Spring 2024 Cathy Inch Newsletter

May 16, 2024

Hey Gang!

It's been a while! With the current trend of social media, newsletters seem to be a thing of the past. However, we always have a lot of news from the competition scene and also a lot of plans for an incredible summer. We don't want our Northern Ontario gang to miss out.

Firstly, Florida was a great success this year. Sad to not have the big gang down from the North, but circumstances led a few to cancel this year. But thankful for the videos from ‘Clip My Horse’, Holly, Adrianna, and the gang were able to watch our crew and cheer them on from afar.

Ella Palladino had a spectacular season with Lise, having some great results in the Jr. Am1.20 jumpers- securing at least 2 Reserve Champions and dabbling into the 1.30’s. Ella and Leon quickly moved through the ranks to ribbons in the Jr. 1.20’s & 1.30’s. A newly partnered Ella and Davidson finished their Florida circuit with a 5th place finish in the Jr/Am 1.35m Classic after just a 2-week partnership. Pretty Impressive!!

We welcomed a new member to the Foothills team; Nancy Benson and Arlequin Du Mazes (Cancan) joined us in mid-January. Cancan impressed us with his performance with a few lease clients. Both Leah and Mary played in the .90’s and equitation bringing us some great ribbons to hang proudly on our wall. Nancy was finally able to show the last week with him and finished 3rd in the Adult 0.9m II Phase before flying back to Canada to work so she could pay for her prince.

A huge thank you goes out to Isabelle Gauthier. Isabelle's dedication to ensuring the horses are well taken care of and turned out properly undoubtedly contributes to the overall success and happiness of both the horses and the team. Thank you Isabelle! And of course, the Northern Legacy Horse Farm kept me (Cathy) busy with 12 horses down south this year to rotate 6 or 7 into each horse show for 11 weeks! Their Ribbon Wall shows it all. Numerous Champions and Reserve Champions. Several wins and top placings for all of their show horses. Some are newly acquired horses and some are babies, new to the show ring, and they ALL impressed us. Congratulations to Craig and Katriina and their Northern Legacy staff who kept it all together and helped produce these dynamic results. Lindsay, Bronwyn, Mike, Megan, and Amy. Well done!

Coming home at the end of March was a surprise! SNOW AND COLD made us want to go back! However, it didn't take long to get back into the groove with so many Foothills customers hungry for lessons, training and updated education to prepare for the 2024 show season. Special Thank you to Kelly Gravelle and her team of Jr. instructors for keeping the gang up here fit and well-taught. Kelly, your endless energy and desire to improve not only yourself but your riders and horses made it easy for me to ride and coach in the sunshine knowing they were all in such great hands at home. You endured the elements and the cold! Thank you, and I am forever indebted….but not enough to trade places!

And already it’s the beginning of May and we have had 2 clinics under our belts! My clinic was very long-awaited, but extremely well attended! The Yann Candele Clinic was a huge success as per usual. Great turnout, enthusiastic spectators, and excited riders. Yann brought a vast amount of knowledge and was extremely impressed with the improvement of some of the younger riders. He is always happy to come and help such a great gang who's so keen to absorb and execute his very experienced coaching and horse training. He was very complimentary of the riders from Foothills, where his own daughter, Mathilde got her start in our summer camp and with our Trillium and A show team!

Okay, enough about the past and onto the future!! →

▼ May 6-19 - Palgrave A Shows

Foothills A team is off to Palgrave! Excited to get some new teams up and running and to continue the education and improvement of the rest of the gang! Palgrave has also undergone more renovations, new stalls, new rings, you name it! Exciting.

◄ May 20th: Foothills Farm Work Bee

Maintaining a facility such as Foothills Farm takes an entire village! Therefore a WorkBee will be held on the Monday of the Long Weekend.

Start time 10:00
Rock picking from Sand Ring
Rake & Clean the yard
Dusting the arena window sills and sweeping down the kick walls
Garbage picking along the ditches
Fix fences
Paint jumps (Personal Fav)
Cobweb sweeping from ceilings
Lots of jobs for both parents and kids
BBQ & Refreshments @ 3:00

It’s the collective effort and dedication of everyone involved that ultimately contributes to the success and enjoyment of Foothills for both humans and horses! We have a beautiful facility, and appreciate all the assistance we can get to keep it that way.

