Eventing Camp 2012!

Registration is now open for the JR.EQ. Eventing Camp, to be held June 11-15, 2012! The camp will take place daily from 12:30pm-4:30pm, Monday through Friday. During this week of intensive Eventing Camp, riders will learn and strengthen skills that are the foundation elements for fun, safe and successful eventing!

What is eventing?
Eventing could be termed an “equestrian triathlon.” It involves working with a horse both on the flat and over fences. The three phases are: dressage, endurance (or cross-country), and show jumping. Over the centuries it has developed from the test of the ideal military charger. Eventing has now evolved into an exciting sport attracting interest from all levels of sports enthusiasts, from weekend hobby riders to professional international stars.

> CLICK HERE to download the Registration Packet - only 6 spots available!

Registration is first-come, first service and must include full payment to hold spot
Please check with Erica to see if you rider is ready to participate in this level of program.

Mother-Daugther Weekend 2012!

JR.EQ. is excited to offer another Mother-Daughter Weekend Camp experience for the Summer of 2012!

Registration is now open for the weekend of June 16-17, 2012. Join us for a 2-day workshop-style camp for Mother and Daughter (daughter must be a current rider at Misty Meadows)! Share in the experience of learning mounted and unmounted skills relating to the basics of riding and horse care. Snacks and Lunch provided for each day.

> CLICK HERE to download the Registration Packet - only 5 spots available!

Registration is first-come, first-serve and must include full payment to hold spot.
A waiting list will be started in the event that interest out-weighs available spots.

Also, due to availability at the farm, our Eventing Camp will be held June 11-15, however we will make it an afternoon camp so riders can relax in the mornings having just been let out of school for the year. Registration for Eventing Camp and Pony Pals camp to come soon!

Spring 2012 Horse Show Forms Now Available!

For the fourth year, we are continuing the tradition of the Annual Spring Horse Show to be held right on the grounds of Misty Meadows Farm. The show will take place on Saturday, May 12, 2012.

>> CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE REGISTRATION FORMS

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. Overall, the show is optional, so if riders would prefer to just watch for they day, or not attend at all, they may do that too.

Registration forms are due NO LATER THAN TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012.

Some notes for Level 1 Riders:
• Level 1 refers to any rider who participates in a 3:30-5:00pm class
• Level 1 riders will begin their classes at 9:00am
• Level 1 riders may stay the rest of the day to watch Level 2 riders compete
• Level 1 riders must provide their top 3 horse choices for EACH class on the registration form

Some notes for Level 2 Riders:
• Level 2 refers to any rider who participates in a 5:00-6:30pm class
• Level 2 riders will begin at approximately 12 noon
• Level 2 riders may come early to watch and/or assist with the show
• Level 2 riders will be responsible for untacking and cooling down their horses at the end of the day
• Level 2 riders must provide their top 3 horse choices for the DAY on the registration form; each rider will be assigned one horse who they will ride for the entirety of the show

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly. Thank you!

Summer 2011 Eventing Camp

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.

Updates + Notes for 2011-2012 Season!

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!!

2011 Spring Horse Show!

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!

Winter & Holiday Schedules

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!

A GREAT Halloween Gymkhana!

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!

2010 Halloween Gymkhana Week!

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!


August Eventing Camp

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*  :)