We have had a busy late summer and fall.   Callie qualified and went to the National Pony Finals in Kentucky.  Emma and Vanessa are off to college after a fun end of summer Tahoe Meadows Barbeque.   

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Great Show at Tahoe Meadows!  Over 95 horses...that is a SNHSA record and we raised over $3700 for the Scholarship Foundation!   Congratulations to Emma C. who won the Shana E Equitation Championship and a fabulous bridle donated by CWD.  Callie on Cisco was reserve champion and these two had a great time in the medal final workoff....they had to switch horses...just like in the Maclay Medal!  

The rest of our Hunters, Megan on her new horse Vinnie, Shannon on Spyder, Jenny on Patience is a Virtue, Jena on Wedge, Yvette on Taffy, Chole on Cisco and Callie on Bubba all did well.

Our Walk trot pony kids all debuted in their first walk trot canter class.  Congrats to Maddie, Allie and Tareyn.  Tareyn was Walk Trot Champion over the 2 day show. 

Jumpers were in top form.  Lauren J was pre Training Champion, Kristi was Level 1 Champion, Mia Was Level 2 and Lauren B. was Level 4 champion over the 2 days.   Jeanette on Arthur won her jumper class and Denise on Noelle won hers.   

Many thanks to all the barns who came, Zepher Farms, Noble Ranch, Maplewood, Cloverleaf, Los Lagos from Sacramento, Rocking Horse from Granite Bay and others.  Next year we will have even more overnight stabling!

CONGRATS also to Emma for winning the Almaden YR End Medal in Watsonville....She has been working on that one for a few years!  I know an angel jumped every fence with her.  CONGRATS to Callie for qualifying for the USET Pony Medal Finals in Kentucky!

On a sadder note...our hearts go out to Jeanette who lost Arthur shortly after the Tahoe Meadows Show...he was a good one and will be sorely missed. 

     We just got back from  Twin Rivers...well "got back" is relative...as of today most of us are still laid up in Sac waiting for the snow to pass.  Congrats to Lauren J. on Cheyenne who placed 5th in Novice...new horse for her and they did great.  Ditto Vanessa on Pied Piper, super job at Beginner Novice.  Mia ran a qualified round at Preliminary and placed 9th...she is eyeing the one star at Galloway.   Kristi had a great Prelim round on Gabe.  Others who were down there included Sara, Jordan, Melanie, Denise, Lauren B. and Tamera.   Several decided not to fight the snow home and stayed down to school Cross Country another day. 

    Wendy has been teaching like mad and has moved several new customers into the barn.  Got to love those hunter ponies...they are SOOO...cute.    Mia has a pic that has her landing a jump...she is going to give it to Wendy to post with comments on her "landing a jump" tip on her blog.... we will let you know when it is up.

    Congrats to the group who went to Horse and Hound.  I know we have all been watching the reality TV show "Road to the Maclay" on Animal Planet (wed 8:00) and the girls at the show felt just like the kids on the TV series.   Callie was show champion in her Eq and in her Pony Division, Emma was Reserve Champion in her Eq, Jeanette and Shannon did great...way to go!

More at Wendy's blog  and bigger pics too!

    Eventers have been out to a couple of events already, Ram Tap and Gallloway.  9 went to the event last weekend at RamTap.  They have beefed up the course and we had a typical early season result....lots of the horses and riders were rusty!   We also went down to Twin Rivers with 8 for a schooling two weeks ago.  It was warm in San Miguel (by Paso Robles) and beautiful this time of year.  Mia, Jordan and Jetson and Erin and P jumped around all the big stuff.  Peter was a star jumping most of the Preliminary jumps and MAX got his first taste of cross-county with Josh on board schooling.  Max is going to be great...he especially loves the part where you just gallop in the wide open spaces.  (if only those jumps weren't in the way:-)

Pics: Lauren B left, Vanessa Right, Jeannine top.  Way to go!  Thank you to Theresa who is the photo mom for the eventers.  Helen gave us a real show at the end of the 2005 year...photos, video, sound, bloopers...all on a CD....  Can't wait for this years end of season party and slide shows!

    Not to be overlooked...Josh finished the 2005 season as #7 National Ranked Advanced Young Rider...way to go!  He also won the Western 2 star Championship and the Fritz Cup at the last event at Galloway. 

   Busy busy early season.    Francis is returning  first of May with her new baby (4 year old)  horse.  Kristi took Rosini (another baby) to Twin Rivers in April and did well.  Tamera placed in Novice, Mia was 17th in the FEI one star, Erin did well on Gabe and congratulations on her purchase of him.  Denise, Jordan, Melanie, Tracy and Margie also did well.  Thanks to Josh who babysat the barn and did all the riding while Eventers were at Twin Rivers and Hunters were at Starr Vaughn.  Tahoe Meadows Eventers head to the Woodside Event en mass over Memorial Day Weekend.

Hunters went to Starr Vaugh and did well.  Callie was show champion and qualified for the SAHJA Medal Final.  Wendy has several new students, is shopping for horses for others and is getting everyone tuned up for the SNHSA show. 

Welcome new riders and horses  Jen and Savannah, Jen is an exceptional teacher who has been hired for the Truckee Middle School.  She is relocating from Southern Cal. 

