Happy New Year 2015

A new year is on the horizon. However, it is time for reflection first. Stay tuned for thoughts, memories, and recollections of 2014 first.

Tennessee State Championship

Exciting times were had by all at the Southeast Mountain Horse Show in White Pine July 15 - 16. The show had a new format this year. It was only one show rather than the two shows that were held in the past. Rocky Mountain Horse classes were included in addition to the UMH classes. We were glad to have Kim and Lisa with us as well as Tim & Marcia, Tim, Fran, & Thomas, and the SRF crew. We missed Nancy and Steve this go around but they will be back for the Summer Celebration. Congratulations to all our TN State Champions!

My Sweet Sydney
UMH TN State Championship - 4 + Conformation - 3rd - Lisa
UMH TN State Championship - Open Western - 5th - Mike
UMH TN State Championship - CTP Mares - 3rd
UMH TN State Championship - Adult Trail Obstacle - 6th
RMH TN State Championship - Open CTP - 1st
UMH TN State Championship - CTP Championship - 5th - Robert
UMH TN State Championship - Adult Versatility - 4th

RRF Gold Nugget
UMH TN State Championship - 4+ Conformation - 6th
UMH TN State Championship - Adult Trail Obstacle - 1st
UMH TN State Championship - Geldings Classic - 3rd
UMH TN State Championship - Classic Pleasure Champ. - 6th
UMH TN State Championship - Juve. 12 – 17 Classic - 4th - Thomas
UMH TN State Championship - Adult Versatility - 5th

Thomas Howard
UMH TN State Championship - Juve. 12 – 17 Classic - 4th - Nugget
UMH TN State Championship - Juve. 17 & Under Classic Champ. - 5th

HP’s Ticket to Ride
UMH TN State Championship - Stallions Trail Pleasure - 4th
UMH TN State Championship - 2-3 YO Open Trail - 2nd

Blueberry Wine
UMH TN State Championship - Mares Classic - 2nd
UMH TN State Championship - Adult Trail Obstacle - 4th

Totally Swept Away
UMH TN State Championship - Novice Classic - 1st - Kim
RMH TN State Championship - Open Amateur Show Pleas. - 3rd
UMH TN State Championship - Juve. 17 & Under Classic Champ. - Thomas

Pepper’s Capital Venture
UMH TN State Championship - Geldings Trail - 2nd
UMH TN State Championship - Men’s Open Trail - 1st
RMH TN State Championship - Open Trail Pleas. - 2nd

SRF’s Silver Sundown
UMH TN State Championship - 4+ Conformation - 5th
UMH TN State Championship - Open Western - 3rd
UMH TN State Championship - Adult Trail Obstacle - 2nd
UMH TN State Championship - Stallions Trail Pleasure - 1st
UMH TN State Championship - Adult Versatility - 1st

FR’s Derby Blue
UMH TN State Championship - Open Four Gait - 1st
UMH TN State Championship - Adult Trail Obstacle - 5th
UMH TN State Championship - CTP Stallions/Geld. - 2nd
UMH TN State Championship - 4+ Conformation - 4th
UMH TN State Championship - Adult Versatility - 2nd

Branson Blue
UMH TN State Championship - 3 & 4 YO Open Park - 2nd
UMH TN State Championship - Adult Trail Obstacle - 3rd
UMH TN State Championship - 2-3 Jr. Conformation - 2nd
UMH TN State Championship - Adult Versatility - 3rd

UMH Kentucky State Championship

Lauren Hickey shown here at the Ladies Auxiliary Show after winning her Showmanship Class
Congratulations to all the SRF horses that were at the KY State Championship this past weekend. We had some great perfomances. We were pleased with everyone! We also want to thank everyone for bringing drinks, food, fruit, ice and helping us haul our golf carts and everything else! You all are super! Happy 4th everyone.

