First of all, we miss all of you. A lot.

 

Knollwood is not the same without horse crazy kids running around, show horse customers riding their beautiful horses, and all the socialization that comes with all that.  Scott and Richmond the kitten are  pretty funny, but they can’t make up for all of you.

The horses miss their people. They don’t get the whole pandemic thing, they just know that their favorite treat bearing friends aren’t visiting. They’re all receiving the same great Knollwood care as always, but they miss you.

Where to begin…

 

The lesson horses are looking great, all shed out and shiny. This Monday started out sunny, and we brought all the boys in for a big spa day.  After they were all groomed and sent out to enjoy more recess, it rained, and they found the mud. Specifically, they found BLACK mud. And they all rolled in the same very dark mud.

 

All of the lesson horses have been enjoying the increased foot traffic on the bridle path. The public  path is open to anyone who’d like to see the horses in the pasture, and it’s a nice walk on these nice spring days.

 

The show horses are enjoying work outside on nice days, and we even did some FB live broadcasts from the big outdoor ring. They all look fantastic, and are awaiting the return of their families.

 

What’s coming up?

We've been enjoying the FB Live broadcasts, especially  your comments and check ins. 

This Saturday, we’re looking forward to sharing a couple of new topics.

At 3:00 pm, we’re planning something with the school horses, and we're open to suggestions of what you'd like to see!

 

At 5:00 pm, we’re thrilled to have Scott join us for happy hour.

Here’s your chance to ask Scott any questions that have been on your mind.  Besides being an instructor and trainer of world champions, he’s pretty funny, and a great story teller. You can send your questions in ahead of time, or ask them during the broadcast.

 

May Birthdays!

It’s going to be a busy month with plenty of celebrations.  Knockout members with May birthdays are:

May 1  Lucy F.

May 2  Tessa B

May 3  Mary P

May 6  Alexa and Molly

May 10  Allie K

May 12  Haley B

May 14  Dilly

May 16 Rachel W

May 20  Paeton

May 25  Jada

If you’d like a birthday video from a favorite horse or two, let us know. We’d be happy to celebrate with you!!

 

School Horse Birthdays

May 6  Murphy

May 10  Heist

May 11  Duke

May 16  Dexter

May 17  Big Frank

May 20  Mark

 

Shirt Deadline

If you haven’t ordered your #KnollwoodStrong shirt yet in support of our lesson horses, time is running out!  We’re placing the order soon, and the deadline to buy online is Saturday, May 2.

The Safer at Home requirements are challenging and have us all missing the way things were just a couple months ago. We hope, however that you're able to stay connected to Knollwood through our blogs, our Instagram or Facebook accounts or even able to take a bridle path stroll to say "Hi" to the horses up close. This experience will help us all appreciate all the two and four legged friends we have in our Knollwood community.

 

And don't worry, we already have reopening plans in place with all sorts of fun events. We can hardly wait!!!

 

 

 

 

Tradition.

Honor.

Passion.

 

We are #KnollwoodStrong.

 

 

 

Looking out onto the world from inside our homes has made for a strange month (and counting), and with Safer at Home orders being extended till May 26th, it seems we will be inside for even longer than most of us originally thought.  Many Wisconsin families have been hit hard by this illness with family members lost, and others still battling for their lives and health. The good news is that it seems the Safer at Home orders are working as Wisconsin's early action has managed to keep the number of cases from hitting an unmanageable level. 

Listen up everyone,

 

If you've ever wanted to feel your legs on fire and your core as jiggly as all our thighs are going to be after our first ride back (that is if you haven't been keeping up with your Saturday Circuits), this is the workout for you!  High intensity pyramid intervals means you will run through this entire circuit in a descending, timed rep format.  First is 40 seconds, 10 rest then 30 with 10 rest, then 20 with NO rest. Take a 20 second rest between each circuit to recover your heart rate and get a drink of water.  This is an endurance and agility circuit so you should be trying to MAX out your reps for each drill, each time.  That being said, form is ALWAYS our #1 priority to remain safe in these workouts.  Per usual, be sure to get a warm up in with some light stretching and movement.  When you're ready, let's go!

 

Exercise 1 - Squat Jacks - 40 Seconds, 10 rest

 

Much like a jumping jack, start with your feet together hands wherever you feel most comfortable.  Hop your legs just farther than hip widths distance apart and come into a squat, then hop back up and and start again.  Make sure to sit back into your hips during this squat and keep your chest lifted.  In any squat, your weight should be on your heals, not your toes!

Exercise 2 - Oblique Push Ups - 40 Seconds, 10 rest

 

In the push up position, come down into a push up and alternately bring one of your knees up to your elbows.  As you push back up return your leg back to regular push up position and start again.  If this feels super challenging, you can modify by just holding the high plank position and alternate bringing a knee up to your elbow for a high plank oblique crunch.

Exercise 3 - Split Jumps - 40 seconds, 10 rest

We've seen this old nugget before and it's the same as always.  From a lunge position drive up into the air, swap legs and come back down into a lunge on the other side.  Maintaining that good form!

