Hillside Stables is going horse camping! We have three weekends picked out: May 3-4, May 17-18, and June 21-22. Please sign up with PK so we can reserve enough space! For May 17-18 and June 21-22, Lisa will also be going and will be available for lessons during the camping trip.
Many of our students (and trainers!) have out-of-town holiday plans, so Lisa has scheduled time this week to squeeze in make-up lessons before the holiday craziness sets in. Lisa will be available on the following dates for the rest of the month: Thursday (12th), Saturday (14th), Sunday (15th), Tuesday (17th), and Thursday (19th), to make up for the two weeks she will be visiting family (21 December to 3 January). If you can’t make it out for a make-up lesson this week, schedule a ground school lesson with PK while Lisa is on vacation.
The Shelby Farms Equestrian Alliance Trail Challenge was a blast this year! Despite scheduling conflicts for many of our riders, we still sent a small contingent of riders and volunteers. Everyone had a great time and the horses behaved beautifully. It was great to see old friends and make some new ones. See all of the pictures and share yours on our Facebook page. Hopefully we’ll see everyone there again next year!
Lisa will have additional lesson openings during Thanksgiving week and weekend. She is available all day on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. She will not be teaching on Saturday however, as she is participating in the Shelby Farms Equestrian Alliance’s Trail Challenge. Please contact Lisa or use the online scheduler to set up your lessons for this week. Also, feel free to come watch the Trail Challenge on Saturday morning–it is a lot of fun and a great learning experience!
Lisa and Valentine at last year’s SFEA Trail Challenge.
Thank you to all who came out for our First Annual Trail Challenge Practice and Competition and Equine Costume Contest! We had people in from all over Tennessee and Mississippi as well as Hillside residents competing. A huge thank you to Rick Richardson and the equine costume committee for judging the day’s events!
We have made notes about changes for next year, including starting MUCH earlier in the day and finding a second judge to work with Rick. We are already working on obstacle ideas for next year, so if you have a clever or unusual idea for something to add to the trail challenge, let us know! Also, if you have any pictures from that day, please feel free to share them with us on our Facebook or Twitter pages! The pictures we already have are included in the gallery below.
We hope to see everyone (and more!) again next year! Thank you so much!
Humpty Dumpty is finished and ready for the Trail Challenge this Sunday afternoon!
Lisa will not be available for lessons on Saturday the 19th of October. She is participating in a local event to raise money for the humane society. She does have lesson times available on Thursday, Saturday afternoon, and all day on Sunday. PK, however, will teach lessons as usual. Schedule your lesson online today!
PK, Bill, and everyone else at Hillside Stables have been assembling and constructing the obstacles for our Trail Challenge Practice and Competition. Here are some pictures of the various projects. Can you figure out what some of these Halloween-themed obstacles might be? Don’t forget to register early to receive a discount!
Hillside riders at the 2012 SEFA Trail Challenge.
When the end of summer comes around, a number of riders at Hillside Stables turn their sights to the end of November and the upcoming Shelby Farms Equestrian Alliance Trail Challenge. They have participated in the SFEA Trail Challenge for several years, but PK Theobald, barn manager says, “We do not focus on trail riding here at Hillside Stables. We do dressage, some jumping and teach a lot of novice western lessons. I myself focus on natural horsemanship training, and consider myself a ring rider. Every year we say that we are going to set up some obstacles in the pasture and practice for this competition.” Each year rolls by and no such luck. Well, this year the riders of Hillside have not only created trail challenge obstacles for practice, but are inviting everyone to come join in the fun at Hillside Stables on October 27th at 2720 Red Banks Rd N, Byhalia, MS.
Michelle McDaniel and Lisa Sikkink began working on a list of obstacles and soon everyone was involved in putting this event together. “Since it will be so close to Halloween, we wanted a Halloween theme for some parts of the Trail Challenge,” says Lisa Sikkink, dressage trainer for Hillside Stables. Ash Ackley came up with an obstacle that mimics trick or treating from horseback and Sarah Jarmon asked about reviving an old Hillside tradition of an equine costume contest. And so the first annual Hillside Stables Trail Challenge Practice & Competition with Equine Costume Contest was born.
Lisa and Valentine at the 2012 SEFA trail challenge.
The SFEA Trail Challenge does not include practice or an In-Hand class, and as Theobald points out, “That is where we are different. The main focus of our event will be the practice time slots.” Starting at 2:30pm, there will be six 15-minute practice time slots that can be booked. In traditional trail challenge events, each rider only has one chance to go through each obstacle, whereas in the practice sessions, each rider is welcome to work on as many of obstacles as he or she wishes, in the order that they wish during the given practice time. To avoid overcrowding of the obstacles and to keep green horses and riders from being overwhelmed, no more than ten horses will be allowed in a practice session at one time. With at least fifteen obstacles to choose from, riders will have plenty to do. Riders may book as many of the six practice time slots as they wish. Hillside Stables is also offering a discount to riders who pre-register by October 23, online at www.HillsideStables.wordpress.com.
