Knollwood summer is very different than summers of the past, and we’re figuring it out as we go.As a matter of fact, our Covid protocols are starting to feel like they’ve always been there.

 

We’re so excited to have riders back in the barn, and the horses are too. Our ‘regular’ helper staff is back, with sanitization direction from the super helpers.

Private lessons have been running, and on July 1 we started to teach new riders and Tiny Tots again. These riders wear masks while they ride, as does their instructor, as they’re in such close communication. Even with the masks on, we can still see the smiles on the new riders.

We’ve started a couple of new programs for our new riders, as well.

Sunday afternoon mini camps are a wonderful way to introduce new riders to horses. Horse lovers come to Knollwood from noon until 4, and with the help of their instructor and personal assistant, they learn to groom, lead, tack, and work safely around horses. They finish their camp session with a ride and a photo op for their parents, Mini camps are only $59, and are selling out fast.

The first week of the month is for riders 7-17, the second Sunday of the month is for Tiny Tot riders aged 4-6, and the third week is for new adult riders. You can purchase mini camps online, though we recommend you call first to check availability.

We’ve also started a small beginner group program we’re calling ‘Welcome to Knollwood.’ This four week beginner session meets on Monday nights at 6:30, and is a relaxed introduction to riding and working with horses. Our first session sold out, and are currently booking the August session. It’s a steal at $99.

 

We’re in the middle of our second week of pattern camp, and are working with 9 of our academy stars showing at Summerfun this week. These Knollwood Kids are working hard but still finding plenty of time to goof off with water fights and games on the school horses.

Next week, we start the first week of our sold out summer riding school, We’re excited to test out our safety protocols with a full camp, and are looking forward to seeing helpers back at work with the new riders. Great thanks to Mr Berget for building us our 2 new outdoor handwashing stations!!

 

Almost ALL of our show horses are currently at Wisconsin State Fair Park waiting for the ASAW Summerfun show to start tomorrow. Our lesson horses will be joining them Friday night after they’re finished with camp.

Both the show and academy horses have competed at one show so far this year, but Summerfun is our ‘home’ show, where most of us get to sleep in our own beds.

 

It will have a different feel this year, with waivers, wristbands, and masks, and we’re all so grateful to show manager and ASAW President Vicky Holston for all her hard work and negotiations to make sure this show happened for all of us.  The show wouldn’t have happened without her tenacity and her team of hard working horse people.

 

Academy riders, don’t forget to turn in your waivers by Friday if you’d like us to get your wristband for Saturday! And remember, wristbands and masks are required to get into the arena.

 

What’s Coming Up?

Car Wash and Brat Shack Sales

Sunday, July 19

11:00- 3:00 PM

The Knockouts are once again washing cars and selling brats at the Hartland Piggly Wiggly.  We had a blast last year, and raised a lot of money for the Knockouts. Here’s a link to the Sign Up Genius.  We’d love to see all members there to support the club.

 

Mid America Signature Show

Roscoe, Illinois

July 24-26

Both show and academy horses will be competing in the BIG outdoor ring in Roscoe.

 

IASPHA Summer Show

Gurnee, Illinois

July 31 – August 2

Both show and academy horses will be competing at one of our favorite shows!

 

Knockout Meeting and Parents Night Out

Saturday, August 15

Knollwood Farm

Join us for the club meeting, and stay for Parents Night Out. We’ll be playing games, eating dinner, and having a water fight, weather permitting. Signups start soon!

 

Knollwood Summer Show

August 22-23

Knollwood Farm

Join us for a retooled event. We’re planning on showing in the big outside ring on Saturday, and we’re working on some other updates. Stay tuned!

 

 

See you at the barn.

It feels to good to say that!!

Hello Knollwood Families and Students,

 

With the ASAW SummerFun horse show fast approaching, the biggest A Circuit and Academy show of the year is upon us.  We weren't sure we'd be able to get to this point at all this year and we are so grateful that we have and that we get to showcase our horses and riders next week at the Milwaukee State Fair Grounds!

For us, these local shows are the highlight of our year.  There are lots of familiar faces and it's always a good competition.  While we are ready to fast forward to next week and enjoy the show, we would be remiss if we didn't mention some of the changes that are going to be a part of this years experience of SummerFun. 

After having our first show of the season for both the A team and the Academy team, we will be doing some things differently.  There will be regular dressing rooms, however we are asking that you still come to the show dressed to avoid any large congregations in the dressing rooms at one time.  We will also be bringing our coolers, but do ask, where ever possible, to bring your own refreshments and food along with you.  We are unsure of what the vendor situation will be at the grounds at this time and we will not be putting out communal snacks like we normally would.

