Monday, August 8, 2011 at 11:24AM 
Congratulations to riders Caroline, Renner, Isabella, Lydia and Zoe on the completion of a fabulous week at Eventing Camp! We focused on dressage, field work, cantering in open spaces, complex jumping lines and more! Everyone rode SO well, and the horses behaved at their best. Thank you to everyone for braving the warm weather and crazy Friday storm! See you all in the Fall! Check out photos HERE.
Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 09:47AM Hello everyone! I hope you are enjoying your summer and staying coooool. We are gearing up at the farm for our Intermediate Eventing Camp the first week in August, as well as getting ready for the start of our regular riding season. We have several new horses to welcome to our herd, and as always, some "summer house cleaning" projects that have taken place. Additionally, I have updated our site with new photos from the last year, dates, details, and more.
"Commitment-to-Ride" Letters have been sent out via email. Please confirm the details for your rider by July 29, or I will assume you don't want the spot and it will opened up to a rider on our waiting list. Below are some other notes regarding the lesson season...
Monthly Tuition & Payment Policies
- Monthly tuition is $195/month and is due on the FIRST lesson of each month
- A $25 late fee will be applied to all tuition payments that are not received by the 14th of each month. Every late fee is counted as a tax deductible donation to Mitey Riders.
- Payment can be made via check (made out to Misty Meadows) that is dropped at the farm, mailed or through AutoPay online with your bank.
The Stirrup Program
If you have not participated in the Stirrup Program for your rider, you have an opportunity to do so again this year. Having riders with their own stirrups really expedited the mounting process for classes this year, and gave riders more time in the saddle. Cost for this program is a one-time fee of $100. Please email me if you would like to have a set of stirrups purchased for your rider.
Important dates:
- There will be NO lessons on the following days due to holidays or school breaks:
> December 26 & 27
> January 2 & 3
> February 13 & 14
> April 2 & 3
- Halloween Gymkhana Week: October 24 & 25
- Spring Horse Show: Saturday, May 12*
- Friends&Family Week: May 14 & 15
- Last Week of Classes: May 21 & 22
*Subject to change
As we move away from summer and into our next season, please help me by reviewing our farm policies:
- Lessons may be canceled due to inclement weather (storms) or temps below 32 or above 94. You will be contacted directly in the event of a cancellation.
- Make-up lessons are not allowed unless cancelled by the farm.
- No running, screaming or other disturbance that might affect the horses or one's safety.
- Absolutely NO riders are allowed in the horse pastures without an instructor or the direct permission from an instructor.
- Please help keep our main office clean and organized by throwing away all "after school snack" trash and putting away all toys.
- If equipment (helmets, boots, etc) is borrowed from the farm, please return it to the appropriate place when done.
- As always, I expect good horsemanship and sportsmanship from all riders; poor conduct will result in riders being removed from the program after conference with parent(s).
Thank you - and I look forward to another GREAT year!!
Sunday, January 9, 2011 at 01:11PM It is that time of year again! And on the eve of what is supposed to be yet another snow storm and cold snap in the South, I thought it would be 'warming' to post information on our 2011 Spring Horse Show at Misty Meadows Farm. Here are the details, and be sure to download the correct form for your rider!
Date: Saturday, May 14, 2011
Time: Level 1 Riders begin at 9:00am; Level 2 Riders begin approx 12 noon
Cost: $40 per rider
Level 1: All riders who participate in a 3:30-5:00pm weekly lesson
Level 2: All riders who participate in a 5:00-6:30pm weekly lesson
> CLICK HERE to Download the LEVEL 1 Registration Form
> CLICK HERE to Download the LEVEL 2 Registration Form
Registration forms are due NO LATER THAN TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2011!
All riders are invited - and encouraged - to participate in the Spring Horse Show. The event will be casual and fun, giving all riders an opportunity to show off their riding and horsemanship skills for their families, friends and fellow equestrians.
Riders may choose to compete in as few or as many classes as they wish, and the classes are designed to give them the best possible opportunity to be comfortable and showcase their best selves.
More information to follow as we get closer to Spring!
Sunday, December 19, 2010 at 09:18AM With the extreme cold, I know lesson schedules have been a little nuts as of late. Please note that all make-up lessons due to weather cancellations will be held in May.
We DO have regularly scheduled lessons this week - 12/20 and 12/21 - and... it looks as though the weather is going to warm up just a bit for us!
Please contact me as soon as possible if you are out of town and are unable to attend.
Also, we will NOT have lessons the following week - 12/28 and 12/28 - in observance of the Christmas and New Years holiday.
We will RESUME lessons in the new year on 1/3 and 1/4.
See everyone soon!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 10:34PM 
A huge THANK YOU to all of the riders and families who made our Halloween Gymkhana week a big, fun, CREATIVE success!! Its always good to break out of our normal riding schedule and have some fun, so Im grateful for the level of participation that occurred in lessons this week. Its also great to see more family members out visiting the farm - AND - the rain held off!
CLICK HERE for photos from the week or check out our Facebook page!
If you have photos you want to share, please submit to me on disc or email. Thanks!
Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 11:50AM Hello all MM.JR.EQ. riders and families! The season is off to a great start, and I wanted to thank everyone for really trying their best right out of the gate! As we move through Fall, my hope is to continue a solid educational curriculum, with a lot of *fun* thrown in between. To start that *fun* off right, I wanted to introduce our next special event: The Halloween Gymkhana.
