January 2012

Happy New Year!! It is fun to have a whole new year to look forward to, so much to do! So far winter has been only semi hideous, but then again everyone who knows me knows that I loathe the cold and snow so my opinion might be a little dramatic!!

Sadly, in November we had to say goodbye to our longtime friend Cimarron Prince. Cim had been with Joe since Joe was eight years old and Cim was just a youngster. Cim lived to be 28 years old and was such a wonderful partner for Joe and in his later years I used him as a school horse to teach countless numbers of beginner riders. Cim was so patient and loved toting the kids around, but when he was ridden by more advanced riders, he knew just how much of a curveball to throw to them to be a challenge! Joe and I enjoyed watching old video of him on Cim at Pony Club Championships way back when. The funny thing is, I appear in some of the footage Joe's dad got as I was competing there too, but Joe and I never met at that time, despite even being stabled in the same barn at the Kentucky Horse Park!

Good luck to everyone in the coming year!

Summer 2011

Things have been so nice for us this summer, beautiful weather, and plenty of rain! Horses are coming along nicely, and some of us are looking forward to getting in some events this autumn. We all wish Tori best of luck as she leaves us to pursue a working student position at Phyllis Dawson's Windchase Farm in Virginia. Tori has been out competing well at the Training level, and is aiming for the T3DE at Waredaca, good luck Tori!! We have gotten a few things done around the farm this summer for improvements, such as fencing in our outdoor sand ring, laying pipe for auto waterers in the back stables, and now we are getting the waterers installed. And as always routine maintenance has to happen to keep things safe and running smoothly, such as fenceline repairs, plumbing repairs.....the list goes on! All of these things need to get done to protect and care for in the best way our equine friends-who cannot speak for themselves. Recently Lora and Kris had to make a 'horseman's decision', you know, the kind that usually costs money and doesn't involve having fun, but I'm proud of them for making the decision to protect their horses when they found footing to not be suitable to run their horses on, pulling them from a competition. Even though getting time off work, preparing, takes extra time--there will always be another weekend horse trials if you have a sound horse. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that we keep having this wonderful autumn weather for a good long while!

Spring 2011

It is a nice time of year getting busy gearing up for our season start. It is too bad we get such a late start on the competition season than other areas, weather is unpredictable everywhere this time of year so we might as well just go for it! The Derby at the Horse Park is a nice schooling outing, and WinDancer riders did well. Tori and Aileron ended up 6th in the Novice and had a good first go at a Training level course. Jen and Astonisher had a good day as well to be 6th in the Elementary. Earning their personal best yet in dressage is a nice way to start out the season as well! I am really wanting to get planting in our garden, as well as container flowers, but, I think I'll hold off until at least these days of sleet are done with. Good moisture though, our winter was so dry so I hope that this weather will help the grass come in more vigorously! Congratulations to Sue on the purchase of her new horse Sparky, they are making good progress getting to know each other!

January 2011

Happy New Year!! The other day I read a quote: "Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular." That is all we can do, right, keep on living, and make the most of it! There is always something new to learn, a book to be read, a piece of music to be heard. This year I'm going to work on reminding myself that throughout the year to stay as bright and curious as I am at the beginning of a new year, making a list of all the things I would like to do, full of optimism. And-to keep adding to the list, horses and otherwise!! So Happy New Year, all year!

Autumn

All of a sudden it got cold!! At least we had been enjoying very livable weather conditions well into autumn! We finished up our season, with good progress. At the Horse Park, Lora with Counselor and Kris and Formal Wear both earned ninth placings in the BN, Lora riding in the Championships! Tori did well moving to Novice with her new ride Aileron to be fifth. I rode Thunder, who was good as usual all weekend, earning a 32 in dressage, we finished eighth only due to a mistake on my part, had I not done that we would have won our Novice division. Live and Learn! We headed off to Briar Fox, where Jaimi and Formal Wear earned a second in the BN, Tori and Aileron rode to fifth in Novice, and Thunder and I were fourth. We always have a fun time there and it was a nice trip! Fast forward to November where the clinic with Will Coleman went well, with the exception of the cold! I had a great time getting away for a few days in September for the WEG, it was a pleasure to watch such classy horses go across country, and the weather could not have been better for spectating! The dressage freestyles were also a treat, under the lights watching lovely horses was so fun. There is much to do over the winter, we are sure to keep busy!

July

I enjoy this time of year, schooling horses and teaching in the gorgeous weather. Thanks to the rain the grass is so green and the horses are enjoying the lushness. This summer unfortunately does not include a lot of traveling to events for me, more of a year to bring horses along and get horses sold to new riders, and as always, a lot of lessons. I recently attended a weekend long USDF Through the Levels Symposium taught by Steffan Peters and Janet Foy. I enjoyed every moment of it, and cannot wait to attend anther USDF educational clinic. Meanwhile students have been getting to some events, with Lora and Counselor finishing 4th at the Horse Park in BN, and Jaimi and Formal Wear earning 8th at Abbe. Also congratulations to Tori and team at Dressage Rally for a very good showing, they did very well in riding as well as horse management, earning top placings. Way to go!! Tori rode her Trick of the Tale at First Level for the first time and earned very respectable scores, her steady work on the flat is paying off! There are still a few spots open in the Will Coleman clinic, entries still being accepted. Thank you to everyone for the work day, we got a lot done on the cross country and a new jump or two in as well. Thank you to Michael for all your mowing while our bushhog was broken!! Also, welcome to new students Jacqui and Christie! I'm looking forward to more of summer, and autumn events, maybe I'll get to travel some after all.

June 2010

Woah, June already! It is so nice to see everything on the farm growing and bursting to life. The wildflowers are going crazy! And, thankfully, we are in the midst of a fantastic couple days of a lot of rain. Seems like things have been so busy, then sometimes I look back and wonder, what did I really get done?!? New cross country fences, horses making progress, that is something! Anyway, on to events, Kris and Formal Wear did very well in their first event together at Spring Gulch, ending up 10th in the BN with nice rounds. Next a few of us went to Briar Fox and had a very nice time! Jaimi was riding Formal Wear this time, and just missed one of top two placings with jumping a wrong fence! For sure, every event rider I know has made some mistake like that before, live and learn! Lora was out again with Counselor and had a great to go to end up 2nd in the BN! I had Thunder out again after a long hiatus, and he was wonderful going around the Novice to be 8th after a three way tie. So, FINALLY, we have the date for the Stubben Rider sponsored clinic with Will Coleman pinned down. It will be July 31-August 1 held at WinDancer Farm. Please contact Sue for more information at 303-840-5362.

