Clairvaux LLC

11/02/2024

Happy Halloween! We had a great time at our annual Halloween parade, which has become one of our favorite traditions at Clairvaux. We saw a boat and Nemo, a Christmas tree, a knight, 2 Chappell Roans with pink ponies, Uma from the Descendants, a referee and lacrosse player, a cow, a kissing booth, 2 unicorns, and Zuko and Aang from Avatar the Last Airbender. Thanks to all for a fun day!

10/14/2024

Congrats to our IEA riders for 2 successful shows this weekend! On Saturday at Little Clovelly/ Havenshire, our high school team earned reserve champion, with Riley placing 1st in the Open under saddle, Chloe earning 2nd in the JV Novice over fences and 1st in the under saddle, and Victoria winning the Future Walk/Trot. On Sunday at Full Moon, Riley placed 2nd in the Open flat, Carrie won the Varsity Intermediate Flat, Vivian was 2nd in the Future Intermediate flat, and Eden won the sportsmanship award for her positive attitude and productive mindset. We’re so happy with our teams!

10/02/2024

We have a late update from a successful Maryland Horse and Pony show! Our riders made good progress throughout the show. Some highlights were Carrie winning the MHSA and Riley placing 3rd, and Vivian and Pardon My Dust taking 1st in a class at .80m and 2nd at 90m their first time showing at that height. Congrats!

09/30/2024

We had a great week at Piedmont Jumper Show. Grace and Crack the Shadows had good trips at 1.10m, placing 2nd and 3rd. Alexis and Mr. Fahrenheit had several strong trips with consistent improvements throughout the week. Riley and Marque My Points also spent the week making good progress and ending up with some solid ribbons. Leigh Ann made it back into the show ring on Naomi with some great rounds, including a 10th place finish in the .06-.75m Classic. Finally, Nancy showed some great riding and horsemanship with NovaStar AP as she navigated their classes. Overall, after this weekend, we are most proud of our riders’ positive attitudes and smart decision-making. Thanks to all for a great show and a fun time!

09/26/2024

Congrats to Carrie on her 3rd place finish a Josey Mohler Equitation finals this past weekend. We’re so proud of the work you’ve done this past show season. Thanks to for the support for Carrie and FreeG 🌟

09/24/2024

Our featured IEA rider of the day is Eden. Eden is a Varsity Open rider and one of our team captains. She is returning to IEA for another season because she loves getting to work with a team in an otherwise individual sport. She also enjoys getting to learn and gain confidence by riding new horses.

Some of Eden’s greatest accomplishments in riding are learning how to listen to each horse to know what they need, learning to celebrate all types of victories, and finding the patience needed for both of those skills. She has also won various sportsmanship awards for her consistent positive attitude and willingness to go out of her way to help out anyone who needs it. She is proud of herself for bringing up her pony, Daisy, and for qualifying for MHSA finals. Eden’s favorite horse is her own Midas because he has given her a lot of confidence in the show ring, he reminds her that riding should be fun, and because he always gives his all.

💙❤️

09/23/2024

Today’s IEA rider profile is Riley. Riley is one of our Open riders and a team captain. She’s excited for another season of IEA because she likes figuring out new horses and she loves how supportive our team is.

Riley’s favorite horse is Covey, because he’s kind, forgiving, and absolutely adorable. She also loves YooHoo because he was the first horse she rode at Clairvaux and he helped her grow as a rider and build confidence.

Riley says her greatest accomplishment in riding is working on her mindset. She says she has gotten much better at treating all her rides as learning experiences. She is proud of herself because she now feels that she can be productive and positive when working with any horse. We think that outlook is so helpful in riding and showing, and this is one of the many reasons we’re lucky to have Riley has a team captain! 💙❤️

09/22/2024

Our IEA rider of the day is Sarah. Sarah is one of our Varsity Intermediate riders. She’s returning to our team after two successful seasons because it gives her the opportunity to strengthen her skills on a variety of horses, gain more show experience, and because she likes being part of a team.

Sarah’s favorite horse is Pickles because he is sweet, hardworking, and always tries his best. She also loves Breit because he’s lots of fun to ride. One of Sarah’s greatest accomplishments is figuring out a green horse and helping him be more confident in himself. She’s also proud of herself for being able to learn something new from every horse she rides.

A fun fact about Sarah is that she started her own photography business, .equinecaptures , and took all of our team photos!

💙❤️

09/21/2024

Today’s featured IEA rider is Jocelynn. Jocelynn is returning to our team as a Varsity Intermediate rider. She loves the supportive barn community that comes with IEA, as well as the opportunity to ride so many different horses.