Blueberry Wine
UMH KY State Championship – Trail Obstacle - 1st
UMH KY State Championship – Am Classic - 3rd - Steve
UMH KY State Championship – Mares Classic - 4th
UMH KY State Championship – Adult Versatility Award - 1st

SRF’s Silver Sundown
UMH KY State Championship – Trail Obstacle - 3rd
UMH KY State Championship – Stallions Trail - 5th
UMH KY State Championship – 4 + Conformation - 5th
UMH KY State Championship – Open Western - 3rd
UMH KY State Championship – Trail Pleasure Championship - 5th
UMH KY State Championship – Adult Versatility Award - 3rd

FR Derby Blue
UMH KY State Championship – Stallions/Geld. CTP - 2nd
UMH KY State Championship – 4 + Conformation - 3rd
UMH KY State Championship – Open 4 Gait - 4th
UMH KY State Championship – CTP Championship - 4th
UMH KY State Championship – Adult Versatility Award - 2nd

Pepper’s Capital Venture
UMH KY State Championship – Geldings Classic - 4th
UMH KY State Championship – Men’s Open Trail - 5th
UMH KY State Championship – Pro Am Trail - Charlie & Steve

Branson Blue
UMH KY State Championship – 3 & 4 YO Park - 4th
UMH KY State Championship – 2 & 3 YO Conformation - 4th
UMH KY State Championship – Pro Am Park - 3rd - Charlie & Steve
UMH KY State Championship – Adult Versatility Award - 4th

Gobel’s Wind Chill
UMH KY State Championship – Pro Am CTP - 1st - Mike & Liz
UMH KY State Championship – Amateur CTP - 2nd - Liz
UMH KY State Championship – 12 – 17 Youth CTP - 1st - Thomas
UMH KY State Championship – Mares CTP - 1st
UMH KY State Championship – CTP Championship - 2nd

Totally Swept Away
UMH KY State Championship – Novice Classic - 1st - Kim

My Sweet Sydney
UMH KY State Championship – Amateur CTP - 1st - Steve
UMH KY State Championship – Pro Am CTP - 2nd - Charlie & Steve
UMH KY State Championship – Mares CTP - 2nd
UMH KY State Championship – Adult Versatility Award - 5th

Silver’s Blue Plate Special
UMH KY State Championship – Youth 17 & Under Showmanship - 1st - Lauren
UMH KY State Championship – Youth 17 & Under Western - 2nd - Lauren
UMH KY State Championship – Youth 17 & Under Equitation - 1st - Lauren
UMH KY State Championship - Youth Versatility Winner - Lauren

MX Wrangler
UMH KY State Championship – Open 4 Gait - 2nd
UMH KY State Championship – Trail Obstacle - 4th

HP’s Ticket to Ride
UMH KY State Championship – 2 & 3 YO Trail - 3rd
UMH KY State Championship – Trail Pleasure Championship - 4th

Texas Bound

Friday is a big day for Stoner Ridge Farm. Robert and Mike will be heading for the Franklin Family Ranch in Blanco, TX. They'll be stopping for the night in Conway, AR to rest. Thanks to Randy and Regina Jones for letting the guys stay over. Then on Saturday morning they will resume their journey to the finals of America's Favorite Trail Horse competition sponsored by ACTHA. What an opportunity it is to showcase our Mountain Horses! Mike and Wrangler make a great team. We know that they will do well in Texas. We also want to congratulate Judy Brummer and Legendary Lady along with H.T. Derickson and Blue on Black who also qualified in the top 10% of the 1,000 horse/rider teams to audition. Pray for safe travels and good weather for our travelers. Charlie will be working hard here at the farm while they are gone. Lisa Sidwell will be coming to help ride horses for Robert and Mike. Keep those fingers crossed. More information about air times and dates will be posted when they become availiable. Mountain Horses are simply awesome!

We're Going to Texas!

