Fall 2016 Newsletter

October 17, 2016

Dear Boarders and Students

Here we are again, the end of a show season is upon us!  Wow, that was fast.  Where did the summer go??  That’s what happens when you’re so busy.   Hope everyone enjoyed their summer and are ready to jump into Fall and Winter.  Without further ado, let’s get to this newsletter.  Foothills has lots of boasting to do!!

Firstly,  let’s start with Florida this past winter.  Super results there with the Footerra Hills gang.  As many of you know, we are lucky to have an ongoing partnership with the team at Monterra Farms and utilize their farm in Southern Ontario and Ocala as a home-base while competing far from Northern Ontario. Together we are called Footerra Hills!  This year the Footerra Hills gang spent 2 months in Ocala with hunters and jumpers.  Northern Legacy’s “Northern Lights” was champion in the Adult Amateurs, won an Adult Classic and numerous other great ribbons.  Quinn Mason rode Euro’s Artois to a Modified Adult Championship.  Bronwyn Cooper brought home some good ribbons in the Children’s Jumpers, but then she and Cora stepped up to the 1.10 M’s and then Cora the 1.15 M’s.  Kathleen McKeown won many ribbons on Euro’s Artois.  All in all, great representation from us Northerners.  And speaking of Florida, this winter, why not think of having a riding/showing holiday in Ocala with Cathy?  The Footerra Hills gang offers a lease program. They will lease you the perfect horse for you to lesson, and/or actually show.   Imagine…..  In the middle of January or February while it is cold and snowy up here, you too can enjoy the Florida sunshine in Ocala, riding in the sun (no mosquitos)!!  Doesn’t that sound like fun?  The cost for a week (from Tuesday to Sunday) is $1,200.00 US.  This includes use of the horse, all of your horse expenses (hay, shavings, stall, etc.).  It also includes all of your lessons and/or coaching at the show.  If you choose to show, your added costs would be braiding (Hunters) and entry fees.  Contact Cathy if this would interest you and she can get you all set up.  Leases available from the 3rd week of January to the end of March.

Before we talk about this summer’s show results, we would like to apologize for leaving 2 very important members out of the Foothill’s crew results on the 2015 “A” show circuit.  Last summer Anna Milburn and her pony “Hey There Delilah” cleaned up in The Medium Pony Hunter division on the “A” circuit.  Finishing 1st in the overall OHJA Standings and also competed at the Royal, winning numerous ribbons there as well!!!  Alicia Groom and her horse “Harrington” also won many ribbons last year in The Adult Amateur 1M Jumpers with great results at both Palgrave and Angelstone. 

And now onto the 2016 Show season.  

The NEC Circuit was going strong with 6 shows in total.  Special thank you to the stables that hosted 2 shows each…. Trevella Stables, Hillsview Stables and of course, Foothills Farm.  The quality of these shows, horses and riders are improving every year and hopefully some of these riders are ready to make the jump (no pun intended) to the Trillium Circuit for the 2017 season.  Kudos to our coach Sarah Russell who kept our riders in the ribbons at each and every show.  The results from each show are in an attachment at the end of this newsletter.  Here is how our riders did overall at the end of the season. 

BEGINNER DIVISION

Holly Heikkila - 1st Place

Max Arnold – 3rd Place

INTERMEDIATE HUNTER

Maya Naponse  - 2nd Place

Makenzie Thibeault – 3rd Place

INTERMEDIATE EQUITATION

Maya Naponse – 1st Place

Makenzie Thibeault – 2nd Place

OPEN HUNTER 

Camille Bortolotto – 1st Place

OPEN EQUITATION 

Camille Bortolotto – 2nd Place

MODIFIED HIGH HUNTER

Maya Naponse – 2nd Place

Evelynn Hoffman – 3rd Place

MODIFIED LOW HUNTER

Morgan Howland – 4th Place

Faith Widdifield – 6th Place

MODIFIED LOW EQUITATION

Morgan Howland – 3rd Place

Faith Widdifield – 5th Place

A lot of other Foothills Riders also competed in some of the NEC shows, but did not show in enough shows to qualify for the year end points.  These riders are Isabelle Gauthier, Miranda Boudreau, Julia Arnold, Claire Leclerc, Taylor Emmerson, Hannah Furbacher, Emily Koski, Jillian Dudas, Laila Regimbal and Alexa Rannelli.   Hats off to everyone who competed and also a big thank you to everyone for helping make this circuit a success. 

The Northeast Trillium Circuit was down in numbers but mighty in quality.  We missed our Huntsville contingent and of course the Woodridge Shows.  We hope to have them back with us again soon.  However, we have a nice group from the Sault area back with us this year, Timmins and New Liskeard are up and going strong, and when you add in the Powassan and area crowd and we don’t look to shabby.   Our numbers were not quite as bad as they might have been if not for Katriina and Craig from Northern Legacy.  They brought 7 quality horses to all of our Trillium shows.  What a great boost to our zone.  A great big thank you goes out to them!!! 

