HITS Ocala IV & V

The Fox Lake Farm team escaped the Alabama cold for some warm sunny days at HITS Ocala. We’ve finished up two great weeks of showing at HITS Ocala weeks IV & V and we’re excited to avoid the rain back home during week VI!

During week IV, Hagen Blackwell had excellent trips and ribbons aboard both Hey Scooby, her large pony mount, and At Last, a brand new partner for her with whom she tackled the 3’3 Large Junior Hunters. Hagen and “Scooby” took 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 6th out of a competitive group of ponies. Hagen and “Shaq” had top ribbons: two 2nds, a 5th, and two 6th place prizes.

Mimi Colette Frei and Hillcrest Songbird also tackled the Large Pony Hunters, coming away with two 7th place finishes.

Ginny Joyner and Claire McNamara’s Citrine Plaisir took 6th in the .80 jumpers and 6th in .90 jumpers together. Ginny also had a successful 1.10 trip aboard Abby Beaty’s Donnaludine, clinching 2nd out of 40+ horses! Abby went on to have great trips aboard her new mount in the High Adult Jumpers, as well as with longtime partner Via Dolorosa.

Clayton Mullis and Tower Lux took 2nd in High Children’s Jumpers and 6th in $2,000 M&S/Nal High Children’s Jumper Classic together.

Campbell Swanner had the opportunity to catch ride Carpriccio in some equitation classes and the pair had good ribbons together, including a 7th in the Mini Medal!

During week V, Hagen continued her successful streak with both horses, taking home great ribbons in the Large Pony Hunters with “Scooby” and Reserve Champion honors aboard “Shaq” in the 3’3 Large Juniors.

Mimi Colette Frei and Hillcrest Songbird had great trips in the Large Pony Hunters as well, with two 3rds, two 7ths, and an 8th place finish.

AJ Salch’s Cambridge made his jumper debut with Ginny Joyner during HITS Ocala and the pair took home 8th in the .80 Jumpers.

Ginny Joyner and Claire McNamara’s Citrine Plaisir built on their week IV successes, claiming 6th in the .90 jumpers; they also put down good, solid trips in the 1.00 jumpers.

Clayton Mullis and Tower Lux had another good week, taking home 7th in the 1.10 Jumpers and 7th in the High Children’s Jumpers. Abby Beaty ribboned in the High Adult Jumpers with a 4th on Via Dolorosa and 7th in the $2,000 M&S/NAL Adult Jumper Classic aboard Donnaludine.

Campbell Swanner also took a blue ribbon in the equitation on Carlo-T— great experience catch riding for Campbell!

Romney Velazquez’s A Timely Affair and daughter Lauren’s horse RF Rutchspun will be joining the crew for week VI, as will Julia King’s Champlain Grey. Good luck to everyone in the coming week!

Allison Black and Ginny Joyner will head to Gulfport, Mississippi for the Gulf Coast Winter Classic during March, while Guerry Force and Carlyle Brown will head to Chattahoochie Hills for the Alabama Hunter Jumper Association Kickoff Horse Show.

Click through the gallery below for more photos from HITS Ocala!

Zone 4 Awards

Congratulations to our Fox Lake Farm riders who received Zone 4 high point ribbons for 2018! Zone 4 is comprised of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Mississippi as governed by the United States Hunter Jumper Association. Several of our riders received high point ribbons in their divisions for their successes horse showing in 2018.

Abby Beaty and Corrado beat out all other Zone 4 competitors in the Large Junior Hunters 16-17 to take the blue ribbon. Abby and her other mount Via Dolorosa took 3rd in the High Children’s Jumpers.

Lucy Reich aboard Indelible placed 2nd in the 3’3 Junior Hunters and Annie LaRussa and Escalido took 6th.

Katie Habeeb and Simply Red were 5th in the Children’s Hunter division. Campbell Swanner and THS Pia-Lena took 8th in the same division.