Congratulation to Michael Butler and MX Wrangler! They are going to Texas to be in the finals for America’s Favorite Trail Horse. What an exciting opportunity - auditioning for a reality TV show! Well, the Stoner Ridge Farm crew just couldn’t resist when we learned about the competition. Bristol, TN was the first location we attended. Robert rode Silver. Mike rode Wrangler, and I rode Stormy. All the horses did soooo well. There were 4 obstacles: gait (trot) over poles, side pass, stop, and back a figure 8. Wrangler’s Freestyle consisted of Mike cantering both ways, ground tie with Mike crawling under his belly, remounting on the off side and remounting facing the wrong way – then he slid off Wrangler backwards. Not bad for 45 seconds!
The second audition was in Franklin, IN. Robert rode Penny and Mike rode Nugget. Martha Gilley and Judy Brummer also traveled with the guys. All the horses did well once again.
Congratulations H.T. Derickson / Blue on Black and Judy Brummer / Legendary Lady who will also be going to TX. We are in the planning stages and will keep you informed. You can follow the competition on the facebook page: The American Competitive Trail Horse Association. The program will be shown in September and America will vote. Gotta love Mike and Wrangler - what a team!

America's Favorite Trail Horse

Robert, Mike, and Lyngle will all be heading out on Friday morning to Bristol, TN for the first opportunity to audition for ATCHA's America's Favorite Trail Horse. We will have 4 obstacles: gait over poles, stop, sidepass, and back a figure 8. There will also be a 45 second free style and an interview. The try-outs in phase one will qualify 100 horse/rider teams to compete for the title (see more at www.actha.us). The final competition will be in Austin, TX in May. Competitors will be coached by equine celebrities as they vie for the title. The try-outs and the competition itself will be televised on HRTV (possibly more) and America will get to vote. Everyone is excited to have this opportunity. Wish us luck!

North Carolina Championship and the Al Prewitt Memorial

The Stoner Ridge Farm crew had a great time at the Southeast Mountain Horse Club's North Carolina show this weekend. The fellowship was great. We were so glad to see Scott and Barrie Hughes from Bloomington. Steve Heuslein was with us from LaCrescent, MN. From here in KY we enjoyed the company of Tim & Marcia Spencer and Timmy, Fran, and Thomas Howard. Kim Pitts, Robert's new apprentice was also able to go. Nancy Copland who is also one of "us" wasn't able to make it to this show and we really missed her company. Some of our experienced horses were back and some new ones joined us for the first time. Everyone experienced success and they grew and learned from the experience. Thanks to everyone in the SE Club especially Stanly and Jamie Hall! Kudoos for a job well done. We also appreciate the sponsorship from Steve or there would have been no versatility awards this year. We appreciate all you do for our crew. We really had a great time and we're looking forward to the Spring Premier. Look for Stoner Ridge Farm in Barn 3 as usual. We're expecting Lauren Hickey to be back with us for that show and we're also looking for Liz and John Merner to come. See the results below:

Southeast Mountain Horse Club
Al Prewitt Memorial and
North Carolina State Champion Horse Show Wins

SRF’s Silver Sundown
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - Open Western Pleasure - 2nd
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - Open Amateur Trail - 3rd - Steve
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - Trail Pleasure Championship - 4th
UMH North Carolina State Championship - 4+ Open Conformation - 2nd
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Pro Am Trail Pleasure - 3rd - Charlie & Steve
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Adult Trail Obstacle - 2nd
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Stallions Trail Pleasure - 2nd
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Open Western - 2nd
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Trail Pleasure Championship - 1st
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Adult Versatility Award - 1st

MX Wrangler
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Classic Pleasure Stallions - 3rd
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Open 4 Gait - 1st

Blueberry Wine
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - Open Amateur Classic Pleasure - 2nd - Steve
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - Classic Pleasure Championship - 4th
UMH North Carolina State Championship - 4+ Open Conformation - 5th
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Adult Trail Obstacle - 3rd
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Classic Pleasure Championship - 3rd
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Juvenile 12 – 17 - 2nd - Thomas Howard

Branson Blue
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - 3 & 4 YO Park Pleasure - 1st
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Adult Trail Obstacle - 7th
UMH North Carolina State Championship - 2 & 3 YO Open Conformation - 1st
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Adult Versatility - 4th

Sam’s Little Buddy
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - 2 & 3 YO Open Trail Pleasure - 2nd
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - Novice Rider Open Trail - 2nd - Tim
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Open 4 Gait - 4th
UMH North Carolina State Championship - 2 & 3 YO Open Trail Pleasure - 3rd - Tim

RRF Gold Nugget
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - Men’s Open Classic Pleasure - 4th
UMH North Carolina State Championship - 4+ Conformation - 6th
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Adult Trail Obstacle - 1st
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Geldings Classic - 2nd
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Adult Versatility - 5th
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Classic Pleasure Championship - 5th
Al Prewitt Performance Award - 2nd year in a row!

