After enjoying one of the strongest and deepest World’s Championship Horse Shows in memory, it’s time to celebrate the art of equitation as we start Finals Season.

 

Equitation Finals are chances for equitation riders to compete against the best riders in the country as they compete for National Titles. Riders qualify to compete at the finals by qualifying at a class during the show season.

Following the 2 finals being held at the All American Horse Classic this weekend, the season continues at the St Louis Charity Horse Show at the end of September with the ASHA National Championship of Pleasure Equitation as well as the Saddle and Bridle Pleasure Equitation Medallion Final.

Riders of both Pleasure Equitation and Trimmed Equitation horses will then meet at the Mane Event Show at the Illinois State Fairgrounds at the end of October for the first and oldest of the ‘Big Three’ finals, the Good Hands.

   

The season ends at the UPHA National Championship American Royal with the last 2 events of the equitation triple crown, the UPHA Challenge Cup and the USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final. These 2 are ‘Open’ events, so pleasure equitation and trimmed equitation horses are eligible to compete.

Riders have been working hard all season, and some recently graduated 17 year olds have taken gap years from college to allow themselves to focus on their last ‘final season.’

 

The season starts this weekend at the All American Horse Classic in Indianapolis.  This show, held at the historic Indiana State Fairgrounds, is home to the UPHA Pleasure Challenge Cup Finals as well as the Pleasure Equitation Olympics.

Finals Season 2018 will start with the Pleasure Equitation Olympics, sponsored by the Illinois American Saddlebred Pleasure Horse Association (IASPHA).  Riders must earn a minimum of 15 points competing in pleasure equitation points throughout the season to be eligible for the finals.

Riders will compete on the rail, and then the judges will select 10 riders to complete individual work.  Later in the day, an awards ceremony will be held to honor gold, silver, and bronze medals for the first, second, and third place riders.

Team Knollwood will be well represented in the final, with Hanna and Heather competing in the Junior Division, while our riders in the senior division will be Ainsley, Amanda, Emma, Haley, and Matthew.

 

The UPHA Pleasure Challenge Cup final started in 1992 to promote pleasure equitation. Riders who have placed either first of second in a qualifying class during the season are eligible to compete in the finals in Indy. In each qualifier across the country, riders compete on the rail before they all complete the mandatory workout of:  "Trot a serpentine consisting of four half circles to the opposite end of the ring. Return down either rail at a show trot." 

 Showmanship is paramount, and the final is judged 60% on railwork, and 40% on the individual workout. Judges are asked to select patterns that highlight showmanship as opposed to intricacy.

The event is divided into two age divisions, the junior final for riders 13 and under, and the senior division for riders aged 14-17.

Team Knollwood will be in the thick of this competition as well, with all seven of our riders competing for the National Title.

 

Best of luck to everyone competing this weekend!

 

 

If you can’t make it to Indy, you can watch all the action on SeeHorseVideo.com.

 

Don’t forget our Open House is coming up on September 15 from  11-3.  Please bring your friends who might be interested in lessons to enjoy a free mini lesson, paint Forest, and enjoy a tour of the farm.  New customers who purchase lessons at the Open House will receive a discount, too!

 

 

Team Knollwood is back from a memorable week at the Worlds Championship Horse Show in Louisville, Kentucky.  We competed against the best horses and riders in the country, and held our own in the deepest of competition.  We had a great time, too!

 

Preparation started months ago for both horses and riders.  Of course, the training became even more intense most recently, with some riders staying in town for weeks at a time to prepare for the big show.  Besides lots of extra private lessons, Scott and Carol also ran group lessons for Louisville riders on the show barn lesson horses to practice and perfect using the arena to your advantage. These groups were especially beneficial for our riders new to the intensity of the Louisville experience. Besides the riders learning a lot from each other as well as Scott and Carol, these groups were an absolute blast to watch!

 

All the extra work paid off, as our riders all rode incredibly well, and their horses performed beautifully.  We couldn’t be happier with their performances!

Here are just a couple of stories from the big show…

 

The show celebrates riders competing for the first time at the World Championships, and this year, Knollwood had three strong contenders.  Bella showed Garfield in the Country Pleasure division, Heather showed Tucker in the Junior Equitation division, and Richie was there to show TInk in the Walk and Trot Equitation classes. They all turned in great rides, and Heather and Richie even made it through to their championships!