January 2010

Happy New Year! It is nice to have a new year, seems like a fresh start in a way, to work towards goals. During the winter when it is so cold, it is nice to have little goals to work towards to keep motivated when it is freezing and we have to go ride anyway! At least the daylight is noticably longer now, that helps. Congratulations to Mile Hi Pony Club member Jaimi for passing her D-2 rating! At our stable holiday party, we all got to watch a great video that Tori put together for us, a sort of WinDancer 'Thrills and Spills' if you will. We all got a few good laughs in at our foibles, as well as seeing how cool it is when everything comes together. Horses do keep us humble! That said, on the next snowy day, or sub zero temperature day, we can all still do something to better ourselves as riders, we can workout to be a fitter rider, we can read books or magazines to learn, and we can watch dvd's to be inspired!

September/October

The other day I came across this passage in a book I was reading, I thought I would share:

When we plant a rose seed in the earth, we notice it is small, but we do not criticize it as "rootless and stemless." We treat it as a seed, giving it the water and nourishment required of a seed. When it first shoots up out of the earth, we don't condemn it as immature and underdeveloped; we do not criticize the buds for not being open when they appear. We stand in wonder at the process taking place, and give the plant the care it needs at each stage of its development.

The rose is a rose from the time it is a seed to the time it dies. Within it, at all times, it contains its whole potential. It seems to be constantly in the process of change: Yet at each state, at each moment, it is perfectly all right as it is. A flower is not better when it blooms than when it is merely a bud; at each stage it is the same thing...a flower in the process of expressing its potential.

by Timothy Gallway

From Spring to August......

If this is true Colorado weather, I hope it keeps up! Pleasant temperatures, plenty of moisture so it is green and the footing is kind on the horses, all things I can get quite used to. We are in the midst of planning a couple clinics here in the autumn, John Staples is scheduled to teach September 5, and Will Coleman will be here November 14-15 for a Stubben sponsored clinic. I will be making updates about these things on our Event Schedule page. Meanwhile, event season is on, and here are a few results to post. At Rocky Mountain HT in August, Katie and They Call The Wind Mariah made the move up to Preliminary and had a nice debut at that level, finishing 9th, well done Katie!! Then a few students headed over the the Horse Park 1 day event, and Jo with Illusion of You did well to win her division of Beginner Novice, only her second event ever, congrats Jo! Krissy and Really True in the Novice finished to 10th, and Jen Young in the BNE division did very well in her first horse trials to be 5th with the always cheerful Astonisher. Lastly, Krissy earned a 7th in the BN Championship division at NCHT, very cool! Now some of us have a little competitive break, to work on getting ready for events to come in the later season.

April/May--into spring!

Obviously it has been busy, as I'm just now getting to the computer to update the news. We've all been busy getting ready to compete, with cross country schoolings and a lot of dressage schooling shows. Starting with Spring Gulch, Kristen Singleton and Really True earned 9th in BN, and Katie and They Call The Wind Mariah were 5th in the Training, others who went learned more mileage was in order, and to not give up! Katie then went to Arrowhead to win again in the Training, way to go!! A few of us went out to Briar Fox, and as always it was a fun event. Krissy was thrilled to end up 6th in her first Novice with Really True, also with her best dressage score to date! My Formal Wear had his first run of the season in the Training, and he was foot perfect all weekend. At Colorado Horse Park, Katie was 6th in the Training with Mariah, despite an uncharacteristic dressage score. Then came the trip to Queeny Park, what a great event! I rode my Formal Wear in the Preliminary to 5th place, he gave 110% as usual all weekend, and Tori and Trick Of The Tale had a good weekend as well to complete and place 7th in the BN! I hope we keep getting rain, finally some pretty green here in Colorado and the wildflowers are blooming like crazy, they are a joy to see every day out hacking. My husband Joe ran his first marathon! He's been training for a while and decided he was ready, and ran the Madison Marathon and finished in 4:25! His toes have not yet forgiven him! My father in law John has now passed the 180 day mark since his bone marrow transfer. He is now allowed to be outside, and can go into the workshop with his mask on. He has really been enjoying being outdoors again, being more active so he doesn't have to go exercise on the boring indoor bike! I've got pictures to post. will get them up as soon as I can.

January/February 2009

Happy New Year! I'm looking foward to leaving 2008 behind and getting on with a great new year! This entry is a bit late as things have been keeping quite busy and I have not had a chance to sit down in front of the computer. With the unseasonably warm winter we've been having, who wants to stay inside?!? Horses and riders have all been making good progress during our weekly mini clinics, and soon we'll move them out to cross country. This year, like each year, I'm looking forward to attending different horse trials, events that I've not been to before, keeps things interesting and it is good I feel to see different perspectives on things, it is easy to get 'too comfortable' and I'm not the sort to want to stay in one place! The horses and I have been very much enjoying our investment in our dressage education over the winter, and I'm excited about their (and my own!) progress. Cheval Colorado is busy as usual, with Sue ordering supplies for spring, and always looking ahead at new lines to carry that will offer customers high quality long lasting products for a good value. I am grateful to have such a generous sponsor in Cheval Colorado! Lastly, welcome to new students Nancy, Alexis and Lisa!

November/December

Many hands make light work, and I would just like to say thank you to everyone for helping out during this time. From an aisle sweep to bringing in, your help really was needed while John and Sue were having to live away from the farm. I'm really looking forward to a new year, there are so many things to do and places to go with the horses, bring it on!