HP’s Ticket to Ride
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - 2 & 3 YO Open Trail Pleasure - 4th
UMH North Carolina State Championship - 2 & 3 YO Open Trail Pleasure - 1st

My Sweet Sydney
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - Open Amateur Country Trail Pleasure - 2nd - Steve
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - Open Western Pleasure - 5th - Mike Butler
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - Country Trail Pleasure Championship - 3rd
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Open Western - 5th - Mike
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Country Trail Pleasure Mares - 3rd
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Adult Trail Obstacle - 6th

HBF Furious Revenge
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - 3 YO Stallions & Geldings Classic - 4th
UMH North Carolina State Championship - GAYP Gaited - 1st

LRR Jimmy Joe
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - SE Regional Classic Pleasure - 2nd
UMH North Carolina State Championship - GAYP Gaited - 2nd

Pepper’s Capital Venture
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Geldings Classic Pleasure - 4th

Silver’s Blue Plate Special
UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Horse Show - Novice Rider Trail - 5th - Kim
UMH North Carolina State Championship - Open 4 Gait - 5th

Important Dates

With schedules as they are, we all need to know as soon as important dates are known. Here is what we have for now for 2011. Notice there are a few "tentative" dates. Merry Christmas everyone!

January 15 – UMH Banquet – Natural Bridge, Slade, KY
March 5 & 6 – UMH Judging Clinic with Wayne Hipsley
April 1 – UMH NC State Championship, Fletcher, NC (tentative)
April 2 – UMH Al Prewitt Memorial Championship Show, Fletcher, NC (tentative)
April 7 – 10 Equine Affaire, Columbus, OH
April 9 – ACTHA Ride sponsored by the Three Phase Event, Shaker Village
April 24 – Easter
April 29 – 30 UMH Carson Masters Spring Premier, Winchester, KY
May 14 – UMH North Middletown Charity Horse Show (pending)
May 21 – 22 Three Phase Event, Shaker Village
June 10 & 11 - UMH Ladies Auxiliary Show, Prestonsburg, KY
July 1 & 2 - UMH KY State Championship, Winchester, KY
July 15 – UMH TN State Championship, White Pine, TN
July 16 – UMH Great Smokey Mt. Championship, White Pine, TN
Aug. 5 & 6 – UMH Summer Celebration, Winchester, KY
Sept. 5 (Labor Day) – UMH Breeders Cup
Sept. 5 – 10 UMH World Show

KMSHA International Grand Championships

October 27-30 found the Stoner Ridge crew at the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park for the final show of the season. What a phenomenal facility! Both the arena and the barns are heated. Our stalls were in a perfect location - near the restrooms and arena and there was a large common area where we could cook and visit with friends. We got to visit quite a bit with Doug and Jill Drenik from Dry Ridge and Joe and Sandy Minard from Waterloo, Iowa. It was so much fun to get caught up with how their horses and families are doing. They had rented a Sky Box in order to view the show from the third floor. The boxes are actually enclosed, carpeted rooms with televisions, a refigerator, and comfortable furnishings. It was great to see so many folks showing this weekend. Both the Amateur and Novice Trail classes had to be split. That is good news for the Mountain Horse Industry! We had a good time watching Ella Tillery show outside the lead line class for her first time in the Pre-Juvenile class. Handlers walked beside the kids but were able to offer assistance if needed. We were proud of everyone's performance. Eleven year old Thomas Howard put in some good shows as did our amateurs Tim, Marcia, Nancy, and Kim. Our trainers did well also. Charlie won the driving class with Nugget who is undefeated this year. Mike had a great show winning with Diamonds in the Rough in the 2 YO Trail class. He also won the Open 4 Gait class with Wrangler which led to his Al Prewitt Versatility Award. Way to Go! Another highlight for us was little miss Jazzy. Not only did she win a tough Trail Obstacle class (SRF had 11 horses in that competition)she was awesome in the Natural Horsemanship class. Robert went through the course with Jazzy wearing a halter as designated by the class description. When he was done, he removed Jazzy's halter while still on her back. Then he went through as much of the course as he could with only a rope around Jazzy neck in the 2 minutes that was allowed for his freestyle. It was so cool! The goal of the class was to demonstrate true harmony between horse and rider. Robert definately accomplished that element. Mike also did a great job in that class placing second with Wrangler after cantering him bareback and standing up on him as well. Hats off to all these great horses, their trainers, and owners! Salute!

