Our first in-barn show of the season is coming up next weekend, and we can hardly wait. 

We’re trying out a relaxed dress code with all the riders receiving long sleeved tees to wear in the ring.  The arena is going to be a sea of orange with all 73 riders decked out in their show shirts.

We’ve also added an ‘Open’ division with opportunities for our show barn riders to join the fun. 

Of course, it had to be a competition, so the experienced riders will be trying to beat Triple Crown Winner Haley in games of skill such as 'Ride a $5' and 'Slowest Canter.'  They probably don’t stand a chance against Haley in bareback equitation, however.

So, we toyed with the idea of making the 'show kids' compete 'saddle no stirrups' in old school saddles, but decided in the end that all gamers will be competing in bareback pads. 

'Ride a $5' contestents, remember to have two five dollar bills ready,  Last one with money under a knee will will the whole pot!

 

 

We’re really looking forward to showcasing the progress made by our riders over the winter.

We have a strong 9 rider maiden division for our future stars.  Just starting their show ring adventures, these girls are ready to rock it. Who knows where their dreams will take them?

Our leadline division is chock full of talent, too. Our eight smallest riders will wow the audience with their enthusiasm and presence.  Oh, and they ride pretty well, too!

The Saturday show numbers are way up, as we’ve promoted 8 riders to the walk, trot, and canter division.  We even had to split the maiden division of first time cantering riders!

 

So whether you’re a lead liner, a maiden rider making their first show appearance, a seasoned academy rider looking to qualify for the Knollwood Challenge, or a show barn rider looking to beat Haley, we hope you have a great time, learn from your horse, hang with your barn friends, and make some memories.

 

 

Just a few reminders about the big weekend…

With our relaxed dress code, we’ve also relaxed requirements for hair. Riders can do their hair however they would like as long as their numbers are visible.  We will have stylists for those wanting a traditional horse show bun, and sign up sheets are in the school barn lounge.

Songs for Saddlebreds has been a terrific program benefitting the Knockouts’ favorite charity, Saddlebred Rescue.  For only $5, you can have your favorite song played during your class, or your friend’s class.  Last year, we donated $450 to help Saddlebred Rescue, and we’d love to beat that this year.  You can sign up with your instructor.

 

Great thanks to our friends at Badger State Maintenance LLC of Milton, Wisconsin, who have kindly sponsored the concession stand for this show!

 

 

We are still looking for help in the concession stand and with the gift baskets.  We ask all Knockout members to donate a minimum of 2 hours of service to the club, as dues paid don’t come close to covering the events provided by the club.  You can sign up here.

Sign up for the gift baskets is available on the tackroom door in the school barn. Don’t have time to shop? You can always donate cash and let us do the shopping!

 

 

Our annual food drive for the Food Pantry of Waukesha County starts show weekend!

The pantry runs low after school is out, and more clients need their services to replace meals served at school.  The Knockouts are happy to help out, and have fun in the process.

 

The pantry has asked us to donate in ‘food kit’ form.  Each kit contains:

Instant Potatoes

Gravy

Canned Vegetables

Canned Fruit

Can of Soup

Box of Jello

Boxed Dessert

Box of Cereal

 

 

You can just put these items in a bag and mark the bag with the Knollwood Kid you’d like to support, and they day they ride, which will determine their team.

Each rider who has a minimum of 5 food kits donated earns the right to participate in our first ever Video Scavenger Hunt on Saturday, June 8 at 5:30. Best of all, the team who donates the most food kits over their goal wins a special prize.

Barrels from the food pantry will be in the show barn ready for your donations, and we’ll take donations right up to the date of the event.

 

 

It’s going to be a wonderful weekend celebrating all things Knollwood.

See you at the show!

 

If you're a student here at Knollwood Farms, you may have received a few emails today from Wellness Living.  As our lesson program continues to expand, we have been finding a need to help ourselves, our supportive family members and our athletes up to date on their schedules and lesson packages.  SO, Knollwood Farms is officially signed up with Wellness Living to help us keep track of our expanding lesson program.

