September.....ahhh the cooler weather....

Well, here we are. It's September and everyone is back at school. Daily rides have been replaced with weekly ones.

The summer was GREAT! It was so great to see all of our returning campers!! It was just as great to meet the many new faces we saw!! Thank you all for your continued support!! Everyone learned a LOT this summer and many people conquered fears and did things they didn't think possible!

This fall we are once again holding our Wednesday After School program and it's full! We have 9 great campers (8 now, 9 in Oct) and they all seem to really like what we have been doing. The more advanced riders have been taught by Klara, instructor/owner extraordinaire, and the others have been with me. We have been doing a lot of lunging and ground work prior to our lessons and the kids seem to really enjoy it! (I can't say the same for the horses!)

If you have any questions or want to sign up for lessons, please contact Klara or myself!

Week Two....Intermediates and Advanced Riders

What a week!!

Started off with rain, then ended with gorgeous weather!! All the girls did an amazing job and did their instructors proud!

Ashlee rode Licorice most of the week and they developed into quite a team. They sailed over our new lattice jump several times and lead everyone in the "drill" formations.

Estella rode several horses including Copper and Lacey. She battled nerves and ended the week following Ashlee's hoof prints jumping the lattice. She did an awesome job!

Taylor rode Joey and managed to battle nerves of her own to jump Joey over the lattice. It seemed that jump was the one a lot of people were nervous about. These three girls did a great job!

Kara fell in love with Emma and mostly rode her this week. Despite some frustrating moments, she and Emma made it thru with flying colors.

Brickley, our youngest rider, started the week on Lacey and ended on Joey. Although she, too, had some frustrating moments, she likewise made it thru successfully.

Everyone did a wonderful job, learned new skills and developed ones they had had. We cannot thank you enough for all of your hard work and your support!! We would not have camps without you all!!!

Chris Lombard video

Ever heard of Chris Lombard? If not, you are missing out on an incredible person. Now, I admit I've only met the guy once and it wasn't for but a few seconds, so if you were to ask, he will probably say he's never met me. BUT needless to say he's got a way with horses. See the video below for a sampling of what he does.

http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/2009/06/25/Maine-man-brings-forgotten/1245963034.html

Week One......

Wow....one week of camp is over....seems like it just started!!!

It started out wet, but ended sunny and hot. All the horses and campers did a great job and the strides they all made were impressive!!!

Ally spent a good part of the time riding Licorice. What a team!!! Ally and Lic also christened the new jump standards this week and did a great job!

Natasha, joining us for 4 out of the 5 days, fell in love with Copper and also did a great job with Lacey. Her leg position was so much better than it used to be and although she owed me a soda and chocolate on Friday, she did a great job!

Juliana came back to us and did lots of work with Lacey and Whinny. She learned to canter and although being a perfectionist and things didn't go her way all the time, she still had a smile on her face at the end of the week.

Alysha came to us as a newbie and worked on posting at the trot without holding on. Our goal for the week was to be able to do that and steer by the end of the week and she surpassed that! GREAT JOB!!

And last but certainly not least, Sierra joined us again for another round of camp. Everyone would agree that she did an amazing job!! For several camps, she had a walker next to her, but mid week, Klara heard about her doing lots of tumbles and such at cheerleading. When we heard that, Klara said, "NO MORE WALKERS!!" By the end of the week, Sierra was trotting on her own and even changing directions on the diagonal at the trot!!!!

Helpers Ashlee, Taylor, Amanda, Estella, Kara and Tara were on hand helping to make sure the barn chores got done and the campers were on time for lessons.

Estella did an amazing job creating a slide show that was viewed at the "show" Friday afternoon. Everyone was impressed!!

Next week are the more advanced kids: be prepared to work HARD!!!!

More Pics

Again, thank you Helen for taking these great shots!!!

New Missy Pics!!!

So the last time Helen Peppe was at the barn she took some pics of my girl. I was stunned when she emailed them to me. They are wonderful!!! Thank you, Helen, for taking them! As always, you have an amazing talent!!

Happy June!! Now, sign up for Camp!

Ok, it's really June and.....ugh...we are getting more rain today and the next two days. BUT the last few days have been great! I have been on Missy about 4 days per week and she's been an angel. :) Tex is slowly settling in and the rest of the ponies are the same.

Alright guys....you all have a week left of school....what does that mean?? SUMMER CAMP IS ON THE WAY!!!! If you haven't yet signed up for a week, DO SO NOW!!!! The weeks are filling up, and there are only 8 slots per week, so get a move on!

We had great fun with you all during our Wednesday after school program and can't wait to see you all again soon! We have lots of fun things in store for the summer program, so get plenty of rest and start getting ready for camp!!

See you soon!