 

Our performance riders showed their horses against the best, and turned in some great rides and came home with some wonderful ribbons, too!

Gabby and Charlie racked and trotted their way through a huge qualifier to earn a third place ribbon, Ainsley and Millie rode hard to earn an 8^th place in their qualifier and earned the right to ride in the championship.

 

Bella and Garfield turned in a strong first Freedom Hall ride in their qualifier, Ainsley and Robert rode to a great 4^th place in their Show Pleasure Championship, and Payton rode Dos to a Reserve World Grand Championship in Show Pleasure for riders 13 and Under.

 

 

 

 

Hard work really did pay off for our equitation riders who all made it into their championships.  Finn, Haley, and Matthew made it through their deep qualifying classes to ride in the 23 rider Senior Equitation Championship on Thursday night.  When the judges cut the class down to 10 riders to perform the workout, Haley earned the right to compete with the best in the country. After a strong pattern with Leila, Haley earned 5^th place in the senior final.

 

First time Louisville rider Heather rode Tucker with confidence to advance to the Junior Championship, and performed a beautiful pattern to earn a strong 5^th place in the Junior Worlds Championship. Quite an accomplishment for her first time in Freedom Hall!

Richie and Tink made a strong showing in their Louisville debut, earning a 6^th in their qualifying class.  Always striving to improve, Richie rode even harder in his championship class, and moved up to 4^th in the final. Another great result for a first time World Championship rider!

 

 

Horses are resting at home for a bit before some of them head to Indianapolis for the All American Horse Classic next weekend. It's the start of equitation final season, with this show hosting the Pleasure Equitation Olympics and the UPHA Pleasure Challenge Cup National Finals.

 

 

 

What’s Next In Hartland?

 

Our Fall Open House is coming up Saturday, September  15 from 11-3.  If you know of anyone who might be interested in lessons, please bring them to the farm for FREE mini lessons, tours, Forest painting, and the chance to watch lessons in progress.

 

 

Wisconsin Futurity Horse Show is coming up at State Fair Park the weekend of September 22.  We’re expecting a big show with huge academy classes, so please come join us!

 

 

The Knockouts fall Street Clean Up is coming on Saturday, September 29 at 1:00.  Help us tidy up Oakwood and Nagawicka Roads for fall, and stay for the Knockout Meeting at 2:30!

 

See you at the barn!

Last weekend, Team Knollwood hosted a horse show AND participated in the same show.  Thanks to everyone who helped, it was a smooth, fun horse show for everyone involved.

Held at the scenic Ozaukee County Fairgrounds in Cedarburg, the ASAW Summer Showcase is a joint venture between the American Saddlebred Association of Wisconsin (ASAW) and the Knollwood Knockouts. We supply the manpower and organization, and we get to split the proceeds with the ASAW Scholarship Fund.  It's a win for both organizations!

 

The 'B' show horse classes and the academy classes for the more experienced riders are held in the beautiful, large outdoor ring on the grounds.   Laura and Jodi represented Team Knollwod in the 'B' division while Lauren, Lily, Madison, and Tori showed in the afternoon academy division. Everyone rode their best, and we're so proud of all of them!

We enjoyed picture perfect weather for these classes, and perfect lighting for our photographer Lauren Gall to capture special moments for all the riders.

Following the Saturday afternoon academy classes, riders were treated to an ice cream social to celebrate their rides, too.

Sunday started with a brunch in the concession stand before the 'B' championships ran in the big outdoor ring.

The afternoon session moved to the indoor arena for our 10 and under walk and trot riders as well as the maiden and exceptional divisions. The ring is perfect for our less experienced riders, and class sizes are small to accommodate the cozy arena.

Team Knollwood had a great afternoon performance, with Mikayla finishing her day by winning one of the 8-10 year old equitation championship splits while showing Baxter for the first time.

Our four maiden riders performed strongly after their week at prep camp.  Alexa, Amelia, Tess, and Thea each won at least one class at their first show, and performed in their first pattern classes, too!

 

The behind the scenes team made the show work for all the barns who attended this year.

 

Great thanks to our concession stand leaders, and all the Knockouts who came to staff the stand, and deliver lunches throughout the weekend.  Great thanks to Margit and her family who came up to deliver shavings on Friday, to the center ring ladies who kept everyone safe, to Jeni our announcer, and to Vicky who kept the show running so smoothly all weekend.