Georgetown Equine Expo

Here is a quick reminder about the Georgetown Equine Expo. Robert's time has changed. No Clinic on Thursday. There has been a time change for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. He will be working the colt starting at 12:00 NOON Instead of the later time)! Come out and see what he can to with this colt in only a few short months.

Big Winners at the 2010 World Show

The 10th annual United Mountain World Show was an exciting time for exhibitors and spectators alike this year with everything from concerts, to catered meals, to great competition. The horses this year were spectacular and the competition was awesome! Our congratulations go out to all the winners.

Seve Heuslein on SRF's Silver Sunown - Regional Trail Pleasure
Charlie DeAtley - Open Driving (unanimous) with Nugget
Lauren Hickey - Showmanship with Jazzy
Thomas Howard - 11 & Under Country Trail Pleasure
Charlie DeAtley - 1st, 2nd, and 6th in Trail Obstacle
Michael Butler - Open Four Gait (unanimous) with Wrangler
Michael also won the best dressed gentleman exhibitor!


2010 Western Grand Champion: For the second year in a row, SRF’s Silver Sundown is the UMH Western World Grand Champion! Congratulation to Silver, Charlie and to Steve Heuslein on this unanimous first place win.

2010 Super Horse: Congratulations to MX Wrangler the UMH 2010 Super Horse winner, his owner Kathy and Jim Wilkerson, and trainer Michael Butler. Super Horse classes include Trail Obstacle, Under Saddle age division, Conformation, Pro Am, and an optional class: Open 4 Gait, Western, or driving.

Rocky Mountain Horses at the World Equestrian Games

Exciting news! We have our performance schedule for the World Equestrian Games! A general admission ticket will get you in to see the demo at the Dressage Complex.

Saturday, 9/25/2010 12:00 Noon
Sunday, 9/26/2010 6:30 P.M.
Monday, 9/26/2010 11:30 A.M.
Tuesday, 9/27/2010 11:30 A.M.

You won't want to miss this exciting sporting event that is being held for the first time outside Europe. It's gonna be awesome!

SRF's Silver Sundown Wins 2010 RMH Rea Swan Versatility Award

Congratulations to SRF’s Silver Sundown on his outstanding performances at the RMH International this year. He won his conformation, stallions trail, and western classes. He went on to place second in trail obstacle and pole bending. In the classes that counted toward the award, Silver had 48 out of a possible 50 points. His owner, Steve Heuslein also placed reserve in his amateur class and Charlie placed third in the water glass class and in the Western Grand Championship. Way to go Silver and Charlie! It is Charlie’s second time to win the Rea Swan Versatility Award and Stoner Ridge Farm’s fifth time to achieve this honor.

Southeast Mountain Horse Club State Championship White Pine, TN

The hooves of a horse! Oh! Witching and sweet is the music earth steals from the iron-shod feet; no whisper of love, no trilling of bird, can stir me as hooves of the horse have stirred.
- Will H. Ogilvie

SRF crew and company were on the road again this past weekend. We traveled with Tim, Marcia, and GiGi to White Pine, Tennessee. We had a great time! Marcia brought some home grown green beans and homemade cole slaw made with cabbage fresh out of the garden - mmmm good! We got to see friends that we hadn't seen for quite awhile and we had a good time visiting. Maevis Solomon got to come by. Bob Morris from New Bloomfield, PA was able to come and watch his horses show this weekend but Marty had to stay and manage their farm at home. Nancy and Steve had obligations at home as well and we sure missed them!