Bailey and Mocha practicing ground school in a lesson.
The competition will begin at 4pm. There will be an In-Hand class for those who do not wish to ride the course; Youth and Adult classes are next, followed by an Open class. But what, you may ask, about the Hillside riders? They have prior knowledge of the course and it would not be fair to compete against those trailering in. Hillside riders will have their own In-Hand and mounted classes and compete against each other. Each rider will receive a registration packet that includes a map of the facility noting parking areas, warm up areas, restrooms, etc. as well as a course map of the obstacles. There will be ribbons awarded through fifth place and a prize table from which class winners may select an additional gift.
Gates open at noon on October 27th with a $5.00 gate fee for each vehicle. $5.00 dinner plates will be available at the ‘Hillside Café’. Come for the fun of it or as preparation for the SFEA Trail Challenge scheduled for November 30th at Shelby Farms.
If you are looking for something fun and different to do with your horse and family, consider attending this event. More information and registration forms are available at their web site,www.HillsideStables.wordpress.com. You may also contact the stables directly at 901/857-7500.
Lisa, our dressage and jumping instructor, is back in town after training in Kansas for a few days. She’s back to her regular teaching schedule, so be sure to schedule your next lesson with her! The online scheduling system is up and running, so click the link to schedule your lesson, or feel free to contact Lisa directly.
We are excited to announce our first annual Trail Challenge Practice, Competition, and Equine Costume Contest! We had a lot of fun last year at Shelby Farms Equestrian Alliance’s Trail Challenge, but realized that we could use some practice with some of the obstacles so we decided to build our own this year and invite everyone to join us for practice and then a competition. Given how close our event is to Halloween, most of the obstacles are “spooky” themed and we are also holding an Equine Costume Contest.
The event will start at 2pm on Sunday 27 October 2013 and is open to all comers. Details and registration information can be found on our Trail Challenge page. We are offering a 10% discount to those who register and pay by 23 October 2013.
We want this to be a fun event in which everyone can participate and welcome riders of all disciplines and skill levels! We hope to see you on 27 October!
Lisa on Valentine after competing in the 2012 SFEA Trail Challenge
Don’t forget to schedule your lessons online! We want to start using the online scheduling system as much as possible–it saves the instructors and students from dealing with a high volume of text messages and lowers the possibility of miscommunication, while also allowing us to keep records of lessons more efficiently.
How to use the system:
1. Go to hillsidestables.appointy.com or click on the “Schedule an Appointment” button on the right-hand side of the website.
2. Select the kind of lesson you would like and the instructor, then click “Next.” Do NOT select “Practice Ride”–those are only for our current, long-time students.
3. Select the date and time for your lesson, then click “Next.”
4. If you have not used the system before, then you will be asked to create an account or to login if you have used the system before. You may login manually or you may login using your Facebook or Google account.
5. Be sure to click the “Book Now” button after registering.
6. You should then receive a confirmation screen with your lesson details as well as a confirmation email so your lesson details.
Reminders about the online system:
+ All lessons must be scheduled and/or cancelled at least 24 hours in advance. This is the same policy we’ve always had, the computer just allows us to enforce it more effectively.
+ Feel free to schedule lessons for several weeks in advance; if something changes, you can always reschedule. This allows us to make long-terms plans and schedule for barn events.
+ If you have any problems using the system, please contact your instructor or Lisa immediately to resolve the issue. For the first few weeks, make sure that you receive the confirmation screen and email about your scheduled lesson; if you do not receive a confirmation contact your instructor or Lisa immediately.
The Scavenger Hunt on Saturday at Tranquility Trails in Ashland, MS was a lot of fun! The weather was perfect and the trails were great; we rode for several hours and definitely earned our dinner that day!
Left to right: Lisa on Valentine, PK on Sylvan, Sarah on Clipper, Lessie on Patriot, Bailey on Mocha, and Paige on Jazz
Here’s another funny article from The Chronicle of the Horse written from the perspective of a horse regarding how horses feel about celebrating human’s birthdays: Birthdays and Your Human. Having just had my own birthday and (naturally) having gone to the barn to celebrate, this sounds about accurate!
Here’s an excerpt: “But that’s how training goes: we have to constantly give our Humans behavior guidance and examples they can learn from, and hope that one day they will surprise us with a moment of clarity.”
~Lisa
Our new online lesson scheduling system is up and running! We’ve worked out the kinks and it is working great. Use it to schedule your next lesson with PK, Lisa, or Michelle!
Jake did really well in his round pen workout today! Check out his huge stride and uphill canter! Not only does he have incredible gaits, he is the biggest sweetheart you could ever want to meet.
What a great group of people we have.
We had a fabulous turn out for lessons and our weekly Evening Ride on Thursday! Join us next week for a lovely evening at Hillside; the outdoor arena is lighted so we can ride during dusk and after dark. We always have a blast! Don’t forget, we also have online scheduling for lessons now: http://hillsidestables.appointy.com/ Check it out today!
Hillside Stables 