◄ May 24 @ 6:00pm - Get Ready to Show with Cathy Lecture

Get Ready with Cathy Show Clinic. All are welcome and it’s free!

Apparel- What’s in / whats out - both for the rider and horse
Horse show prep
Horse show Psychology
Legal Medications and Supplements
Show Etiquette
Expectations & Responsibilities

◄ May 25th: Get Ready to Show Clinic With Cathy Inch

How to ride a ticketed warm-up
Warm-up exercises
Groups for both Hunters and Jumpers
Strategies for a Winning Round

◄ May 26th: Get Ready to Show - SCHOOLING SHOW

Schooling show schedule and classes will be online.

◄ June 3-16th - Lexington Kentucky

Foothills A team will be venturing off to Lexington Kentucky Split Rock.

◄ June 14-16 Foothills Farm Horse Show

Show cancellations can be disappointing, but they're sometimes necessary due to various circumstances. Even though the Trillium show has been canceled, Foothills Farm will host a non-sanctioned horse show the same weekend. Please take this opportunity to get in one more practice before the Trillium shows begin. We are looking forward to seeing you all there! We will be running a very similar program and format as the Trillium shows. Once we have the program and class lists decided upon, we will let everyone know.

◄ June 24th-June 30th: CEP Gold- The Great Pony Challenge

Some of the A team will be attending.

◄ July 1st-July 14th - Ottawa Summer Tournament I & II

Some of the A team will be attending.

◄ July 19,20,21: Rick Smith Memorial Trillium Horse Show

Rick Smith Memorial Horse Show: This Trillium Show, hosted by Foothills Farm is not only a summer highlight but also a tribute to Rick Smith's memory. Events like these not only showcase equestrian talent but also honour the legacy of individuals who have made significant contributions to the equestrian community. Riders, spectators, and friends of Rick & Cathy, please join us. During the late afternoon/evening, during and after the show there will be a gathering to remember Rick; tell stories and enjoy some snacks and refreshments. Sadly, the Northern Ontario equestrian community is also mourning the loss of Erin Amos earlier this year. She was a longtime client, camp counselor, fellow coach, and friend. It also pains me to say that my brother, Sam Inch was also taken far too soon this year. So please spend this weekend taking the opportunity to reflect on times spent at Foothills where friendships were and continue to be made.

◄ July 15th-28th: CEP Gold 5 CSI II* & CEP Gold 6 The Kubota International CSI II*

Some of the A team will be off to Palgrave.

◄ July 29- August 4th: North American Young Rider Championships

North American Young Rider Championships at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival Traverse City Michigan. Some of our riders may qualify for the Canadian Children's Jumper Championships and the Pre-Junior Jumper Championships. Fingers crossed, but if not, we plan to show there that week anyway!

◄ August 9-11th: Northern Legacy Trillium Horse Show

The Second show in the North Eastern Zone out at Craig and Katrina's beautiful property in Whitefish.

◄ August 16-18th: Northern Legacy Trillium Horse Show

The Final show in the North Eastern Zone out at Craig and Katrina's beautiful property in Whitefish.

◄ August 12-18: AST Gold 3 CSI5*, CSIS2*

Some of the Foothills A team will participate

◄ August 15-18: Annual Canoe trip

I will be going on this family tradition to keep my sanity. Just Kidding! But I am looking forward to it.

◄ August 19-25: Ottawa Major League

All of the A team will participate

◄ August 27- Sept 1st: Trillium Championships: Wesley Clover Parks

The Trillium Championships held in Ottawa.

◄ Sept 9th-15: The Ottawa National

Some of the A team will participate

◄ Sept 16-22: CEP Gold 7: BF

Entire A team will participate

◄ October 8-13: CEP Indoor Gold 11: Eastern Canadian Jumper Finals CSI2*

CEP Indoor Gold 11: Eastern Canadian Jumper Finals CSI2*

◄ Oct 14-20: Possibility of World Equestrian Center Ohio.

Possibility of attending this.

◄ Nov 1-10th Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

A great week of fun in the GTA!

As I wrap up this newsletter, filled with updates from our recent successes and our cherished traditions, we look ahead to a busy schedule brimming with excitement. From training new teams to nurturing our existing ones, from honing our skills in the arena to preserving our sanity on the annual canoe trip, there's never a dull moment at Foothills Farm. Looking forward to a great summer ahead!

Cheers,
Cathy