Please see the attached results from the North East Circuit Trillium shows.  As in past years, the results at the Championships prove that once again even though we are small in numbers, our horses and riders make us a Mighty Zone to contend with.   A huge congratulations to everyone that qualified and participated in the year-end Championships in Palgrave, held at the Caledon Equestrian Park.   The results are stupendous.  With Christine Treverton from Trevella Stables off giving birth to her second child, Sarah, Cathy and Lindsay literally had to run from ring to ring to ensure that the Foothills/Trevella gang went into the right ring at the right time, beautifully prepared and ready to scoop up their fair share of ribbons.    We must also mention the masterful organizing that went on back stage at the stalls, behind the scenes,  by Michael and Bronwyn to orchestrate all of this.  The whole week was like a carefully choreographed dance.  The riders from our Zone rocked!  The following are the results from the champs…..

.9M JUMPERS  

Hannah Furbacher & Power Surge – 8th

DEVELOPMENTAL LOW/HIGH HUNTER DIVISION

Cathy Inch & Madame Mao – 2nd, 2nd,  3rd, 2nd, 2nd  **CHAMPION**

LOW HUNTER DIVISION

Cathy Inch & Real Fancy – 9th, 10th, 6th 

Kiara Crawford & Claremont – 10th

TRILLIUM HUNTER DIVISION

Miranda Boudreau & Ingenuity – 4th, 8th, 8th, 1st

ADULT AMATEUR HUNTER DIVISION

Camille Bortolotto & Mad About You – 3rd, 4th, 2nd, 3rd, 5th   **CHAMPION**

Isabelle Gauthier & Cool Attraction – 5th, 9th

ADULT EQUITATION

Camille Bortolotto – 3rd O/F

Lindsay Rovinelli – 8th U/S

HACK DIVISION

Lindsay Rovinelli & Obsidian – 2nd, 8th, 5th

SHORT STIRRUP

Julia Arnold & Jersey Boy – 2nd, 1st, 5th  **CHAMPION**

Olivia Robichaud & Chapel Hall – 2nd

MODIFIED PONY HUNTER DIVISION

Taite King & Lily Lightly – 4th

LARGE PONY HUNTER DIVISION

Ella King & Addison – 9th, 5th, 4th, 3rd

2’6” ADULT HUNTER DIVISION

Lindsay Rovinelli & Madame Mao 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st  **CHAMPION**

Susan Legge & Q – 2nd

Lauren Goodridge & C’est la Vie – 10th

2’6” CHILD HUNTER DIVISION

Anyk Mainville & Gamekeeper – 4th, 8th, 2nd

Theresa Baker & Wentworth – 7th

ADULT AMATEUR MODIFIED HUNTER DIVISION

Sarah Russell & Cool Attraction – 10th, 8th, 3rd, 2nd, 10th

MODIFIED ADULT MEDAL

Sarah Russell – 1ST

CHILDREN’S MODIFIED HUNTER DIVISION

Miranda Boudreau & Mad About You – 4th

Mykayla Poitras & Gamekeeper – 11th, 7th, 12th

CHILDREN’S MODIFIED MEDAL

Mykayla Poitras – 4th

Koral van Tol – 5th

Madison Loach – 10th

CHILDREN’S HUNTER DIVISION

Ella King & I’m Your Man – 6th, 6th, 4th

JUNIOR MEDAL

Miranda Boudreau – 5th

“C” EQUITATION

Julia Arnold – 4th U/S

Mercedes Schulman – 7th O/F

“A” EQUITATION

Miranda Boudreau – 1st U/S, 2nd O/F

Acacia van Tol – 6th U/S

Koral van Tol – 9th U/S

JR/AM HUNTER CLASSIC 3’

Camille Bortolotto & Mad About You – 2nd

And Honorable Mentions go out to all the other riders & their horses from the Northeast Zone who tried their hearts out, but came away without ribbons.  Cyan Lavigne from Trevella, Vanessa Toupin from Eastwood and Evelynn Hoffman, Ashley Michaud, Claire Leclerc, Holly Clark and Samantha Wright from Foothills.  Although they did not put ribbons up on the wall, their participation and showmanship made us proud.  Most classes had 45 plus entries in them, so finishing in the top 10 was very difficult. 

Now, on to the next level.  The “A” circuit riders were also hauling in the loot!  In a half season, Bronwyn Cooper and Ricky moved up through the ranks from the 1M jumper ring to the 1.20M Jumpers.  She managed those big tracks on Ricky after just partnering with him shortly after returning from Florida.  “Way To Go” Bronwyn.  The beginning of the show season also showed promise for Alicia Groom and Harrington, however, an injury in July left them out of the competition for the balance of the season.  They’ll be back next year, bigger and better than ever!  Leah Blanchette partnered with Woody to win 2nd, 3rd and 5th in the Modified Junior Amateur Hunter Division in Palgrave.  This fall she returned to Palgrave, leased Liz Salmon’s horse Grizzly and was 4th in the Adult Medal.  A terrific feat considering how good those adults are this year.  Isabelle Gauthier and Red gave the Adult Amateur Hunter Division a shot and managed two 2nds, two 5ths and a 7th.  Sarah Russell also showed Red in the Modified Adults and got a 3rd, 5th and a 7th.   Susan Legge and Rain also joined the Foothills team in Palgrave and was Modified Adult Reserve Champion at the Autumn Classic.  

