekend at the first ever Monarch Series National Horse Show in Springfield, Illinois. Luckily, we’ll still have some of the show barn kids to help the home show run smoothly!

 

 Overflow parking will be allowed in the Kettle Moraine Curling Club lot directly across from the small outdoor arena. Great thanks to our neighbors!

 

 A final reminder, masks are required when in the barn, or when you can’t maintain social distancing. Let’s work together!

 

 

See you at the show!

 

 

Team Knollwood enjoyed a terrific weekend at the Wisconsin Futurity Horse Show. With a lot of both show and academy horses, we have some great stories to tell!

 

Home Grown Stars 

Equine Knollwod Kids Nacho and Willow showed successfully at Futurity.

Nacho made his debut in the UPHA Park Pleasure Class and even got to use his real name, Trust Fund Blues.  With Lindsay’s expert piloting, Nacho was more and more confident as his class went on.  To top it off, the team even won a 4^th place ribbon. 

Lin also showed Willow, officially known as Dance Party in Junior Park Pleasure.

 

 

Margit’s Weekend

Margit had a wonderful weekend at the show, getting to ride both Robert and Charlie.

Having grown up in our academy program, Margit knows her way around a busy show ring.  Her skills came in handy in with Robert, AKA Rosewood’s Homecoming Dance, in the Show Pleasure division.  They were reserve champs in their age group among a really nice group of horses.

Margit’s skills really shone with Charlie, AKA CH Ken Follett, in the 5 Gaited Show Pleasure division.  With 2 added gaits and LOTS of speed, Margit and Charlie rocked their qualifier and championship, winning both classes.  These two have quickly developed a mutual admiration society, and it shows!

 

Erika’s Dons a Suit

Everyone at Knollwood knows Erika.  Leader of our successful Tiny Tot camp program, she’s also quite a star on the back of a horse.  Erika has shown academy for many years, and thanks to her hard work, she made her debut in a suit at Futurity.

Erika showed Impressive Asset, owned by the Wenzel Family, in the show pleasure and equitation divisions. She had wonderful rides, and looked far more experienced in the ‘A’ ring than she is, also thanks to her academy experiences.  Erika finished the show by finishing second to Finn in their equitation class!

 

Willis Continues His Education

Future lesson horse Willis, known officially as Garden of Roses, continued his education at Futurity. He and Richie are becoming a team in the new single bit division, and are even heading to the national championship for the division in a couple of weeks. With Richie’s help, Willis is learning to pay attention and to become comfortable in traffic. It works both ways, as Willis is teaching Richie mew skills, too!

The team were named Reserve Champions at Futurity, and are looking forward to the Monarch National Championship in two weeks.

Knollwood Kid Korinne showed Willis in the academy division on Saturday afternoon and had a wonderful performance. In the talent packed 14-17 showmanship class, Korinne and Willis were third, rode to good equitation ribbons, and even got to perform a workout.

Korinne made her last appearance as a junior exhibitor last weekend. She’s been a Knollwood Kid for eight years, has served as a Knockout officer, and Tiny Tot instructor, and has been a mentor to many of the younger kids.

She’s currently studying pre-med at the University of Wisconsin, and we miss her already. We wish her great success in her new adventure, and can’t wait to see her at Thanksgiving!

 

 

Riddle

Every so often, a story grabs your heart and makes you thankful for wonderful people.  Here comes a great one:

 

 Back in August 2017 a rescue organization shared on Facebook a post of two Saddlebreds on a Colorado kill lot. Nicole Duerr,  AKA Payton’s mom,  rescued them both - the colt later named Riddle and the mare later named Ellie. Riddle was thought to be a yearling. Cryptorchid, scared of people, untouchable and poor demeanor at feeding time. They had local help to gentle him and break him to trailering, clipping, bitting, long longing and Payton started very basic riding on him.

Last November Nicole sent Riddle up to Knollwood for training. This weekend he did his first show at the WI Fall Futurity in Open English Pleasure. He’s becoming quite the unexpected star and giving attention to rescues. He’s headed to St. Louis Charity to debut in equitation with Payton and then to the Monarch National Championships.

 

 Nicole said, ‘Please please take the chance, go the extra mile, so many wonderful horses are lurking right under our noses. This one I thought was pretty special and I know he took work...but look at him now.. JUST WOW’

 

Great thanks to Nicole for her generosity and hard work in making Riddle a star.  And thanks to great riding Payton for making his first show a success. He was the talk of the show, and seemed to love the whole experience. 

Next up, St Louis!

 

 

What An Academy Team!

 

Some people think we’re crazy going to a show with 12 academy horses and 19 riders, but we think it’s a wonderful way to spend a weekend.

Futurity hosts the State Championships of academy equitation, and even brings in a three judge panel to make the performance  even more special.

 

We had riders at all different parts of their riding educations, ranging from Alessia, Dilly, and Maddie showing only for the second time to our most experienced academy stars showing lesson horses from the show barn.

All of our riders rode so well, and we’re beyond proud of them.

Highlights?

Maya showing Panic for the first time, and winning all three of her classes. Both she and Panic were grinning from ear to ear on those victory passes as Panic managed to show his slick racking skills.

 

Those BIG walk and trot classes! The 9 and 10 year old division featured classes with 12 riders, and Knollwood Kids used the ring like pros.

 

Korinne and Willis closed out her academy career in style.

