We have been having a great time in the sun. Arizona has had quite a bit of rain (and snow up high!) this season, and it makes it smell and look wonderful! Within the next 2 weeks the flowers will be out of control.

Wesley is loving his daily rides, though they are slow quality rides and we are looking forward to adding some trot this week! Flower is a joy to ride. She takes everything in stride. Check out her videos here. Toby, a great paint pony is also here looking for his next family to join. You can check him out on his page here.

High Country Pony Club joined us for a weekend in Wickenburg a few weeks ago. We had a great time. The club brought 12 horses down and camped around the dressage arena. I was so impressed with the members, their parents and their horses. I can’t wait to see them all again. We are planning a clinic in Flagstaff the second week in April. You can find this and more plans on the calendar.

I am riding and teaching in Cave Creek at a fantastic farm, Bellisima. The facility is second to none along with the clients, employees and animals. It is a dream location with all the amenities and the weather is divine. I should come back in August to remind myself why the Northwest is my home!

I hope you are starting to get excited for spring, it is right around the corner!

After an amazing trip to Cuba with my sister, I am back in full swing in Arizona for the remainder of the winter.

Wesley (Yes We Can) and Flower (Michelle’s new horse) made the trip south with the boys and I. We are all enjoying hacking in the desert and looking forward to the challenges and excitement of the year to come.

Wesley is just starting back into work after a winter of rest and recovery while Flower is in full training. I am enjoying both aspects. A new friend, Toby is here from snowy Flagstaff to get a head start on spring.

Pam (Nicely Dunn) is sound and looking svelte! She is starting the road back to fitness and competition after a challenging year of pregnancy and complications. Branaghan is looking great and waiting my mother to motivate! Our baby, CC, is growing strong in Peoples Valley. I am looking forward to bringing her back to Idaho this spring.

Right now it is raining! The washes are running; the earth can not drink it fast enough. We expect to be flooding through tomorrow. I love the smell of desert rain and don’t mind being trapped indoors for a day! Soon, the computer will stop working, and I will be forced to read and catch up with family and friends. I hope to organize some goals and schedules for the year ahead as well as reflect on the past year and what we learned.

A pony club from Flagstaff is coming down (once they shovel out) for a clinic in two weeks and I run another marathon in six. There are horse shows and events every weekend from here on out. Let me know where you think we should focus and what you would like to do. In the mean time, I am going to cozy up and enjoy a day of rain! Stay dry and warm- Stephanie

Paul and Josh in Telluride 2009

Life here with Wasatch Sport Horses has been in constant flux. After Wesley sustained an injury to an ankle, we have been in constant motion. He is now well along his road to recovery starting back into work in January!

Josh and I drove to Arizona yesterday with Wesley and Michelle’s “Flower.” Tucker and Shilo have survived the trip. I have mixed emotions about coming to Arizona so early in the winter; I will miss winter and the outdoor fun of McCall and yet I can’t wait to start riding outdoors, new horses and the desert.

I am taking a break now for a few weeks to travel to the Cuba and Mexico with my sister for a few weeks. I am lucky enough to have been included on her annual travel abroad plans and can’t wait! We leave tomorrow for the longest trip away from my animals ever! I hope to learn so much while I am away, especially my Spanish!

Upon returning to Arizona mid January, I plan on riding, teaching and working from home in Wickenburg and a friends in Cave Creek. We have a few clinics and shows on the calendar as well. Hope to see you soon!

Greetings! I am sorry for the blank spot on my blog. With all the travel and a crashed web site, I am a bit behind! So I will try and catch you up.

Right now I am sitting in the shade at Galway Downs taking a break from watching some great riding. My mother, Sammy, and Michelle are all competing Training level this weekend and are off to a good start.

Brananghan and Susan are getting back into the swing of things, while Sammy has dropped down a level to regain some competitive edge and Michelle is enjoying the ride on a friends horse!

This past month Oliver and Moon Boy have taken on new homes and jobs. We wish them well!

Wesley suffered an ankle injury and is recouping in Utah for the next few months. And that leaves me with new young horses coming in for the winter. I am looking forward to some time in McCall with new heads over the stall doors and the ski season as well. We are planning to head south when my ski bug gets satisfied or when the horses get dizzy from the indoor- we will see what comes first. I will try to keep up with you as much as I can and hope to see you all soon!

In the meantime, I hope to survive the Zeitgeist race next weekend, fill the barn with fun animals and enjoy the mountains for a while!

We held our first Annual Jug Mountain Classic this August. The setting was beautiful, clinics were full and fun, and the show was cool and sunny! My sister is an amazing photographer that out-did herself.

Wesley and Stephanie going into the ring!

Click on flickr to check out her photos.   We are working on a way to post them so you can order some too!

