Kicking Off the Year at the Atlanta Winter Classic

Fox Lake Farm just returned from three weeks at the Wills Park Equestrian Center in Alpharetta, Georgia. Our horses and riders braved snow, rain, and wind to come out on top with championship honors and blue ribbons. Though the weather may have been atrocious, we are still thrilled with the results of our first horse shows of 2018. For several of our girls, this was their first outing with their new mounts! 

Michael Allen kicked off Week I with championship honors in the High Performance Hunter division with Cynthia Hallman's Fig Street's Duchess, as well as a second place finish in the USHJA National Hunter Derby. Cynthia piloted Gracie to high placings in the Amateur Owner Hunters later that week. 

Michael and Gracie with their High Performance division champion ribbon. Note the snow still on the ground in the background!

Fox Lake's jumper riders also found success at Week I of the show. Anna Kathryn Hymer and Fleetwood had very strong showings in the Low Child/Adult Jumpers, including a win in the Low Child/Adult Jumper Classic. Katie Habeeb and her own Alto Aviador also pinned well in the same division, and they took home 5th in the classic. Clayton Mullis and Cruze also had some good rounds in the Low Child/Adult Jumpers. Abby Beaty and Via Dolorosa, her jumper mount since 2015, ended up reserve champion in the High Child/Adult Jumper division. 

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Abby Beaty and her new mount Corrado had an exciting debut together at Wills Park. Abby is in her last junior year of riding, and decided she would like to branch out from the hunter and jumper rings where she has spent her junior career. At the end of 2017, she leased Corrado who has experience in all three rings. With him, she's tackling both the Junior Hunters and the big equitation classes. Abby took 2nd in the WIHS Equitation class, 3rd in the ASPCA Maclay, and was champion in her age equitation division. She also had high placings in the 16-17 Large Junior Hunters, and won the $1000 Junior Hunter Classic. 

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Mimi Colette Frei also debuted a new mount this year: Divide's Freedom Spirit. Mimi and "Spirit" spent week I in the Large Children's Pony division before moving up to the Large Pony Hunters for the next two weeks. Mimi and Spirit dominated the Children's Ponies, taking first and second in nearly every class. The pair ended up reserve champion, missing champion honors by just half a point.

Annie LaRussa and her own Escalido also had a successful week I, pinning highly in the Children's Hunters and taking 2nd in NAL/WIHS Child/Adult Hunter Classic. 

Several more Fox Lake riders joined us for Week II, so there were even more blue ribbons to be won! Campbell Swanner took champion in the Pre Child/Adult Equitation and reserve champion in the Pre Child/Adult Hunters her first time out with THS Pia-Lena. 

The rain clearly didn't stop Campbell from bringing her A Game! 

Sarah Carson Hill's Benlea Rain Dancer thrived in the weather (we wonder why?) and she took home 1st, 2nd, and 5th her first time out in the Large Children's Pony Hunters. 

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Anna Kathryn Hymer's Cinsational made his 3'6 Green Hunter Debut at week II with Michael Allen. The pair nearly had a clean sweep of the division and ended up champion. They also took 3rd in the USHJA National Hunter Derby for the 2nd week in a row. 

Hagen Blackwell and her two ponies, Footsteps and Hey Scooby, had strong trips in the Medium and Large Pony Hunters. Mimi Colette and Spirit also did well their first time in the Large Ponies together, taking 5th in the $500 Pony Hunter Classic. 

Mimi and Spirit tackled the Large Pony Hunters together.

Fig Street's Duchess aka "Gracie" had another strong week of showing with both Michael Allen and Cynthia Hallman. Michael and Gracie took reserve champion honors in the High Performance Hunter division, and Cynthia and Gracie were reserve champion in the Amateur Owner Hunters together. Cynthia also won the $1000 Amateur Owner Classic. 

Cynthia and Gracie still look good in the freezing cold.

Several more Fox Lake Farm riders took home tricolors and good ribbons: Abby Beaty and Corrado were reserve champion in the 16-17 Junior Hunters and champion in the 15-17 Equitation; Annie LaRussa and Escalido were champion in the 14 & Under Children's Hunters; and Susan Warner's Commodore was champion in the 2'9 Low Hunters and 9th in the USHJA National Hunter Derby with Michael Allen. Romney Velazquez's A Timely Affair took 8th in the USHJA National Hunter Derby with Michael, along with some good placings in the 3'3 Performance Hunter division. 

By week III, all horses and riders were still going strong. Anna Kathryn Hymer's Cinsational won the USHJA National Hunter Derby with Michael Allen. Then, with Anna in the irons, "Prince" took champion honors in the Amateur Owner Hunter division and 1st in the $1000 Amateur Owner Hunter Classic. 