We had several winners in our line-up at the Southeast Mountain Horse Club Show. The horses performed really well with everyone that showed bringing home ribbons! Woo Hoo! Congratulations as well to Tim and Marcia who showed Pepper's Just Plain Pretty. It was one of their best shows with Tim placing 3rd and 4th in really large classes and Marcia placing first in both her novice classes. Way to go! Congratulations to Cypress Addagirl for her first blue. She is the little engine that could placing well all her classes in TN even being awarded the Trail Pleasure Reserve Championship honor on Saturday and winning her Open Four Gait class. She's doing very well for a 3 year old! Silver had a great show. We really appreciate everyone's help with all that you do! The list of wins is below

UMH Great Smoky Mountain Championship
UMH Tennessee State Championship

SRF’s Silver Sundown
UMH Great Smoky Mountain Championship - Open Western - 1st
UMH Great Smoky Mountain Championship - Stallions Trail - 2nd
UMH Great Smoky Mountain Championship - Trail Pleasure Championship - 5th
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Open Western - 1st
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Stallions Trail - 1st
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Adult Trail Obstacle - 1st
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Trail Pleasure Championship - 4th
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Adult Versatility - 2nd

MX Wrangler
UMH Great Smoky Mountain Championship - Classic Pleasure Stallions - 4th
UMH Great Smoky Mountain Championship - Classic Pleasure Championship - 3rd
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Open Four Gait - 2nd
UMH Tennessee State Championship - 4 YO Stallions and Geldings - 2nd
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Classic Pleasure Championship - 5th
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Adult Versatility Award – 4th

Pepper’s Capital Venture
UMH Tennessee State Champ
Geldings Classic Pleasure - 2nd
UMH Tennessee State Championship - 4 YO Stallions/Geldings Classic - 1st
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Classic Pleasure Stallions - 5th

Pepper’s Just Plain Pretty
UMH Great Smoky Mountain Championship - Amateur Trail - 3rd - Tim
UMH Great Smoky Mountain Championship - Novice Trail - 1st - Marcia
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Amateur Trail - 4th - Tim
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Novice Trail - 1st - Marcia
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Adult Trail Obstacle - 4th
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Adult Versatility - 5th

Mountain Vista Diamond
UMH Great Smoky Mountain Championship - SE Regional Open Trail - 5th
UMH Tennessee State Championship - SE Regional Open Trail - 5th

Cypress Addagirl
UMH Great Smoky Mountain Championship - Mares Trail - 4th
UMH Great Smoky Mountain Championship - Trail Championship 4th - Mike
UMH Tennessee State Championship - 2-3 year old Open Trail 2nd
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Open Four Gait - 1st
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Trail Pleasure Championship - 2nd - Mike

Branson Blue
UMH Great Smoky Mountain Championship - 2 & 3 YO Conformation - 2nd
UMH Tennessee State Championship - 2 & 3 YO Conformation - 1st
UMH Tennessee State Championship - 2 YO Stallions/Geldings Classic - 2nd

Blueberry Wine
UMH Great Smoky Mountain Championship - Mares Classic - 4th
UMH Great Smoky Mountain Championship - Classic Pleasure Championship - 2nd
UMH Tennessee State Championship - 4 and Older Conformation - 6th
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Classic Pleasure Championship - 2nd
UMH Tennessee State Championship - Adult Trail Obstacle - 2nd

