Fox Valley Stables

08/03/2024

I can’t really express how proud of I am these 2 ladies and their fabulous bay boys. Huge congrats to Grace Getty on the purchase of Maxwell Smart/ a truly fabulous and kind Canadian Warmblood. And holy cow, don’t call it a comeback, Mikala Huemmer and Pierre aka Smart Bomb blowing up cross country schooling today. We love the horse park and are so lucky to be able to enjoy their War Horse series:)

06/09/2024

It’s a lazy Sunday morning here at the farm!

05/08/2024

We had such a fun photo shoot this weekend, huge thanks to Ash Nicole for the beautiful shots !!!
Happy happy birthday to the best old man in the entire world. Can’t believe Vic is 31 and still going strong❤️❤️❤️🦄🦄🦄🦄

05/04/2024

It’s been a sleepy kind of life for the spoiled horses around here. Night turnout is rough lol/ Berry and Rubi love their morning naps and the rest of the crew is just happy to have so much grass this spring.

03/17/2024

It’s official!!! 10 years ago we closed on the farm after a long and stressful process. We are incredibly thankful to the many many people who have helped make Fox Valley Stables a wonderful home for us and our horses❤️
Spent the weekend celebrating with some of the original crew who have been a part of the journey and a huge part of the success from the beginning. Cheers to 10 Years!!!!

02/05/2024

It’s been a great start to year! We have such an incredible barn family who gifted the farm brand new jump poles, all painted and wood and beautiful! Thank you all so much:)
We also have a few new faces in the barn- Berry the 18 month Connemara cross, and Max the gentle giant Canadian Warmblood. Looking forward to a fun year with all our horses and people❤️❤️❤️

12/04/2023

Tis the season! It feels weird to be decorating for Christmas when it’s 70 degrees out but I’m sure winter will find us again. Love our barn family and thankful for our wonderful horses and their humans:)

11/01/2023

❤️🦄🩷🐴 if you know, you know.

THE DREAM THAT MANY WILL NOT UNDERSTAND:
My horse is my personal dream.
One day when I am very old and when I can not walk anymore, it will be in my heart as a trophy of my memories.
I met people who taught me something and have the same spirit and I met others that I'm glad I forgot.
I got wet,
I felt cold,
And I felt warm,
I was afraid,
I fell,
And I stood up,
I even hurt myself, I have been broken,
But also, I laughed out loud inside .
I spoke a thousand times with myself.
I sang and shouted with joy like a madman,
And yes ... sometimes I cried.
I have seen wonderful places and lived unforgettable experiences.
I often made unplanned jumps that even Oliver Skeete would be proud of; other times I made jumps full of terror.
I stopped a thousand times to see a landscape.
I spoke with perfect strangers, and I forgot people I see every day.
I went out with my demons inside and returned home with a feeling of absolute peace in my heart.
I always thought how dangerous it is, knowing that the meaning of courage is to advance even feeling fear.
Every time I go up to my horse I think about how wonderful she is.
I stopped talking about it to those who do not understand, and I learned to communicate with other riders.
I have met some amazing people I now call friends because of my horse.
I spent money that I did not have, giving up many things, but all these things are not worth even one special moment with my horse.
He is not a means of transport or a piece of iron with wheels, it is the lost part of my soul and my spirit.
And when someone says to me: "You have to sell the horse and you have to be a more sensible", ... I do not answer. I just swing my head and smile,
A horse..... only the person who loves them understands it.
May God bless my friends and all their horses...
And the adventure continues. .

Photo - Titan ( admins horse )

10/30/2023

It’s been such a warm and gorgeous fall! Grass is coming up and all the horses are very happy:)

09/17/2023

There is a new pretty lady around the barn! Don’t be confused and think you are seeing double( she looks very similar to Clyde lol) we are super excited to welcome Bonnie to Fox Valley Stables. She is super sweet and we can’t wait to get to know her more:)❤️

09/14/2023

Vic and Splash love each other and often spend the mornings interacting or just being together, but this was a new one… Splash was “grooming” Vic, licking his ears and even his eyeball lol. They are such cute weirdos.

08/28/2023

Most of the adults and young adults I teach struggle with this. You are not alone- everyone has bad rides, everyone has bad days ( horses do too!) but the point is it’s a journey, nothing stays the same, days get better, rides get better, then they get worse/ it happens to everyone:) give yourself a little grace and appreciate the time you spend in the saddle as time you get to enjoy these magical creatures and also get to learn from them.

Dearest Riders,

Please let me remind you of something very important. Horse showing, riding and training are insanely difficult. If you have a crappy ride, a less than stellar show ring result (or if you made your trainer want to pull their hair out today), it just means there's more to learn. The people who had good rides today are not exempt from disappointing rides tomorrow. They also have bad days and, if they're very experienced riders, they've had a whole bunch of bad days.

There will always be someone out there on a more talented horse, someone with a bigger bank account, someone who never struggled to learn to sit the trot...life isn't fair. You probably can't win the lottery or grow 5 more inches of leg. You can, however, wake up every morning and be thankful that you're able to ride horses. Work hard at becoming the best rider you can be with the body and the bank account that you have right now. Work at being the rider your horse wants up there on his back. Your horse's opinion of your riding is more valuable than any judge's opinion could ever be.