  Between the snow and rain drops eventers were at Galloway March 30-1.  Congrats to Mia who rode a qualifying One Star round.  Lauren Brooks rode the Two Star, Gabe and P decided they really didn't want to do the One Star (horses have their reasons?), Tracy had a great finish on her new horse Voodoo, Erin rode great rounds for owners Jeannine and Renee on their novice horses and Jordan, Sara and Melaine rounded out our group.   Next stop Twin rivers!   More pics up soon.

Here are fun pics from the archives...Erin on Madame P (right).  I think from about 2001.  Erin is about 15?  Just in case you thought that jump was small Here is Erin (below) in Texas the next year on Chance.

  Welcome rider Josh Barnacle.  He is working for Kristi as a rider this season.  Josh has ridden Advanced and finished 2005 season as the number 7 Nationally Ranked Young Rider.  He has been named to several Developing Rider Camps where young riders are trained by various Olympic team members and has riden with Kim Severnson (3 times Rolex winner and US Team Member) Darren Chiacchia (Rolex winner, Sliver Medalist and Team member) and others.  Josh has brought two horses with him.  "Flo" his upper level horse and "Billy" his young horse. 

 Josh is accepting young horses that need to be started and specializes in problem horses in an intensive 4 month program.  Josh has extensive experience in Dressage, ground work and show jumping.

   Tahoe Meadows did great at the Sierra Nevada Horse Show Association Yr End awards!  Congrats to Callie on winning the Eq 11 & under and Mini Hunters.  Jeanette won the Mini Medal and Long Stirrup and won the Low Perpetual, Emma won the 15-17 Eq, Childrens Hunters and the S. Erikson Eq Championship for the most points the SNHSA Eq Medal, Megan was 4th in the 11-13 Eq, Shannon was second in the Long Stirrup and third in another division.  Charotte was definetly the top trainer for Sierra Nevada Circut in 2005! 

   It is worth a min to write a note on what the mom's do at these shows .  Let's take Twin Rivers as a typical example.  It's wed, am...  The kids have hopefully packed the rig the days before but you go over the check list.  Clothes back from the dry cleaners, feed and shavings in the trailer (and a tip for Alfredo if he put it in), Tack, Ice chests with food, we leave either in the AM or after school.   Get to the barn, load the horses pack the food and bedding in (if you have a living quarters trailer...this is totally a toss up on costs versus hotels...more on THIS later)

   Get on the road...the closest drive is 3 hours, longest is 20 hourse with an overnight stop...but this event is 7 hours...  you know the way however cuz you drove it for a schooling weekend just 2 weeks ago. 

  Get there at 11:00 at night, luckily the kids have been sleeping on the way there so they are awake enough to find the stalls, bed the horses, set up water buckets, you park the rig (on level ground)...pray the heater works (oh yea...you got propane earlier in the week) go to sleep.. (this DOES beat driving to town and trying to get checked in at what is now 12:30pm).  Kids are up at 6:45...you get an extra hour cuz it isn't the show day AND you don't have to drive them to the show grounds cuz your staying in a rig (the reason those big trailers have a market!).

  Thurs is a settling day with a lesson, camp and food organization, horse bath and down time.  Horses are sound, shoes are on, we are ready for Fri Dressage day.  Early up, braid, set up the tack, get to the warm up ring 30 min early for warmup/lesson, ride the test....  great....   now we unbraid, wash, clean the tack and walk cross country courses.  Sat...horses are excited ...  make that VERY excited cuz it should be cross country day....  in this case it rained 5 inches the night before...  very LOUD in a living quarters trailer.... so we are doing stadium instead while it drys out.  It is a quick round, everyone's horses are hot.  Sun, Cross Country day.  We run the courses, don't need studs (but we did reset the shoes and drill them on Sat for $90 just in case).    We finish, ice the legs, get the horse to drink, load up and head home.  ...whoops snow...  so we make phone calls and go to layup.  Kids go on home in one of the cars to be able to get to school.. MOM stays in layup with the horses...   We will get home soon I'm sure :-)  

   Welcome to Yvette and Taffy (pictured). Jenny and Bell, Hanna and Page and Margo, and several others.  Lots of new faces around the barn which is always fun.  Hunters have been out showing,winning, and qualifing for year end medal finals.  Results and pics here.  We have a Dianne Grodd Clinic coming up.  AND....Warm weather coming up! 

   Welcome Hunter Jumper Trainer Wendy Brownlee to Tahoe Meadows.  You can read Wendy's bio on our Trainer page or on her Blog page where she will communicate her tips, show reports and schedules.

   The new barn is complete and Trainer Kristi Nunnink ,who has been here all summer, has taken up residence with her customers.  Kristi has over 20 customers, some of whom are here and some who trailer in or are resident in Auburn, that travel to various 3 Day Eventing competitions with her.   It is a full schedule! 

     We are going to the year end awards en mass and plan to make some noise!  Last year we made a vow to win all our divisions and I think we will be able to say at this years dinner that we did!  MANY thanks to the horse show moms...couldn't do it without you.  Many thanks to Charlotte who has taught the subtle riding points needed to win to all our riders.