December 2004

Almost another year has gone by, about which I am reflecting on, thinking about the successful things and also about moving everything along in the next year, to continue growing and make the next year even better! WinDancer has grown a lot in 2004, and I am really excited about the coming "fresh" year. WinDancer is not just the facility, it is the people that make WinDancer happen, students, boarders, horses, and this year has given a lot of joy not only to me for being able to share the dream, but to those who have come here to share in the journey of learning to ride, share in the sport of Eventing, and accomplish rewarding things that maybe we thought were so far away, and we had a lot of fun doing it!! No Eventing stable can function in the best interest of the horses without a solid team, and I know we have the best here! Thank you to Dr. Marc McCall, Todd Shields, Kevin Hatridge, Dr. Debbie O'Reilly, Becky Moore, and Philip Oldham for all that you do for the horses, and for us. May all the best come to everyone in the new year.

November 2004

With Events in Area IX done for the year, it seems as if everything gets quiet all of a sudden. It has been a nice time to evaluate how the year went, and to start thinking about goals for the next year, and to start working towards those goals over the winter. Seven months is a long time for this Area to go without Horse Trials, seems like the weather the rest of October is really nice, too bad there aren't more cohesive event dates here to take advantage of it! I think the horses would agree it is better to gallop on a brisk October day than a hot August afternoon! Perhaps, as this Area grows, it will come to pass. Windancer is planning on hosting a clinic here late winter, we are really excited, check back as we get the details finalized! As the holidays approach, we at Windancer are looking forward to spending happy times with family, and enjoying, as our friend Jen says, the peace of winter. We all wish Michael a speedy recovery from his broken bones, and Tammy a quick recovery from her (other!) shoulder surgery. We hope you both get well soon!!

Until December,

Kate

October 2004

October has been a nice time for us at Windancer! The first weekend I took my horses to the horse trials at the Colorado Horse Park, and they both went very well in the Novice, with super clear runs over the nice cross country, and Golden Ribot did well moving up, and Astonisher finished 7th after a very nice go over the show jumps, I'm excited to be moving them along and up! Thank you very much to Diane and Margaret for hauling the horses over there, I could not have competed without your help! I was really happy to have Joe's help on Sunday as well, he can't often come to events, as he is very busy flying, so it is nice those times we can have fun at the events with the horses together. This month he passed the two written exams and the check ride (airplane--not horse!!) to become a Certified Flight Instructor!! He is really excited to be teaching others about flying, and already has students from the flight school to teach! October 10th we hosted one of our "Clear Round" jumper shows, with wonderful weather and a great turnout, we enjoy giving people another venue to school their green horses and riders, we all need opportunities to just "get around" for more mileage and to move up a level! Next, students Margaret and Michael went to the Combined Test at Tumbleweed Farm, and both made huge improvements on their dressage scores! Well done! Margaret and Apache finished in 2nd, and Michael and Alert Boom did well to be 5th! Finally, October 30 Windancer hosted a schooling dressage show, again with a nice turn out and fine weather, Windancer students did well, with Pam and Toronto earning a second, Julia and Tango getting ribbons in all their classes, and to Jaimi and Cim for winning at their first show, and Diane and Teddy had many improvements moving up! A big thank you to Gwen Kaawaloa for judging and to Becky Moore of Cheval for coming by to set up her store for the show. So, with the super weather, its great to be getting out to ride in the sun, schooling cross country, and just waiting for the first snow!