Mom and Branaghan getting ready to show in Willsonville

We have just returned home from another two weeks of showing. My mother and I along with Michelle and Shelley took 6 horses to show at the Northwest Spectacular HJ show in Wilsonville, OR the end of August. We had a great time. The two 6 yr old horses moved up to the 1.10meter jumpers and were great, while the we all worked on our own personal goals in the ring. I had the opportunity to take some lessons with grand prix rider Jeff Campf that were very educational! Wesley and I were very impressed with the clarity and results of Jeff’s lessons.

From there we enjoyed a week of Washington’s best at Aspen Farms where the weather held till the last day. Dressage was average for our group while cross country couldn’t have been better. Michelle, Jennifer, Wesley and Henry all moved up to training with no cross country penalties and Sammy had her first clean preliminary run on Razzle! Sunday’s show jumping was a bit over the top for some horses with torrential downpours and slippery footing. Henry and Branaghan retired from the horse show early to make sure the weekend ended on a good note and a few more rails fell than we would have likes; but everyone had a good time and we brought hope a few ribbons.

We are excited to be home for a minute. Looking forward to a few new horses in for training, and a few favorites returning. Wesley and Moon Boy are sadly looking for new homes this fall. I will be traveling to Boise to teach and judge some this next month and looking forward to schooling at Tulip Springs the first weekend in October. It is looking like Galway Downs could be in our future for Halloween. Stay tuned to the calendar!

Hope you had a great summer and looking forward to seeing you this fall.

Wilsonville June 2009

Karen O’Connor came to Idaho the second week of July and we had an awesome time! Karen and I taught some of our longest teaching days in history, got a pretty good sun burn and had a tons of fun. Wesley and I were lucky enough to have 3 solid hours of private instruction. She helped me take him to the next level while sharpening my skills as both a rider and instructor. You have to check out the pics Tracey Bish took. They are great!

We brought home a new working student; Sammy and Razzle and have been enjoying their easy going attitude and great riding ever since.

Rebecca Farm 2009

We have had a busy June with the event at Aspen Farms in Yelm Washington, then traveling south to Wilsonville, Oregon for two weeks of hunter jumper show, then to Inavale in Corvallis, Oregon.   Michelle and Kate attended the Area VII YR camp and loved it!  Ashley, Shelley, Shawna and I enjoyed to ideal setting of the Early Summer Classic and showing every day.

Wesley (Yes We Can,) is going great.  Three weeks of solid education and new experiences has left him more mature and stronger.  He was third at Aspen Farms with a 30 and moved up to the 1.10meter jumpers in Oregon.

We are looking forward to Karen O’Connor next weekend in Sun Valley and Rebbecca Farms right around the corner.  My mother and a new working student, Sammy are coming up right after the clinic in Sun Valley.  We are looking forward to great riding, beach and trail time in the next month.

Our Jug Mountain Classic and Clinic are quickly approaching as well and I am in a constant state of anxiety.  I hope a lot of people take advantage of Jean Moyer and McCall August 14-16th!

Off to Rafter K to design some courses and little mountain biking!

Hope to see you soon!

We just have returned from the Boise Saddle and Jump Club Spring hunter jumper show. 7 horses, 3 days, 90+ degrees and tons of fun. Wesley, Sven, Moon Boy and Henry all did their first 3′6 round in competition and were great!

At home we have been enjoying riding Payton, the now broke, mustang. He is hacking around small areas getting ready to hit the open space. Jackson, an eight year old TB gelding is up for some training and looking for a new home. Marquis, Carol’s oldest Friesian is coming back in for a tune up and last week Rochelle gave birth to a new Friesian baby.

This weekend, Michelle and I are headed down to the Diamonds and Divas dressage show to practice our tests in Meridian. Then off to the NW for two and a half weeks of showing, eventing and coaching! We start off our trip with a little school before hitting Aspen Farms HT June 12-14. Then Ashely, Shelley and Shawna are meeting me in Wilsonville, OR for the Spring Classic HJ Show for two weeks while Kate and Michelle attend Area VII YR camp and Inavale HT.

We return home the end of June with Karen O’Connor and Rebbecca Farms right around the corner.

We are looking forward to some rain this week and a planning meeting for the 1st Annual Jug Mountain Classic horse show here in August!
Hope to see you soon!

I am so excited to be home; while being a little overwhelmed with the weather, schedule and uncertainty of the season to come. We are off to Tulip Springs, in Kennewick, WA this weekend for a cross country school in preparations for NWEC in Rainier next weekend! Michelle is taking her C-2 in a couple of weeks and I have some out of town clinics coming up. I am also hoping to put in a garden this year (I know, not the smartest use of my time in McCall Idaho!)

Wasatch Sport Horses is pleased to announce our purchase of “Yes We Can” aka “Wesley” from Audrey Corsburg. He is a lovely, kind, talented animal that we love having in the barn. We also just got in Payton, a 16.2 hand unbroke 7 year old mustang that is very handsome and sweet.

Things are getting cleaned up and rolling at the barn (between snow storms) and we are looking forward to a fun filled summer (between snow storms.)

Hope to see you all soon.