October

We have all been keeping busy, riding out as much as we can and getting projects done while the weather stays nice. The first weekend of October a group of us competed at Colorado Horse Park, with Krissy and Really True earning 6th and Tori and Trick of The Tale in 8th, both in Beginner Novice. Congratulations to Katie and They Call The Wind Mariah for winning her division of Training, that is two in a row! Good Luck at the T3DE at Galway! My Formal Wear went well to be 7th also in Training, I feel he is now ready to step back up to Prelim and will do so later this autumn, I'm excited about that, he is such a fun horse to ride, and he always gives 110% effort. My father in law John has gone to the hospital to get his bone marrow transfer underway, he will be gone from the farm for quite a long time, the recovery of his immune system will take a while, up to a year, and he cannot be exposed to all the things around a farm! The transfer happened last week, and so far, so good, his counts are now steadily improving. We all miss him around the farm, and so do the horses, and cats!

August/September

The saying goes, time flies when you're having fun, so I guess that is why the last two months have seemed really slow for me. Thunder got very sick in early July, and just now can I begin his long road to regaining fitness. It is the ups and downs of doing this sport, the only thing to do is look ahead to the future! Meanwhile, we had a jump painting party to get ready for our combined test, and everyone's efforts paid off with the course looking very vibrant! Thanks guys! Some of my students have been out competing, while others have been racking up needed cross country schooling miles, and it will hopefully pay off at autumn events. Congratulations to Katie and They Call The Wind Mariah for their winning the Junior Training division at Windy Wyoming HT! Late summer has brought the most beautiful riding weather, crisp and sunny, just right, I want to go soak it all in before cold arrives!

June/July

The time passes so quickly in the summer I have not had a chance to update about recent competitions and such! Going back to June, at Round Top Krissy and Really True were 9th in the BN division, getting more experience, then at Abbe, Mary and Golden Sun had a nice weekend to be 7th. In July, Katie and They Call the Wind Mariah were 2nd in Training after recently moving up to that level, well done! At Aspen Ridge, Krissy was 7th with a good go, and Tori and Madorra were 2nd also in Beginner Novice. Next in July came Rocky Mountain Horse Trials, and the WinDancer crew had a great time! Tori and Madorra were 9th in the BN, Krissy was 3rd in the same division, and Katie rode Mariah to 10th, getting a good educating run on the cross country. Lora and Mary also came out to play, but had a couple enexpected moments--but there's always another event! I rode my Formal Wear to 5th in the training, he was super all weekend! Many thanks to Jen who brought us a lovely spread of food to keep us going for the weekend. It was also good to catch up with Heidi who has been in Virginia a few months now, she was home for a visit and came to cheer everyone on. Thankfully we have had some rain, and now it is time for some fun getting out for more schooling before the later season events.

May

What a pretty time to get getting out to events! Nice weather, and the footing hasn't turned into solid rock yet! Joe and I took my two preliminary horses out to Mill Creek, a very nice event, they had quite a bit of rain and the footing was very good, both horses had some good moments, and of course it is quite clear what I need to work on to better their performances. We also headed out to Briar Fox, only to be disappointed by the weather, it dumped rain Saturday night, and necessitated the cancellation of cross country, which left us all feeling very let down. Katie had been standing in second in her first training, and Krissy in fourth going in to xc! Thunder and Kip were quite annoyed at not getting the run too. At Spring Gulch HT, Mary and Golden Sun were 10th, Krissy and Really True were 9th, both in BN, and Katie was 7th in the Novice with Mariah. At Colorado Horse Park, Mary was 8th in a competitive division with Golden Sun. So far the worst price on diesel that I have seen is $4.77 a gallon--but I don't get out much either!

March/April

Apparently things have been busy, so I don't get time to update the news! The last two months we have been busy not only getting out to school and fit up horses for the spring events, but also hosting shows and clinics. The Mile Hi Pony Club jumper show here was a great fundraising success for them, with the perfect weather drawing a lot of entries! We have been pleased to host the Young Rider clinics with Jan Byyny as well. Thank you to all who have helped set up and run these things!! WinDancer is planning a variety of schooling shows throughout the summer, running some of them on weekday evenings after work and school under the lights to beat the heat and have some fun!

February

In January a group us went to the CCC awards banquet, and WinDancer was well represented! WinDancer Team riders Tori Rosenblatt was the Junior BN Champion with her horse Madorra, and Heidi Wardle and her Moving Illusion earned the Senior BN Championship, and Lora Heller's Counselor earned 4th in year end standings for Novice level. Congratultions guys, we are all so proud of you! The Clear Round Jumper show benefitting Mile Hi Pony Club has been rescheduled for March 29, please come out and support the pony club! The bluebirds are back and the grass is springing up, which mean warmer weather and events soon to come!

January 2008

Rather than whine about the relentless cold weather we have been having, lets focus on planning goals in the new year! We have been having fun with weekly 'mini clinics', getting everyone together for fun jumping exercises. We might as well make the best use of being stuck indoors! Everyone at WinDancer wishes Jen a speedy recovery from her broken collarbone! Also congratulations to Jeff and Lora on the birth of their son Brady! (is he ready for a pony yet!?) The days are already growing longer, and before we know it, spring will be here.

December

It has been nice to be able to enjoy some quiet time around the holidays, and now I'm really looking forward to the new year! I always get so excited about all the possibilities of the year to come, improving the horses and meeting competitive goals. Now is the time for us to begin getting busy to make next year successful! If we could just have some warmer weather........We are planning some schooling show dates here, a variety of dressage and short course type shows, stay tuned! Unfortunately the December 15 show was cancelled because of weather, but we will be rescheduling it. WinDancer crew had fun attending the USEA convention, it was great to get together with eventers from all over and the seminars were informative. Happy New Year to all!

November

This month some of us headed off to more events, taking advantage of the fabulous crisp weather! Krissy, Heidi and I headed off to Briar Fox the first weekend, and we had a great time! I ran Thunder and Formal Wear in Preliminary, and Bashful Regiment in Training, were he ended up fifth, and Thunder was third in his division. Bonnie and Tim have reworked the course, and it rides great! Krissy rode Astonisher in the Beginner Novice to be third, and Heidi and Moving Illusion were able to be out competing again to win the same division! Well done guys! Then we trekked down to Las Cruces, and after the twelve hour drive, it was nice to be pleasantly surprised when we woke the next morning to see the event! They have put a lot of effort into the footing on cross country, everything ran on time, the showjump course was fair and well built, the cross country track was fun to ride, and everyone there is very friendly. Thunder was sixth and Formal Wear was fifth both in Preliminary. I was pleased Thunder made a 10 point improvement in dressage in two weeks! Formal Wear's fitness went to his head in the dressage so he produced a very tense test! Heidi moved up to Novice and had a good go with her horse, a silly run out on cross country keeping her out of the ribbons. Many thanks to Tori who came with us to groom and in between lots of homework helped us out a ton! Coming up is the USEA convention as well as the Clear Round show here December 15 to support Mile Hi Pony Club, see you all there!

