Small Business Woes...

Amidst the unfortunate circumstances of the current social and economical disaster of COVID 19 we are hopeful to resume “business as usual” soon. With that in mind and spring seemingly having sprung early, we are dusting off the proverbial cob webs and making some changes to the lesson payment structures and payment terms. As a small business, cash flow is the life line that flows from offering a variety of payment options. Unfortunately as a small business it is becoming increasingly difficult to absorb the fees associated with these options. We understand that credit cards are an integral part of our modern day existence and will continue to offer this method of payment however, the 3% fees associated with this service will be reflected as a convenience fee in the price of the respective service provided. To save this 3% convenience fee, we will continue to accept cash, personal checks or ApplePay.

The second change to the lesson payment structure stems from upcoming monthly checking account transaction limitations imposed by banks. In light of this we will no longer be offering payment for individual lessons with the exception of an initial assessment lesson for new customers. Lesson package purchase options are as follows:

Beginner Package of 2 lessons $80

Group Package of 4 lessons $200

Private Package of 4 lessons $240

PLEASE BE REMINDED THAT ALL PACKAGES ARE TO BE PREPAID, due with the first lesson of that package being purchased. When all prepaid lessons have been taken you’ll be sent a “receipt” for your verification and records. A $5 late fee per lesson will apply to all unpaid balances. Boarders will receive a $5 per group lesson discount when that package is pre-paid with their respective board payment. The above changes are effective April 1, 2020.

We thank you for your continued support and understanding. Here’s to everyone weathering these trying times in good health and hoping to see you all back at the barn soon!

COVID 19 Update...

With the state wide “Stay at Home” Directive implemented as of midnight tonight we wanted to give everyone an update as they relate to our equine activities. Our daily routine of feeding, cleaning, turn out for our horses will not change. At this time our doors will remain open (literally) with the following changes in mind:

Crossties will no longer be utilized, please tack and untack in respective stalls only. Grooming supplies, tack and bathroom area will be disinfected daily by barn staff. EVERYONE is required to disinfectant their respective area used before and after their ride, i.e. spray down anything you touch including bathroom doors and handles, stall doors, brushes, halters, bridles, saddles, etc. Disinfectant bottles will be supplied and clearly marked in each barn. To promote less traffic and social distancing, all tack trunks have been moved temporarily from the tack room to the isleway.

IF ANYONE DOES NOT FEEL WELL IN ANY WAY PLEASE DO NOT COME TO THE BARN! Better safe than sorry…

We want to continue to be able to allow everyone to spend time with their horse but please be aware that at least for the time being ALL VISITS TO THE BARN MUST BE SCHEDULED (via email or text please)! Staggering visitations and strict time limits throughout the day will allow us to socially distance ourselves and give equal opportunity for all us to unwind and spend quality time with our horses! Spring has arrived, let’s enjoy the fresh air of the farm together but responsibly!

WEC #12 Wrap Up...

Looks like we will be heading back to the Kentucky Horse Park in October for the 2020 Equitation Finals!!!  A HUGE congratulations to the Sport Horse Equitation Ladies for their qualifying last week. Playboy and Pam secured their finals spot with the 2nd placing in the THIS Adult Medal, Sandro and Aila with their 1st placing in the 3’3” NHS Medal. Awesome job ladies! The duo of Theo and Madi snatched a 7th place ribbon in their Non-Pro Hunter Classes, a definite feat for their first team effort at a rated show! CONGRATS to all and enjoy the show…

WEC Stall Reservations...

As some of you are already aware, it’s becoming more difficult to plan horse showing at the ever popular World Equestrian Center. Stalls sell out rather quickly and for good reasons… The facility is amazing and this time of year there aren’t any “reasonably priced” alternatives. Based on your participation interests of several weeks ago we arranged for 8 stalls during the Winter Classic #20 Show (April 22-26) which will need to be secured with payments for those stalls as soon as possible. Their stall reservation policy states stalls have to be paid 3 weeks in advance of the show, however reservations and consequent payments are obviously accepted earlier. It now appears as if we have more participation interest than stalls, unfortunately Winter Classic #20 is sold out and late cancelations are not anticipated since it’s the last show of the winter series, with circuit awards, etc. We will mail in stall checks for everyone who is interested in attending, however we may be stuck with only 8. With this in mind we have added the Winter Classic #15 (March 18-22) which as of today stalls are still available. Time is of the essence so due diligence requires dropping a stall check of $100 made payable to Arena Horse Shows ASAP in either payment boxes of the barn so that we may solidify plans accordingly!

