Bolingbrook Farm

06/01/2023

Exciting 2023 Summer Camp News:
We have been able to ADD spots to our Weekend Beginner Summer Camp!

Camp will run Thursday June 8th --> Saturday June 10th
Mounted instruction will cover:
-Control over cues and position at the walk and trot
- Riding exercises over ground poles and small (10-12") crossrails
- Basic introduction to riding over terrain

Unmounted instruction will cover:
-Basic horse management and safety
-Pony parts
-Parts of the saddle
-Parts of the bridle
-Introduction to horse terms
-What are eventing and dressage?
-Colors and markings
-Horse breeds
-Tack management
-Introduction to hoof anatomy and care
-Basic equine leg protection and how to apply boots

A typical camp day schedule looks like:
730-8 am--> Drop off and assist with morning barn chores.
8-9 am --> Camp begins. Students groom and tack horses.
9-10 am --> Group #1 will ride
10-11 am --> Group #2 will ride
11-1130 am --> Untack horses and clean tack.
1130 am-12 pm --> Break for lunch/free time
12 - 2 pm --> Unmounted instruction
2 pm--> Pickup

All campers should come prepared to spend the day outside with the horses, so please bring:
sunscreen,
plenty of water,
snacks/lunch,
and a comfortable change of clothes for the unmounted instruction

Riding attire is the same as regular lessons: long pants, closed toed shoes with a small heel, long hair safely put up, and no dangly jewelry.

Camp cost is $275.

Please call/text 4346091905 or email [email protected] to register your child today!

03/14/2023

Congratulations to our three junior BREA members on their year end awards! and Stetson won Champion for the Tadpole division. Trysta also won 6th in the crossrails division on River with only a couple shows! .14 won champion and .perdieu took third in the cross rail division. Sarah and Alexa also placed third and fifth respectively in the Green division with only one event at that level! Special congratulations to Sarah for winning Junior Rider of the Year! Excited to see what this show season has in store for the Bolingbrook Team.

03/14/2023

Better late than never! Here are the results from the last two shows of the 2022 season. I didn’t snag photos of everyone, but each pairing put in lovely rides regardless!

BREA Fall CT/HT and Dressage Show:

Amber Whitman on Inky- 2nd in the Advanced Green HT

Angela Garvey on Margarita- 2nd in the Green CT

Sienna Eades on Comanche- 4th in the Green HT

Alexa Perdieu and Pippi- 3rd in the Crossrails HT

Sarah Anderson and Ghost- 4th in the Crossrails HT

Kayla Driscoll and Poppy- 5th in the Crossrails HT

Melissa Dorner and River -3rd in the Crossrails CT

Presley Ingram and River- 1st in the Crossrails CT

Trysta Gause and Stetson - 3rd in the Tadpole HT

Gray Horse Farm CT and Dressage Show:

Willow and Margarita- 2nd in the Leadline CT

Sienna Eades and Comanche- 1st in the Green CT

Sarah Anderson and Ghost- 2nd in the Green CT

Alexa Perdieu on Pippi- 3rd in the Green CT

Angela Garvey and Margarita- 4th in the Green CT

Amber Whitman on Inky- 2nd in the BN CT

Congratulations to everyone on a great 2022 season! We are looking forward to starting our 2023 season in the coming weeks.

10/06/2022

Bolingbrook riders had a great time at the BHC Hunter Pace last month! Lovely weather and a fantastic course. Looking forward to the last hunter pace in November!

08/23/2022

Congratulations to our Bolingbrook Show team on a great run this weekend at the Gray Horse Farm CT and Dressage Show. Special congratulations to Presley and River for bringing home the blue in the Tadpole division at her first show! Alexa on Pippi and Sarah on Ghost both produced lovely rides to place in the top three in the Crossrails division. Unfortunately, Mother Nature showed up and cancelled the rest of the rides, so Angela (Margarita) and Amber (Comanche) did not get to complete their combined tests. Thank you to the Eventing in Virginia team for their wonderful efforts to keep the event running despite the forecast!

