new zealand forum and clinic

Sat, 3 Sep 2011 09:03:36 -0700

Back from the New Zealand FEI Regional Dressage Forum just in time to ride for a few days and get back on the road to head to Gladstone for the National Championships! The forum was super and the Kiwi’s excellent hosts! A huge thank you to Wendy, Karen, Hellen and the gang for making me feel like a celebrity and showing me such a fantastic time!

I got into New Jersey this evening to help the Youth riders at the Festival of Champions for the week and go to a couple of meetings about the USDF sypmposium that the USEF coaches are teaching this year. It should be a great week and am looking forward to it!

The horses at home are all doing great! Thank god I have Shauntel who can keep the home front up and running with all the traveling I’ve been doing. I couldn’t do it without her!

I heading to the CDS Junior Championships South in 2 weeks to check in with the Youth riders on the West Coast, so if you are around Del Mar on the weekend of September 16th-18th, make sure to say hi! If you are a rider that is going to be at the CDS Junior Championship and want any help or want me to watch your ride, make sure to shoot me a text or email or call and I’m there! I’m planning on spending the day on Saturday watching rides and helping riders.

As soon as I’m home from the CDS Junior Championships, we are heading to the Region 6 Championships in Nampa, ID to ride and suppor t our home based crew! That should be a great show and even better week stabling with our friends from Hilltop Dressage in Utah. The BBQ is already packed so if you are around for the show, consider this your invitation to dinner! As a special added bonus, which I selfishly like to think is just for me... My friends Barb Ramlow and Val Thresher are coming from Montana to watch the show, hang out and be a part of the festivities! I heard from Barb today that she got her horse Danny entered in the open classes and will be riding as well as “Hanging Out”!!!

The weekend following the Championships, my good friend and 3 time Olympian Guenter Seidel is coming up for a weekend clinic at KGF and is bringing partner Sean, so it should be a great time! Come and audit if you are not riding! He is an amazing teacher who is just starting to clinic and hopes to make KGF one of his regular stops!

OK, that’s all the news that’s fit to print!
Jermey

Summer is finally here

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:24:31 -0700

Summer is finally here just in time to visit New Zealand during the coldest winter in history! I arrived in Palmerston North on Wednesday this week and isn’t as cold as I was expecting! :-) Things here look great and am very excited to see what the week brings.

Last week Shauntel and I co-taught the ODS Central Chapter Dressage camp hosted by Lisa Koch in Bend/Redmond, Oregon. We had a great time there with everyone and really enjoyed making new friends and catching up with old ones. Keep up the good work everyone!

I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to all the crew up on Whidbey Island at The Whidbey Equestrian Center for making our shows up there this year such a success, huge fun and really easy all the way around. We moved into our stalls back in early June this year and were able to keep the stalls, our tack room and feed room all set up throughout the summer for the 4 shows we did on the Island which made our life incredibly easy when it came to packing and getting organized for the shows there this year. It was almost a little sad packing all our gear and BBQ up for the summer... I think next year we might just plan a few more shows up there and make it our only stop! The crew up there is fantastic and with the new upper arena they finished this year the farm is looking amazing!

Videos of the summers rides and shows will be up on the website over the next few weeks, so check back soon for that. We also just added a new search feature to make your browsing experience at www.steinberg-bryantdressage.com easier and easier. I am still working out some of the kinks and getting all the pages logged into the search feature, but take a look and let me know what you think. You can link directly to it in the main menu above, or by clicking “Search Steinberg-Bryant Dressage” here.

KGF is looking great as well and is getting ready to host a Guenter Seidel clinic the first weekend of October. Everyone here is really excited and marks the first time Guenter has made an appearance in the North West! Guenter is just starting to do some private clinics and is hoping to make us a regular stop in his schedule. We can’t wait! More information on the clinic can be found on the “Welcome” page or by visiting www.kgfequestrian.com. We invite everyone to come and watch!

I had a great trip to the NAJYRC back in July and want to give a huge shout out to all the Jr’s and YR’s that I connected with there in Lexington. Keep up the good work and stay in touch! I am heading to Gladstone, NJ for the Festival of Champions for the week of August 6th-11th, so if you are going to be there let me know! I will be available for schooling/coaching along with answering any questions or just being around to help if anyone needs, just ask! I will be there all week and look forward to seeing everyone again! Safe travels and see you there!