October

Heading into autumn, some of us took our horses to the Colorado Horse Park event, unsure if we were going to have decent footing or not, but they have improved since the spring event and took great care of it! Hopefully this will be the case at each and every event there from now on. We need to be able to trust them to provide good going for our horses, and for the Horse Park to survive by drawing more entries and building a reputation for providing good footing for all disciplines. Katie and her mare Mariah were third in the Novice, Mary and Golden Sun finished their season well with a third place also, and I rode Lora Heller's Counselor in the Novice, finishing second! Later on, all of us got together for a lovely party to celebrate the year, with Jen Young creating a stunningly beautiful buffet of treats, all set at Jeff and Lora Heller's home. Thank you very much for hosting all of us! It was very nice time to socailize with everyone and we all laughed a lot! Finally, congratulations to the Love-Rosenblatt Family on the purchase of their new Thoroughbred gelding Sparky for Tori to bring along, best of luck with him!

Part of The Buffet!

September

I can't even remember the last time we got rain, and the footing has gotten way to firm to work horses on, for sure, making me have to use creative conditioning! A few of us went to competitions this month, and congratulations to Krissy and Astonisher for their 8th place finish at Northern Colorado HT, and to Tori and Madorra for being 2nd at Area Championships in the BN. Katie and Mariah also qualified for Championships and were 12th in the Novice, well done guys! Everyone at WinDancer gives our heartfelt condolences to Lisa and Kyle for the loss of their wonderful horse Tigger. Horses can certainly give us some of the most wonderful moments of our lives, and they can also break our hearts sometimes.

In Loving Memory of Tigger, who left us too soon.

August

It is amazing how quickly it happens that the light starts to change, from the bright summery days to a more autumnal cast in the evenings, as the sun moves down the horizon. The still, long afternoons are perfect for getting things done with horses, and just enjoying the fine days. At the end of August, a few of us went up to the Windy Wyoming horse trials, bringing with us clothing for every possible weather scenario! Luckily the day was very nice just like the event, I rode Lora Heller's Counselor in the Novice and was very pleased to win with a 27. Katie and They Call The Wind Mariah did well to be 6th in the Novice also. Tori and Madorra, after a tie with Counselor and me in the dressage, went on tour in the woods on cross country to accumulate some time penalties, but completed the event nevertheless to gain more experience! Good Luck to Katie and Tori at Championships in September!

June/July

Wow, it has been a long journey, I left on June 14 for Virginia and got back the end of July. It was a great trip with the horses that I got so much out of, but it is nice to be home now. When I got home the first day about all I could to was wander around the barn and notice all the new things that have been done or changed since I left. It was very pleasing, because it made me realize how much we keep this stable progressing and growing--life it too short to stay in one place! Even the small stuff like new gutters on the barn, to the very large stuff, like the construction of our new expansive outdoor jump arena!! While in Virginia I got in a lot of lessons with Phyllis, the timing was perfect for me to get further help with the three boys. It was also great to be able to spend time observing Phyllis and Jineen teach students, working on studying for the ICP program. The horses all got a lot out of the trip as well, all of them moving up a level, Formal Wear and Thunder to Preliminary, and Bashful Regiment to Training. There is much to improve upon for the future, which keeps it interesting! On the long drive home, which thankfully Joe was with me for, I couldn't help myself from planning my next trip. Meanwhile, WinDancer students have been out at local events, doing well! At Round Top, Katie and Mariah were 3rd in their first Novice, and Heidi and Moving Illusion were first in the BN. At Abbe, Heidi and Tori with Madorra, were first and second respectively in the BN division. It will be nice to see these two pairs move up, they are both ready! At Aspen Ridge Horse Trials, Krissy riding Astonisher were 4th in their first event together at BN level, which is especially good as they are a very a new partnership! Congratulations guys! Also, we all wish Heidi a speedy recovery from her hand surgery.

New regulation size arena in progress!

May

This month has been busy for all of us here! First came Spring Gulch, our first event in Area IX, May 19-20. It was a first event for many of us with new rides! Students Katie with her lovely mare They Call the Wind Mariah finished second, and Tori and Madorra were third both in the Junior BN divison. Heidi and her green horse Moving Illusion had a nice to go be fourth, and Mary and Golden Sun got around to finish in tenth in the Senior BN. My horses had a good go as well, my new ride Thunder ending up eighth in the Training, he and I have a lot to learn about each other! Formal Wear and Bashful Regiment ran in the Novice and got good "early" season mileage, it being Bashful Regiment's first event with me, after a long wait!! Next weekend we headed off to Briar Fox Farm for their event, and had a great time!! Tori and Madorra were third in the JBN division, and my Formal Wear went well to be fifth in the Training, and Thunder was good to be third in the same division. At least we got the cross country sorted out for that event! Bashful Regiment went well in the Novice again but was just out of the ribbons in ninth. After that came the Colorado Horse Park horse trials. Congratulations to Tori and Madorra for winning their JBN division!!! Tori has been working so hard on her riding and it is nice to see her have a win! Katie S. and Mariah were third in their BN division, and Lora and Counselor did well in the BN to be 9th, getting back into the swing of things after a long hiatus. Heidi and her horse gained more good mileage to be tenth! My horses got valuable mileage, although not all were competitive at this event just yet. Bashful Regiment was awesome all weekend, showing he's learning the game to finish sixth in the Novice! Now I have tons of stuff to pack up for my trip east. I'll try to get more pictures of events posted before I leave, but no promises!! I owe huge thanks to everyone who helped me with the horses at the events, Jen, Michael, Laura, Dan, thanks so much!!!