In addition to the ASAW Scholarship Fund, the show also raised money for Saddlebred Rescue and HAWS as well.

We're already looking forward to next year's edition of the ASAW Summer Showcase, and hope everyone can join us!

 

Don't forget, mini golfing is coming up this Wednesday at 11:00.  You can sign up to join the fun in the school barn lounge!

 

See you at the barn!

 

 

Team Knollwood enjoyed a near perfect summer horse show weekend in Roscoe competing at Mid America Horse Show Association's Signature Show. The weather was wonderful to enjoy the beautiful outdoor arena, hospitality was fabulous with ice cream treats, popcorn, pizza, and even a water balloon fight!

 

Our riders shone at the sunny show, too!

Mary and Panic represented the 'B' horses, and they did it well. They started the show for us by winning the Show Pleasure class for riders 50 and over, and finished the show with a strong fourth place ribbon in the championship for riders 18 and over.  Panic really enjoyed the nice long straightaways, and Mary sure looked like she did too!

Hanna helped us Saturday morning, acting as hair stylist for all our riders.  During the show, she helped us on the rail, and then did a quick change into her suit.  She showed Panic in the Good Hands qualifier during the afternoon performance, and won the class!  She's on her way to the final in October.

 

Our 14 academy riders did us proud on Saturday morning.

The walk, trot, and canter riders rode like pros, using the big arena to their advantage.  The horses loved the big ring, too!

Classes were large and deep. Maddie and Syd represented Team Knollwood well in the 13 and under division.  Korinne, Erika, Tessa, McKailey, and Paige showed in the 14-17 division and did us proud in the big classes.

Our walk and trot riders have been progressing all year, and it's been a blast to watch. Juliet had Dexter looking like a million bucks, making passes off the rail.  Mia and Murphy are fast becoming a team, and looked like they've been together forever. Florence made great progress since her last show, and Hailee and Hooper looked really polished.

It was hard to tell if Margit or Baxter had more fun on Saturday morning, and Emma had a blast with pro Eddie.

Great thanks to Heather who came down Saturday morning to help prep horses for the academy performance, and who helped during and after the show as well.

We had a blast!

 

Next Up?

Don't forget to sign up to help at the ASAW Summer Showcase Show in Cedarburg next weekend!  You can sign up here!

See you at the barn!

 

 

Last weekend Team Knollwood gathered to present our summer academy show.  It takes a village to put on an event like this one, and everyone pitched in to make a great weekend for our riders of all levels. Here are some of our favorite stories of the weekend.

The 'Grown Ups'

 The adult walk trot and canter division has been growing for several years, and it was impressive again at our summer show. We had participants who have ridden their whole lives, some who grew up as Knollwood Kids, and some who took up the sport as adults.

The classes were tough competition, and in the end, Abbie won the equitation championship on mighty Duke with Nicole reserve on Hugo.  All of the riders deserve a big round of applause for the terrific competition, and for their great senses of humor!

 

The Smallest Canterers

Our 10 and under walk, trot, and canter division is a mighty one, and we had five strong contestants riding for the ribbons last weekend. Keep in mind that these kids aren't riding the 'cantering teacher' horses, they're riding our academy show horses, and some tougher ones at that.

They showed with polish in pleasure, equitation, and pattern classes designed just for them.  Mia emerged as the equitation champ with Juliet in second, while Hailee won the pattern class with Addison second.

Most of these riders are showing as 9 year olds, so the competition will only get better next year!!

 

Walk Trot in Numbers

Our Sunday walk and trot division is deep, deep, deep. Our riders were especially good at this show, with the ladies in center ring commenting that they didn't have to remind any of the riders to shorten their reins all day!

The 9-10 year old division was split three ways to accommodate the entries, and they were all strong splits. Our youngest division, the 8 and under riders were just as good, as were the 11-17 riders.

Emilie turned in some terrific rides on Dexter to win the 11-17 division with Alexa in second, Florence topped the 9-10 year old division showing a horse she hadn't ridden for a while after 2 riders qualified on Eddie, Samara was a strong second, Brooklyn won the tough 8 and under division with Tessa a close second.

Much more important than the ribbons earned, some of our riders acheived some great personal bests.  A couple riders figured out diagonals after struggling, several found how to show with a little more flair, and many, many gained confidence on the backs of these wonderful school horse souls.