That’s it for now, just heading out to start the first day of the Dressage New Zealand FEI Regional Dressage Forum!

Jeremy

busy few weeks

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 21:46:27 -0700

It’s been a whirlwind the last couple of weeks with very little time to even catch my breath! Sorry for the late update on everything!

Shantel left for the Devonwood show today and I am holding down the fort for a couple of days which is never a good thing! Lucky for all involved, I am packing for the NAJYRC and my clinic this weekend, so I am staying out of trouble. :-) Doing laundry and working on the website...pretty boring. It was about 75 degrees when I got home from the barn today and all I wanted to do was steal the boat and spend the evening on the water... if I thought I could get it back on the trailer by myself I would still be on the lake now! Oh well, a blessing in disguise I guess!

The Beardsley family held a memorial service for Kim on June 18th that Jesse Sabey and I help officiate. I just added the eulogy that I wrote for Kim on her page if you are interested in reading it, you can click on Kim’s name above to be taken directly there. The service was very emotional and moving and was accompanied by many photos and videos that Kim’s brother Greg put together which made the whole service very nostalgic for those that knew Kim for many years. She led a very full life and touched very many people which could not have been clearer by the support and kind words of all who spoke.

On a literal brighter note, Shauntel and myself along with our best friends Cathy and Todd spent the day of the 4th of July out on Lake Union and Lake Washington enjoying the weather and watching the fireworks from a front row seat! It was a fantastic day filled with great company, superb weather and great food! We had a blast and are already looking forward to next year!

Maggi Clark emailed a while back with fantastic news about Dona Flor...and she is pregnant! Made it through her 2 checks and is now over 2 months pregnant! YAY! Thinking of names already...

We have been to 3 shows already on Whidbey Island this year. Everyone has been doing great. The girls have all come up with calling themselves “3rd Level Nation” as everone in the barn seems to be showing 3rd level this year for some reason. All the horses have been great and winning everything. Can’t complain about that! Thomas and Harmony are going to be showing at the August Whidbey show so keep an eye out for that and I’ll keep you updated on their progress. They have been feeling fantastic lately and don’t want to jinx anything by saying more...

The “Save Our Horses” Mounted Police Fundraising Event at KGF last weekend was a total success and major blast! Komo 4 news was there in full force along with a couple local celebrities which was fun to see! The Mounted Patrol came in a few hour early and were very gracious and fun. One of them was even a Steinberg! No relation to me, but that didn’t stop me from coveting her badge that said “Officer Steinberg”! Fortun’s Finishing Touch Sauces were also there and I have one word for you... Yum! The catered food was fantastic, the company great and the weather couldn’t have been better! Yay for Summer in Seattle! Sandi and Kevin hosted a great event for an even greater cause. Way to give back to the community KGF!!! You guys are the best!

KGF Equestrian got another amazing face lift for the event and looks better than ever! I can’t wait for our next event... which leads me to our next bit of news...

My friend Guenter Seidel is coming up for a few clinics over
the fall and winter starting October 1st and 2nd!!! I’ve been working on him for a couple of years now and he either finally believes me that we have good horses and riders up here, or he’s tired of hearing me beg. Either way we win!!! Stay tuned for more details! It will be the first clinic Guenter has given in years and we are honored to have him!

Well, I am off to Eureka this Friday for a clinic with old friends in a beautiful location and I can’t wait. I think they are my officially longest regular clinic location and I appreciate the friendships and belief in me! I can’t wait to see everyone! From there on Sunday night, I am off to Kentucky for the NAJYRC. I’ve been talking to the managment, USEF and USDF quite a bit about the week and there are so many cool, new, fun things planned for all the Jr’s and YR’s this year I am honored to be involved and can’t wait for the show!

I think that’s it for now, take care everyone and stay in touch!
Jeremy

kim von hopffgarten

Wed, 25 May 2011 22:26:38 -0700

Friends,
Kim von Hopffgarten passed away on Tuesday morning May 24th 2011.