Stoner Ridge Farm Shines at Three Phase

Congratulations to the riders from Stoner Ridge Farm. Everyone put forth a great performance for this year's Three Phase Event. As most of you know, the Three Phase Event is a versatility venue that challenges horses of all breeds in dressage, stadium obstacle, and cross country. We have competed for the last four years and have found the practice leading up to the competition has brought additional softness and skill. This year's gaited horse division Beginner Novice was won by Michael Butler on Lillie Bean owned by Martha Gilley. Mike won the stadium obstacle in this divison and placed 2nd in dressage. His cross country time was 34.06 with a target time of 34 minutes. Way to go Mike. In the Novice division, Mike (riding David James another horse owned by Martha) and Charlie (riding SRF's Silver Sundown owned by Steve Heuslein)were tied after the dressage and stadium obstacle. Mike had two seconds and Charlie won stadium obstacle and placed 3rd in dressage. We were all excited to see what would happen with the cross country. It was amazing. Both horses did wonderfully well on the trail. Charlie, however, came in a few seconds sooner which gave him the edge. He won the over all high point for the Novice Division, stadium obstacle, cross country, and the AGMH high point as well. That's not bad for a stallion that was bred three times last week! Robert was fourth with Gaitway's Jasmine Joy also. In the Training division, Robert came in 4th with Silver's Blue Plate Special owned by Don and Nancy. She was fabulous on the 6 mile cross country course but had really stiff competition in dressage and stadium obstacle this year. Fourteen year old Lauren Hickey also rode Jazzy in the Novice Youth division and won. Congrats to everyone! We also want to thank Kristie Whemeyer. Carolyn Kenton, and Kevin Kiper for all their hard work organizing the event and marking the trails. Each division has a separate stadium obstacle lay-out and a separate cross country course. It takes hours and hours of planning to complete. If you have never ridden in this type of competition, it is really a great learning experience for you and your horse. In dressage and trail obstacle competition, you get feedback from the judge about your perfomance. Make plans now for next year! More information and photos will be available in the next newsletter.

RMH Youth Round Up

We are looking forward to hosting the RMH Youth Round Up on March 22nd. Robert and crew will be helping youth and adults with many topics. Just go to our web site and click on the link to see the flyer. Hope everyone can come!

Monsoon

We consider ourselves fortunate to have survived Kentucky's torrential rains with only a wet basement. Over 6 inches of rain fell in our area in just two days. Robert added some downspouts to the barn and had some excavation work done to allow for water run-off just last month. Fortunately, our stalls stayed pretty dry this time. Thanks to the generosity of our neighbors, we had a pump that removed the standing water at the foot of our outside basement entrance. A wet/dry vac removed most of the water from the carpet. While it is a smelly mess, nothing down there was destroyed. Robert, Mike, and Charlie are all outside riding horses today in the sunshine.

Silver's Blue Plate Special Wins American Competitive Trail Horse Competition

Congratulations to Robert and Silver's Blue Plate Special for their outstanding ride at the ACTHA ride held April 17th at the Kentucky Equestrian Center. Kudos to Erin as well for her ride on Pepper's Just Plain Pretty. They placed 5th out of 18 riders in the Open Division. Out of 120 points, there were only 7 points that separated the top 5 horses. Four of the five were gaited horses (way to go!).

ACTHA, American Competitive Trail Horse Association, is a brilliant concept. Anyone can put on a ride. The goal is to have at least a 6 mile ride with at least 6 obstacles. The rides are for all breeds of horses both gaited and non-gaited. Registration is on-line. Horses earn life-time points and rewards. Groups can ride out together regardless of their division. Horses and riders receive points separately. Robert and Erin were just planning to go for the experience and were pleasantly surprised with the result. If you'd like more information, log on to www.actha.us. We'd like to participate in future rides. It was a lot of fun! Way to go Robert and Erin.