Seating arrangements will also be different at the show.  We aren't sure yet what that will look like, but we know that the spacing of barn seating, and therefore location of barn seating, will be different.  Stay in touch with your instructors/trainers to get the news up to the minute! 

Lastly, masks will be required.  In the heat of July, wearing masks can be uncomfortable.  All we know is that wearing a mask and getting to be at a horse show is way better than not wearing a mask and not having a show to go to.  Please remember to bring your masks for when you are around and about at the grounds.  Riders do not need to wear masks while riding, but again are able to if they feel most comfortable without being penalized in anyway. 

Horse shows don't look quite the same as they used to without all of the spectators and parties, but to the riders, the instructors and the horses, horse shows feel the same.  We still get a thrill as we hit the in-gate with our horse.  Our instructors still look forward to seeing how we perform under pressure and the lessons we have yet to learn together.  Our horses still hear the cheers and feel the excitement of being somewhere new with horses they've never met.  We are so excited for next week and we hope you are too.  See you at the horse show!

Tradition.

Honor.

Passion.

#KnollwoodStrong

 

Team Knollwood lost a much loved member today when Dudley lost his day long battle with colic.

Our gentle giant was only 21, and had been with us for seventeen of those years. From the moment he arrived at Knollwood, Dudley was a crowd favorite. His gentle soul, his quiet ways, and his sheer love of being a horse everyday made him a joy to be around.

Everyone loved him, from the smallest of tiny tots to the wildest of advanced riders who fought over Dudley on game days.

This will be a tough one from which to recover.   

We all wish we had more time with him. 

 

 

There will never be another like him, and we're all better people from him sharing his life with us.

Peace, Dudley.

And please greet all the Knollwood friends waiting for you on the other side of the rainbow bridge. 

 

 

 

 

Finally, it’s horse show season!

True to form, Team Knollwood is hitting the ground running.

 

Our show horses are all set up at the National Equestrian Center in St. Louis waiting for the 78^th Annual Bridlespur Society Horse Show to start Wednesday evening. A classic show, until 2011 it featured both hunter jumpers and saddlebreds. In 2011, the show became all Saddlebred and Hackneys, and the rest is history.

Trainers and owners all over the country have been looking for shows to attend, so this event is totally sold out.  The competition is going to be deep, and Team Knollwood is ready to get 2020 started.

We DO have a couple of new combinations making their debut in St. Louis. 

Margit is leasing Rosewood’s Homecoming Dance (Robert) for the season, and will be showing him in both equitation and pleasure classes at Bridlespur.  Margit grew up a Knollwood Kid, and has learned many lessons while showing the best lesson horses in the world. She’s also a Tuesday super helper, and a ‘go to' helper for new riders.

We can’t wait to see her show Robert in her beautiful show clothes.

 

Heather has been leasing show horses for the last two seasons, and has made quite a name for herself in the pleasure equitation division. She’ll be making her debut on her very own horse, Reedan’s Why Not (Samson) in St. Louis. Heather and Samson have formed a mutual admiration society, and are already quite a team.  We cannot wait to see these two hit the ring.

 

Never content to do things the simple way, the academy horses will also be on the road this weekend. Seven of the boys will be at the rejuvenated Glen Valley Classic show in Oshkosh for the academy performance on Friday morning. Fourteen riders will be making their first appearances of the 2020 season.

We’re excited to attend this new (to us) show,  and are keeping our fingers crossed that the weather will hold for the academy performance so we can show in the big outdoor ring.

Highlights of the performance? Mia, Maiya, and Maya will be making their cantering debuts, and Dilly will be showing for the very first time, entering the competition for the 8 and under walk and trot riders.

We’ll be bringing a couple of new horse faces as well, with Leon making his Knollwood academy debut, and home grown Vaughn traveling off the farm for the first time and experiencing his first show.

Great thanks to Equitate LLC for the boys up north, while our rig is in St. Louis.

 

 

Meanwhile, back at the home office …

Knollwood 2020 started for real this week with the kickoff of the first week of Academy Camp. Seven walk trot, and canter riders have been working hard in the big outdoor ring that they refer to as ‘Patternland.’

Some of our younger academy stars will be at the farm the week before Summerfun for another Pattern Camp. That is before our four weeks of SOLD OUT Classic Camps which start on July 13.