April

After spending so much time preparing this spring, we are all anxious to just get out and compete with our horses!! Nice weather only makes it even better for riding, for sure. John and Sue are quite busy getting things organized for the Spring Gulch HT in May, they are always doing something to be ready, I'm beginning to think organizing one event takes a whole year! I guess with the mire paperwork from various associations, it about does. Meanwhile, we would like to welcome new students Kelly and Jennifer to our program! And, congratulations to Tori for passing her C-1 rating!!

March

Time really does fly when one is having fun, don't you think? March brought us some lovely spring days, and we used them well by getting out to schooling shows and cross country schooling, with great results!! Everyone got very nice marks on their tests at the last dressage show, and there were plenty of blue ribbons as well. Finally we can count down the days until our first horse trials in Area IX, there is much to do between now and then! Meanwhile, a huge thank you is in order for Jen Young and her father Jerry for the beautiful new sign they constructed, and they managed to keep it a total secret! A very nice surprise indeed! We would also like to welcome to the WinDancer team Katie and her lovely mare Mariah. Good luck to those Mile Hi pony clubbers going to their ratings soon!

February

Things are getting more busy, as spring seems to have arrived for the moment! I finally have a second to sit here and update. Each morning when I go out the grass is taller, and the horses are so happy to be out working outside in the sun, although their fitness curve will be going up now that they are working on hills! WinDancer students did very well at the first schooling dressage show we went to, and we had a fun time! I hope to get pictures posted in the future. Well, off to ride the next horse!

January 2007

Happy New Year!!!

Remember how pretty Colorado can be, before winter, a few months ago, pre-first-blizzard?? In case we have all forgotten, here is a little taste:

Now is the time of year for us to make sure we keep our eye on the prize, spring will come, and eventually we will be able to ride again without multiple layers of clothing! At WinDancer, we have all been keeping busy entertaining ourselves and our horses in the indoor with creative exercises, and get-togethers like our potluck video day, which was so fun! Thanks to everyone who participated, and thanks to Jen for lending her catering skills, and to Laura for her video and edit skills. Meanwhile, we'll get the rest of the trailers dug out, and soon we can escape to little schooling shows!

December

Today I got the coolest present!! Well, actually, we all did! Tori and her mom Laura made us a beautiful new showjump with the farm logo on it, a very nice panel with matching rails. Tori told me about using the wire brush to clean the old paint off of the neglected rails, that they had snuck out of the field, sanding and priming and two coats of paint, and Laura, who paints theatre sets, copied the logo and hand painted it onto the panel, the jump could be furniture, it looks so nice. Thanks guys!!! Here is hoping that everyone gets to spend time with their family this holiday, enjoying a relaxing break and looking forward to a brand new year full of promise of good things to come! Happy New Year to all, it seems to me that things just keep getting better and better!!

November

It has been a great time for getting projects done around the farm! We got our new arena footing installed, and it is just super, the horses really like it, and Brent has done a great job making sure it is just perfect. John and Joe have been busy with making improvements in the stalls, with help from Michael. We also hosted the Clear Round jumping show to benefit Mile Hi Pony Club, and it went very well, with perfect weather and a good turnout! I would like to say thank you to everyone who helped get the jumps painted up, and to everyone who helped set up, and run the show, it went very smoothly. Laura Love did a great job organizing the painters (and painting!) and thanks to Mary and Jennifer and Jon and Krissy for helping set up the day before. (and painting too!!) Also, thank you do Diane for taking such great care of the horses while I have been away this month! Lets all stay warm and busy, maybe it will make spring come faster!

October

Is October gone already?!? I must have had fun, because it was a blur! The first weekend of October we ran the new horse trials at Colorado Horse Park, with the much anticipated new course, which was great to ride, it is really nice that we have an awesome venue in Area IX with courses on par with other areas. The horse park did a great job working the footing, and were liberal with the water trucks, which made for a beneficial go for the horses, over a course that made them better for running it. WinDancer students did well, with Jennifer and In Like Flynn earning 5th in the BN division, along with Tori and Madorra getting 4th in a large JBN division. Tammy and Rebel, and Margaret and Apache also took to the course. I was quite pleased that my grey Formal Wear went well during the weekend to win the Novice! Next weekend, Carolyn, Susan, Heidi and I trekked off to Briar Fox to enjoy competing in the perfect crisp autumn air! Everyone at Briar Fox is so nice and we always have fun there! Congratulations to Heidi for winning the BN with her new horse, their first event together! Carolyn and I moved our horses to Training with great results, with Carolyn ending up third, and my Formal Wear ended up 5th. We won the dressage, but with the very hard going I chose a more conservative pace and ended up with some time. The next weekend we had the ICP Workshop here, with Don Sachey. Don had a lot of great things to say, and it was nice to get to know the other instructors that attended, we are usually too busy at events to have a chance to chat! Hopefully, as the ICP program goes on, the curriculum will get refined and become more cohesive. Lessons with Mile Hi Pony Club have begun, and I'm very excited to be a part of their intructional program, and we focusing on rebuilding the club. Anyone interested in joining, please call Stephanie Hilles, 720-219-4818. Sue is pleased to have the pony club here, as she was one of the people who helped get the charter for Mile Hi, "way back when." We would like to welcome to the barn Lora Heller and her horse Counselor, who have come out to Colorado from California, and also congratulations to Mary Hirsch on the purchase of Golden Ribot, best of luck with him!

Kip and Kate, Colorado Horse Park

September....

One of the best times of year to be riding outside! Autumn is certainly in full swing here, it comes far too early here at elevation, and soon Colorado will return to its predominant state of brown dirt. The first part of September was a bit of a competitive break for some of us, taking time to get ready for later events, and to hopefully get some rain along the way! Turns out that is what happened, and Tori, Carolyn, Susan and Tammy braved very cold soggy weather to compete at the Abbe HT. Fortunately the sun came out for them to showjump, and it was a good learning experience for all. We are pleased to be hosting a Clear Round jumping show in November to benefit Mile Hi Pony Club. We'll be getting the word out with flyers and email, please come out and support the Pony Clubbers! Coming up here October 14-16 is the ICP Dressage workshop with Don Sachey, please call or email to find out more information if you are interested in attending, we are very excited to be hosting the first workshop in Area IX, as it has been long overdue! We would like to welcome to the stable Jennifer Young, and her niece Annie, and to the Love-Rosenblatt family! Also congratulations to Michael on the purchase of his wonderful new horse Chewy, Michael will be aiming for his first recognized event with him next year!