September 2004

We could not have asked for better weather this month with going to events each weekend! In early September we headed up to Wyoming once again, this time to Laramie for the Windy Wyoming Event, this competition keeps getting better, with a one day format and ever improving cross country and show jump course design, and the team at the Mears farm does a great job of making everyone feel welcome. Students Margaret Weber and Apache did very well to win the Elementary division on the Unrecognized day, and Michael gained valuable mileage with the ever exuberant Alert Boom. I rode my Astonisher in the Beginner Novice, where he finished fifth, I am so happy to be out riding him at events!! Next came the Central Colorado Chapter benefit Combined Test, with Margaret and Michael riding, with Michael getting his best dressage score ever with a 38 and then had a great go on the cross country! Margaret also gained valuable experience, with ever improving dressage, and Apache becoming a keen cross country horse at ninteen years old! The following weekend Windancer went to the Horse Trials at Tomora, where Margaret finished third in Elementary, Jen and Plot Twist gained more experience, and Michael with Boomer completed his first Horse Trials!! Anyone who knows Alert Boom knows that he is no easy ride, and Michael did a great job with him to complete in the Beginner Novice. Again I rode Astonisher who went well to finish eighth, and the Windancer Team had a fun day all around! Next weekend both Astonisher and Golden Ribot are off to compete at High Prairie. Also moving along is Joe, who has now passed his Commercial Rating, both the written and his check ride, after several weeks of very intense study!! Soon he will get to start learning about multi-engine planes, which he is very excited about! Congratulations to all the Pony Clubbers that now have accomplished new rating levels, I have been impressed this year with how prepared everyone has been at their testings. Lastly, I would like to welcome our new students to Windancer, we are happy to have you aboard and I look forward to a bright future of riding and learning!

Happy Riding!

Kate

August 2004

After all the travel and away weekends in July, it has been nice to have some "down time" for a while. With a bit of lag time in the schedule, it was a nice time to stay at home and work with the horses, improving on their training from spring events, and time to just enjoy the beauty of the late summer, with the long afternoons, relaxing hacks, and cooler evenings that start to come this time of year in the rocky mountains. It is amazing the transition happening this time of year, with the sun moving on the horizon, dewy morning grass, and a slight chill in the air from overnight cooling now. Migrating birds are coming through, and it is so neat to see the different kinds, some that I have never seen before, I have to keep the field guide nearby to identify them! The countryside drive to town passes fields full of sunflowers in full bloom, one can't help but smile when the bright flowers are at their peak. Soon it will be time to clip horses, put on a sweater in the mornings, and see frost on the ground, but hopefully not just yet, their are still events to go to! August schooling has everyone improved, and we are all looking forward to riding well and meeting new challenges in the approaching autumn. Of course, the one person who has been busy all month long is Joe, who has now passed is instrument rating, one of the toughest tests in becoming a commercial pilot!

Joe doing pre-flight checks on the aircraft

July 2004

July has been a long, fun and busy month for Windancer! The second weekend I went to the Powder Basin Horse Trials in Gillette, Wyoming, taking Golden Ribot to compete in the BN division. The drive up was very pretty, and the event was nice, with a lot of new cross country jumps being built, and a very nice water complex. Golden Ribot went well, scoring his best yet in dressage with a 26, and went cruising around the cross country, and had a couple green moments in the showjumping, to finish in sixth. Next came the Aspen Ridge starter event, and Windancer was well represented with Michael Peterman and Alert Boom, Margaret Weber and Apache, Jen Reid and Plot Twist, both Margaret and Jen finishing sixth in their divisions! It was a great event for them to get out and put all three phases together. Pictures are coming soon! I then competed Golden Ribot in the Novice, where he went quite well and had a valuable learning outing. I actually took a vacation! Joe and I flew to Las Vegas for a few days, and we had a great time, visiting the Shark Reef, with the only captive hammerhead shark in the U.S. The tropical fish and sharks were very beautiful to see, and we also visited the Monet exhibit which was lovely. We had a weather delay coming home, and got to spend a night in Sante Fe, a neat city with a lot to see and do. Windancer is going to be planning schooling shows for autum, we will be posting the dates soon! Meanwhile, we are looking forward to the autumn events, and everyone is working hard toward their goals! Everyone at Windancer wishes Tammy a speedy recovery from shoulder surgery, we hope you are back riding soon! We also welcome to Windancer new boarder Paula with her nice young horse Tristan!

June 2004

Moving along to June, Windancer remains busy and very green thanks to the week of daily thunderstorms and big rain showers! As soon as the mud dries, another storm comes right in and brings on the mud again. No complaints from us, after the drought we have had in Colorado for quite a while now! I had a fun day competing at Round Top, this is one of my favorite events, low key, nice for the young horses in a one day format, and it was fun to have Joe along to help me, he had the day off from flying! Golden Ribot had a lovely dressage test, getting many 8's and a 9 from the judge, I was quite pleased! Cross country was a blast, except for me making a mistake, but it all ended well with a confident Showjumping round, and Golden Ribot and I were still in the ribbons at the end of the day! We hosted a jumping show on June 19, and Windancer students had fun with the Gambler's Choice, with Jen and Nik picking everyone's pockets to win two levels and a tidy bit of cash! We will be planning several schooling shows, check back with us for the schedule. Joe and I had fun coaching the Pine Ridge Pony Club rally teams at High Prairie, on Friday I coached the showjumping for the Eventing Rally, and the team left the rails up enough to move into first place to finish, as well they won the Horse Management Trophy! Next came the Show Jumping Rally, with the team putting in nice rounds on Friday, then Joe coaching Round Two on Saturday, and the team finished in the ribbons again, and the horses and riders gained valuable experience in the Derby Ring! Well done and congratulations to all! Also congratulations to Julia and Tango, for passing the C-1 rating!

Kate

May 2004

May has been busy and successful at Windancer! John and Sue were very busy as Organizers for Spring Gulch Horse Trials, and students and horses have been getting out almost every weekend. May started off with a trip up to Tomora for the schooling HT, it was a beautiful day after escaping the snow and ice that threatened to keep us from going the night before. I had to get hot water to melt the hitch, and all the doors and windows on the trailer were frozen shut! Michael and Alert Boom had a good experience at their first horse trial, although Boomer was sure that the cross country could not be over after just a few fun minutes, and he would have liked to do much more. My Golden Ribot had a good first outing, although more show jumping experience is in order for us! Thanks to Lindy Weatherford to putting on this nice event! Next came Spring Gulch, with perfect weather and the best footing at the horse park I have seen, and Golden Ribot did well to win the Beginner Novice Horse divison. After that came the Horse Trial at Colorado Horse Park, where he again went very well and had a valuable learning experience, and finished fourth in a large division. Windancer welcomes our new students, and welcome back to Nik and Jen. Also congratulations to Julia on the purchase of her lovely new mare Tango!

April 2004

Well, in between snow storms, we are able to be getting out and getting ready for fast approaching events! WinDancer welcomes Margaret Weber and her horse Apache, we are glad to have you aboard! Along with spring comes building more cross country fences, it is nice to see an actual course developing. Michael and Boomer continue to build their partnership, and did very well at their last schooling outing, going clear over 2'6" and getting around it well. Joe and I recently had the pleasure of teaching Pony Club clinics in Monte Vista, we had fun meeting new people and teaching, and good luck to those going for new rating levels this spring. With so much to do, I had better stop writing and get outside and not waste a minute of the sun!

Until Next Time,

Kate

March 2004

Could it be that Spring is really here? In typical Colorado style, we have gone from single digits to 80 degrees is just a couple weeks! Spring is here and we are now all able to get outdoors and be preparing for the spring events! Windancer welcomes new students Pam, who is busy getting to know Toronto, and to Tammy, and her horse Rebel, who are progressing quickly! We have been having a lot of fun getting out to schooling shows, giving students and young horses good experience. Joe's young student Julia and pony Domino cleaned up at the Windancer dressage schooling show, taking blues in all her classes! Michael Peterman and Boomer also did very well, as did Diane and Teddy doing a First Level test for the first time. We also have had a great day at Pendragon Stud's jumper shows, with Keri and Pinto Bean earning many ribbons, Michael and Boomer placing as well, and Keri getting to know her lovely new gelding Formal Wear with some nice rounds. Joe and his Bashful Regiment continue to gain experience, and are doing it well by earning the reserve championship again! Most recently we had fun at Triple Creek's Dressage show, with Windancer students filling the Event test class! Michael and Boomer earned fourth, Kate and Golden Ribot in third, and Rebel and Tammy with second, and Joe beating us all! Now the ground is perfect, with green spears of grass coming up, and its time to be getting out to cross country! We are all excited about the upcoming spring events, and it will be a fun and busy time! Another great development is that our tack room is nearly done, with beautiful wood paneling and will be complete with washer and dryer. I can't wait!!