It’s been a long journey with my friends Dietrich and Kim, but as many journeys and adventures go nowhere near as long as I would have liked. Dietrich’s passing in 2006 tore through my heart and Kim’s now too does the same. I have missed Dietrich terribly over the last few years and Kim has always helped ease that pain. She’s listened to me cry, listened to me yell, helped ease my anger and always consoled me. She comforted me like my loss was larger than her’s and gave me someone to lean on in my grief. In the days following Dietrich’s death, Kim was far stronger than me which gave me comfort and strength more than any one person could imagine. I don’t know how she did it and commend her for her strength. She treated me like the son Dietrich always did and worried about Jesse and me far more than it seemed she worried about herself.

Now I find myself mourning for Kim and am saddened by the suddeness of her passing. I feel overcome with emotion. Dietrich’s death prepared me for many things and made me grow up in many ways, but it never occured to me that Kim’s passing would be one of them. Kim has been a staple of my life for 20 years. She has always quietly been there and always quietly been herself. No pretense, no nonsense, just Kim. Time changes people like the wind changes the sands of a desert. You never know what it will do, how hard it will blow or what things will look like next. Kim however was my rock and the wind never seemed to touch her. Never changed, never swayed, never moved. Always the same and in being such offered someone like me solace and resolution and helped stay my heart and wanderlust. I am forever grateful for her calm.

Kim’s horses were always her first priority and I will never forgive her, but will always praise her for instilling that in me also. Horses are a burden and a gift and Kim taught me that to enjoy the gift, you must be willing to carry the burden. I will always proudly carry that burden and am honored to do so.

Kim and I talked many times over the last few years about many things. She always goaded me that I don’t answer my phone enough, but always was proud of how busy I was. She never relented at teasing me, but always understood how life has a way of keeping you from connecting and keeps one busy. I wish I would have picked up more often, but don’t know how to turn back time and make that so.

I wrote this to Kim in an email just before the anniversary of Dietrich’s death this year;
“....I miss him a lot sometimes and keep that quiet. I also worry about you a lot but never say it. Life has a funny way of moving with or without us in it for better or worse, but find I keep getting left behind and never say what I should. I can't believe it's been 5 years next month. I get so mad sometimes and always stop and feel like it is selfish of me, but still can't help feeling that way. I don't know why I am saying this... maybe it's becuase it’s late, I can't sleep and I’m wide awake...I should be in bed. I guess the long and short of it is, you are in my thoughts more often than not, even though I don't always express that. I was really proud that you came down with Louie last month for a visit and something about you coming down again is making me feel very nostalgic. Anyway, my point being I know I miss him and I know I love that I still have you! “
J

I wish I could talk to her one more time. I wish I could, I wish I could, I wish I could...

Kim’s passing is a sudden and terrible thing. The reality of which is only just starting to sink in. I am not direct family to Kim and can only imagine what it feels like to be so. Kim however IS part of my family and like Dietrich her death cuts very deep. My heart goes out to the Beardsleys and wish them my sincerest condolences.

I know Kim meant many things to many people and everyone will mourn in their own way. Keep Kim in your heart and think of her often. Remember ALL the people in your life that mean something to you and tell them often. I love my dad Bob, I love my mom Donna and I love my wonderful partner Shauntel. I don’t tell them enough...

Kim, I will miss you, but know you’ve found Dietrich. He will have been lost without you these last few years, so kick him in the butt and get him back on the straight and narrow. He has missed you so very much and will be happy to see you! We will take care of your horses so don’t worry! I will keep an eye on Jesse, but he is wonderful and fine. We will make you proud and live up to everything you thought we could be! Your support and friendship will always be cherished. Your friends miss you, but know you are safe. Say hi to Dietrich and tell him he owes me a phone call and I will wait forever if that’s what it takes.
I will always share your burden. I will always be your friend,
Jeremy

2011 FEI Regional Dressage Forum

Tue, 24 May 2011 20:59:29 -0700

Dressage New Zealand and the FEI present the FEI Regional Dressage Forum on August 27th and 28th at Manfeild Park.