06/24/2022

Wrapped up a great week of beginner summer camp! In the saddle the students worked on developing their riding position and base of support on the flat and were even introduced to jumping a small course. On the ground, the students learned colors and markings, breeds and disciplines, equine leg anatomy, parts of the saddle and bridle, longeing, quick release knots, hoof anatomy and care, pony parts, jumping boots and polo wraps, and how to take TPR and vital signs. After a packed week we spent today with a relaxing trail ride and fun pizza party! Special thanks to our advanced riders who volunteered as camp counselors this week.

06/20/2022

What a fabulous wrap up for the second week of the Advanced Summer Camp! In the saddle the girls spent some time on the flat working on transitions and the horse’s responsiveness to the aids, had a lesson on the cross country course to work on jumping fences out of stride, and two days jumping a stadium course they collaborated on designed to test the rider’s accuracy with angles, bending lines, and a rollback! Unmounted instruction covered boots and leg wraps, equine leg anatomy, bit mechanics, tack terminology, and proper longeing technique. Looking forward to our beginner camp coming up this week!

06/07/2022

Day 1 and 2 of Advanced Summer Camp I on the books! Yesterday the campers hacked out and learned about equine road safety for fox hunting and trail riding. Unmounted instruction covered TPR/taking vital signs, administration of IM injections, and Blemishes and Unsoundnesses. Today campers rode in a flat lesson focusing on lateral movement and introduction of the counter canter. For unmounted instruction, campers learned about course design and stadium fences, and went on to design and set up their own course to jump tomorrow!

06/07/2022

The Bolingbrook Show Team had an excellent outing on Sunday to the BREA Summer Combined Test and Dressage Show. Melissa Dorner and River placed 5th in a huge Sr. crossrails division of 12 at her first show ever! Angela Garvey piloted her new pony, Margarita around an amazing confidence building combined test with a stellar stadium round. Jr riders Alexa, Sarah, and Trysta all placed in the top three in their respective Jr. crossrails divisions with both solid and competitive stadium and dressage rides. So proud of all these riders and looking forward to our next event! Special thanks to BREA and all the volunteers for an amazing show.

05/02/2022

Bolingbrook riders had a great kickoff to the spring season last month! At our first show of the year, the RVPC Spring Frolic CT, Sarah Anderson and Ghost placed 4th and Alexa Perdieu and Pippi placed 5th in the cross rails CT. Amber Whitman and Inky placed 5th in the Maiden (2’3”) CT. At the BREA Horse Trials and CT, Trysta Gause and River placed 1st, Sarah Anderson and Ghost placed 2nd, and Alexa Perdieu and Pippi placed 8th in a huge Cross rails division! Amber Whitman and Inky made their debut at Beginner Novice (2’7”) with a personal best dressage score and a double clear XC run to place 3rd! Thank you to all the show organizers and volunteers for fun, well run events and to Mandolin Whitten for these lovely photos. So excited for our next team event!

03/25/2022

Congratulations to the three junior members of Bolingbrook’s show team on taking the top three year end division placings with Blue Ridge Eventing Association! Thank you to BREA and SWVADA for hosting a wonderful year end awards and educational Sunday, as well as sponsoring such wonderful local shows. We had a wonderful 2021 show season and are looking forward to what 2022 has in store!

11/07/2021

The circle of energy should flow from;

1️⃣ the active hind legs,
2️⃣ over a swinging back,
3️⃣ arriving in the mouth,
4️⃣ traveling along the reins to the rider’s hands, where it may be modified to create movements, transitions, half halts etc,
5️⃣ through the rider’s supple body and adhesive seat to the rider’s driving aids (legs),
6️⃣ into the activity of the hind legs.

And so on, round and round.