August

Well, it has been August, all month long! Thank goodness for the rain we have gotten, we finally have spring grass in Colorado. Mid month students Carolyn and Jennifer headed to Penrose HT, and had a great time, with Carolyn finishing 3rd in the Novice, and Jennifer earning 2nd in the BN in just her second event! Well done guys! I headed up to Wyoming with students for the Windy Wyoming HT, taking Kaitlyn and her horse The Little Redhead and Logan and her ride Apache up for their first horse trials! They made it through the dressage well, and had a lot of fun on the cross country, getting to experience what all the fun is about! Unfortunately, the weather turned and by the time they would have showjumped, the footing had gotten quite slick and the officials decided to cancel the BN division. Just in time for us to throw all the stuff in the trailer and get back before we were more cold and wet! Lucky for Carolyn and One For The Road, she was able to jump in her Novice division to 3rd place. Congratulations to Michelle Hoey for winning the Preliminary on her Something Wicked! On the home front, we are getting ready for the autumn events, moving horses up in competition. Others of us are waiting patiently for horses to be able to return to work, some from one-of-a-kind injuries and another from colic surgery. I have two fun rides that have been on boring layups, and I cannot wait to get them going again! I suppose, it makes it even better when we have to wait sometimes, to be able to get back to enjoying riding and sport on our horses, it should make all of us never to take it, or the horses, for granted, and it also reminds us once again that success begins back in the stable.

July

Despite the unusually warm temperatures, July has been great for getting ready for competitions and improving training on the horses. I don't mind the heat at all, I've said that I would gladly take ten of these hot days in exchange for one cold snowy winter day! Aspen Ridge went well for WinDancer students, with Tammy and Rebel 2nd, Jennifer and In Like Flynn earning 8th at their first event for both of them together, both riders in the BN divisions. In Novice, Carolyn and One For The Road finished 5th, and my Formal Wear was 4th, getting a nice run for more cross country experience. We would like to welcome our new students Tori, Nancy and Jennifer to the stable! August I will be taking a group up to Windy Wyoming HT, for their first event, check back and see how it goes! Unfortunately, we have had to postpone the ICP workshops due to lack of enrollment, however, we plan to reschedule them for the autumn, please check back as dates will be posted when we get it arranged. We are very excited to offer this educational opportunity for the community. If your instructor is not involved, ask them why not?!?

June

It seems as if June flew by so quickly, already it is mid July before I've gotten to this update, and with more events coming up, it is a fun time! Thank goodness for all the rain we got a couple weeks ago, the ground certainly needed it, and now we finally have grass and Colorado does not look like a barren desert. Round Top went well for WinDancer students, then we made a trip to Kansas for Briar Fox mid June, what a nice event! Friday night rains had the footing well softened up, and cooler temperatures were relished by the horses. Michelle ended up 4th with her big jumping chestnut Something Wicked in the Training, Carolyn was 4th with her flashy One For The Road in Novice, and I was 6th (again!) in the Novice on my lovely new horse Formal Wear, we had some minor time faults in the show jumping due to slick footing, as it rained again Saturday night. Abbe Horse Trials went well for Carolyn, where she was second in the Novice with a score of 33, her best yet and competitive anywhere, congrats Carolyn! As the season goes on, it is so important to take a moment and think about how lucky we all are, to have horses that we can have a great relationship with, to care well for them, to ride a good horse without any limits for us is a wonderful freedom.

May

It has been a fabulous month for riding, and finally, Area IX horse trials have started! Spring Gulch went well, John and Sue were as usual crazy people the week before the event getting everything ready, it is amazing what Organizers have to do, but it seems all went well and the event was very nice. Thank you to all our friends who volunteered to make it happen! The lovely Golden Ribot went nicely in the Novice to finish 6th, and Astonisher did his very best dressage test in the Training, but was a bit of a tourist on the cross country, but we had a fun time anyway! Congratulations to student Carolyn Mains for her 4th place finish in the Novice, and for getting a new personal best in the dressage, and to Michelle Hoey for her 7th place in the Training! The best part about May is Joe finally came home from flight training, and had a few days off before reporting to duty, he is now as I type in the air flying on the job as First Officer! He reports it is everything he hoped for and he's having fun. It will be nice when his transfer to a Chicago base comes through so he won't have to commute so far to Boston. Meanwhile I'm excited to have new summer projects, both horse and jump-wise, soon the new trekhaner will be done, and then we'll have to start with all the logs and timbers laying around, transforming them in to new fences!

April

After all the fuss of getting everything packed up and all the arrangements made, my trip to Texas was a total blast!! I spent a week having lessons with Mike Huber at his Gold Chip Stables. I learned a lot in my lessons with Mike, I can't wait to go back! Before returning home, I ran Astonisher at Greenwood in the Training, and he jumped around very well, obviously enjoying himself! The footing was perfect due to earlier rainstorms, and the courses were fantastic. It was so great to visit another area and get meet so many really friendly eventers, it really is part of what makes this sport so great everywhere in the country. Thank you to everyone for pitching in and helping things run here while I was gone, it would be hard to make these trips without you. It was also fun to be able to visit Joe in between his studying. He is living in Texas at the moment while in training at the American Airlines Flight Academy. After relishing the seasonably high temperatures in Texas, I came home to snow on the ground, a rather depressing return! However, it seems now that perhaps spring has arrived for real, with everything bursting to life all around the farm. Capping off the month congratulations to Carolyn Mains on her win in the Novice at the Pony Club benefit event, Guinness continues to eat up the fences and want to jump more! Jennifer Miner and her nice young horse In Like Flynn also did very well in their first competition to be sixth in the Beginner Novice division, and Jayne Copland rode her lovely mare Mulan at her first show as well, and had a nice go, and Susan DeSylvia and her Smart Enough got out to cruise around the Training, well done guys!