 

Our mentors, Heather, Erika, Margit, Richie, Maria,  Jeni, and  Anna took care of our riders and provided great care to the best lesson horses in the world.

 

We are grateful to everyone to helped make it a great day for the Knollwood Kids.

 

 Coming Up Next?

                    

Show Horses are currently showing at the St Louis National Charity Show, home to 2 National Equitation Finals, and a really deep show in all divisions.  You can watch all the action here for free!

Side note: Since Payton and Dos won the Junior Medallion Final last year, this junior team will be competing UP in the senior division!

 

Next week, the show horses will be in Springfield, Illinois, for the first ever Monarch National Championship Show.

 

 

 

Our October In-Barn show is coming up fast on

October 3 and 4!

 

 Here are a few reminders to keep everyone up to speed:

 

Be sure to get your bids in soon for the Knollwood Suite! Available on both Saturday and Sunday, the suite will offer shade and seating for 4, a cooler of beverages, and raffle tickets! You can sign up in the school barn lounge, but better be snappy! Bidding ends October 2.

 

Shirt packets are ready for pick up for riders who have entered by competing their form and paying their class fees.  You’ll also receive a lunch pre-order form and info from our photographer, Hanna Agathen.

 

Our pre-order touchless pick up meals were a hit at the August show, and we have a new fall menu for October. You’ll receive a pre-order form in your shirt packet, and extra copies are available in the school barn lounge.  Remember, orders are due September 28.

Gift baskets are still looking for some donations.  Please consider donating an item or two after you check out the sign-up sheets in the school barn. Please have your donations to the barn by October 1 so the baskets can be put together by our art department!

 

 

It takes a village! We’re looking for parent volunteers to help set up, man the lunch pick up area, and to assist with the gift baskets. We have a Sign-Up Genius that you can access here to join the best parents in the world at the show. You can access the details here. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0549abab2ea3fa7-2020

 

 

 

Academy Shows!

 

We only have two academy shows left this season!

We’ll be traveling to Beyond Stable Farm in Woodstock, Illinois on October 23-24 for the IASPHA Fall Show, and on December 5-6 for the UPHA Chapter 10 Holly Jolly Show.  We expect both shows to be quite popular, so please get your entries in soon so we can start preparing for some great shows.

 

 

 

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

 

 

No deep thoughts this week, just a quick recap on all the goings on around here!

 

 

 

Equitation finals are underway, and we’re thrilled to report that Laney finished in the Top 10 of the Pleasure Olympic Senior Division last weekend at the All American Horse Classic.

 

The Saddle and Bridle Pleasure Equitation Medallion Finals and the ASHA National Championship of Pleasure Equitation are both coming up at the St. Louis National Charity Horse Show the week after Futurity. Best of luck to the Knollwood Kids making the trip!

 

 

At this moment, show horses are all set up and showing at the Wisconsin Futurity Horse Festival. It’s a BIG show, with many quality entries in divisions ranging from weanlings to polished performance horses as well as equitation riders to academy stars.

The show is officially closed to those not involved in the show, but waivers to attend ARE available on the show website, http://wisconsinfuturity.com/horseshow.html.

Our schedule is posted on Facebook and Instagram, complete with all the academy listings for Saturday afternoon.

 

We’ll try to keep everyone up to date with social media posts as best we can throughout the show!

 

 

It looks like Richmond the cat might just make it to his first birthday next Tuesday, September 22.  He’s hosting an ALL DAY party, so please feel free to stop by for a visit. He’s a pretty busy fellow, so he may or may not be in the barn. He IS providing cupcakes for his friends, provided by our favorite, Twisted Lemon Bakery.

 

Emma Utoft Photography will be at Knollwood on Saturday, September 26 for photo shoots. She has a few spots left for sessions, so contact her at 815.742.0838 to snag a spot.

Academy show riders, our ad shoot is at 6:00 PM that day. Please arrive by 5:45 PM dressed in your show clothes with hair done.  We can hardly wait to celebrate our crazy 2020 season with a pic.

 

 

Our October In-Barn show is coming up fast!  Here are a few reminders to keep everyone up to speed:

 

Be sure to get your bids in soon for the Knollwood Suite! Available on both Saturday and Sunday, the suite will offer shade, seating for four, a cooler of beverages, and raffle tickets! You can sign up in the school barn lounge, but better be snappy! Bidding ends October 2.

 

Shirt packets are ready for pick up by riders who have entered by completing their form and paying their class fees.  You’ll also receive a lunch pre-order form and info from our photographer, Hanna Agathen.

 

 

Our pre-order touchless pickup meals were a hit at the August show, and we have a new fall menu for October. You’ll receive a pre-order form in your shirt packet, and extra copies are available in the school barn lounge.  Remember, orders are due September 28.

Gift baskets are still looking for some donations.  Please consider donating an item or two after you check out the sign up sheets in the school barn.

 

It takes a village!

We’re looking for parent volunteers to help set up, man the lunch pick up area, and to assist with the gift baskets. We have a Sign Up Genius that you can access here to join the best parents in the world at the show.

We only have two academy shows left this season! We’ll be traveling to Beyond Stable Farm in Woodstock, Illinois on October 23-24 for the IASPHA Fall Show, and on December 5-6 for the UPHA Chapter 10 Holly Jolly Show.  We expect both shows to be quite popular, so please get your entries in soon so we can start preparing for some great shows.

 

 

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