10/20/2021

Bolingbrook riders have been out and about recently! Our riders attended the RVPC Fall Frolic last month and the BREA Fall Horse Trials and Combined Test this month. All the girls have shown tremendous growth this year that has resulted in some personal bests in the dressage ring and great moments in the jumping phases. I’m also super proud of how the girls handled some of the lows of this fall show season and displayed great sportsmanship and horsemanship. These girls walk out of the ring and pat their horses and share camaraderie with their team whether the brought home the blue or got some dirt on their breeches.
Additionally, some of our students attended the Bedford County September Hunter Pace and had a blast! The students and horses enjoyed a great track and some beautiful views of the Peaks of Otter.
We are looking forward to our last show next month before we wrap up our 2021 competition season!
PC: Frannie, Angela Anderson, and Adara Boling

09/17/2021

The meaning behind those dressage letters...now you know!

07/16/2021

07/13/2021

The Bolingbrook Farm Show Team has been busy and successful in the recent months. Our past three events have seen all riders consistently in the ribbons along with a 2nd place team finish in the BREA Spring Team Challenge! Looking forward to the rest of the summer show season with this hardworking team!

07/12/2021

A trail ride through the foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains was a great wrap up to the Advanced Summer Camps. Our advanced students spent two weeks honing their riding and horsemanship skills including leg wrapping, genetics of coat color, equine first aid, bit mechanics, proper longeing technique, equine anatomy, Farrier care, and braiding!

07/12/2021

Last month we had a wonderful time hosting our week of Beginner Horse Camp! The students enjoyed a daily introductory riding lesson along with unmounted instruction including horse colors, horse parts, proper care for tack and equipment, and parts of the saddle and bridle! Looking forward to summer camp 2022!

06/26/2021

Please share with your horsey friends!

06/26/2021

What real collection looks like.

05/04/2021

To keep the horse’s outside shoulder from bulging out as you turn …

Imagine your horse is a car skidding on ice and you must turn in the direction of the skid to counteract it. So, if your horse’s shoulder bulges out during a turn, it may be helpful to counter-flex him slightly (steer into the skid) to rebalance and keep him following the curved line.—Jeremy Beale

Illustration by Sandy Rabinowitz.

04/19/2021

04/13/2021

🌱Not all grass is the same.🌾 There are several different types and some are more rich than others, especially after they’ve been mowed or are grazed upon frequently which stresses the grass and causes it to be more rich in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC).
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That being said, grass certainly is a component of a healthy diet as it can be rich in nutrition and fiber which is beneficial to gut health. For horses without metabolic disorders, it is important to correctly transition them over to grass through incremental grazing.
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For those horses that suffer from metabolic disorders, come spring time, grass is notorious for causing more harm than good.
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Want to know more? Hop over to our blog!

04/12/2021

Congratulations to working student Hannah and Cameras on their second completion at a recognized event at Morven Park recently! This up and coming pair is so exciting to help produce!

04/12/2021

Congratulations to working student Hannah and Cameras on their second completion at a recognized event at Morven Park recently! This up and coming pair is so exciting to help produce!

04/06/2021

If you have ever wondered what the term "classical jumping position" meant, your days in the dark are officially over.

Study, learn by heart, this photo of Judy Richter, and you will know most of what you will ever need to know about that topic.

It just doesn't get much more perfect than this-----

03/23/2021

Bolingbrook had a great first combined test of the season! Alexa and Arty finished 3rd in the crossrails, Amber and Inky finished 3rd in the 2’3”, and Hannah and Cameras finished 5th in the Beginner Novice. All Bolingbrook riders had double clear stadium rounds to wrap up a fantastic day!

03/20/2021

👩🏼‍🏫⁣
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Grooming isn’t just about pretty - it’s about horse health. By taking time to curry my horse’s whole body, including his legs, I can help spot problems before they start, catch small cuts and bumps, see if there’s swelling or heat, and check to see if my horse is sore anywhere. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩!