Cornerstone Sport Horses

01/28/2024

Another year of showing comes to a close and I love seeing these girls enjoy the awards they have won for the hard work and commitment they have put in this last year.

Presleigh Marshall was Reserve Champion in the Novice division with Ginger.

Charlotte was Champion in the Novice division with Pippa.

Sofia Vratil was Champion in the Limit division with Merc.

Eliana Vratil was Reaerve Champion in the pony equitation division with Burrito.

Eliana was also Reserve in the pony hunter division with Burrito.

Special thanks to Addison, Lizzy, Ragan and Mady for coming tonight to support them!

12/18/2023

This is why you always need to wear solid shoes around horses….. and I DID have good shoes on

11/10/2023

Today we had to say goodbye to a great horse who was the kindest sweetest soul every single day of his 31 years. There aren’t many out there who are truly saints. This one was.

He was Cornerstone’s Top Hat & Tails, but better known to his friends as Topper.

06/26/2023

We finished out the week with Laurel and Kenny in the children’s hunters and Kelsey and Theo in the adult hunters.

Laurel had consistent jump rounds and was 3rd under saddle in a competive hack!

Kelsey almost swept the division and ended up champion!

06/25/2023

Olivia and WiFi just got qualified for Junior Hunter Finals!

06/25/2023

Charlotte just qualified for Pony Finals in Kentucky!

06/24/2023

Congratulations to the winners of the $5,000.00 USHJA National Hunter Derby in Waco at the Blue Ribbon Summer Festival II!

1st - RSH Ganzelot and Walid Alrashid
2nd - Check Me Out and Katherine Fason
3rd - Malita Be-St Z and Michael Hall
4th - Canturo T and Raeann Cassanos
5th - Frequent Flyer and Josh Natinsky
6th - RSH Fenomene des Reves and Markie Morrison
7th - Wildfire and Olivia Starkie
8th - Octavian and Tara Jane Arnold
9th - Quivaro Van de Boslandhoeve and Tiffany Lee
10th - RSH Hunter V and Kendra Hendrix
11th - Chocolate Frog and Catherine Shurtleff
12th - Laverne and Stephanie Cook

03/14/2023

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

09/25/2022

Beautiful 17 hand true black (but pasture bleached right now) 15 year old Westfalen mare.

Happy to do First level dressage and is currently jumping 2’6 courses, but is capable of more.

Low maintenance, easy keeper, no vices. Can be turned out with others. Forward thinker so not for a true beginner, but not strong.

Lowest 🖐

07/29/2021

Please share with your horsey friends!

05/29/2021

True Words:

Let’s talk about the lack of quality coaching and lack of standards in the equine industry. For example, kids learning with someone who claims to be an "coach" and all they learned is how to see-saw a horse's head down and chuck their body over a fence like a champion. All coaching is not equal.

But what happens when you have a good coach? One that opens their program to you, takes you under his/her wing? Becomes invested in your success? When you essentially become part of the "family"...

Eventually, something will happen...

Coach tells you that you are not Karen O'Connor 2.0, and not ready to make the move up to the next level.
Coach says you need to go back and fix some holes in your training.
Coach says you have developed a bad habit, and it needs to be fixed before you can accomplish your goals.
Coach says you need to make sure that your horse is being ridden (not just hanging out at the barn).
Coach says you need to dedicate more time to studying the sport, not just riding.
Coach says it isn't a "horse" problem, it is a "you" problem.

People have become increasingly more reactionary. More easily offended. In lieu of everyone getting a trophy, it is so hard to hear these words from people you admire. Some of the best coaches will be the toughest. Not ones that tear you apart constantly, but coaches that aren't afraid to have the tough conversations with you. Or conversations that you may not have wanted to have.

But remember, a good coach is in YOUR corner. They want YOU to achieve success. They dedicate so much more than an hour of time to your growth not only as a rider but as a horseman. Maybe you are burning the candle at both ends (and in the middle), and you need a reality check that this sport requires more of your time and focus.

These conversations can hurt, but while it may sting at first.... take a second. Think about why your coach is against you moving up right now, why your coach is saying to wait until the summer to be a working student, why your coach is saying that you should not enter the show until the homework and flat work is done.

Surround yourself with coaches that aren't afraid to have these tough conversations with you. You don't want or need a "cheerleader" coach. You are paying you for your coach’s expertise... the positives and the criticism. Let them help make the best decisions for your horse, and for your program. The lessons on the horse and the lessons off of the horse. Are you ready? Are you doing what is best by your horse? You owe it to yourself and your horse....

*** Copied and modified from Courtney Sendak

03/02/2021

Love this.
Great concept to keep in mind for any rider training any horse, but I hope my teenage girls really take this to heart. Don’t be in a rush. Your horse is relying on you to have the patience to bring out the best in him. No matter how long it takes.

01/29/2021