Our future looks really bright!

 

Leadline Strength

The leadline division has been growing on the strength of our TIny Tot program, and we even added a championship for our youngest riders. The smallest riders looked fabulous in their championship, with Leighton winning on Forest and Zoe finishing second on Dudley.

 

 

Demos

We enjoyed some wonderful demonstrations on Sunday featuring beautiful saddlebreds.

Richie and his equitation horse Miss Mheiry Mac rode the first demo, showing why they're so successful in the 10 and under walk trot equitation division.  Richie came up through our lesson program, and was still showing academy only a year ago.

He went to his first 'A' show last October, and then went to the National Championship at the Kansas City Royal and finished as a reserve national champion in the UPHA Walk and Trot Challenge Cup National Final.  He and 'Tink' have had a very successful 2018 season so far, finishing either first or second in every class they've shown, and are looking forward to the challenges of the World Championship Horse Show in Louisville in August.

 

Our second demo was our broodmare Nadia and her baby Robin. They entered the arena to the crowd's delight, and Robin seemed to enjoy the applause and attention. She showed off the ways of a young saddlebred with her natural high headset and motion while Nadia looked on. 

 

The Team That Makes It Work

We couldn't put on a show of this size without a great group of people who get together and get everything organized and done. Our concession stand ladies shop, prepare, and staff the stand that benefits the Knollwood Knockouts youth group.

Other fundraising efforts included bouquets from our friends at Bank Of Flowers, Gift Baskets, and our first ever wine pull!

Announcer Jeni and her center ring crew kept everyone safe in the arena, and Mary kept the show office running on Sunday.

DJ Maria kept the playlist going which benefited the Knockouts' favorite charity, Saddlebred Rescue.

Judge Jessica Moctezuma deHart of Hathaway Farm LLC gave up a busy weekend to judge both days of the show, and we are grateful for her time and expertise.

 

Our hair crew of Laura, Hanna, Sue, and Emma ran a four seat salon, and put in many, many buns to help our riders look their best.

Vicky came down from Oshkosh to be the 'barn mother' to all our walk and trot riders on Sunday. She makes sure the kids know their schedules, and keeps them entertained while they wait for their classes.

 

The personal assistants to the best lesson horses in the world worked a busy Sunday encouraging our newest riders, double and triple checked tack, and made sure all the horses were comfortable and happy. Thank you!

The best lesson horses ever outdid themselves last weekend. They all behaved like the gentlemen they are, even if Sparky did tell the judge when it was time to reverse.

Heck, even Forest behaved himself!

 

What's Next?

Our lesson horses are off to the Mid America Signature Show in Roscoe this weekend while our show horses will be at home continuing their preparations for the World Championship Horse Show in Louisville this August.

 

 

The ASAW Summer Showcase show is coming up fast on August 11 and 12 at the Ozaukee County Fairgrounds in Cedarburg.  The show is co sponsored by the American Saddlebred Association of Wisconsin and the Knollwood Knockouts, and is a benefit for the ASAW Scholarship Fund.

In exchange for the Knockouts running the show, they receive 50% of the profit which goes into their funds for events and the awards banquet for members of the group.

 

As you can imagine, it takes a lot of labor to put on a 2 day show, and we're asking all Knockout members to help us with the event. We need lots of help in the air conditioned concession stand, we need help setting up the barns on Friday, setting up center ring and organizing ribbons on Friday, delivering lunch orders to the barns on Saturday and Sunday, and we need help tearing down the show on Sunday afternoon.

Please sign up to help here!

 

The Knockouts are going to enjoy some 'non-horsey' fun on Wednesday, August 15 when they go mini golfing at Tee Aire in Brookfield.  All members are welcome, and if you're not a member yet, we'd love to have you.  Sign up sheets will be available soon in the school barn lounge.

 

 

And finally, we'll be projecting the live feed from Stake Night at the World's Championship Horse Show in Louisville on Saturday, August 25.  Join us in the show barn lounge as we hoot and holler as the World Grand Champions are crowned for 2018.

We ask that you bring some treats to share.  Adults are welcome to bring beverages of their choice, and we'll supply water for the crowd.

 

We hope you can join us for all the fun we have planned at Knollwood!

 

See you at the barn!