 

We’re looking forward to July 1 when things will become a little more normal on the COVID-19 front as we begin the next phase of safety protocol. Finally, riders will be returning to the barn itself. Social distancing and mask policies can be read on Lin’s latest blog.

 

Knollwood will be closed for lessons on Saturday, July 4.  We hope everyone has a safe and happy Independence Day celebration.

 

All of Team Knollwood will be traveling to the ASAW Summerfun Show at Wisconsin State Fair Park the second weekend in July. With COVID-19 protocols in place, the show will feel different, but with the wonderful management team there, we’re looking forward to a big, safe show.

The Brat Bash is back!

The Knockouts will once again be manning the brat shack and washing cars at the Hartland Piggly Wiggly this year. Our date is Sunday, July 19, and we can hardly wait.  Lisa will be deputizing some Knollwood moms to run the event, as she’ll be in Canada on July 19.

Last year, the Knockouts raised a lot of money for the club, and made some great memories, too. Signups to help will start shortly!

The Knollwood Summer Show is scheduled for August 22 and 23.  Weather permitting, we’ll be showing outside on Saturday the 22nd! Stay tuned for updates.

 

 

We're so happy that Knollwood Summer 2020 is underway.

We hope you can join us for the fun, and help all of us stay safe and healthy by following our COVID-19 protocols. We're all in this together.

We are #KnollwoodStrong

Good news Knollwood Families and Students!

 

We are moving on to phase 2!  What does this mean, you may be asking.... well, it means that we will be easing restrictions on who can be in the barns, who can come ride, and we are adding some new offerings to accommodate the situation.

First and foremost, you can come on back into the barns!  While in the barn areas with people, masks will be required.  If you are solo in a stall communing with your equine partner for the day, you can always pull your mask down.  We will be putting sanitization stations in the barns for hand washing and leaving our disinfecting stations up, asking that each person who previously was taking care of their own horse, disinfects the equipment they used when they are done taking care of their horse in the new COVID-19 world, or asks a Super Helper to assist them with the disinfecting.

We want to take this time to give a special shout out to our most super of super helpers that have been keeping us afloat and rolling with the punches during this crazy time.  YOU ARE AMAZING and we are so grateful for your help. One super helper will be assigned to each day to ensure the sanitization protocols are being met at all times.  Special shout out is due to Lisa DeVries for manning our front desk with COVID -19 and regular release forms and for all the other help we've been getting from this Super Mom/Helper! 

Secondly, we are bringing back beginners and Tiny Totters!! WOOHOO! One of our main focuses as a horse loving business is to spread the word about how great horses are and not being able to have our beginners and little ones here has made us so sad.  In order to ensure the safety of our instructors and beginner riders, we will be asking that beginners and tiny totters wear masks WHILE RIDING due to the close proximity.  Once your beginner rider or tiny totter gains some independence, their masks can come down like everyone else! These rules will also apply to our beginner and tiny tot camps. 

Which brings us to our third bit of good news, camps are on! While we know so many of you have been waiting to hear if your invitational camps, pattern camps, beginner camps and tiny tot camps would be happening, we are so glad to finally end that worry and say YES THEY ARE!  We love summer camp here at Knollwood Farm and with our herd of equine camp experts awaiting their kids, we are all set for session 1.

Fourth, and last but not least, we are bringing some new offerings to the table.  One of those is the Welcome To Knollwood session.  This is a 4 week, limited capacity group session designed to be an extended version of summer camp for beginner riders who are new to Knollwood.  In order to enroll in one of our beginner group lessons, you will now have to complete a Welcome to Knollwood session.  They will be offered on Mondays at 6:30 pm, for $99.00 per session!

 

Another new thing we are offering for first time customers is an amazing mini camp!  These will be offered on Sundays from 12-4 pm on a rotating schedule.  The first Sunday of the month will be 7-17 year olds, the second will be 4-6 year olds, the third will be 18 and over, and the 4th will be a parent and me mini camp.  Spend the first few hours learning about brushing, tacking, leading and caring for your horse, then finish the day off with a 30 minute ride with photo-op at the end.  All of this is just $59.00 per session.

 

The last new thing we will be offering is mini group sessions.  These will be invitation only, per each instructors discretion due to scheduling needs, variance in teaching topics and groupings according to level.  They are a 30 minute ride with 4 riders or less for $40/person.

 

We are counting down the days until July 1! Only 13 more after today!

 

#KnollwoodStrong