Blue Rider Stable

BARN NEWS! Newsletter Winter 2010 (pdf)

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Our Hoe-down was Fantastic fun.

September Workshop Flyer (pdf)

Two-Day Animal Communication Workshop South Egremont, MA at Blue Rider Stables
September 11-12, 2010
Saturday and Sunday 10 AM - 4 PM, $150

Circus: Our circus went well, even though we had a severe thunderstorm with tornado warning in the middle of it. The students and horses performed superbly, and the mood was great. The pictures do not even start telling the story of how well we worked together to create this great event. Hats off to all of the participants!

see the Blue Rider Circus 2010 photo gallery >

Read about horse sponsorship and our Membership Drive

Our Dinner on March 6th was well attended,

as the pictures show. Not only was the evening a success because of the fantastic food and great music, we managed to raise $1600 for our scholarship fund!

Meet George, our newest addition to our herd. He is a 7 year old mamoth donkey, and boy is he big! He is also extremely cute and cuddly!

Our calenders are ready & FOR SALE!!!
$25.00 for the 2010 year. We only have fifty so call now and order yours today!

The Rest of the Summer

Weekly Intensives June also is the start of our summer intensives. This year they will run from June 7th weekly, and end on August 27th. Please call or email for information.

We have chickens again! Blacky, Sweetie, and Goldie live in the chicken coop, and we get two brown eggs almost every day!

Goldie sitting on her eggs.

Summer is busy and fun, extremely work-intensive, and flies by too fast! It is the best time to come volunteer, as there is so much to do and it is easy to find a way into our programs. One just has to be able to put up with the heat and the flies!

A July Tradition: Hoedown

We will end July again this year with the 3rd annual Hoedown. No one is too young or too old to partake in this fantastic evening! The horses get sent out to pasture, Tom builds a great big bonfire for s'mores and hotdogs, and a great fiddling band and caller supply the music and instruction.

August Means Fun Day

August is the fullest month of lessons and intensives. On top of the work at the barn, we start our planning and push for Fun Day, which signalizes the end of our summer. This year's date is August 28.

CIRCUS 2010: FRIENDS!!! We are working hard on this year's presentation.

Preparing for the Blue Rider Circus

Newsletter article by Malik Hogan

Preparing for the circus is probably the most difficult time of the year. We start brainstorming around mid January. I think my favorite part is looking for music because you discover lots of different types that you thought you would never like.

Ok, after all the music is set we start to choreograph the drills. Even though we start our process in January we still run out of time in the end. If we put our best foot forward and really try hard to perfect a drill, we have time later on to spend time with our animals. Almost everyone enjoys the first part, but then we are practicing everyday for long hours. The week leading up to the big day of the circus, we take a long time on the horse's appearance.

We do any last minute things on the drills. Then when the day is here everyone is running around and excited Some Thoughts on Blue Rider from Riders, Helpers and Volunteers but nervous at the same time. They want it to be a good circus. And guess what - it was!

The Circus

Newsletter article by one of the riders

The afternoon was sweltering, one of those days where the dust sticks to your lips and you feel like you're going to shrivel up into a raisin at any second. Well, that was the day of the Blue Rider Circus and there was no changing it.

I arrived after most of the preparations had already been made. The horses were clean, with an array of flowers (plastic ones of course) braided into their manes. As the circus began, music blared across the ring and the horses nickered as last minute nerves swept both humans and equines. Horsehair stuck to sweaty skin as the students we had taught for the past year carried out their parts like clockwork. My mind and body went onto autopilot as each drill came and went. It was only after they had gone that I remembered to be nervous and reminded myself that people were watching.

Finally it was time for my drill. I was given a leg up onto my mare Sugar and led, trembling, out into the ring to commence vaulting with a friend, Marieka. Despite nerves, desperately trying to remember the vaulting moves and feeling a bit of stage fright, we executed the drill with only a few minor problems and we both gave a huge sigh of relief. It had been a day of adrenaline, dust, sweat, horsehair and several tears. At long last it was over, with mass uproar on all fronts, until next year.

Our Circus this year 2009 was a great success!!!

We filled each of the seats, people came to see the variety of acts and drills. There were drills organized by helpers and instructors preformed by riders of all ages and abilties! In the circus this year there was comb and braid drills, a trotting drill, jumping drills, dressage as well as a performance by the Blue Rider Instructors, that combined all the skills of riding into one drill. It was dedicated to the oldest member of our herd Princess Oreo, who recently died at 40yrs old! The entire circus was dedicated to our friends both equine and human!

<< Twist sure does like to mug for the camera!

Horse Sponsorship Program

If you like one (or all) of our equines that we portray here, please think of sponsoring them. Call or email us about this new program that will help with upkeep costs and give you a more personal way to help. You will receive pictures and updates from 'your' horse.

Our Membership Drive...Download Brochure (pdf)

is in progress. PLEASE become a member as a vital means of supporting the stable staff and ideology. Call for more information (413 528 5299). We will be happy to answer questions or send you a memberhip brochure