 

A few things you should know about the site:

 

1.  Please claim your account!

If you received an email about your account, please claim it!  You can see any upcoming scheduled lessons, or past lessons (there won't be much in there as of today since we are only scheduling FORWARD from here on out), you can confirm your attendance, cancel, request appointments, and even send a message to your instructor all from your account!  You can also see how many lessons you have left in a package, or if you owe.  If you have not received an invitation, please call or email us 262-367-2391 or cmatton@knollwoodfarmltd.com

 

2. Please continue to book how you normally would!

If you book as you go when you're here through a face to face discussion with your instructor, if you call, text or email to book your lessons, please continue to do that.  The way in which you book your lessons has not changed.  Now you are just able to SEE all those beautiful riding experience you have on the docket rather than having to try and remember or pop in a phone reminder, you can just log into your Wellness Living account.

 

3. Your Package totals may look a little off....

For those of you who frequently purchase an annual grouping of lessons, the packages on your account may look a little funny.  That is because (working forward from today on) we added only the lessons you have remaining in those packages.  If totals still don't seem to add up, please get in touch and we can take a look together, after all, we are learning this system too!

 

4. Horse assignments!

Because we like to know which school horse is in need of a vacation (no Forest, not you again) we will be assigning horses in the system as well.  That being said, when you are signed up for a lesson, the system automatically assigns you a horse within your lesson category and it does not reflect your horse assignments.  Please continue to check the chart for who you are riding as your instructor will adjust the horse assignments as they check you in.

 

5. As always, ask questions!

We are constantly evolving and adding to our online capabilities to make your lesson purchasing and scheduling options more convenient and easy.  If you have any questions, concerns, recommendations or ideas, speak up and speak out! We want to know about it.  Feedback is so important to us as a means to serve you and our students better.

 We’re back from the IASPHA show in Gurnee where Team Knollwood had a marvelous time. We enjoyed deep, competitive classes, exhibitor parties each night, and even had a blizzard thrown in for fun.

With eight show horses and eight academy/’B’ horses at the show, we learned some valuable lessons and were reminded of some enduring classics.

 

Horses Aren’t A Phase.

Jeni Burton grew up riding, but put her show dreams on hold to support her two kids, Keegan and Parker so they could enjoy showing as they grew up.  Both Keegan and Parker are accomplished riders, and Parker even enjoyed a few seasons on the ‘A’ circuit, leasing several show horses.  She’s currently working in the barn when she’s not attending college or working one of her several other jobs.

So, Jeni’s no longer supporting her kids’ riding dreams, and returned to the show ring after 20 years on Michael, officially known as Finding Neverland. Jeni enjoyed an exciting warm up, and went on to win her 5 gaited pleasure qualifier.  She returned on Saturday night to win the championship as well.

It’s true, horses are NOT a phase.  They’re a life long joy.

Being A Show Horse Isn’t A Phase, Either. 

Freaky Links is a legend. He’s shown since 2003, and has wins at all the major shows, including Louisville.

For this season, Jordan has the pleasure of showing this ageless show horse, and their first show was a joy to watch. Freaky was ready to show in the big classes, and was willing to show his extra gears in the three gaited pleasure class. Judging from Jordan’s ear to ear smile, we think they both had a fabulous time.

Jordan is off to the University of Wisconsin in the fall, and we’re sure this will be a summer to remember!

 

There’s Always A Division For Great Teams.

So, Richie and Tink (Ms Mheirry Mac) have enjoyed great success the past couple of seasons in the 10 and under walk trot equitation division.

Richie is now 11, and has grown a lot.  These two have a special bond, and wanted to stay together, so the dynamic duo has entered the Country Pleasure division. Tink is pretty excited about the whole extended trot thing. 

These two entered the ring on Friday night after a little excitement about Richie’s new suit which had just arrived that morning. They looked great, and Tink was ready to take on the world. They tuned it down a little bit for their championship, and won the class. Not too shabby for their entrance to a new division!

 

IASPHA Is Perfect For New Teams.

The arena at Fields and Fences is big, with nice long straightaways, and our riders moving up from the academy division have all shown there.

McKailey made her show horse debut with Tura Lura Lura, known around the barn as Maddie.  McKailey and Maddie turned in some strong rides and rode to strong ribbons.

 

Maria made her debut with new partner Irish Victory, known at home as Murphy. Sporting a new show outfit, Maria rode the pretty gelding to some great ribbons in the show pleasure division.

