KKM Stables Newsletter Archive

Summer 2006 Newsletter
KKM STABLES
Dressage Training & Instruction
"Enjoy Your Horses More"

KKM Stables is having a great year!  Congratulations to our 4-H Dressage Students on qualifying for State Fair.  Good luck to Adrienne and Andrea on their horses Sunny & Jag. Have you seen Maya Wisdom lately?  She's the determined rider of Rocky, a 4-yr-old Welsh-Quarter Horse cross who moves as pretty as he is to look at standing.  His stubborn streak and quirky behaviors are no match to Miss Maya, she just keeps asking him to do it better, and he does… on the flat and over fences.  Congratulations on your 1st place ribbon Rocky's first time out.  The Pahl's are now riding and showing their horses successfully, getting their just rewards for years of mucking, grooming & loving only. Lauren is scoring in the 60's with Baron, a 9-yr-old Morgan on her Intro Tests and Kayla's quite the picture with 2-yr-old Paints Lilly & Payday in showmanship classes.  Jack is about to hit the trail on Baron (not literally of course) with Karen and Corson along (That's right Corson, time to get back in the saddle!).  Watch for Jack in his clinging breeches & handsome tall boots! (Keep your eyes open ladies.  Thanks for sharing him with us, Brenda.)

Vintage rider Cheryl Church (not really as old as that sounds) is having good rides in Intro level tests on her Friesian beauty Thor.  After years of being a supportive 4-H leader & Mom, it's her turn now with the loving support of husband Michael.  Did we hear of a score over 70%?  You go girl!

The colorful Nancy Fanello & Rev (that's right-both of them, Nancy's beautiful  hair & eyes are just so pretty as her dappled palomino KY MT Horse!) are always into something new.  First, a breed demonstration at Equine Affaire (with dressage-quality gaits at the walk, gait and canter) came home to work on developing a trot and start lateral work.  We were side tracked (for a little while only) teaching Rev to pull & Nancy to ground drive.  They've gone off (with Fred & Hawk) to Colorado, to cut trees and pull them off the mountain, and build their own corrals.  What a team!

Our accomplished riders Sarah Mosher & Susi McCaffery have their 3 yr olds working some nice circles at walk, trot, canter in a group lesson.  Sarah's Fuzzy (William, if you prefer) is a kind and big home-grown Clydesdale-Thoroughbred cross.  And Susi's bay Buster, a Quarter Horse gelding, is one nice piece of horseflesh.  Watch for these ladies in competition before summer's end.

 

Young trainers-in-the-making, the brother-sister act of Jacob & Sarah Thomas are doing a fine job of taking a lesson & working it for 2 weeks, then moving up the ladder to the next skill.  Where's the plateau guys?  No backsliding from these two.  Sarah and her Appendix Quarter Horse Bay gelding, Ben, are having an awesome year at Training Level their first year out.  And Jacob and Chip are working towards the Western Pleasure Classes with some beautiful balance and partnership.  We know dressage doesn't mean a type of saddle.  Thanks to their extended family support, these are some fine young American kids on their way to contributing great works.  God Bless!

Beginning riders are a joy to us here.  Young 8-yr-old Catherine Berry on Reggie is posting on the correct diagonal, beginning canter work and is soon ready for an Intro Test.  Like a phoenix, she rises from the sand to go again and our favorite line from this drama queen beauty is "I'm Okay!!"  Joetta Goodman is joining in with her red roan Quarter Horse, Change, and is looking forward to increasing her confidence.  (That's her stated goal, but we know she's chomping at the bit to get in the show ring in those Western Pleasure Classes). Karen Kissling, just coming off the backside of a couple of those really hard years in life, is up and on Reggie refreshing her skills at steering, stopping and posting.  She's getting ready for her own Morgan mare, Meadow, who is just being started under saddle.  Karen and her mare are headed for some fun years on the trail.  No big deal to these two.

Farrier Vern Schlabach joins us on some Wednesdays with stories of traumatic injuries on horses and his uncanny ability to make repairs and help these horses return to comfort.  We thank him for being a horseman and a gentleman (this man makes time to help others), in addition to providing comfort and soundness to our horses with his creative problem solving and farrier skills.

Dr. Ann DiFrancesco of Fredricktown Vet designs our vaccination protocol for home and visiting horses, keeps all the 4-leggeds healthy, assists in making foals happen and always brings her warm heart with her when she comes.  Join us on the trail Dr. Ann.

Thanks to Cathy Newlon from Ostrander for her energy work, soft tissue therapy and equine chiropractic.  When the training hits a snag it's Cathy-on-the-way, then everything is better.  Also, we are grateful for our soundness expert, Dr. Richard Mairs of Wooster for his investing in diagnostic equipment, bringing it here and then knowing how to use the results for good treatment.  Slick couldn't make it without him.

If you enjoy our barn, thanks goes to Corson for design, oversight, improvements and repairs.  Thanks a million, Cowboy.  Also to our artist friend Ken Arthur for creating tool storage, arena door handles and a host of other nifty ideas.  Russ Nothacker keeps us always stocked with the essential clean hay and straw stacked and at the ready.  We appreciate his strength, honesty and abilities. We also appreciate our barn keepers:  Todd Corwin, congratulations on beginning your 4-yr degree at OSU in business management.  We know you can do anything well.  Ethan Fry, who is growing 4-H pigs for the Richland County Fair (Put the weight on the bacon, Ethen!) and Kaela Keen who also keeps and shows horses in many disciplines.  Keep on loving and learning, Kaela!  Good work crew. Thanks for keeping us running like clockwork.

We also enjoy our visitors, those with Andalusions, Lippizaners, Haflingers, Fjords, Tennessee Walking Horses and backyard pets.  You add to our family too.  Thanks for stopping by.

Join us for KKM Family Fun Day, Saturday, August 19th, from 11:00 to 5:00 for a day of food, fun, visiting and enjoying our horses and friendship.

What a great year!

Hot off the press:  All 4-H students who competed in PAS (Points against Standard) qualified and are going to State Fair the end of July.  Watch for our students in Hunt Seat Equitation, Western Pleasure, Western Showmanship, Pony Pleasure and Hunter Over Fences Championships.