Willow Tree Farm

10/22/2023

W/T/C Sweepstakes Field Hunter WINNER 🎉

The most beautiful ride by:

Jennie Oliver and The Real Deal

10/21/2023

The horses might be mortified from the fireworks, we might have just gotten to our hotels and also are frozen already but seeing the girls having the best time together, makes every single part of the chaos, worth it.

Wish the travel team luck as they take on the NC State Fair Show this weekend. 5 a.m. sure comes early!

📸 by the travel team photographer: Stephen 🤣

10/03/2023

Saturday we headed down to Pamlico for one of their schooling shows. With over 20 head of horses in the youth division, it gave the kiddos a great chance at practicing their guiding, separation, and just being part of a little chaos. You can never have that many youth riders without a little chaos! We didn’t take any western riders to this show and were home by 1:30 p.m. and none of us knew how to act!
Lexi and Prince were in their groove and went in and out every class with a giant smile. Building confidence and simply enjoying her rides is a huge goal for her this year and thankfully we found a God send match of a horse that allows her to do all of it!
Ulysses and Lacie made their first show debut and it was one he won’t forget. Lacie didn’t make it easy on him but he knew quit working with her, worked through some nerves and tough situations but overcame it all! We have a list of things to build on for our next ring trip and it’s only up from here!
Evangelina and Halle Berry were fantastic! Ange is figuring out of to “sit and ride” as hard as that might be sometimes because we want to micromanage so bad, Halle has a incredible cruise control button and having faith in that is a giant leap for Angie but she’s figuring it out one day at a time! I’m so proud of them.
Madison and Parker floated around, with Madison nailing her showmanship and equitation patterns, placing at the very top of her class. Her position is impeccable and her horse is THE strongest horse I’ve ever sat on and she makes it look effortless. Parker goes out of his way everyday to keep teaching Madison new things. I love watching her ride!
Zoey and Shiloh had their best ride and definitely best show yet. Shiloh as you know, is a grump and cannot stand people around her. Usually she will seek out her victims and seek violence if allowed but Zoey kept her under wraps the whole show!! She kept her spacing space, she guided and found spots that benefited not only her but the other riders, all while being very competitive in her classes. This was her best ride yet and it’s only going to get better!
Emma and Gweena did their thing! Watching them ride together, there’s no doubt that long adores her without a shadow of a doubt, Gweena loves being with Emma! She surely placed but to Emma, she was having a blast just riding around on her favorite girl with her friends and that’s for sure what it’s all about!

It was a great day spent together, doing our favorite thing and can’t wait to do it all over soon! Great job Willow Tree team! 💜

09/30/2023

Even though I’d rather stub every toe I have than to unload and stack hay, these girls kept me giggling and rolling on the floor (literally) 😅 the whole time. Everyone was working so hard, these bales were not for the weak! Half of them are horse showing again tomorrow, so we might all be limp noodles but at least this is one less thing to do! Me for one, is already sore!

So blessed to be surrounded by these incredible kids that would hang out with me all day everyday if they could.

09/28/2023

Four days late but I’m finally getting around to the “book” post from our show last weekend!
This was a new show series to us that we were eager to try out, Hurricane, newborn baby and all, we conquered!
Friday we all got in, settled and schooled and were able to have dinner together at the Backyard Bistro which was the BOMB, by the way. Hurricane or Tropical Storm (months worth of rain at once anyway) hit Friday evening until Saturday evening. It was horrible. The temperature dropped significantly, it was POURING sideways and we still showed on Saturday, outdoors, in the rain like a bunch of 🤡. Sunday was beautiful, we made up for bad weather and by the afternoon, they were actually watering the arena because it was dusty again!
Madison and Parker, Daisy and Chesu and KB and Bentley all showed in the Schooling Hunter division both days. Daisy was signed up for beginner jumpers but it was cancelled Saturday due to weather (they called it after the schooling Hunter division), but was able to show Sunday and all of the girls came home with a championship and reserve of some kind! Jumpers was a whole new ballgame for all of us but Daisy and Chesu were made for it, bringing home 1st in her first course and champion of the division I believe! Madison brought home Champion of Equitation and KB brought home Champion of the Hunter division.
Makensie and Willow made their third ever ride ENGLISH debut at the show, showing in advanced mini stirrup alongside Lexi and Price, Angie and Halle and Alaina and Pippy. They didn’t get to show on Saturday because of their classes being called due to weather and I had already planned to scratch them anyway due to new horse/rider combos, green beans and terrible odds. However, Sunday, they patiently waited around all day to show, and I was GLOWING as they flatted and did their little pole courses! I was in awe of how incredible our horses are and how impressive my little riders are becoming! Alaina and Pippy brought home Champion of their division, followed by Lexi and Prince (AKA now, Mr. Big Sox) in reserve.
I’m so proud of the girls for working as hard as they did through the nasty weather, hard circumstances and bipolar temperatures. The horses stayed healthy and safe, riders were warm and fed and everyday was full of little girl giggles.
Massive shoutout to my personal tribe, that helped me take care of Colson all weekend, as I was running across the fairgrounds, he was one happy little man all weekend!
Finally Farms ran an incredible show despite the weather and we can’t wait to be back with more folks next year!

09/24/2023

Ahh, much better!