March

It is so nice to finally be seeing signs of spring here, grass coming up, birds returning, and longer days to ride! We have been busy getting some new cross country jumps in, thank you to Michael and Diane, Aaron and Jennifer and her brother Kevin, getting jumps dug up and moved was a cinch with such a great crew! We've been getting out to schooling shows, which went well, save for having to leave early due to snow! Everyone's dressage scores are improving, and it was fun for me to ride Pam Hershey's nice gelding Baron in his first show too. Joe has been anxiously awaiting for the end of March, as that is when he is due to report to training having been hired to fly for American Eagle Airlines! The first day he was very pleased to find out he has been assigned to fly a jet aircraft out of his east coast base. His commute to work will be slightly longer than for most people!! Next month I hope to have pictures posted from our first Schooling Horse Trials we held here at WinDancer!

February

Shedding has officially begun, so hopefully the payoff of dealing with all the hair will be warmer days to ride in! It is so nice too that the days have gotten longer, and it is so satisfying to be out riding during sunset, they are so beautiful lately! Soon we'll be heading off to little schooling shows, a perfect way to get everyone sharpened up, and to introduce the "newbies" to showing.

January 2006

Most of January has been nice riding weather, windy days aside! I almost can't help myself from starting a daily countdown to the first event of the season. We are having Phyllis back for a clinic in March, the weekend of the 18-19, online entry form will be up soon, and look for it in the next CCC newsletter coming out in the near future. Also in the works we are planning a cross country jump building day, to get some new fences in with the great logs we have laying around! Best of all after the busy holidays, regrouping focus working the horses and nice long rides out have been perfect! We would like to welcome new students Terri and Jon to our program!

December

The end of December and the coming new year seem like a temporary calm after a storm, as we've been busy before Christmas. The clinic with Phyllis went great, with everyone getting a lot out of it, despite the freezing temperatures the weekend of the clinic! I think we can all agree that it was well worth braving the cold to get to ride with her! We are looking forward to Phyllis coming back next year, during a warmer month. With the new year just around the corner, it is a great time to think about what to get out of it, set goals, learn new things, and to write it down and make it happen. For me, a new year brings so much promise of things to get done in the coming months. It seems like the more things I plan to get done, the faster the time goes by! We wish everyone a happy new year, and all the best in 2006!

November

Next time I go cross country schooling when it is 20 degrees and windy, I need some goggles, and to put a thermometer on my forehead to check out the windchill! Fortunately, not all the days were that cold, and we have had fun getting out schooling before things get snowy for a while. There are so many things to get planned for next year, as I'm starting to think about this year coming to an end, it has gone by fast! Sadly, Area IX has had to say goodbye to one of our most colorful and wise characters, as Philip Oldham and his wife have moved back to England. I will miss Philip very much, his advice has been so helpful to me, and he is always positive and has the best interest of the horses at heart first and foremost, and of course, as everyone knows, has a funny story for all occasions!! Perhaps, someday, he will come back to the States. I truly hope so. We would like to welcome our new boarder Krissy and her mare Abby! We're all excited for Phyllis to be coming back in December, lets all keep our fingers crossed for good weather during the clinic weekend, it would be so great to have jumping day be cross country!

October

October is one of my favorite months to ride outside, and compete the horses! After a suprise blizzard at the beginning of the month, the footing has been perfect and the sunny days are just right to ride out all day long. We headed out to Biar Fox HT in Kansas the weekend of the 8th, we had a great time. Carolyn, Michelle and I had good runs over the course, with Carolyn ending up 3rd in the Novice, and my Astonisher was 6th in the Training and Michelle was 5th with her new ride in the same division. Congratulations to Carolyn for her 5th place ranking on the USEA Leaderboard for BN Rider! Now is the time to be getting out to schooling shows, hopefully it will make the coming winter go by more quickly if we all stay busy! We all wish Sue a speedy recovery from her broken arm, (not riding related!) she had to have surgery to put plates and pins in so the bones could heal! Also WinDancer welcomes new student Lynn and her young horse Knight. Coming up in November is the CCC awards banquet, Joe has been working hard to get it all in order, so hopefully all that are getting awards will be there November 19th!

September

My trip to Oklahoma was fun, the horses went well, and I had a blast riding with John Williams, and Phil is much better for having gone in the clinic, and the exercises John set up were really fun to ride! At the Crosstar Horse Trials, Golden Ribot was 4th in his last Novice run, and Astonisher went nicely for his first competition in a while to finish 7th. The next weekend G.R. moved up to Training, and had a very educational run. It was really nice to get home after being away! The rest of the month has been a whirlwind of riding and teaching in the crisp weather! We would like to welcome new students Logan and Kendall!

Could it be rain!?!

August

What a great month August is, long perfectly warm afternoons, thirty one whole days, there is so much potential for getting a lot done in the month, I just love it! Astonisher and Golden Ribot are busy getting fit for approaching competitions, and it is also time to be working on other fun projects, like getting my lovely ride Never Weaken ready for his first competitions, and starting Bashful Regiment back to work after his long boring layup! This month we hosted our first Combined Test, and it went great! Everyone had fun, and got good mileage in for their horses. A Big BIG thank you to everyone who helped make things go smoothly setting up the jumps, taking the dressage arena down, scribing and making things run! In the works is our next show, Clear Round Jumping, set for September 25, we'll be getting a downloadable form up at some point. (I know--I said that last time!) Joe and fellow Pilot James were out and about, building multi time in the Seminole by flying out to California and back in the beautiful weather. I can't wait until September, with all the travel and compeitions coming up!

Joe and James fly over the Grand Canyon on the way to Ca. ---------------- Joe wishes this was his jet!!!!

July

It seems like time has been flying by and only now do I have a second to sit and update the news! July was quieter for us as far as competing, some of us chose to keep our horses in the barn as the footing had gotten quite hard, we went quite a while without any rain. In the works is our first combined test here, we are excited to be offering a schooling show, and soon we will get the entry form on the site that can be downloaded. All our horses are going to be eating very well for a long time, John has probably set a world record for the most bales moved singlehandedly in a month. He added up that he moved 1400 bales into the barn!! Bit by bit hay is filling every spare corner of the barn all the way up to the rafters. Lastly, Congratulations to Carolyn on her 5th place finish at Aspen Ridge!

