Hello Knollwood Families and Students,

 

We have had such an incredible outpouring of support from all of you at this time.  We just wanted to highlight a couple of amazing "Give Back" projects some of our creative customers have been working on to support the School Horses during their unemployment period.

Soul Fire Art Studio's Door Hangers and Mandala Dot Art!

The amazing Theresa Spencer with her business Soul Fire Art Studio is putting on two separate fund raising events for the Knollwood school horses!  For the kids, Saddlebred door hangers (depiction above of Dudley as a Saddlebred and one of the new kids on the block, Willis).  This project is $25 and includes a two hour zoom instructional/social with barn friends!  The actual Zoom will occur on Friday, May 22nd from 6-8pm.  The project for adults is a soothing mandala dot art project that can be customized to suit your own decor.  We could all use some beauty, meditation and relaxation in our lives right now, which makes this the perfect project!  Also $25 for the project, the two our zoom instructional/social time for this one will be Thursday, May 21 from 7-9.  You can check out their website here and order online, or via phone for barn pick up on the show barn patio. $15 from each project will be donated to support the school horses. What an amazing, fun, SOCIAL activity (didn't even know those existed anymore)!  Thank you, Theresa, for bringing us all together, while we are forced to remain apart.

 

Amy's Handmade Masks

All the way from Madison, Amy has been working hard on handmade masks to benefit the school horses.  She was offering masks in a pleated cloth, contoured cloth with a nose wire and filter pocket, and a nurses style without a nose wire.  Amy is full to the brim with orders at this time, but keep an eye on Facebook for openings for new orders!  Thank you so much, Amy, for your support and help in keeping us all that much safer with masks. See the Facebook post with pictures and details here!  

 

Lisa's Grace & Heart Gifts

Lisa DeVries, the powerhouse knockouts mom that keeps us all organized and honest is donating proceeds from a Grace & Heart party to benefit the school horses!  Check out all of the gorgeous jewelry available for purchase here.  Thank you Lisa, for everything you do. Make sure that you get your Mom an extra Mother's Day gift through Lisa!

 

Erika's Twisted Lemon Dough

Like mother, like daughter, the DeVries girls are donating proceeds from their cookie dough to the school horses.  Not just delicious, but also a fun activity, getting a bit of cookie dough to bake with the family can be an amazing weekend activity to breakup the quarantine days!  Thank you so much, Erika.  We can't wait to eat some cookies! Order some dough here!

 

Rachel's Plush Ponies

 

Our small animal vet, Knollwood Kid Vet(eran), and Joey's best friend has reinvigorated her plush pony business making replicas of our most beloved school horses to have at home with you while you have to be apart.  Orders are full at the moment, but to reach out about potential wait times, email Rachel: rweiher6@gmail.com or direct message her on Facebook to get on the list!  Thank you, Rachel for sewing these plush ponies to keep us all close to the horses we miss.

 

 

The efforts all of you have made in donating, creating things to make the world and our community a brighter or safer place has been monumental. You're all Knockouts of the Knollwood variety, literally and figuratively!

 

Stay well!

Alright guys, we've done some core, we've done some glutes, but as we get closer and closer to the end of the Stay and Home ordinance, we really need to hone in on our leg strength.  Todays circuit is a rep based strength circuit that is focusing on leg work.  For exercises that involve alternating legs, each side equates to one rep!

 

Exercise 1 - Forward and Back Lunges - 20 reps

 

This is taking a standard lunge into a seesaw motion.  Lunge forward with one leg and then lunge back with the same leg, then switch sides.  To challenge yourself, work on balancing in between the forward and back lunge, instead of putting your foot down.

Exercise 2 - Drop squat jack - 20 reps

 

Much like a regular squat jack, you are jumping down and out into a squat, but this time, you have to get low enough to touch the ground.  Alternate which hand is touching and make SURE you are keeping your chest high and your weight back in your heels. 

Exercise 3 - Curtsy Lunge - 20 reps

 

This mimics the most polite way to say "Hello" and "goodbye" in the 1820s.  Like a reverse lunge, only crooked!  Take the leg going back, to the side and drop into a lunge.  This movement isn't about speed, but form.  You should really be feeling it in your quads, hips and glutes of your front leg.  Alternate legs each time.