Dressage NZ in conjunction with the FEI & Massey University, will present this forum which should have a wide appeal to many sectors of the dressage and sport horse disciplines.

Guest Trainer will be Washington based Jeremy Steinberg, Youth Coach for the USEF. Steinberg says “I have a real passion for the less than average horse becoming a Grand Prix horse and have trained a lot of them in my life so that is something that always gets me going. I believe in really "Teaching" as opposed to coaching and have a strong conviction for training riders to become thinking riders who can problem solve and work on their own as most of us have to on a daily basis. I think that is a huge part of the USEF Youth Coaching appointment as I am very outspoken about riders learning to be self sufficient and believing in themselves. Steinberg is really excited about being invited to present at the forum comes highly recommended by international US Grand Prix competitor Debbie McDonald.

USDF Press release

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 01:11:18 -0700

USDF and USEF Work in Concert for the Future of Dressage
Written by USDF Press Release
Thursday, 21 April 2011 20:08

Lexington, KY - The Platinum Performance/USDF Region 2 FEI JR/YR Clinic held on March 26-27, 2011 proved to be a success, when eight riders from five different states convened at Tempel Farms in Old Mill Creek, IL, to ride with USEF National Youth Coach, Jeremy Steinberg. For the first time in the program’s history, USDF and USEF joined forces for the purpose of educating the country’s upcoming dressage riders. Over the past several months USDF and USEF have been working in concert in order to fully develop a youth pipeline. With the naming of the new National Youth Coach, Jeremy Steinberg, it was an obvious choice for USDF when a clinician was needed to step in for a FEI JR/YR Clinic in Region 2. Steinberg, who recently traveled to the IHS Palm Beach Derby CDI for talent scouting was more than enthusiastic to take on the clinic with only a month’s notice.

The eight riders were thrilled to hear they were selected, some traveling at least six hours to the clinic. Each day participants rode in a private session and while not riding, they attentively listened and watched their peers. At the beginning of each session Steinberg quickly noted each combination’s unique traits allowing him to customize their training objectives. The importance of being a “thinking rider” was evident throughout the clinic. By firing questions at the riders, Steinberg challenged riders to think quickly. He advised the participants that they shouldn’t just ride, but rather become the horse’s trainer.

Clinic rider, Victoria Retamoza stated, “I love Jeremy's philosophy in many aspects. He stated that you should always shoot far in your goals. If you are riding a Training Level horse, train it as if you were training it to Grand Prix. I told him that I wanted to make the Region 2 NAJYRC Young Rider Team. Jeremy advised me that I should not just aim at making the team, but to medal.”

At lunchtime everyone gathered around for a theory discussion with Jeremy, where he not only offered great advice, but graciously answered questions from both riders and parents. “What a great program! It is worth its weight in gold from the knowledge my daughter gathered in just two days!” stated Cathy Miller, parent of one of the participants.

At the end of the clinic, riders were sparked with enthusiasm and went home with effective training tools, new friends and inspiration for a successful future.

USEF National Youth Coach, Jeremy Steinberg, was recently added to the roster of official USDF clinicians and will be featured at more Platinum Performance/USDF FEI Jr/YR Clinics in the future. For more information about the USDF FEI Jr/YR Clinic Series or to find specific dates and locations for upcoming clinics (available soon), visit the USDF website or contact the USDF office. The Platinum Performance/USDF FEI Jr/YR Clinic Series is made possible with funding from The Dressage Foundation.

Founded in 1973, The United States Dressage Federation is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to education, recognition of achievement, and promotion of dressage. For more information about USDF membership or programs, visit www.usdf.org, e-mail usdressage@usdf.org, or call (859) 971-2277.

USEF coaches teaching the 2011 USDF National Symposium

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:08:45 -0700

BREAKING NEWS!!!

The USEF National Coaches have been asked and have all agreed to teach the 2011 USDF Natioal Symposium and the USDF National Convention in San Diego, CA in December! We will all be co-teaching the 2 day clinic and showing the US how the new “USEF Pipline” is stuctured and how horses and riders of various levels and ages work into the coaching structure along with showcasing the individual talents of each instructor. It will be a “Not To Be Missed” event!

The USEF National Coaching staff includes:
Jeremy Steinberg - Youth Coach
Debbie McDonald - Developing Coach
Scott Hassler - Young Horse Coach
Anne Gribbons - National Coach/Technical Advisor

region 2 platinum performance/usdf jr/yr clinic

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:01:22 -0700

I just finished up the Region 2 Platinum Performance/USDF FEI Jr/YR clinic at Tempel Farms in Wadsworth Illinois. Everyone there was fantastic and it was a great clinic! Erica Minks at USDF did a fantastic job keeping everyone organized and on track! The riders in the clinic were:
Celia Doherty
Leonard Behrens
Heather Cochrane
Tori Retamoza
Rebekah Mingari
Mattie Nelson
Hannah Ferguson
Paige Miller

You guys were all great and a PLEASURE to teach and work with!

The clinic was the FIRST time I had been back to Tempel Farms since my own Young Rider days and it was great to see the farm again in a whole new capacity! I hope everyone there had the same great time I did!

I have some really cool, new and exciting news to also pass on about the USDF National Convention and Symposium... which is that the USEF coaching staff has been asked to teach the 2011 Symposium in San Diego! Mark you calendars for it the weekend of December 2nd-4th. The instructors for the 2011 USDF National Convention Symposium will be:
Scott Hassler - USEF Young Horse Trainer
Debbie McDonald - USEF Developing Horse Trainer
Jeremy Steinberg - USEF Youth Trainer
Anne Gribbons - USEF Team Trainer/Technical Advisor
Everyone at USEF and USDF is VERY excited about the Symposium and can’t wait!!!

All the horses here at home are all doing well and everyone seems to be ramping up for our show season. The barn is great, the sun has been out, the grass is growing and the trees are blooming. The days are getting longer and SPRING IS IN THE AIR! YAAAAAAAA!

long time no blog!

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:24:29 -0700

Well, it’s been a while! Over 6 weeks since my last blog...

Things have been so busy I just haven’t had a chance to update anything in a while! The BRIEF rundown of the last few weeks is this:
- We decided not to go to California this spring so we could focus on the horses and barn here at home. With how busy things are right now and how good all the horses are going, it just didn’t make sense to disrupt the flow!
- We have outlined and sent out our tentative show schedule for the summer for Steinberg-Bryant Dressage. Let me know if you were not on that mailing list and or want to know where we will be at!
- I traveled to West Palm Beach for the Palm Beach Derby as my first official role as USEF Youth Coach. The trip went great and we covered a lot of ground about the future of the porgram. There are a couple of very exciting things in store that I will pass on as they come to be!
- I will be teaching the Region 2 USDF Platinum Performance Jr/YR clinic at Temple Farm this coming weekend in my first official “teaching” role as USEF Youth Coach. USDF has been working to incorporate the USEF Youth Coach into their already up and running clinic series and is the FIRST TIMES USEF and USDF are working together in such a way which EVERYONE at both organizations is VERY proud and excited about!
- The horses in the barn have been FANTASTIC lately and both Shauntel and I are VERY excited about all of them! Thomas has been going better than every and will definitely make his PSG debut this summer at some point. I will take him to the first few shows just to get him out and make sure he is secure before I take him in a test. He is starting into all the GP movements and is giving me hints of what is to come! Watch out London! Harmony is going to be doing the FEI 5yr old tests with the thought of taking her to the National Championships later in the summer along with also making her 3rd level debut! Not bad for a 5 year old!!! She has been fantastic! I took over the ride on Sandi’s horse Drambuie and he is turning out to be a very talented guy in and of his own right! He has started some half steps and is already doing clean easy flying changes so we’ll have to see where he gets to for the summer shows.... I think Sandi and I might be fighting over who gets to show him! :-) Shauntel’s horse Celene is coming along very well also and will probably be doing 2nd and 3rd this year...
- A lot of people have asked me about what Dona Flor is up to these days and she is at Maggi’s getting fat! We have been going back and forth for the last 6 months about breeding her once and seeing what she would produce and we just decided to do it sooner in her career than later. She has been coming along in her training well and is doing her changes, pirouettes, half-passes and half steps, but is such a fantasic mare that both Shauntel and I wanted to know what she would pass on to a next generation. We had VERY mixed feelings about breeding her as I really didn’t want to give up my own riding horse, but with Sandi and Kevin’s generosity, I have horses to ride and am set in that regard so we figured now is the best time to give it a try and see what we get! I don’t know if it is a great idea or not to disrupt her training and riding career, but I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am about having a baby out of her! We LOVE her so much that we want MORE Dona Flors!
- The barn is fantastic and FULL! Spring is in the air and the trees in the Park are just starting to show signs of life again! The sun has been out the last few days and everyone is smiling!