We are happy to still have Anne Fay and MaCree as part of our team at the “A” shows.  She has moved to Southern Ontario and Debbie McFadden has been keeping them tuned up and ready for the show season.  They placed 4th,5th,2nd,8th, in the Modified Adults in the second spring show.  In the 3rd spring show they won 4th,5th,7th,9th and then came back for more punishment this fall.  Not only did Anne get great ribbons again in that same division,  but she finished 4th in the Low Adult Amateur Classic at the Fall Finale.  Ashley Michaud with Walter made the long trek south from Timmins to participate in a couple of shows as well.  Kierra Crawford and her new 5 year old mare Mara, started in the Modified Children’s at their first “A” show and scooped up a 3rd and a 4th.  Then she moved into the 3’ Children’s Division where they managed some pretty decent trips.  Ella King and Apollo walked into the ring and won their first ever Children’s trip and then her pony Addison was champion in the Children’s Pony Hunter Division at Angelstone.   After a strong performance at the Championships, Addison has gone to a new owner who will need to work hard to keep up to Addison’s high standards.  

Miranda Boudreau and Indy were stars at Palgrave.  Indy winning the Open Performance Handy Hunter Class as well as the Under Saddle portion.  Then, in the fall, they returned and partnered together in the Modified Jr/Am Hunter Division.  Then at Angelstone, Miranda and Indy were Reserve Champion in that same division, winning 3rd in every single class.  How is that for consistency??? Katriina Ruotsalo sent Berdi M down for an “A” show and he managed to get 8th, 5th, 4th in the Open Performance Hunter.  All that after a long holiday from the show ring.  Both Caroline Jonik with Miss Scarlett and Anna Milburn with Chevalier also did an “A” show.  Rebecca Steen and her trusty steed Rainer had a great season!  Once again, they qualified for the Royal Winter Fair in a division beyond tough… the Older Adult Amateur Hunter Division. 

Caroline Hawson with her young  horse Constanze II got into the show ring after a few schooling weeks at Palgrave.  They both are likely going to pursue a career in the jumper ring, but dabbled in the Low Adult Hunter Division in the fall Palgraves and managed to pick up 8th and 9th against a tough group.  Good things to come for them in the future.  

Another major event this summer at Foothills Farm was the first ever Nation’s Cup competition, held in conjunction with an open house.  It was a great success binging many visitors out to the farm to view the facility, have a pony ride and watch the local riders compete in a team competition.  It was a blast!!  The winners of this year’s inaugural competition was Team Manitoulin Island lead by their captain Bronwyn Cooper. Team members Theresa Baker on Wentworth and Katriina Ruosalo on Dime also managed to post a score of zero after 2 rounds to flat out win this competition.  We are hoping to be able to schedule this into our calendar for next year as it was a highlight of the summer. 

OK,  enough of the summer and showing and onto the fall projects we have planned to continue to educate, improve and keep the Foothills riders current.  Keep in mind that dates can change as it is difficult to predict the availability of clinicians and horses!  Keep your eyes open and ears peeled.  

Before we get too far into the fall schedule, we have a wee bit of exciting news to share.  A very important member of the Foothills Farm family is off to Europe for an amazing equestrian experience.   Bronwyn Cooper has been a student at Foothills Farm for 4 years now and has been living with Dave & Laurel for the last 2.  Her accomplishments include showing in the Jr/Am 1.20M Division this year on the “A” Circuit.  After graduating from high school, Bronwyn has decided to take a year off school and pursue her horsey dreams.  She showed with and groomed for Cathy in Florida last winter and again all summer at Foothills and at the shows.  Bronwyn and her comrade,  Monterra Farms’s groom, Ruby Harris, are going to spend 2 months in Germany working for a breeding and show stable in Berlin.   They will work with babies, ride and groom at shows across Europe and perhaps scout out some nice hunter and jumper prospects for us.   They will bring back an invaluable wealth of knowledge.  Home in time for Xmas and then off to Florida in January with the Footerra Hills horses for 3 months.   Wow, talk about living the dream….  both of these girls deserve it.   Hope they stay in touch on Facebook and send us lots of pics.  

FALL SCHEDULE

October 29th, 30th  Marni von Schalburg Clinic 

November 4th to 13th  Royal Winter Fair

Miranda Travers Cavill’s horse Quapris Du Bois Margot (Woody), ridden by Sam Walker on Nov 4th,5th in the Junior Hunter Division

Rebecca Steen and Rainier on Nov 6th,7th  in the Older Adult Amateur Hunter Division

November 19th  NEC Circuit Year End Award Banquet (contact Laurel for details) 

November 20th  Schooling Show

November 21st   Adult Barn Rider’s dinner.  TapHouse on Regent

December 3rd,4th  John MacPherson Clinic

December 18th  Foothills Farm Christmas Party, Sleigh Ride and Pot Luck Dinner

January 7th,8th  Cathy Inch Clinic

No dates set as of yet, but be sure to save room in your spring calendar for Yann Candele and Hyde Moffat. 

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