Hagen Blackwell and her two ponies Footsteps and Hey Scooby both claimed awards in their divisions. Hagen and Footsteps were 4th in the Medium Pony Hunters and Hagen and Hey Scooby took 2nd in the Large Pony Hunters.

These riders worked hard all year competing and perfecting their riding skills against some of the toughest competition in the country. It’s so rewarding to see them find such large scale success. We’re looking forward to more of the same in 2019.

-Carlyle Brown

AHJA Year End Banquet

Friday night, January 4th, the Alabama Hunter Jumper Association Membership gathered at Haven in downtown Birmingham to celebrate the 2018 horse show season. In 2018 many of our riders stepped onto new horses and into more competitive divisions. We are so proud with not only their ribbon results, but also with all of the new skills they honed this year. Our riders came away with top placings in the entire state of Alabama.

In the Walk Trot 8 & Under division, Camille Coco and Whispering Hill took 7th. Camille also took 6th in the Walk Trot 8 & Under Equitation division. Lou Gidiere followed just behind Camille with a 9th place finish in the same division. In the Crosspole Hunter division, Bates Moody and Lydia Clayton shared the ride aboard Elliott for 3rd place honors. Bates also took 6th in the Crosspole Equitation. Bates was able to hold onto her 6th place finish even with moving up to the Short Stirrup division halfway through the year! Brynn Smith piloted Whispering Hill to 8th place in the Crosspole Hunters and Brynn took 7th in the Crosspole Equitation as well.

Bates Moody (left) sporting Crosspole ribbons.

In the Short Stirrup Hunter division, Hannah Banks was 3rd aboard Capito. Hannah also claimed Short Stirrup Equitation Champion honors! In Long Stirrup, Paloma Caine and White Tie took 4th in both the Hunter and Equitation divisions.

Hannah Banks and her Short Stirrup Equitation Champion ribbon.

Paloma and her parents celebrating her 2018 successes!

In the Schooling Hunter division, Fox Lake girls took the three top spots! Sydney Velazquez and Double Dutch claimed Schooling Hunter Champion, Emma Grace Early and Wonderland took the Reserve title, and Lauren Velazquez and Caredan Z took 3rd! In the Pre-Child/Adult Hunter division, our girls took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the same order! The Schooling Hunter and Pre-Child/Adult divisions were the largest, most competitive divisions on the AHJA circuit this year; hard work and dedication all year long helped these girls pull out such impressive victories! Lillian Reynolds also had a great year in the Pre-Child/Adult division; she piloted two mounts this year which just barely kept her out of the Hunter division ribbons. However, her strong showing all year long in the Equitation division clinched her a 4th place finish. Lillian and Willie, her mount purchased in the summer of 2018, also moved into the 2’9 Low Hunter division this fall to much success.

Lauren (left) and Sydney Velazquez with parents Romney and Andy.

Emma Grace Early showing off her 2 Reserve Champion prizes and 5th place equitation ribbon with mom Lisa.

Sydney Velazquez ended her night with a 3rd in the Pre-Child/Adult Equitation division; Emma Grace Early took 5th, and Lauren Velazquez took 6th.

Trainer Guerry Force with the Pre-Children’s girls.

In the Children’s Pony Hunter division, Sarah Carson Hill and Benlea Rain Dancer took 3rd out of a large group of ponies. Sarah Carson and “Stormy” had a great year together in Sarah Carson’s first year showing at 2’6. In the Regular Pony Hunter division, Mimi Colette Frei took 4th aboard Divide’s Freedom Spirit and Julia King took 5th on Copperfield. Both girls have since moved onto new pony mounts and we are sure they will have even more success in the 2019 season. Mimi Colette and Julia also took 4th and 5th in the Regular Pony Equitation division.

Sarah Carson Hill (left) and Julia King with their pony hunter ribbons.