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Sarah Carson Hill and Benlea Rain Dancer were reserve champion in both the 2'3 Hunter Division and the Children's Pony Hunter division. Sarah Carson and "Stormy" are proving to be a very competitive pair! Sarah Carson's two weeks at Wills Park are only the 2nd and 3rd time she has competed at USEF recognized shows, and she's already taking home tri-colors. 

Allison Black still looking stylish in sub-freezing weather.

Hagen Blackwell had a very strong weekend with Footsteps and Hey Scooby. Hagen and Footsteps took reserve champion in the Medium Pony Hunters.

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Abby Beaty kept up her winning ways with both Corrado and Via Dolorosa during week III with reserve championship honors in the 16-17 Junior Hunters and high placings in the High Children's Jumpers, including a 4th in the $1500 High Child/Adult Jumper Classic. Abby also won the Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunt Seat Medal, the WIHS Jumper Phase, and was second in the ASPCA Maclay aboard Corrado.

Katie Habeeb had strong trips in both the Children's Hunters aboard Simply Red and the Low Child/Adult Jumpers aboard Alto Aviador. Katie showed strength, drive, and determination throughout the three weeks. Her hard work paid off. 

Michael Allen had another successful derby day during week III taking 5th with Romney Velazquez's A Timely Affair and 3rd with Susan Warner's Commodore. 

In total, from all three weeks, Fox Lake Farm riders accrued 20 tri-color awards and 5 classic wins!

Check out the gallery below for more photos from all three weeks! Photo credits to Madison Massey.

-Carlyle Brown

Fig Street's Duchess Takes American Hanoverian Society's Top Honors

We want to congratulate Cynthia Hallman and her own Fig Street's Duchess for receiving year-end honors through the American Hanoverian Society!

Holly Shepherd and Gracie cruising to 4th place in the $10,000 Derby Challenge at the USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship.

"Gracie" is an 8 year old Hanoverian by Don Principe out of Comtessa, who Hallman purchased as a three year old. Gracie is the American Hanoverian Society's champion in the 3'9 Green Hunter division and the Adult Amateur Hunter 50+ division. Gracie had a successful year of showing in divisions from the Adult Amateurs with Cynthia to the Green Hunters and the USHJA International Hunter Derbies. Congratulations to Cynthia and Gracie and good luck in 2018! 

Cynthia and Gracie showing in the Adult Amateur Hunters at HITS Chicago.

-Carlyle Brown

Congratulations Hannah Banks!

We want to congratulate Hannah Banks and her family on their lease of Capito, aka "Otto"! Hannah had an incredibly successful show year in 2017 in the Crosspole division and is ready to move up to Short Stirrup with Otto. We think this pair will dominate the show ring! 

Photo credits to Heather Swanner.

AHJA Year End Awards Banquet

Saturday night, January 6th, the Alabama Hunter Jumper Association held its annual Awards Banquet at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Mountain Brook. Nearly 300 members of the AHJA gathered to celebrate all the hard-won successes of the 2017 show year. Awards were presented for every recognized AHJA division, honoring those competitors who were in the top 6 or top 10 for points accumulated during the show year. The Fox Lake Farm crew had plenty of opportunities to cheer throughout the banquet, as many of our riders were presented with an award! 

The Fox Lake Farm crew clean up nicely!

To start off the night, Brynn Smith received tied 9th place awards for helping pilot both Whispering Hill and Pixie Stix in the Walk Trot 9 & Under Hunter Division. Brynn also received a 9th place ribbon for Walk Trot 9 & Under Equitation.

Brynn posing with her Walk Trot awards!

Hannah Banks and Elliott ended a very competitive year of showing with 7th place in the Crosspole Hunter division. Hannah was also Reserve Champion in the Crosspole Equitation division. Bates Moody and Kaelin Taylor also ribboned in the Crosspole Equitation division, with Bates taking home the 8th place award aboard Roxie and Kaelin receiving the 10th award aboard Noah.

Our three Short Stirrup riders had a very successful night at the banquet. Emma Grace Early and Best Kept Secret took 3rd place overall in both the Short Stirrup Hunter and Equitation divisions. Julia McAdam and Cup of Joe were 4th in the Hunters and Reserve Champion in the Equitation, and Sarah Carson Hill and Mr. Congeniality finished out the year at 7th place in the Hunters and 8th in the Equitation. 

We are so proud of what Emma Grace Early, Sarah Carson Hill, and Julia McAdam accomplished this year!

Our three Long Stirrup riders were also recognized for their accomplishments. Paloma Caine and Capito were Reserve Champion in the Long Stirrup Hunters, and 3rd in the Long Stirrup Equitation. Ann Clair Walton and Gabriel picked up a 4th place award for the Hunters, and 5th for the Equitation. Sydney Velazquez and Requested took 8th place in the Hunters and 4th in the Equitation. 