This year's Halloween Gymkhana will take place during lessons on Monday OCTOBER 25 and Tuesday OCTOBER 26!**
A "gymkhana" refers to an equestrian event made up entirely of games on horseback, and to make this one even more interesting, we are going to add a Halloween twist. Below are the details and guidelines for this event.
**Please note: The Halloween Gymkhana event will take place DURING YOUR RIDER'S REGULARLY SCHEDULED LESSON. While most gymkhana events are held on a separate day - much like an official horse show - we are going to adjust the format to suit our weekly lessons instead. Prizes and treats* will be awarded to all participants. (*All allergies will be considered.)
Rules & Guidelines:
• All riders/parents need to e-mail me their TOP 3 horse choices for the day by FRI OCT 15!
• All riders will find out their horse assignment for the Gymkhana event by TUES OCT 19!
• All riders may* come in costume (but MUST be able to have boots, pants AND helmet on!)
• All riders may* bring "costume" elements for their horse
> Can only include that which can attach to bridle, saddle, pad or safety rope
> May not take longer than 10 minutes to "dress" horse up
> May not take longer than 5 minutes to "undress" horse before next lesson
> May not include painting directly on the horses!
> May not include *heavy* items or elements that make lots of noise!
• All riders WILL be riding with bareback saddles
• Riders may arrive up to 20 minutes early for their lesson to "get dressed" or watch others
• Riders may "team up" with other riders in their class for costumes
• THERE IS NO COST for your rider to participate in this event
• Parents and other guests are welcome to watch and/or participate (unmounted)
(*Costumes are optional)
Games we might play include:
• Sit-A-Buck
• Relay Races
• Red-Light, Green-Light
• Cloverleaf
• …and more!
Click HERE to see some photos from the 2009 Halloween Gymkhana!
Please feel free to contact me with any questions!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 10:14AM This August we held the first-ever 'Intro to Eventing Camp' at Misty Meadows Farm! The week was a success, with all 6 riders having clean cross-country courses and stellar dressage tests at our mock-trial on the last day. Thanks to every rider, every horse and every parent who made the week so much fun!
;)
P.S. More photos to come when I am able to steal them off of Jami's and Sarah's cameras...? *pretty please* :)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 08:18AM Attention 2010-2011 Rider Families -- this is just a reminder email to send in your paperwork and first month tuition for the 2010-2011 Riding Lesson Season at Misty Meadows via snail mail by September 1st.
Send to:
Misty Meadows Farm
Attention: ERICA
455 Providence Road South
Waxhaw, NC 28173
If you will be at or near the farm before Sept 1, you can drop the forms off, rather than putting them in the mail.
The first days of lessons will be: Tues, Sept 7th for all Tuesday riders and Wed, Sept 8th for all Monday riders (due to the Labor Day holiday). The following week - Sept 13 & 14 - will be our normal Monday/Tuesday lesson schedule.
There are several new policies and programs for the upcoming season. Please read the packet carefully for all updated information regarding:
• "No Call" Cancellations
• Late fees
• The Stirrup Program
• New options for equipment and rider gear
Additionally, many updates have been made to our website - check back often throughout the season for info on the program, special events, new horses, rider accomplishments and more!
Saturday, July 31, 2010 at 06:04PM As we approach August (tomorrow!), we are just a month away from the start of a new riding season! This coming week, Registration Packets, Gear Catalogs and other info will be emailed out to all rider families. Also, content updates have been made to this web site with lots of great info for the coming year.
I hope everyone has a fun (and cooler!) August!
Monday, July 5, 2010 at 01:58PM Hello Misty Meadow Families!
I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July weekend - and enjoyed the amazing weather we had!
I am writing to you today to tell you about National Helmet Awareness Day, taking place Saturday, July 10th across the globe. The Riders4Helmets Campaign (www.riders4helmets.com) was founded by Jeri Bryant and SUCCEED® Digestive Conditioning Program®. SUCCEED® is a long-time sponsor of US Olympic Dressage rider Courtney King-Dye who suffered a serious head injury in March 2010 and remained in a coma for a month following the accident. Courtney was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and is currently undergoing rehabilitation.
In addition to the risks associated to falling when not wearing a helmet, I feel strongly that helmets should be replaced every couple of years - especially when they belong to junior riders who may drop them on concrete floors (such as the barn aisle), toss them into closets or otherwise be a bit rough on them. If a rider's helmet shows any sign of wear, cracks (I've seen some on riders' helmets at MM!), missing parts or flexibility, I strongly urge you to purchase a new helmet for your rider as we look towards the next riding season at Misty Meadows Farm.
I know - especially over the summer - there are opportunities on vacation for riders to take trail rides, or ride on the beach, at resorts and other destinations. I also know it is common to see riders without helmets when riding Western, or "just jumping on for a minute…". Please encourage your kids to wear helmets no matter what, and I will be doing everything I can as their instructor to set the same example.
I will be observing National Helmet Awareness Day on July 10th, and will be supporting the Riders4Helmets campaign from here on out. In support of this day and this campaign, many retailers are offering discounts on new helmet purchases on July 10th only -- check them out below!
> CLICK HERE for a list of retailers (local and online) who are offering discounts on helmet purchases on July 10th ONLY!
As an instructor and a rider, I will continue to reinforce the importance of wearing helmets every time someone is on a horse, including myself. Please consider replacing your rider's helmet - not only in honor of National Helmet Awareness Day - but also at a time when you can get a great discount!
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions --
Erica
P.S. Check out the Riders4Helmets campaign online: www.riders4helmets.com -- there is a LOT of great information!