In the Baby Green Hunter division, A.J. Salch’s Cambridge clinched 4th place with Carlyle Brown. “Ozzy” made lots of improvements this year as he learned to love his job in the hunter ring!

In the Low Hunter division, Kate Knowles took a 4th place finish with Kingsley. Kate and “Dax” also claimed Reserve Champion in the Children’s Hunters for the year, and Kate won Champion honors in the Children’s Equitation for the 2nd year in a row!

Kate and Dax had a successful show year.

The AHJA also awarded High Point Awards to those AHJA members who accumulated points in rated divisions at USEF shows throughout the year. Campbell Swanner and THS Pia-Lena had the highest number of points in the Children’s Hunter division at USEF rated shows out of everyone in Alabama, so they clinched a Champion prize. Annie LaRussa and Escalido were right on their heels, coming in 3rd.

Campbell Swanner and mom Heather with Campbell’s USEF High Point ribbon for the Children’s Hunter division.

Many trophies and awards were given throughout the night to deserving riders, trainers, and parents. During the Banquet, the AHJA Membership votes on those nominated for select perpetual trophies. One such award, the Pat Hoyle Sportsmanship Award, has been given since 1969 and is awarded to someone who exemplifies strong sportsmanship and dedication to the sport at AHJA activities. Guerry Force nominated Carlyle Brown for the award, and the AHJA Membership voted her as the winner. Carlyle’s name will be engraved alongside many cornerstones of the AHJA community, including Allison Black’s mother Mary Anne Majerik who won the award in 1988.

Carlyle and Guerry with the Pat Hoyle Sportsmanship Award trophy.

In all, it was a fantastic night for not only our Fox Lake Farm family but for the AHJA community as a whole. We here at Fox Lake love being involved in such a strong local circuit that is encouraging and bringing along our next generation of horsemen and women. Also, a huge thanks to the AHJA Board for their hard work this year ensuring a successful circuit, as well as lots of time and effort put forth to make sure Banquet went off without a hitch.

Click through the gallery below for more photos from our fun night. Thanks Madison Massey!

Merry Christmas from Fox Lake Farm!

Tis’ the season! Fox Lake Farm held its annual Christmas party on December 14th at the Reich’s welcoming home. Festivities began with dinner as both kids and parents were able to catch up with their barn friends. Madison Massey, one of the Fox Lake girls, said, “Coming to the Fox Lake Christmas Party is like the start of the holiday season for a lot of us because it is the first party most of us have after wrapping up a hard week of finals.”

Every year the girls participate in an intense but fun game of “Dirty Santa.” Each player brings a $25 gift to participate and as people arrive they place their wrapped gift in a pile with the rest. Each girl draws a piece of paper with a number and whoever receives number one picks any of the gifts from the pile. Going in number order, they are able to either unwrap a new gift or steal someone’s gift. A surprise brought a little laughter to the night when a fish was unwrapped!

When everyone was gathered together, excitement filled the room because the girls knew it was time for them to receive their Christmas gifts from Ms. Allison! They wait all year for a Fox Lake gift that is usually riding related. “Give me a number from one to 100,” said Ms. Allison; the closest number was the first to get a C4 belt sporting the Fox Lake logo!

Once the gift giving was over an impromptu photoshoot took place in the backyard. It is always fun to see everyone dressed up for the holiday season and spreading cheer! The Fox Lake annual Christmas party is always a success thanks to fun kids, great parents, and amazing trainers! We cannot wait for next year!

-Annie LaRussa

Welcoming Luxe!

Congratulations to Campbell Swanner and her family on their purchase of Luxe! Campbell and “Logan,” as he’s known in the barn, had a great debut together at Wills Park earlier this month and we can’t wait to see what this pair is going to accomplish! Campbell just came off a fantastic show year with THS Pia-Lena and she’s ready to continue her riding career with Logan.

Thank you to Campbell’s mother Heather Swanner for these beautiful photos!