 

Last year’s 13 and under pleasure equitation star Heather has moved to the senior division with a new partner, Impressive Asset.  Known around Knollwood as Fergie, she’s a very flashy character. She and Heather looked great in their qualifier and championship, winning both classes.  And, Fergie will be teaching Heather lessons this season. Many lessons.

 

 

Amanda and Smyth, officially known as Bells A Poppin', showed for the first time in both Country Pleasure and in Equitation. Amanda did a fantastic job with firey Smyth, making her look easy.  She even guided her through an equitation pattern and finished second in the UPHA Challenge Cup Qualifier!

 

It All Starts In Academy.

All seven of our show riders at IASPHA came up through our academy program, and are all quite familiar with the Fields and Fences facility.

Academy taught them valuable lessons of how to show, how to control emotions, and the importance of horsemanship in a safe setting with the best lesson horses in the world.

Our 15 riders in the IASPHA academy division made us proud. They’ve worked hard in the off season, and it showed in their classes at the show. They used the ring like pros, maintained strong positions, and learned a lot of lessons as well.  There’s no substitute for the show ring to learn how to show, and we’re thrilled so many riders are joining us for the journey.

And the horses? They were magnificent as usual.

 

Coming Up?

We’re off to the UPHA Chapter 10 show in Woodstock Illinois next weekend. Please join us at Beyond Stable Farm to cheer us on!

The Knollwood Spring Show is coming up fast in May 4-5. The show will start at 1:00 both days, and we can hardly wait!

Please consider donating to gift baskets, or helping with a shift at the concession stand. All proceeds benefit the Knollwood Knockouts.

You can sign up to help at the concession stand here!

We’re also supporting Saddlebred Rescue with our popular ‘Songs for Saddlebreds.’ For only $5, we’ll play the song of your choice during the class of your choice. Last season, we donated $450 to the rescue from our three shows!

Our food drive for the Food Pantry of Waukesha County also starts on show weekend, and will run through the beginning of June. More information will come soon!

Our spring street clean up will take place on Saturday, May 11 at 1:00. It’s a great way to meet fellow Knockouts, and earn your club service hours.  We’ll enjoy a Knockout meeting and refreshments at 2:30.

We have 2 openings left for the Mother’s Day ride on Saturday, May 11 at 5:30.  For only $40, the rider in your house can show their Mom why they love riding so much by serving as their helper in an introductory group lesson.

 

See you at the barn!

It's spring break time, which means show season is RIGHT around the corner (yipee!!).  While all of us normal folk just head to somewhere full of sun and sand, Knollwood Kid and most recent Triple Crown Winner, Haley Berget had the most equestrian of spring breaks there could ever be.  We sat down and asked Haley a little bit about her magical trip.

What is the 3rd KF triple crown winner doing for spring break?

I am spending my first part of spring break in Ohio, for the Form is Function Clinic at Cape Cod Farm.  I then left from there to Kentucky, I stayed with Michelle Krentz, who is a former rider from Knollwood Farm, and I am touring the barns in Kentucky.  Over this break I got to see my friends, visit barns and ride some amazing horses! 

What did you do for the Form is Function Clinic?

I was a mentor for the Form is Function Clinic at Cape Cod Farm, it was an amazing experience and I got to witness the future of our industry.

What is the most exciting part about catch riding a horse for someone

The best part about catch riding a horse is the thrill of trying to figure out the horse before you show.  Also the quick bond you have to form with the horse. With catch riding a horse you get to meet more people and become family to many other farms! 

What is your biggest bit of advice for someone heading in the ring on an unfamiliar horse

My advice is to always try your best and if something goes wrong, it’s okay, try to figure out how you can fix it.  One thing to remember is there are usually three judges and not all three of the judges might have seen the mistake.  Always continue to ride hard no matter what happens because many judges appreciate the horsemanship. 

 

 

 I had a blast this week and learned so much!  I cannot thank all the farms that let me come visit and the farms that allowed me to ride also!

A Big thanks to former Knollwood Kid Michelle Krentz and to the following farms for hosting Knollwood's latest Triple Crown winner for the spring break of a lifetime

Diamond View Farm

Wingswept Farm

Kalarama Farm

Grey Ridge Farm

Willowbank Farm

Sunrise Stables

Infinity Stables 

Majestic Oaks 

Desmar Stables

Clarke Stables

Visser Stables