Exercise 4 - Tuck Jumps - 20 reps

 

A real heart raiser, make sure you are landing on bent knees and using your arms as momentum to really raise yourself back up!  Hang in there with this one, it's a toughy.

Exercise 5 - One legged bridge - 20 reps

 

We've just powered through 4 of the leg exercises that focus on our quads and hamstrings and now we are going to take it down to a little more focused glute and hamstring work.  Lying on your back with your heels in towards your bottom, raise one leg off the ground at a 45 degree angle.  Press into your heels to lift your hips and slowly lower them back down.  Keep your core tight to help your hips stay balanced and level throughout this movement.

Exercise 6 - Split Jumps - 20 reps

Your finisher exercise is my favorite finisher exercise (next to burpees of course). In a lunge position, use your arms and legs to power up into a jump and land in a lunge on the other side.

 

Make sure you finish off with some stretching and mobility movement to recover.

 

Stay well!

One of Scott’a favorite observations from the horse business, aside from alignment, is that a great horse needs a great mom, and great riders need great moms as well.

 

Of course, we may be a little bit biased, but we think that Knollwood has a history of great moms that is second to none.  And, the great ones ALWAYS possess a grand sense of humor, so  we know they won’t mind being compared to horse moms!

 

Here’s what both have in common.

 

Great moms teach courage.

You’ve all seen tiny horse babies outside in the first couple of weeks when mom is walking away to graze with a watchful eye on her new baby. While the foal may feel alone for a sec, mom is watching to make sure baby comes back, and instilling the first lessons in bravery and independence.

Knollwood moms feed their riders' passion for horses and make them brave.  Once a rider feels confident around horses, they’re ready to spread their wings.  Nothing makes a kid braver than knowing their mom believes in them and in their love of the sport.

 

 

Great moms teach boundaries.

And consequences.

You know that great moment when the foal gets a little too rough with mom, or strays a little too far for her liking? Mom reacts quickly with a little nip, or a wonderful ears pinned ‘mare stare,’ and pretty soon said foal is licking his lips and putting his head down in apology.

Knollwood moms have these moves down like the pros that they are. Horse girls don’t push their moms around for fear of ‘the look,’ or the talk on the car ride home. The worst possible punishment? Not being able to ride for a week.

We applaud these moms who hold the line with real consequences to raise coachable kids.

 

 

Great moms teach social skills.

No animal in the world is born knowing how to behave with others, that has to be taught by their mother. Mares act as playground monitors in the pasture,  while Knollwood moms keep watch over their horse girls to make sure they’re being kind, supportive, and inclusive.

 

 

Great moms instill confidence.

And resilience.

 As the foals grow, horse moms let their ‘kids’ stray a little farther away, play with others, and help them grow up in the pasture. They teach foals to ‘push the envelope’ a little, and stand up to others, testing them at play time.  Foals quickly get comfortable running around with confidence, even when games don’t always go their way.

Moms of horse kids give their riders confidence by always being supportive of their adventures. Students will learn new skills, ride horses with more energy, and compete at different levels.  Knollwood moms tell the kids how much they love watching them ride, and share our belief that more is often learned in the rides that test than in the rides that are comfortable and routine.

 

Great moms teach a sense of perspective.

 

It’s often said ‘If everything is a big deal, nothing is a big deal.’  Both horse moms and rider moms know this to be true. Horse kids and Knollwood kids quickly learn that perfection is rarely achievable, that the process to becoming a great horse or rider doesn’t go in a straight line, and that there’s unlimited joy in the journey.

Knollwood moms lead their kids by glossing over the little things, which is sometimes most challenging with an 8 year old who feels the world is ending because she didn’t get the horse she really wanted for a show, or a leadliner who didn’t get the ribbon she hoped for.

 

Great moms offer unconditional support.

It’s so important growing up to know that your mom always has your back. It’s what gives you the courage to push yourself to become a great horseperson or a great horse. When your mom has given you confidence and a sense of perspective, you can achieve many, many things.

 

We are grateful to the Knollwood moms.

In addition to instilling these important life lessons to Knollwood Kids, they’ve recently added teacher to their list of roles, and have been trying to maintain a sense of normalcy for their kids. And all of that while missing riding lessons!

 

We salute you.

We are beyond grateful.

And, while we appreciate you every day, we want to wish all the Knollwood mothers a very special and happy Mothers Day week!

 

 

 

Tradition.

Honor.

Passion.

We Are #KnollwoodStrong.