Atlanta Fall I

Fox Lake Farm enjoyed a week of showing at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, Georgia. Our jumpers took the main stage, tackling the 1.10 Barry Lane Classic classes in the Olympic Arena.

On Saturday November 10th, Abby Beaty took the win in the $5,000 Barry Lane Classic class aboard her own Via Dolorosa with two clear rounds out of 21 competitors. Abby and Vinny were one of only 5 pairs to go double clear.

Lucy Reich and Cuchino Z took 8th in the same class in their first show together, with Clayton Mullis and Tower Lux coming in just behind them with a 9th place finish. Clayton had a great showing her first time out in the 1.10 jumpers, also taking 9th in the $7,500 Barry Lane Classic on Sunday. Abby and “Vinny” took 10th in the $7,500 class as well.

Over in the pony ring during week one, Mimi Colette Frei and Hillcrest Songbird had beautiful rounds in the Large Pony Hunters. Their efforts earned them a win in the Large Pony Classic as well as other high placings over fences. Mimi and “Eva” just recently teamed up in October, and they’re already finding much success together.

All smiles after winning the Classic.

Allison Black and Ginny Joyner are sticking around for another week of showing, including more installments of the Barry Lane Classic. Good luck to everyone!

AHJA Year End Horse Show 2018

The Alabama Hunter Jumper Association hosted their annual Year End Horse Show at Brownland Farm during the first weekend of November. A cold, rainy start did not deter trainers and riders from gathering for three days of hunter, jumper, and equitation classes. AHJA members worked hard all year to be able to showcase their progress and success at our biggest show of the season.

Some of our riders sporting their winnings!

Guerry Force, Carlyle Brown, and Ginny Joyner made the trek to Brownland with 14 horses in tow. Amy Knowles and Kate Knowles also came early to throw in helping hands. All 14 horses—and their riders!— would exceed expectations over the course of the weekend. The AHJA Year End Show offers several money classes in each discipline, including a Welcome Class, a Mini Prix, several Hunter Derbies, and Hunter Classics.

On Friday, several of our horse and rider combos made it to the second round of the AHJA $2500 Hunter Derby and came away with ribbons out of a field of 37: Lauren Velazquez and Caredan Z claimed 4th, Emma Grace Early and Wonderland took 5th, Kate Knowles and Kingsley took 6th, Lillian Reynolds and Willie won the 10th award, and Sydney Velazquez and Double Dutch claimed 11th.

Our derby ribbon winners.

In the $1500 Hunter Derby on Saturday, Paloma Caine and White Tie took 12th out of 20+ competitors! Paloma would also go on to win the Long Stirrup Medal Class.

Paloma, Guerry, and “George” posing with Paloma’s winning sash.

Over in the jumper ring, Zoffany had a great weekend with both Ginny Joyner and owner Jessica Dallow. On Friday, Ginny piloted “Austin” to a win in the 1.0 Welcome Class. Lucy Reich and Katie Habeeb also competed, claiming the 6th and 7th awards!

On Saturday, Jessica Dallow took 5th place in the 1.10 Mini Prix with two clean rounds!

In the same class, Lucy Reich and Cuchino Z took 6th place. Lucy and “Chino” had solid rounds all weekend together in the 1.10 Jumpers as well!

Katie Habeeb and Alto Aviator competed in the 1.0 Classic on Sunday and came out with a 7th place finish! Katie and “Lucas” also took 2nd in one of the 1.0 Jumper classes.

In the hunter divisions, Emma Grace Early piloted Wonderland to champion honors in both the Schooling Hunters and the Pre-Child/Adult Hunters. Each division had nearly 20 entries—what a fantastic way to end their season! Lauren Velazquez was right on Emma Grace’s heels with Caredan Z, taking reserve champion honors in the Schooling Hunters as well.

Winner winner!