WEC #7 Wrap Up...

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What an amazing time it’s been this past week in Wilmington at the World Equestrian Center.

The new equipment ran as we hoped it would, without a hitch and delivered everyone ready for action (and maybe some shananigans…)!

The facility continues to impress, adding more stalls, indoor arenas and it’s own Starbucks being built as we speak.

The Paddock Club stepped up it’s game with their selection of local brewery beer and an exceptional upscale menu that we took advantage of every night!

The sold out crowd of this week made for some stiff competition.

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The days started early and ran late but the Sport Horse Crew and the horses rose to the occasion in the Beginners, Hunters, Equitation and Jumper rings. Congrats to all the riders, our fearless leader and the cheerleaders who came to support.

It was impossible to capture all the moments by one person but almost everyone was videoing and snapping pictures. For the ease of sharing, please consider uploading those memories for all to enjoy via the Sport Horse Events FaceBook page.

Here’s to great destinations, company and memories! Until next time…

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Equitation October 2019 Wrap Up...

What better way to finish off the 2019 show season than to host a Michael Henaghan Clinic AND participate in the National Horse Show Equitation Finals?!?! Well, we can’t think of anything better so we attended both :)

The clinic was spectacular, Mike always finds a way to challenge every level of rider with his wealth of horsemanship and enthusiasm. It was a pleasure to have him assist our team and we are planning on having him return early 2020. Stay tuned for further details…

Our Equitation Ladies rocked at National Equitation Finals last weekend. Despite a couple of mistakes that kept them out of the ribbons it was a nail biting good time and nothing short of motivating. Both finished their rounds with true grit and style enjoying their journey nonetheless. Thank you to our awesome cheering section and a huge congrats to Aila & Sandro for their top 10 finish in their respective age group equitation class as well as a hats off to Pam & Playboy for completing their first finals together. After a much needed short break we are planning on kicking the 2020 show season off next month at WEC in December. Equitation Finals 2020 is on the horizon…

And now without further ado, enjoy the highlights of this past weekend…






Midwest Indoor Shows 2019...

It’s no surprise that WEC is on our radar. With the local circuit winding down it’s time to head to Wilmington, OH for a great venue with great footing and climate controlled indoor comfort no matter what mother nature throws at us. If you’ve never experienced it before, it’s time to check it out and join us for some fun! Mark your calendars for October 2-6 and November 13-17, the October prize lists is enclosed below for your browsing pleasure. The November prize list is apparently still under construction, we will keep you posted when it has been published.

Happy planning y’all :)

Autumn is almost here....

But that’s not going to slow us down much. As a matter of fact, the remainder of September and October are CRAZY busy, good thing those Pumpkin Spice Latte’s have returned :)

The beginning of fall will commence with the semi-annual Vaccine and Wellness Day scheduled for September 24th. Healthy horses make our world go round!!!

We are SUPER excited at the return of the infamous clinicians Bill Richey (October 12 & 13) and Mike Henaghan (October 19 & 20), all in the same month! From walking your horse through smoke, sirens and fire to progressing your horsemanship skills with advanced flatwork and jumping exercises, what great opportunities to expand your knowledge and skills!

September will finalize the local schooling show circuit for the year with the Wild Air Show of the 28th and 29th in Zionsville. October will mark the opening of the fall and winter series at the World Equestrian Center in Wilmington OH followed by the much anticipated Equitation Finals of 2019, hosted at the Kentucky Horse Park the end of October/beginning of November.

And if that wasn’t enough we wanted to throw in a much needed Sport Horse Barn Party. Lots of new faces to meet and greet, what better way than over a beer, brat and fire pit night?!

So… Stay tuned for all the nitty gritty details, coming to you via a new blog directly to your inbox :)

IHJA Annual Show 2019 Wrap Up (finally)...

Ya’ll rocked it, in EVERY way and on EVERY level! With 15 horses representing our fearless leader, not a single class was missed, not a single tear was shed and the assortment of videos and pictures speak volumes of the results of our team work. Unfortunately with the amount of rounds ridden, it was impossible to be in so many places at the same time to capture everyone so a huge shout out for all the shared memories.

Thank you all who participated, cheered and supported, we are looking forward to the next show! Now without further delay, enjoy…

Thank you All!