Jocelynn’s favorite horse is her horse, Goose, because he’s so much fun to ride and has the best personality. Some of Jocelynn’s biggest accomplishments include participating in EAP over the summer, qualifying for and competing in the VHSA Children’s Medal final, and scoring 98 on the HQC level 1 test. Jocelynn’s goals for the future are to move up to higher levels of equitation classes and to ride in college.

💙❤️

09/20/2024

Our next IEA rider is Meghan. Meghan is one of our Varsity Intermediate riders, returning to our team for a 4th season. She has many reasons that she continues to be part of our IEA team, including that it gives her more opportunities to show, ride many different horses, improve her riding and showing skills, make new friends, and build existing friendships.

Meghan is proud of how far she’s come in IEA. She worked hard to qualify for regionals last season and moved into a new division. She hopes to continue to improve and show at higher levels in the future, both in IEA and at other types of shows. Outside of riding, Meghan is also an accomplished lacrosse player and made the Varsity team at her school as a freshman.

💙❤️

09/19/2024

Today’s IEA rider profile is on Kate. Kate returning to our team as a Varsity Intermediate rider because she loves to work toward goals as a team.

Kate’s favorite Clairvaux horse is Ray because he’s a very good boy who always tries his best. She and Ray showed together at the Loudoun Benefit horse show this past June, and she is grateful for the opportunity and proud of her riding at that show. Kate hopes to ride in college next year so that she can keep learning about horses and riding. She hopes to study fashion merchandising. 💙❤️

09/18/2024

Today’s IEA rider is Amelia. Amelia is one of our Future Walk/Trot/Canter riders and we’re so happy to have her on the team for another season. She is excited to continue to learn from new horses and cheer on her friends in the coming season.

Amelia’s favorite horse is Panda because of how much she’s learned from her and how much fun she has riding her. Amelia says that she’s proud of herself for competing in 8 shows, and for growing as a rider, teammate, and student as a result of those shows. She’s gotten better at persevering even when something is difficult. Amelia hopes to one day own a horse and ride in college, and her dream is to compete in the Olympics.

💙❤️

09/17/2024

Our next IEA rider is Riley. Riley is an Open rider as well as one of our team captains. She’s been on our IEA for all 4 seasons and we’ve loved having her as a leader and seeing her be so successful in that time.

Riley has her own horse, Mark, and she loves him because of his puppy dog personality and how much he has taught her. She also likes Breit because he’s such a good boy and so kind to his riders.

Riley has also done a lot of work on her mindset and on overcoming anxiety in riding. She is proud of herself for working on this and for continuing to love horses and the sport throughout that process. Riley hopes to continue finding consistency and success in the show ring, and to one day ride in college. 💙❤️

09/16/2024

Today’s featured IEA rider is Izzy. Izzy is one of our Future Walk/Trot/Canter riders. She’s returning to our team after a successful season in Walk/Trot last year and looking forward to competing and trying new things this season.

Her favorite horse is Fiona because she’s learned so much from her since she began leasing her. They even won champion together over the summer. Izzy’s goals include moving up to the Childrens Pony Hunters and qualifying for IEA Zone Finals.

💙❤️

09/15/2024

Congrats, Carrie!!

🥇WINNER🥇
Gittings Horsemanship
Hellen Burns Smyth Trophy

Carrie Murray, trained by Terri Young

09/15/2024

Our IEA rider of the day is Reese. Reese is one of our JV Novice riders. This is her third season on our team and she says she has learned a ton from riding so many different horses.

Reese’s favorite horse is her horse, Dockside, because he’s honest and patient, and he’s helped her learn to control her position so that it is more effective. She also loves Pickles because he taught her that being confident helps your horse be confident. Reese hopes to continue to learn and find success with Dockside, start showing at 3ft, and eventually ride on an IHSA team in college.

💙❤️

09/14/2024

Today’s featured IEA rider is Kenenger. Kenenger is a Future Intermediate rider. She loves IEA because it’s allowed her to make new friends, build her confidence, and improve at riding a variety of horses.

Kenenger’s favorite horse is her lease horse, Frankie because he’s sweet and has helped her become more confident in her riding. She is proud of how much confidence she’s gained, especially related to jumping, showing successfully at rated shows, and riding a wide variety of horses. Kenenger hopes to one day show in the 3’6” equitation and to ride in college.

💙❤️

09/13/2024

Our next IEA rider is Carrie. Carrie is one of our Varsity Intermediate riders. She’s returning to our team for another season because she knows IEA opens up a lot of opportunities for her, and she likes to apply her riding skills to a variety of horses.

Carrie loves all the horses at Clairvaux, but she says that Stormy is her favorite. Some of her greatest accomplishments are qualifying for IEA Nationals and several equitation finals, as well as qualifying for Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Nationals. She hopes to continue her success in the equitation ring and move up to 3’6”. 💙❤️