OK, I think that’s it for now... Let me know if I forgot anything! I promise I be better about staying in touch!
Jeremy

oops!

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 23:46:53 -0800

I accidentally erased the horses photos out of their photos albums... I have been getting ready for a computer upgrade and starting to move files. I will have it fixed in a day or two! My bad!!!
J

USEF annual meeting and the jan brink clinic

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:57:38 -0800

We just wrapped up having Jan Brink at KGF for 5 days and really had a great time. We had great rides in the clinic and a great visit with him over all. He is a working machine from the sounds of things both at home and when he’s on the road. He was high energy, eloquent, rode a ton of the horses and just over all a pleasure to have around. It was too bad he couldn’t stay longer! He said he enjoyed teaching everyone and thought the group of people were fantastic. He said we ran our business with the same family type atmosphere he does at home and felt very at ease with everyone. We are hoping to have him back before the end of the year, so stay tuned!

I’ve been at the USEF annual meeting/convention in Lexington since dropping Jan off at the airport on Tuesday. Friday I am headed to Aspen, CO for a clinic and then home Sunday night. It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks! I am here in Lexington just finalizing my job duties with USEF as Youth Coach and things are looking great. Everyone seems very excited about the new program so that is super!

Otherwise the horses are well and things are moving along. Shauntel is home taking care of everything and holding down the fort! I am so lucky to have her!

Stay in touch everyone!
Jeremy

Happy New Year

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 21:36:25 -0800

~ * HAPPY NEW YEAR! * ~
Happy New Year to one and all, Here’s to a fantastic 2011! We wish everyone the best this holiday season and wish we could personally say THANK YOU to everyone we know who are a part of our lives for BEING a part of our lives! We have had a very good Holiday Season here at KGF Equestrian and Steinberg-Bryant Dressage... Many laughs, superb dinners and great times with amazing friends who we LOVE!

As 2010 winds to a close tonight I am looking forward to 2011 with some great expectations and high hopes, but very fond memories from 2010. Each year seems to bring more joy and happiness to my life and for that I am forever grateful! I love my horses more than ever, our barn and sponsors KGF Equestrian Center (Sandi & Kevin Fortun) and my beautiful partner Shauntel Bryant who is the light of my life whether I tell her enough or not! :-) She is everything to me and I couldn’t be doing this without her!

The weather the last couple of days has been very chilly here in Kirkland, but the horses have all been fantastic! My two amazing partners Thomas and Dona Flor have been working their butts off these days and have no idea there is a holiday afoot! I have been home the last 2 weekends with the normal seasonal down time and have been loving the extra riding time that has afforded me! My horses on the other hand are probably wanting a day off! Luckily for them I am back to work this weekend and they will have their normal weekend off. It’s been such a joy to live like a normal person and not worry about riding my normal Monday-Friday regime, flying out of town Friday afternoon and then have to drag my tired rear end out of bed on Monday morning to start it all over again! I rode at my leisure the last 2 weeks, which actually ended up being every day with a couple of trail rides through the park thrown in. I forced myself to give the horses last Sunday off as Shauntel was out of town with her family and I was home alone for the day. I wanted to go to an early morning breakfast in downtown Seattle with friends and do some day after Christmas shopping....it WAS the Nordstrom’s Mens sale after all! Even though I didn’t buy anything, we had a great breakfast at Cafe Campagne, had lunch at Lola, dinner at Lucia and even managed to sneak a movie in before the night was over!