Lauren Velazquez also piloted RF Rutchspun to reserve champion in the Low Hunter division. Lillian Reynolds and Willie also had great Low Hunter trips, claiming 2nd, 6th, and 4th out of a competitive division.

Julia King and Champlain Grey also had an incredibly successful weekend, taking home Schooling Pony champion, a win in the Dean Show Services Undersaddle Invitational, and a win in the Jr. Board Equitation Flat Challenge out of nearly 20 entries. The Undersaddle Invitational entries comprised only of winners from hunter undersaddle classes during the weekend. Julia says that winning the Invitational was the most exciting class of the weekend because Otis was chosen out of the best movers at the horse show. Julia has been working hard since purchasing Otis in August to learn to keep him straight and maintain a good pace. All of her hard work paid off in blue.

Sarah Carson Hill also got a piece of the Jr. Board Equitation Flat Challenge, taking 8th! Sarah Carson and Benlea Rain Dancer also had nice trips in the Children’s Pony Hunters as well as a 5th place finish in the Children’s Pony Medal.

Carlyle, Sarah Carson, and “Stormy” posing with Sarah Carson’s Eq Challenge ribbon.

The main hunter ring also hosted a Jr. Board Equitation Flat Challenge which drew a large crowd as well. Lauren Velazquez took 7th aboard Caredan Z, Lucy Reich claimed the 6th award on Molly McCown’s Demitasse, and Lillian Reynolds took the win aboard her own Willie!

Lillian’s mother Mandy wore very appropriate attire for Lillian’s equitation win!

Hannah Banks and Capito had a strong last showing together in the Short Stirrup hunters, claiming several 2nd place prizes and a 5th in the Short Stirrup Medal class. Hannah and “Otto” have had a great year together.

AJ Salch’s young horse Cambridge tackled the Baby Green Hunters with Carlyle Brown. “Ozzy” had good trips in good company and came away with several placings, including a 2nd in the undersaddle. He does nothing but get better and better!

On Sunday, our riders tackled Medal Classes and Hunter Classics. In the $500 2’6 Hunter Classic, Lauren Velazquez and Caredan Z took top honors. Emma Grace Early and Wonderland took 3rd, with Sydney Velazquez and Double Dutch claiming 4th.

Lauren and “Z” also won the Pre-Child/Adult Medal Class. Lauren says winning the medal was the most exciting class to win at the horse show for her because she’s struggled with lead changes and pace this year, but during this trip she kept Z in front of her leg and nailed all her lead changes in a course with lots of rollbacks.

Kate Knowles and Kingsley tackled the $500 3’ Hunter Classic and came away with a 7th award. Kate and “Dax” also won the Children’s Medal!

Kate had support and help from her mom Amy and sister Grace all weekend.

The AHJA Show Season is a wrap for 2018! The horses will get some much-deserved down time before we start working toward our goals for 2019! Thank you to all the parents for supporting their children’s passions through rain and cold; thank you to our horses for all they do; thank you to the AHJA for putting together a fantastic show; thank you to Brownland Farm for hosting!

-Carlyle Brown

Click through the gallery below to see more Year End photos:

Indoors 2018: Hard Work Pays Off

Fall in the horse world is a busy time; with the changing of the seasons comes a marathon of horse showing indoors. This year, the Fox Lake Farm team helmed by Allison Black took on the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, the Washington International Horse Show, and the National Horse Show.

Abby Beaty tackled multiple disciplines during indoors: she competed in the Large Junior Hunters at PNHS and the National Horse Show, as well as the USEF Hunt Seat Medal Finals and the Maclay Finals aboard Corrado. She also competed in the Children’s Jumper Finals at WIHS and PNHS aboard Via Dolorosa with the help of Ginny Joyner.

Allison and Abby prepped and ready for the Maclay at the National Horse Show!

Abby had lovely trips in the hunters and the equitation aboard “Corey.” She and “Vinny” also went clear in the first round of the Children’s Jumper Finals at WIHS. This was a fantastic end to Abby’s junior career; we are certain she’ll be back to indoors again as an amateur!