09/23/2023

Madison, Daisy, and Kailyn were able to pull champion and reserve in all of their divisions in someway or another in the absolute downpour of this storm. We’ve decided to scratch classes for the younger girls for the rest of today due to the weather, but we will be back at it tomorrow hopefully with sunny skies, now I’m off to buy more clothes because it’s way colder than I thought it was going to be😆

09/23/2023

We have half stuffed Oreos this morning! Some poor, soggy, cold Oreos 😅🤣

09/22/2023

Welp. Tropical Storms call for horse shows, always! Hey, at least it’s not 97 degrees! 😁

09/19/2023

Lisa Carawan Sugg snapped a picture of Gweena complaining to management…treats should be increased to an unlimited supply after each ride instead of just 3. 😆

09/09/2023

Today should be the beginning of *slightly* cooler weather! I’m praying, anyway!

Happy Saturday! 🎉

08/31/2023

We definitely got a ton of rain but the ground doesn’t even show it. It absorbed so much already from how dry everything was. We have a couple of disgruntled ponies but overall, everything is looking green again!

08/28/2023

Happy first day back to school! I’m loving seeing all of the pictures and with school, comes lessons! Looking forward to seeing everyone this week! 🎉🎉

Also, I do see the secret pictures that the girls take on my phone and they will slowly make their debut, one at a time 🤣 💜

08/01/2023

I want to give a massive congratulations to the Williams family for going from a “no horse, boat wanting family” to now owning 2 horses and committing every weekend to the barn, forever. 🤣🤣

Lexi’s newest fella Prince came home tonight! She grew like a w**d and outgrew her pony, which is still here, just under lease! You surely can’t miss him with his extremely unique markings!

Willow Tree farm, welcome Prince to the farm 😎 he’s already got a few girlfriends.

07/26/2023

How is that for front porch views? 😍

07/24/2023

https://www.facebook.com/100064832462581/posts/671314225039654/?mibextid=cr9u03

If your area has been getting some rain this summer, it’s important to be on the lookout for signs of thrush.

07/18/2023

Happy Retirement my best little buddy 🥹

P.S. he’s just at grandmas house, a couple houses down!

07/16/2023

Good morning from the humidity and the three stooges!

07/09/2023

All the horses are tucked away for a couple hours and it’s kind of refreshing to see a good storm in the daylight!

07/07/2023

Believe it or not, after 5 weeks of summer camp, this is all that is left in lost and found! Go team! 🤣

Please claim and pick up ASAP before the sparrow birds claim them as best items too.

Pretty sure the jeans belong to Lucas, (Kristen Barnhill McCoy). And I won’t tell y’all how many pairs of socks are in the trash. 😑

07/07/2023

Today is such a special day for everyone’s favorite little friend, “Amigo”..

Amigo carried his last little rider today and is now officially in *retirement*!

Amigo has been with me since I started Willow Tree and has been the foundation pony for almost everyone that rides here now. He is the safest, bravest and smoothest little soul I’ve had the privilege of having here on the farm. He came with a hock injury that was detrimental to his abilities but is also why he was always carrying the flea sized riders.
He likes to play opossum when he’s carrying a rider and he’s scared. He won’t run away or do anything but he completely freezes, eyes bulge out and he slows his breathing as if he is all of a sudden invisible 🤣 but he is always careful to take care of the little ones on him. Most of the time, I have neighbors calling or parents to tell me I have two horses “fighting” in the pasture. Well it’s always just Rue and Amigo playing tag and hanging all over each other. However old he might be, he loves to run and goof off more than any of them!
He could continue on and carry little riders but he has earned, time and time again, this retirement. He’s let me know that he’s tired and our job as being a horseman first is to always be able to advocate and listen to our horses. Amigo will live out the rest of his very healthy life right here.
He will still be here for a couple weeks but will then go just a pasture over to my moms house to live with her newest mare, Betty. Betty needed a friend and it just so turned out that it was time for Amigo to take a step back. He is absolutely a ladies man so he will be in heaven. I’ll still be able to see him from my porch and check in with him everyday.

Amigo will always welcome treats, rubs or a good brushing. Happy Happy well deserved retirement to my million dollar ‘Migo 💜.

07/03/2023

Colbie and Snoopy are super thankful to be cooling I’m off with this rain! Colbie is so thankful, he is being a little wild 🤣 and also, yes…Snoopy really is that small!

07/02/2023

The next few days are going to be SCORCHING ones. Do the math and save those rides for cooler temperatures if you can. Instead maybe settle for a bath and spa day with your pony!

06/30/2023

We had the most fantastic finishing week of camp! The heat finally showed it’s face this past week but that didn’t stop us! Jennifer Emens and I are blessed with awesome campers and even more incredible helpers!

Today wraps up our week long camps, we have a three day-half day beginner camp to finish out in the latter part of next week and then that’s a wrap for the summer! Most of the horses are on a well deserved vacation until the lesson season begins again!

Everyone enjoy their weekend and don’t forget, the 4th of July is coming up which means fireworks! Have a plan together for your animals if you don’t have one already!

06/29/2023

After 10+ years in retirement, I’d say his muscle tone and frame says he never missed a beat 🤣

Our camp horse show starts tomorrow at 12:00 p.m.! Campers are dismissed after the show!

06/27/2023

It was quite the toasty one yesterday! We ended the day with carrot races and Colbie and Willow were definitely the most food motivated 🤣

06/25/2023

All the horses are catching up on much needed rest today.

Tomorrow begins our LAST full week of camp!

🎉Week four campers make sure to bring your water bottle, sunscreen, lunch, bathing suit and towels DAILY! 🎉

06/24/2023

😎

Good plan.

06/23/2023

We made the most out of our last day. The weather finally put a damper on things but we still had our show and still got to go into the pond!
🎉Week Three 2023 is in the books! 🎉

06/23/2023

⚠️ We had a monsoon last night and the main arena in unrideable. Our camp horse show will begin today at 11:00 a.m. in the GRASS arena behind the barns. Trying to avoid afternoon weather! ⚠️