I also had a birthday in December and a nice party at The Matador! Thanks everyone for the nice thoughts, cards and facebook messages! I wish I had 10 birthdays a year!!! We had a blast at Matador and a very fun week of festivities! Hopefully THIS set of birthday clogs (a present from Shauntel) our dog Bella will keep her mouth off of!!! :-) Why is it she has eaten MY favorite pairs of shoes and not Shauntel’s???

Anyway, Happy New Year Everyone!
Cheers!
Jeremy

Jan Brink Info:
Tentative ride times for the Jan Brink clinic are posted at www.Steinberg-BryantDressage.com! We hope to see everyone at the clinic whether auditing or riding! You are all invited! More auditing information can be found at www.KGFequestriancenter.com or by contacting Sandi Fortun at SandiFortun@me.com.

Happy holidays!

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 21:19:03 -0800

Hi Everyone! Happy Holidays!

I can’t believe another year has almost passed us by! Hanukkah has come and gone, Christmas is Saturday and New Years is just around the corner. Hopefully there will be another Tami and Jenn/Starfire New Year’s Party this year for our annual clinic... I’ll let you know!

Thanksgiving was celebrated wtih good friends and we were very grateful for fantastic friends, super food and an all around amazing evening. The turkey was the best ever thanks to Lynda and Randy and the gravy was totally fine! :-)

The horses have been out of this world the last few weeks:
-Dona Flor got some time off with a little scare of a possible fractured bone chip piece of something off her hip which ended up turning out to be nothing, but got two weeks of stall rest none-the-less! Oh Well! At least she hasn’t been getting OVER worked! :-) Other than that little set back, she has been great. I don’t really know what it is about that horse, but she is like my little soul mate. I probably am way to easy and way too hard on her all at the same time... Her training has slowed down through the summer because of some body problems that I am way too sensitive to since I am always giving her the benefit of the doubt as she is my golden child! She is not stagnating however and is cruising along training... I adore riding her every day, but let’s just say some days are more “dressage productive” than others! We went for a long trail ride through the park on Saturday (I had a clinic cancelation this weekend due to weather) and I honestly probably could have stayed out there all day! I enjoy her company more than some of my friends... she NEVER expects a return call or email! :-) Bahahaha!!!

-Thomas has kicked into a gear I didn’t even know he had! I don’t really know how to describe the transition he’s gone through or how good he’s been. I don’t know what happened, but he has put his game face on and is all business. He impresses me every day at how he learns. He’s one of those horses that all he needs to do is get the concept of something and it’s like he “knows” it and has known it forever. He reminds me more and more of Parocco every day and is filling that little place in my heart that has been empty ever since he retired. The piaffe/passage work is coming along faster than I would have thought which is making me put more and more emphasis on the flying changes which are a little behind. If the changes “click” the way the piaffe/passage work has I see a Grand Prix in the near future for him! The pirouettes won’t be any problem, but still need some time and strength but everything is well on track for him for him! He is getting me excited to show again!

-Harmony is still under Shauntel’s tutelage and better than every. She had a lesson the other day on her and I don’t think I’ve every seen her move and work so well. She’s turning 5 this coming year and is already working her changes, counter canter, half-passes and has started some very “baby” half-steps which have been amazing. I still can’t believe she is only a 4yr old!!! Nothing in the work upsets her and she “brings it” every day!

-Celene is coming along much like Harmony. Nothing throws that horse and like Harmony brings her game to the arena EVERY day! Some of the flying changes she did last week made her look like a going PSG horse!

-Drambuie is Sandi’s Friesian gelding that has been back to work a few months now and is cuter than ever!!! Shauntel has been riding him as he has been coming back to work, but I think I might get on him one of these days...He’s adorable!

Otherwise all the other training horses in the barn are great....all our freinds/clients are doing a fantastic job training their horses and we are forever proud! Cheryl, Taryn, Sam, Anna, Kecia, Laurie, Marcia, Trinj, Pat, Indra, Darrell, Caitlyn, Lynda, Karen, Shaun, Ashleigh, Brynn, Maris, Dori, Courtney, Ruth, Doug, Lisa... I know I am leaving some of the regulars out, but we are forever proud of you EVERYONE! You are doing AWESOME, you guys ROCK!