Exercise 4 - Mountain Climbers - 40 Seconds, 10 rest

 

In the high plank position, alternately drive your knees up toward your chest and try to keep them in line with your hips (i.e. not too much cross action).  try to keep a straight line from your head down to your heals and focus on keeping your hips in line rather than too high (not using your core and stressing your shoulders) or too low (not using your core and stressing your back).

Exercise 5 - Reverse Lunge Skips - 40 seconds, 10 rest 1 on each side

 

Starting in a standing position bring your right leg back into a lunge position.  Come down into a lunge then drive your right leg forward and up into a skip.  Come back down directly into your lunge again and repeat.  Find a focal point to look at to help with your balance.  The goal is to not put that right leg down at all outside of the moment you're doing your lunge.

Exercise 6 - Bear Crawls - 40 Seconds, 10 rest

 

Start in a table top position with hands under shoulders and knees under hips.  Begin by hovering your knees about 3 inches off the ground and start to crawl forward 6 steps, then back for 6 steps until your timer goes off!  You will want to focus on the rhythm of when you move which hand and foot to create the movement, much like a horse! You should be moving opposite hand/leg together (right hand left leg, left hand right leg).  This will help you keep your core balanced.  You want to keep your core and hips as level as possible during the movement.

 

If you've made it through to the end, good for you!  Get some water, stretch it out and please don't ask us if we made it (we didn't).  See you next time riders.

 

Stay well!

The Knollwood Knockouts have a storied past.

  Now celebrating their 25^th year, the youth group was one of the originals in the American Saddlebred Horse Association’s youth outreach program.

 

More than just a group of horse crazy kids, the Knockouts have benefited from strong leadership and a large enthusiastic membership. Sure, they go to horse shows, sponsor classes at shows and live and breathe horse shows like all Saddlebred kids do, but this group has a side that is often unseen by the general public.

The group’s mission statement is:

‘To support and promote equitation, horsemanship, and friendships through service to others.’

In the past this group has:

* Raised enough funds to send three veterans to Washington, DC on Honor Flights

* Supported the Food Pantry of Waukesha County for 10 years with an annual food drive, donating more than 1000 pounds of food each year

* Held a walk-a-thon benefitting the American Heart Association

* Been honored with the Youth to the Rescue award twice from Saddlebred Rescue

* Become the first youth group to sponsor a stake class at the World’s Championship Horse Show

* Raised funds for breast cancer research through the sale of pink roses at horse shows

 

Rest assured, the Knockouts have tons of fun raising funds for those in need.  One of the highlights of last summer was a car wash/brat sale at our local Piggly Wiggly.  The club ran a very busy car wash, grilled and sold a LOT of brats, and had a grand time in the process.

This year we all find ourselves in a unique situation with the global pandemic around us. The Knockout group has developed great horse people and leaders with some of the best lesson horses in the world as teachers. These hard-working horses find themselves out of work while humans stay ‘safer at home.’

 

Even though the Knockouts cannot be at the barn with their equine mentors, they have worked remotely, and donated $5000 to help with lesson horse care during this unprecedented event.

The best lesson horses in the world are all looking fabulous even in their unemployment. They would rather be giving lessons right now, though. We think they are getting a little sick and tired of only seeing grownups and would prefer returning to providing riding lessons for humans instead of a certain yellow kitten.

Words seem insufficient to express our gratitude to the Knockouts, and to all our fantastic customers and friends who have donated to the school horse unemployment fund, but please know that all the contributions are truly appreciated.

 

 

 

Tradition.

Honor.

Passion.

 

 

#Knollwoodstrong

Hello Knollwood families and students,

 

You have absolutely outdone yourselves with your continued donations to Merton feed and to us directly, all in the name of caring for the school horses we all know and love.  In return, we here at Knollwood would like to extend our thanks with more than just words!  Here is what each donor will receive in appreciation of their kindness:

$25 - A Woodwear T-Shirt

$50 - A Private Lesson

$100 - 1 Day long clinic session including two rides and demonstrations from the show team

$300 - 1 two-day long clinic session including four rides and demonstrations from the show team

$500 - 1 two-day long clinic session including four rides and demonstrations from the show team as well as an additional 4 follow up lessons from Scott or Carol

$1000 - 1 two-day long clinic session including four rides and demonstrations from the show team as well as a three-day private intensive, tailored to that rider's specific needs and goals that include four rides/day ranging from lunge lesson to regular privates with Scott and Carol/the show team and an additional four follow-up lessons.  Each private intensive will not necessarily just be a riding experience!  It will be uniquely put together to include activities that are of interest to this rider including things like horse care, show readiness clinics, high level equipment care, tail set lessons and more!

We hope that some of these gifts in return for your generous donations during this time of need will give each of you something to look forward to as the world opens up once more.

We are far more grateful for your support than we can say. We're truly grateful for the community, love and friendship we are experiencing in these times, and we are counting down the days until it's safe to be together once again!

Tradition.

Honor.

Passion.

#KnollwoodStrong