Kaitlyn and Logan enjoy summer with Indy and Cim

June

It seems like life is always good when the weather is warm, at least that is what I think! Colorado really is beautiful this time of year with tall green grass and amazing wildflowers blooming in the fields. Lately we have been seeing a lot more of Colorado and other states as we've been out competing! Early June was the Round Top Horse Trials, a nice local one day event, where students Tammy and her horse Rebel and Carolyn and One For The Road both competed in the Beginner Novice. Tammy had a nice first outing in a long time with Rebel, finishing 12th, and Carolyn did quite well to finish 5th in both her and her horse's second event. Next Carolyn and I headed off to Kansas for Briar Fox Horse Trials, and what a lovely event it was, well worth the drive, which was really not that far! I ran Golden Ribot in Novice, where he ended up 6th from minor time faults, he really grew up at this event and has started to really understand the game, conducting himself like a professional, I am so pleased with him! Carolyn and her horse ended up winning their division of Beginner Novice, it was great to see them win as Carolyn has worked so hard with this horse. He is still quite young, and is an interesting horse to end up Eventing, Carolyn got him from the Amish, where he was used as a gaited messenger horse. Everyone at Briar Fox is so friendly and the event is well run, and the horses certainly relished the great footing and course design. We also had fun chatting with the two other Colorado eventers Heidi and Michelle that made the trip. Lastly, we welcome new students Brett, Mary and Andrea, it is great to have you at WinDancer!

Tammy and Rebel, Guinness and Carolyn at Round Top

May

Finally competitions are under way for us here in Area IX! Spring Gulch went well, with great weather and an efficient schedule. Student Carolyn Slane and her horse One For The Road did very well in their first event together, to finish 6th in the BN division! I rode my Golden Ribot in the Novice, where he went well to finish 8th, as well I rode Sue Meadow's nice gelding Mardi Gras in the Beginner Novice, in his first event. After winning the dressage, he was not sure that showjumping meant going from fence to fence all at once! We had a couple green moments, but when the light bulb went on over his head, he was awesome! He then made up for his green moment with a lovely go over the cross country. Congratulations to the Morris family, as this wonderful horse now belongs to their daughter Kaitlyn, who is looking forward to a lot of fun with Indy in Pony Club and starting to compete! Many thanks to Jennifer for helping us out during the event! High Prairie came next, with Golden Ribot again going in the Novice, where he did very well to finish 3rd in a large division, I think he is getting the hang of showjumping! Student Lisa Petri rode my "old" three day horse in the Beginner Novice, their first event together, and did well for a new partnership! Boomer's enthusiasm for competing has not dampened a bit in his teenage years and he is as pleased as can be to have Lisa riding him. Congratulations also to Amy Dukes for going on to win in the Training division at High Prairie after a beautiful dressage test with her lovely horse Jack Be Nimble. Pictures are coming soon!

Lisa and Alert Boom at High Prairie

April

What a roller coaster month April has been in Colorado! Luckily, in between the blizzard and just generally cold snowy days, we were able to get out cross country schooling and out to get in some fitness work and gallops on the hills. The budding flowers and fast growing grass are making Colorado return to a prettier landscape after dull winter conditions, it is so fun to see everything around us coming alive! Also this month schooling shows have given us a chance to get out and tune up our jumping and dressage for the events coming up. Bashful Regiment and Golden Ribot have been going well out at schooling activities, and I am looking forward to the first horse trial for Bashful Regiment with me riding him! Students Margaret with Apache and Carolyn with her horse Guinness had great runs at the Spring Gulch Combined test, getting improving dressage scores and finishing 9th and 5th respectively. Congratulations to new boarder Pam on finding her nice new horse Baron, and a warm welcome to Katie and her young horse G. Baily, and new students Amy and Mary. Finally, the best part of April has been that last week Joe and I celebrated our marriage with a beautiful ceremony in Las Vegas, with our families. Everything was just perfect and we all had a great time! Also, all of us give a BIG thank you to Diane and everyone who helped out looking after the stables while we were gone to Vegas. We will see everyone soon at events!!

Joe and Kate

March

Finally opening day for the first horse trials has arrived! Whenever I am filling out entry forms, I keep thinking Eventing needs a "paperwork reduction act" like the IRS!! The feedback that we have gotten from the Phyllis clinic has been great, and we would love to have her come out again to teach, perhaps a weekend later this year will work out. Hopefully everyone took something positive away from the lessons, something new to think about or a small change that will help to make everything go better. We were also very excited to have Phyllis come out and see WinDancer as it has evolved over the last five years since we moved here from Virginia. We would like to welcome our new students, and new boarder Jennifer and her young horse Flynn, welcome to the WinDancer Team!

Phyllis teaching Sandy, Tammy and Kaitlyn during the clinic

February

We are all off and running towards spring, and with the great weather and lengthening days, of course there are more things to fit in every day! Joe has recently passed his flight check ride for being certified as a Commerical and Instrument Pilot in a multi engine plane, he has studied hard to pass, and he loves flying the twin engine plane very much! Horses are all going well, on track with their fitness work and schooling to be ready for the fast approaching spring events. Everyone needs to keep their fingers crossed that we get rain coming into spring to keep the ground good for the horses. Having Phyllis come out for the clinic is going to give everyone riding a great leg up on getting ready for spring and improving their riding. I was pleased that my Golden Ribot was Reserve Champion BN Horse for the Central Colorado Chapter year end awards, and of course, he is quite pleased with himself, as always! I am looking forward to this year giving him more mileage. We would like to welcome our new students and boarders, Carolyn and her lovely horse Guinness, Katie, Annie, Indy and his rider Sue, and Lisa, who is getting to know Boomer and his many tricks!

January 2005-----Happy New Year!

It has been really great here in the new year, keeping busy, planning and moving ahead, hopefully it is a harbinger of a great year! We have plans in place for the clinic with Phyllis Dawson on March 12-13, sponsored by CCC, we are really excited to be having her come out and give Area riders the opportunity to further their education. Also in the works at WDF is planning new cross country fences, we are having a professional course designer come out and help us get some new jumps built for schooling, I can't wait! In between snows, there are usually a few days that we get to escape from the indoor and ride outside, and I swear I saw some little green grass spears!! It could have been a spring fever hallucination! Everyone is happy to see Michael back riding, and we welcome our new students and clients, we are happy to have you aboard!