Kim von Hopffgarten came for a visit a few weeks back with her horse Louie which was a fun couple of days. It was great to see Kim out and about with her horse and to have a couple of nice dinners catching up and visiting!

Hopefully everyone has seen that Jan Brink is coming in January... we’d love to see you audit! I’ll get a riders list up in the next couple of days so you can see who will be riding.

I hope everyone has a nice Christmas week this week, gets a well deserved day off and enjoys the season!
J

Jan Brink and added photo albums

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 08:54:21 -0800

* Happy Thanksgiving *

Some of you already know, but we have very exciting news to share... Jan Brink is coming to KGF Equestrian Center on January 15th - 17th for a 3 day clinic. I was very impressed with Jan when I rode with him at the USDF Instructors Clinic in Sacramento and have been working on getting him to Seattle ever since. More auditing info to follow in the next couple of days so stay tuned! The clinic will be a GREAT start to the new year and we look forward to it!!!

We have also been hard at work on the website and have updated most of the horses profiles. We have started their own personal photo albums that you can link to from the horses own pages as well as to videos of them working! Check it out by clicking on “The Horses” page or by clicking the link here. If you go to the horses page, click on the horse you want to read more about, you’ll see links at the bottom of their bio that will take you to photos and videos if they have any!

We keep trying to make the website more of an experience for you to stay a while and enjoy so let us know if we can do or add anything for you!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!
J

beautiful november day

Wed, 3 Nov 2010 21:32:53 -0700

It was 70 degrees today and it’s the 3rd of November! It was absolutly fantastic! We rode in the ourdoor at KGF on the new fantastic Pinnicle footing, cooled out in Bridle Trails and just plain old enjoyed the weather today...ALL day! The day was Heaven sent! It is supposed to be even warmer tomorrow...
J

new kgf website

Tue, 2 Nov 2010 21:14:48 -0700

Check out the new KGF Equestrian Center website at:
www.kgfequestrian.com

all is quiet on the western front

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 22:42:45 -0700

Actually, things have been a zoo! Let me think... WEG was a whirlwind with work and meetings all week, there was no time to really relax and enjoy the Games! The horses looked fantastic and it was fun to get a chance to catch up with everyone both in the stands and behind the scenes! When we got home from WEG it was full speed ahead catching up with everything and everyone that we missed.

The horses have all been going great! Shauntel and I are really having fun with everyone and everything! Celene our littlest and youngest of the bunch got to have a little R & R since the championships and just get caught up on her growing and eating! I guess a 4yr old that does her changes, half passes, passages a tiny little bit already is not doing too bad for her age! :-)

Harmony our second youngest of the crew who is owned by Sandi Fortun is doing just as well and I honestly can’t believe how far along Shauntel has brought her in such a short period of time. I still can’t bring myself to take her back from Shauntel. She is going fantastically well! 3rd level will not be a problem for her next year!!!

Dona Flor couldn’t be better and I love her more than every! She is growing up to be a very gorgeous, very awesome girl! She is definitely the most spoiled of the bunch and has become a huge part of our little family. I gave her a very easy end of the summer as she was growing and awkward, but seems to be on the other side of that and is back to full work. Shauntel has ridden her also over the last couple weeks and we did some pirouettes with her last week that were AWESOME! It was so great for me to be able to see her work with Shauntel and see for my own eyes what a beautiful horse she has turned into! We did some half steps with her too while Shauntel was on her and all I have to say is...WOW!

Thomas, also one of Sandi’s, the newest addition to our gang has been fantastic. I am staying cautiously optimistic about him for next year, but have very high hopes! I will post a video of him soon, but he gets better and better each week, so I have been waiting. I’ll keep you posted...

The barn is great, construction finished and the new outdoor arena footing is heavenly! The added paddocks have made the last few days of summer enjoyable for our crew of horses as they are able to be out half the day now catching the last few rays of sun for the year. Trees are starting to lose branches and the last of their leaves. It’s been beautiful and is such a gift to have at our back door! Dona Flor and I took the long ring around the Park the other day on the last 70 degree day we had. It’s about an hour and half long ride around the entire ridge of the park if she is walking slow and we totally enjoyed ourselves.

OK, that’s all for now...
J