Hey Knollwood Families and students,

 

Spring time is here and it has been an incredible weekend. We know you've all been out in the yard playing in the sun and if we know you equestrians, you've been playing horse show in those yards.  Perhaps forcing a parent into playing the role of a competitor, perhaps making your dog or cat play the ring master, and perhaps making your brother or sister play the voice of the announcer.  Well here's a fun yard game for you: Lawn Patterns.

 

Bellow we've posted three patterns. 1. beginner, 2. intermediate and 3. advanced for you to take on in your yard.  We encourage you to reach out to your fellow equestrians or instructors for any questions you may have on how to accomplish, or improve upon your pattern execution.  If you like, take a video and post it to our facebook page! 

 

A couple key, at-home pattern requirements: firstly, your hands show which diagonal or lead you are on.  If you're to be on the right lead or diagonal, your right hand should be in the air!  We all know what sticklers our instructors are for diagonals and leads so make sure you pay attention to those diagonal/lead changes! Secondly, mark out your "arena" with patio chairs or trees or family members, really with whatever you have at your disposal to give you an idea of how you need to space our your rails and circles.

 

Beginner Pattern:

Intermediate Pattern:

Advanced Pattern:

 

Extra Credit: Take the intermediate and advanced pattern and try it by changing two cantering leads/passes into a slow gait and a racking pass!

 

GOOD LUCK equestrians!  

Hey Guys,

Ok so we've had a lot of high intensity HIT style circuits coming at you, but this week, we are going to slow it down with some targeted isometric circuits that would work great as a combined (or in betweener) for one or two of the previous Saturday Circuits.  This week, you will see a killer ab endurance circuit to pop into your rest time between a regular circuit and a deadly glute circuit.  You can alternate these as in betweeners; i.e. standard HIT circuit, ab circuit, standard HIT circuit, glute circuit, standard HIT circuit - as many times as you can survive!!

 

As an endurance circuit, this means NO REST in between exercises... you will go from one directly into the other without dropping your head/crunch or dropping your hips/glute work until you've completed the grouping. YIKES!  I recommend reading through the entire workout before getting started to make sure you're able to go from one exercise to the next as seamlessly as possible. Per usual, be sure to warm up before beginning your workout.

 

ABS CIRCUIT

Reverse Crunch, into Straight Leg Bicycles, into Scissor Kicks - 40 Seconds, 30 Seconds, 20 Seconds, 10 seconds rest between each group

For your Reverse Crunch - laying on your back with your hands at your sides, palms down, bend your knees to bring your feet as close to your glutes as you can.  Begin to squeeze those lower abs to lift your legs, glutes and hips off of the ground, lower back down with control to tap your heels on the ground and go back into the next crunch.

For your Straight Leg Bicycles - Much like the traditional Bicycle crunch, place your hands behind your head by your ears.  With legs out long, but not touching the ground, lift your left leg up and bring your right elbow to meet your left knee, lower your left leg (again keeping your legs OFF of the ground) then raise up your right leg and bring your left elbow to meet it, repeat till your time is up!

For your Scissor kicks - We've done this one before, but as a refresher, laying on your back with your hands by your sides palms facing down, lift your shoulder blades off the ground and hover your hands and feet off of the ground.  Begin to lightly kick your feet as if you were swimming!

 

GLUTES CIRCUIT

 

Hip Raises, into One Legged Hip Raises, into One Legged Hip Raise Cross Crunches

 

For your Hip Raises - On your back with your heels as close to your glutes as possible, begin to raise and lower your hips with control without ever fully lowering your hips to the ground.  At the top of the movement be sure to really think about contracting those glutes.  Squeeze your inner thighs together throughout.

For your One Legged Hip Raises - Without lowering to the ground, lift one knee up to a 90 degree angle and continue to alternate legs.  Focus on keeping your hips level and maintaining control in your core and glutes. 

For your One Legged Hip Raise Cross Crunches - Bring your hands from your sides to behind your head by your ears.  Alternating each time, keep your hips up (as you have been) and raise up one knee to about a 90 degree angle.  At the same time, raise your opposite elbow up to meet your knee, lower your foot to the ground and repeat on the other side!

 

If you're anything like me, your glutes and abs are screaming at you after combining these focused circuits with another two-three of our previous Saturday Circuits.  Be sure to stretch it out and recover with lots of hydration!