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Amazing how time flies…. It’s been an entire month since we’ve attended the Annual IHJA Show and I am just completing this blog! It may have been the vacation right after the show that sidelined my progress, I had every intention of catching up on reading and paperwork (didn’t happen). Or maybe it was the days trying to catch up after our return, more likely it was a healthy combination of both.

In any case, we would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to all of you for giving us that time of doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING but sit on the wonderful shores of Lake Michigan. Thanks to your support and team work we did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING and enjoyed ourselves immensely!

Our excitement for the day was watching the Ferry criss cross the channel between Lake Muskegon and Lake Michigan…

For anyone who has not been, we HIGHLY recommend it…

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RMS Horse Show Wrap Up...

What better way to spend a hot holiday weekend in July than to roam around the lush green acres of the Kentucky Horse Park?! We had sand, we had water AND we had horses. FABULOUS horses!!! And the riders weren’t bad either 🤣

Sandro and Brian started the weekend off with their 6, 7 and 9th placing in the Low 3’ Hunters, Aila and Sandro finished the weekend placing 4th in her respective NHS 3’3” Medal Class (he did have a baby moment and stopped at one fence) and 7th in the Robert Murphy Memorial Classic. The dynamic Playboy and Pam duo finished 3rd in the Adult EQ over fences, 2nd on the flat and 5th in the ARIAT Adult Medal. Nicolas worked diligently to secure a ribbon in the Schooling and Low Child/Adult Jumpers with Heartrock, and despite some rider and horse errors managed to get a 7th ribbon. Last but no least the duo of Aila and Apollo took home 2 4ths and a 5th in their respective Schooling and Low/Child Adult Jumper classes. It was an awesome performance for all and a great birthday present to our fearless leader Brian!

Now without further ado enjoy the eye candy we managed to capture… 👀


Until next time…

Kentucky Endeavors...

Entries for the Robert Murphy Stable Horse Show July 4-7 are due in a couple of weeks and reservations at the local campground/hotels are highly recommended due to the holiday weekend! If you’re wanting to venture to a rated show at a beautiful facility, this is your opportunity. The Kentucky Horse Park offers ample grounds for your showing and riding pleasure, the cross country course is nothing short of spectacular! Please let us know of your intentions to show in the next week so traveling arrangements can be made.

Happy show planning everyone!!!

Horse Show Show Wrap Up...

It was the first schooling show of 2019 , coupled with some new duos and horses that haven’t been off the farm since last summer made for an “interesting” show. Despite some “shaky” beginnings, the end results were very good!

For his first time off the farm and his first time showing, Bigz made it quite clear that he was not impressed with the show grounds or our showing plans by exiting stage left and running up the hill back to the stalls, twice. After some vigorous “horse whispering” by our fearless leader Brian and a vigorous schooling ride by the fearless Nicolas, Bigz and Kendyl managed a 2nd and 4th out of their jumper classes.

Red may not have had the chance to run for the hills but definitely didn’t want to play once he witnessed the judge’s tent blowing over in the afternoon winds. A schooling ride by Aila saved the day and managed to give Madi the opportunity to place 5th and 6th in the Beginner Rider Hunter Division and the new combo of Red and Alice got two 5ths in the Mini Hunter Division.

Dante rocked his first show with Nessa with their 1st, 3rd and 4th in the Mini Hunters, and the other new duo of Bubba and Nicolas placed 1st two times, 2nd two times and a one 3rd in the Children’s Hunter Division. Lightning and Brian placed 2nd in their jumper class Saturday and had to scratch showing Sunday due to a swollen back leg. Unfortunately Sandro was not scheduled to show until Sunday, the weather had turned windy/rainy and he did not finish his course. It was a voluntary withdraw, there was no point in pushing when his progress has made such huge strides recently. Sometimes it’s best to save it for another day and another show!

Good job everyone, looking forward to next time!!!

Wash Rack Etiquette...

As most of you have been to the barn on a regular basis and have seen the completion of the indoor wash rack, please not the signs of “No Mud”, “No Sand”, “Just Sweat”. The water from this wash rack drains into the septic tank (a rather unfortunate set up), all this means is that the mud will drain the clog and the sand will ruin the finger system of the septic tank leaving us without a bathroom in the future. Please utilize the outdoor wash rack for the dirtiest/sandiest of jobs, your barn owner will thank you for it :)