Paloma and her mother Michelle posing with Paloma's Long Stirrup awards.

In the Pre-Child/Adult Hunter division, Campbell Swanner and All That were 5th overall. Campbell also took home the Reserve Champion ribbon for the Pre-Child/Adult Equitation. Lauren Velazquez and Lillian Reynolds finished 8th and 9th in the Pre-Child Adult Equitation as well. 

Kate Knowles and Kingsley made a clean sweep of the Children's Hunter and Equitation divisions, receiving both Champion ribbons! Kate also received two perpetual trophies for her successes in the Children's divisions. 

Clayton Mullis and Cruze received ribbons in several hunter and jumper divisions, taking 3rd in the Children's Hunter and Equitation, 4th in the .95 jumpers, and 5th in the 1.00 jumpers. 

Ribbons galore for Clayton Mullis, Kate Knowles, and Campbell Swanner!

Mimi Colette Frei and Mariano placed 6th in the Children's Pony Hunter division and 7th in the Children's Pony Equitation.

Our own Amy Knowles, who works tirelessly as both a horse show mom to her daughter Kate and as the head of the Fox Lake Farm lesson program, received the Outstanding Parent Award, which was voted upon at the start of the banquet. Kate nominated Amy on the basis of Amy's dedicated work in creating better horsemen, riders, and well-rounded individuals both in and out of the barn. We are so proud to have Amy as part of the Fox Lake Farm team. 

Amy and Kate posing with Amy's Outstanding Parent Award. 

Fox Lake Farm also won an award which was voted upon at the start of the banquet: Best Horse Show. Our AHJA recognized hunter show is held every year in May and is only made possible by the hard work of all the Fox Lake staff and several dedicated clients. However, one person in particular is to thank for her efforts in making each show better than the last: Guerry Force, Fox Lake Farm's Barn Manager. Guerry received the award on behalf of Fox Lake Farm. 

Guerry accepting the Best Horse Show trophy.

This past year was one of Fox Lake Farm's most successful show years to date. It was gratifying to see all of the hard work our riders have dedicated to this sport over the past year pay off in such a grand way. Each and every one of them deserves commendation for the improvements they made this year, not just as riders but as young horsemen as well. We hope they carry what life lessons they learn from us out into any other endeavors they may pursue. Thank you all for a spectacular year; we can't wait to do it all again in 2018! 

We'd like to thank Ellen Blalock and Morgan Hurd for their excellent job in putting together this year's banquet.

Click through the gallery below to check out more photos from the banquet! Huge thanks to Madison Massey and Michael Gibbens for the photographs. 

-Carlyle Brown

Welcoming Wonderland and Benlea Rain Dancer!

There are lots of new mounts at Fox Lake Farm this year as our girls all prepare to move up to new divisions! We'd like to welcome two more horses to the barn family: Wonderland, aka "Wonder," and Benlea Rain Dancer, aka "Stormy." 

We want to congratulate Emma Grace Early and her family on her lease of Wonder! Emma Grace spent 2017 showing in the Short Stirrup division and is ready to move up to the Pre-Children's hunters. 

Emma Grace and Wonder. Photo credits to Heather Swanner.

Congratulations are also in order for Sarah Carson and the Hill family on their purchase of Stormy! Sarah Carson also spent the past year in Short Stirrup and is moving up to the Large Children's Pony division this year! 

Sarah Carson and Stormy. Photo credits to Heather Swanner. 

We think these two new pairs will have plenty to learn and lots of success in this new year! 

-Carlyle Brown

Fox Lake Farm Riders Receive Zone 4 Awards

Fox Lake Farm is pleased to announce that two of our riders have topped the year end standings for Zone 4. Under the USHJA, Zone 4 includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina, so suffice to say these girls had a very successful year of competition!

Katie Habeeb and her mount Simply Red are the Children's Hunters 15-17 Champions for 2017. Habeeb began her partnership with Simply Red, aka "Cinco," in 2015. The pair has attended shows all over the country together, including the Washington International Horse Show and the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. 

Katie and Cinco accrued a grand total of 1176.95 points in the 2017 competition year over the course of 17 shows. 

Katie's all smiles after a course with Cinco in the Children's Hunters. Photo credits to Alison Hartwell.

Hagen Blackwell and her medium pony Footsteps also received honors this year for Zone 4, taking the Reserve Champion Medium Pony Hunter title. This year was Hagen's first full competition year with Footsteps, or "Butter" as she's known at home. Hagen and Butter also qualified for the Washington International Horse Show and the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. The pair laid down some successful courses in their first indoors trip together. 