Hagen Blackwell made the trip to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. as well. In Harrisburg, Hagen took 10th in the Medium Pony Undersaddle aboard Footsteps. In Washington, she piloted Footsteps to 7th in the Medium Pony Handy and 8th in the Undersaddle. She also took 7th aboard Hey Scooby in the Large Pony Handy.

Campbell Swanner made her indoors debut aboard THS Pia Lena; Campbell and “Pia” competed in the Children’s Hunter Finals at both PNHS and WIHS. Campbell laid down nice rounds at both venues. Campbell qualified for both shows in less than a year, having just made the step to the Children’s Hunters at the beginning of 2018.

We are so proud of the accomplishments of these young women and we cannot wait to see what successes 2019 brings!

-Carlyle Brown

Fox Lake Farm Receives Best of Birmingham Award for 2018

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fox Lake Farm Receives 2018 Best of Birmingham Award

Birmingham Award Program Honors the Achievement

BIRMINGHAM October 30, 2018 -- Fox Lake Farm has been selected for the 2018 Best of Birmingham Award in the Farms category by the Birmingham Award Program.

Each year, the Birmingham Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Birmingham area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2018 Birmingham Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Birmingham Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Birmingham Award Program

The Birmingham Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Birmingham area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Birmingham Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy.

SOURCE: Birmingham Award Program

CONTACT:
Birmingham Award Program
Email: PublicRelations@awardrecognition.org
URL: http://www.awardrecognition.org

A Touch of Fall at Fox Lake Farm's Fall Party & 2nd Annual Jumper Show

September 29th marked our second annual AHJA Jumper Show as well as our annual Fall Party and spend the night! We here in Alabama have been slogging through our extended summer, waiting for a hint of fall to make its way south. Fortunately, on Saturday, there was a slight chill in the air that made for a beautiful day to horse show. We hosted only jumper classes ranging from .65 meters to 1.10, allowing competitors of all levels to participate!

Hagen Blackwell and her ponies played in the jumper classes for the weekend; Hagen took a win on Footsteps in the .65s and a 2nd aboard Hey Scooby in the .75s. Julia King also took her pony Champlain Grey into the .75s and won the second trip.

Julia and “Otis” had a great time jumping around the .75 classes!

Keri Rankin and Carlyle Brown showed their young horses, Odessa and Nu ID, in the .75s as well with much success. Keri Rankin also won the “Best Turnout” award for the day.

Lillian Reynolds aboard Willie, and Campbell Swanner on THS Pia Lina, each won a .85 class. Campbell also competed in the .95s alongside Annie LaRussa and Escalido. Campbell and “Pia” used the jumper trips as an opportunity to practice for their trip to WIHS and PNHS in the Children’s Hunters later this month. All of our girls enjoyed getting out of their comfort zones and riding different tracks than they’re accustomed to in the hunter divisions.

Clayton Mullis and Tower Lux won both their 1.0 class as well as their first 1.10 class together! Abby Beaty and Via Dolorosa took the win in the second 1.10 class, our final class of the day.

Clayton and “Tower” had a great first 1.10 trip!

After a pleasantly early end to our horse show, the Fox Lake Farm team reconvened for our annual Fall Party and spend the night! Guerry and Carlyle spent the night with the girls at the barn, ensuring that everybody at the barn—horses included—earned a much needed nap on Sunday. We love the chance to get all of our clients together for a night of fun and food before we hit the ground running again with more fall horse shows. Soon, Allison will be shipping out for Harrisburg and Washington, while Michael tackles two weeks of Brownland and Ginny travels between the two! Carlyle and Guerry will resume their marathon of local showing, culminating in the AHJA Year End Horse Show at Brownland Farm the first weekend of November. We have much to look forward to this fall!

-Carlyle Brown