SKM Riding LLC

12/08/2024

2024 USDF convention - we came, we saw, we conquered.
It was a really fun trip with some great education and thoughtful topics along the way. Getting to see horse show friends in the off season is a grand bonus.
We even had time to eat great food and get to enjoy Houston including the Space Center and The Galleria.
I am not one for the spotlight so chose not to participate in the gala and awards ceremony but did recognize that I earned the right to recognition for successfully earning my Silver medal this year. And a huge congrats to all the fellow equestrians on all of their amazing accomplishments as well!!

10/24/2024

My dream is that we reach a level of communication and relaxation within the show ring that really shows off her true ability. Until then, well done this year Bella, well done.

10/07/2024

Congratulations to Angela Michaelson and her lovely horse, Rein, on their very successful first weekend at the Grand National & World Champion Morgan Horse Show down in Oklahoma City!! 🎉🎉👏👏

10/05/2024

I hope to see many of you there! Share with your friends and family! Happy October 🎃

10/01/2024

This is the Junior Instructor - It's officially October! I'm starting to get ready for a horse Halloween party, with more information to come 🎃😜

08/26/2024

Northern Lights 40th dressage show is a wrap! So thankful to all of the people who work so hard to put on such a great show year after year!

We brought Checks, Bella, Onyx & Silver to the show & they all had fantastic moments that made their humans proud! One more show to go until we're in the show respite period of the year.

08/26/2024

08/08/2024

Belle Danseuse (Bella) at the beautiful Alpine Horse Farm Aug 2024

All photo credits go to Huppert Photography because Carmel is the best ;)

07/30/2024

Sweet boy, Chance, knows how to cool off after a training ride on a hot day 💦

07/29/2024

This was one of those shows we were looking forward to all year because of all the friends we knew would be there!

Quick Highlights:
Sarah & Jack got one of their qualifying scores for regionals at T3.
Thalia & Fig had some great communication & connection throughout their tests.
Leslie went back into the ring (with one of the best tests I've ever seen her ride) after Silver decided she wanted to be a Kamikaze in the second test on the first day.
Alli & Checks got one of their 3rd level bronze medal scores.
Vicki & Iris "walked the walk" and really showed everyone that this beautiful saddlebred can be competitive in any ring!

And the drive back was nothing short of entertaining (💃🪇💌💞)

07/04/2024

🇺🇲🇺🇲 Happy Independence Day, USA! 🇺🇸🇺🇲

06/10/2024

It's been a busy show season so far! This last weekend was my main mare, Bella's 1st time of the season out as well as Thalia Kohler's handsome guy, Fig! Sarah's well known gypsy, Jack, was already seasoned and had two back to back weekends of dancing.

Thalia had many gorgeous and harmonious moments on Fig throughout the entire weekend but some communication issues during the actual tests made it hard to reach her goal (which is sooo gosh darn close!!). Thankfully she's incredibly determined & will take all the great with the tough moments to come out more ready for the next show! Oh, and she ended up third level jr/yr grand champion!! 💙

Sarah's horse, Jack, never took a misstep. They both seem to love the Alpine Farm show grounds & it shows. With a complete outfit change each day (meanwhile I wore the same show clothes 3 days in a row 🤣🤣) they came in determined & motivated to continue to improve. The highlight was catching Jack napping and Sarah got to go get some serious snuggles in!

I couldn't be more proud of my Bella mare. We have had more than our fair share of struggles and battles but she showed up this weekend and put her very best hoof forward with scores ranging from 61%-67.6% in her 6 tests and earned reserve champion in the open training level division. We know what we have to work on but can reflect on where we were not even a year ago and appreciate the combination of patience, diet & exercise changes that help her feel like her best self to give us good rides!

A huge thank you to the judges, the show staff, volunteers, the Underhill family & their incredible workers for a beautiful weekend!

05/23/2024

I told Aiden he wasn't allowed to slouch in his lesson today - evidently this was his response 😂😜🦄

05/14/2024

My favorite of the 3 tests ridden this week. He was so rideable and all the mistakes (less the final centerline, that one was on him alone 🤪) were my piloting errors.
I adore this horse & he really seems to enjoy this test.
PSG

05/14/2024

Mayflower I & II at the beautiful Otter Creek is a wrap!! I couldn't be more proud of everyone!
The first show of the season always seems to sneak up no matter how much prep work was put into planning! Emma Berquam rode her horse, Onyx, at a show for the first time since he had to rehab and they totally rocked their intro classes with scores up to 68%!! Plus the stretch goal of cantering during the test was not only accomplished but crushed with correct leads, a happy horse & good geometry 😎
Victoria Renee brought her Sweet Iris to their first dressage show & Iris rewarded our well thought out plan to give her experience & confidence by getting better and better each time out! She was definitely feeling confident in the show realm by Sunday and she finished 4 tests and is a newbie no more!
Leslie Sunnock was all smiles with her T3 scores and got a huge start on her summer goals!! My favorite was that she rode her test without a reader (scary!) and ended up winning her class! 💪. I even got to hop on Silver for a test to get a real sense of how she feels in a test and she surprised me with some great moments and some genuinely "never would have thought she would do that" moments (like cantering after our initial halt, salute instead of trotting 🤣).
Rizo was very relaxed and rode in all of the rings like a rock star. I got excellent feedback from the judges & am now only one score away from a silver medal 😲

Plus there's all the horse show friends & family not mentioned here, but equally as valued & appreciated!! They make waking up early and seeing their smiling faces worthwhile, too!!

04/25/2024

It's a gift to work with truly dedicated riders and their equine partners. Every now and then I get a bonus gift and I have to say, I'm stoked about these new sunglasses made for riders!! Thank you Paige Pick and family! Onyx approves, too ( Emma Berquam )

04/24/2024

24 tests are printed - it's going to be a GREAT ride-a-test day!!! 🦄 💕