Hagen and Butter's grand point total for the year is 2482.7 over the course of 23 competitions. Hagen and Butter will take on the Medium Pony Hunters again in 2018, certainly to much success! 

Hagen giving Butter some love at Brownland Farm in Franklin, TN. Photo credits to Madison Massey. 

We are so proud of all of our riders and horses this year, and we cannot wait to see what successes 2018 brings! 

-Carlyle Brown

Introducing Michael Allen

The Fox Lake Farm team is thrilled to officially welcome Michael Allen! Michael has been a lifelong horseman, and has spent the past five years in Scottsdale, Arizona at Smoke Tree Ranch as a professional rider and trainer with much success. Michael has experience in both the hunter and the jumper rings. In his last position, he was the reserve champion World Championship Hunter Rider in 2017 for the Mountain/Southwest Region. Under his tutelage, many of his clients and horses have received High Point standings for Zone 8 as well. He also has several National and International Hunter Derby wins and placings under his belt. We are so excited for him to share his wealth of knowledge with us! All of our clients have much to learn from him. Welcome to the team!

-Carlyle Brown

Welcome to Fox Lake!

We would like to welcome Campbell Swanner's new mount THS Pia-Lena to Fox Lake Farm. We are excited for Campbell and Pia to tackle 2018 together!

Congratulations Velazquez Family

We are so excited for the two Velazquez girls on their new mounts!

Sydney Velazquez will pilot Double Dutch in 2018 and Lauren Velazquez has a new partner in Caredan Z. 

Good Luck Girls!

Thank you Heather Swanner Photography for the wonderful pictures. 

Brownland Fall I & II

The Fox Lake Farm team returned on Sunday from two weeks in Franklin, TN at Brownland Farm. Brownland is one of Fox Lake Farm's favorite shows to attend during the year, and our clients are always excited to go for the beautiful facilities, the well-run show, and the proximity to charming Franklin and of course, Nashville. 

Both weeks of the show brought successes to our horses and riders. Fox Lake Farm rider Chaz Harpman had stellar trips in the Brownland Farm Hunter Derby, taking 5th place with Romney Velazquez's A Timely Affair, 6th with Annie LaRussa's Escalido, and 9th with Katie Habeeb's Simply Red.

Madison Massey and her own "Smithwick" added to the weekend's successes by taking Reserve Champion honors in the Low Children's Jumpers. This was Massey's first show back on Smithwick after spending much of 2017 showing a leased mount, Captain Dukato. The results of the weekend far exceeded her expectations. Initially, she hoped to get around smoothly and have solid trips: "my goal was to just go into the ring and ride the track that would benefit Smithwick best, and keep him relaxed and confident. Also, with me not riding everyday I just wanted to give Smithwick the best ride I could."

Massey and Smithwick accomplished more than just executing solid rounds--they were highly competitive. Once she entered the show ring, Massey knew that Smithwick had brought his A-game. "Smithwick was willing to do anything I asked of him, from making a little bit of a risky inside turn, to opening up and leaving out a stride if need be. I would say Smithwick's entire perspective on the show was to please me by doing what I asked. We even won a couple of classes, which I haven’t done in a while because my other horse was kind of slow, so it felt nice to be back in the winner's circle."

Massey recently started her freshman year at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. She's managed to find time to balance her school work and her riding life. Her whole life, her parents have emphasized the importance of her schoolwork. She sticks with that mindset: "My parents say 'school work first' and so that is what I do, so I can keep riding and horse showing as much as I can. I try to get ahead with my work when I can because I would much rather spend my weekends at the barn than doing homework." The Fox Lake Farm team is so proud of Madison Massey's accomplishments both in and out of the barn. 

Clayton Mullis continued with Madison's winning ways in the Low Children's Jumpers during the second week of Brownland. She piloted her own "Cruze" to Reserve Champion honors. The timing was perfect, as it also happened to be Mullis's birthday weekend. She had the chance to celebrate her 15th birthday with everyone from Fox Lake Farm at one of her favorite shows. 

Throughout the course of the two weeks, Annie LaRussa had strong efforts with good ribbons in the Children's Hunters on Escalido, and Hagen Blackwell left with blue ribbons from her rounds in the Medium Pony Hunters on Footsteps and the Large Pony Hunters on Hey Scooby. Cynthia Hallman and Fig Street's Duchess had great trips in the Adult Amateur Hunters during the second week of showing, placing 2nd in two trips in good company. Fig Street's Duchess was also 6th in the Brownland Farm Hunter Derby with Chaz Harpman that same week. We can't wait to return to Brownland in October!

-Carlyle Brown