Equine Affaire 2010

April 2nd - 4th found Stoner Ridge Farm at the Equine Affaire in Columbus, OH. Even though we had planned to attend without horses this year, we were called on to help out due to a last minute cancelation. Fortunately, we are blessed with some wonderful horses to train and enjoy. Blueberry Wine and SRF Silver's Sundown were excellent representatives for the Mountain Horse breeds throuh United Mountain Horse. They had three opportunities to help educate folks about how wonderful these horses are due to their four beat lateral gait and their phenomenal dispositions. The most exciting performance was on Sunday morning. Blueberry, Silver, and Blue on Black (owned by VBF) did their demo between Stacie Westfall and John Lyons. John had sevral obstacles in the arena for his performance so the fellas (Robert, Mike, and S.T.) took full advantage of the opportunity. The three horses also rode around the ring right beside each other - the mare between two breeding stallions. You would never have known though because they were perfect gentlemen (and Blueberry was a perfect lady ). They were awesome! After the performance, John shook Robert's hand and said, "Good Training!" He also complimented Blue on Black for his beautiful canter. It was a great experience and a wonderful opportunity to share the umbrella of services that UMH provides the Mountain Horse community.

North Carolina Championship and the Al Prewitt Memorial

Congratulations to everyone who did well at the shows in North Carolina. There were some really good horses there. It was great to get to fellowship with all our horse show friends after the long cold winter. We especially want to congratulate Blueberry Wine on her Classic Pleasure Championship with Robert on board. We also extend our sincere congratulations to RRF Gold Nugget for winning the Adult Versatility Award and the AL Prewitt Memorial Award with Charlie DeAtley up. What awesome performances!

Success is not a destination, it's a journey.

Check out the winnings for Stoner Ridge Farm:

NC State Championship
Al Prewitt Memorial Championship

Blueberry Wine
Al Prewitt Memorial - Classic Pleasure Championship - 1st
Al Prewitt Memorial - Pro Am Classic - 2nd - Robert & Nancy
Al Prewitt Memorial - Mares Classic Pleasure - 5th
Al Prewitt Memorial - Trail Obstacle - 5th
Al Prewitt Memorial - Adult Versatility - 5th


Cypress Addagirl
Al Prewitt Memorial - Open Four Gait - 2nd
Al Prewitt Memorial - 2-3 Year Old Open Trail Pleasure - 2nd

Gaitway’s Jasmine Joy
NC State Championship - Open Western - 3rd
NC State Championship - Country Trail Pleasure Mares - 5th - Steve
NC State Championship - Country Trail Pleasure Pro-Am - 2nd Steve/Robert
Al Prewitt Memorial - Trail Obstacle - 3rd
Al Prewitt Memorial - Open Western - 3rd
Al Prewitt Memorial - Country Trail Pleasure Mares - 3rd
Al Prewitt Memorial - Pro Am Country Trail - 3rd - Robert/Steve
Al Prewitt Memorial - Amateur Country Trail - 3rd - Steve
Al Prewitt Memorial - Adult Versatility - 3rd

Pepper’s Capital Venture
NC State Championship - Classic Pleasure Championship - 4th - Mike
Al Prewitt Memorial - Geldings Classic - 2nd - Mike
Al Prewitt Memorial - 4 Year Old Stallions/Geldings - 2nd

Pepper’s Just Plain Pretty
NC State Championship - Country Trail Pleasure Mares - 4th - Tim
NC State Championship - Country Trail Pleasure Pro-Am - 3rd - Tim/Marcia
Al Prewitt Memorial - Country Trail Pleasure Mares - 6th - Tim

RRF Gold Nugget
NC State Championship - Open Amateur Classic - 3rd - Steve
Al Prewitt Memorial - Adult Versatility Award
Al Prewitt Memorial - Al Prewitt Memorial Award
Al Prewitt Memorial - 4 and Older Conformation - 2nd
Al Prewitt Memorial - Trail Obstacle - 2nd
Al Prewitt Memorial - Geldings Classic - 1st
Al Prewitt Memorial - Non Pro Classic - 3rd - Robert/Steve


SRF’s Silver Sundown
NC State Championship - Open Amateur Trail - 2nd - Steve
NC State Championship - Trail Pleasure Championship - 3rd
NC State Championship - Open Western - 2nd
Al Prewitt Memorial - Trail Obstacle - 1st
Al Prewitt Memorial - Open Western - 1st
Al Prewitt Memorial - Trail Pleasure Championship - 3rd
Al Prewitt Memorial - Adult Versatility - 4th