|
Congratulations to Brittany Clark... | |
On her new horse, Porter! He's a gray Thoroughbred gelding from Virginia and he has competed at the Novice level. Brittany will show him at Shepherd Ranch at the end of June. |
| Summer Day Camp Starts June 21! | |
|
SLOW DOWN, PLEASE!
|
Cory reports seeing cars going too fast on the Mill Creek driveways. She adds, "Remember, we have children and horses and children with horses walking in a driveway! Driving too fast presents a real safety issue for everyone at Mill Creek. Please me mindful of your speed."
|
Schooling & Competing Off-Site
|
If you plan to go schooling or competing off-site, you must have medical arm bands and vests, in addition to your helmets. Bit of Britain is a good source for both: bitofbritain.com.
|
| Slumber Party!! | | Vivian will be hosting a sleepover night at Mill Creek on August 13. Look for the sign-up sheet around August 1st. Mill Creek will be providing dinner, breakfast and games. Bring your sleeping bag and your toothbrush!
|
Check the Bulletin Board!
| Remember to check the bulletin board at the end of the L-Barn. In addition to posting horse show sign-ups there, we would like to plan some evening potlucks this summer and you will also find information and sign-up sheets for these once the dates are set.
|
| Horse Show News | Since the last newsletter, Mill Creek riders have competed successfully at Twin Rivers, Galway Downs and Copper Meadows. Visit the Mill Creek Results page for results.
Upcoming Shows:
EVENTS/HORSE TRIALS
Shepherd Ranch SYVPC Horse Trials I, June 24-26 (entries due 6/7)
Shepherd Ranch SYVPC Horse Trials II*, August 26-28 (entries due 8/9)
*Cory says to plan to use the August Shepherd Ranch show as your summer progress report.
DRESSAGE SHOWS
Cool August Nights Dressage Show (LAEC), August 25-28
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS USEF Festival of Champions & Pan American Games Selection Trials (Gladstone, NJ), September 8-11. USEA American Eventing Championships (Fairburn, GA), September 8-11.
Don't forget you can always visit the Mill Creek Calendar for the latest information on upcoming shows. |
| Mill Creek Marketplace |
Did you miss the tack sale at the Mill Creek Spring Show?
Remember we always have items listed for sale on the Mill Creek Marketplace page! This is a great way to get excellent deals on tack and riding equipment. Have something to sell?
Just email us with details of any items you'd like to sell. Photos will be included if you send them. |
|
Jalan Jalan Imports
|
Cory recommends paying a visit to Topanga's newest business, Jalan Jalan, which you may have noticed on Topanga near Fernwood. The owner, Brian, has wonderful furniture and things from Indonesia, Bali and the Far East. Cory says: "He has a good eye and it's a fun place to visit. There is a nice place to sit by the waterfall. Tell Brian you are from Mill Creek for extra special attention!"
525 S. Topanga Cyn Blvd. 310-455-BALI Thurs.-Sun. 10am-6pm http://jalanjalanimports.com
|
|
|
Greetings!
 | |
Tommy Greengard on Marcus at the Spring Horse Show
|
We just had our 77th Mill Creek Horse Show, which means we've been doing this for almost 40 years now! I was very moved by this show in particular, because when I looked around, I saw that so many people who were helping to put on the show started riding at Mill Creek when they were children. Grace Chuchla, our wonderful judge for the day and who is now a grown woman, started riding at Mill Creek when she was nine. Karene Cohen and Courtney Leonard, who were working the show ring gate started when they were 9 and 8 years old respectively. Kate Poulos ran Tack Sale and Amy DiNoble, now Dr. DiNoble, helped out in the School Horse area.
It's been a lot of hard work over the years and occasional problems, of course, but seeing my Mill Creek kids come back to be a part of Mill Creek as adults makes it all worthwhile. Thank you all for your continued support--it means so much to me.
We have many new email subscribers this time around and I hope you will enjoy the email newsletter as much as the print version. Please feel free to forward this on to your friends!
Sincerely,
Cory Walkey
Mill Creek Equestrian Center
(310) 455-1116
|
|
Why are hay prices going up?
Loss of land is the major contributor 
As those of you who are boarders are aware, the price of hay has recently skyrocketed. We had to raise the price of board for now to make up for this and we are trying not to raise the price of lessons for school horses.
The reason for this price increase is directly related to the loss of land to development. Each day, we're losing 6,000 acres of agricultural, forest and other open land to development. The USDA calculates that we need 36 million acres to provide adequate feed for the 9.2 million U.S. horses. At the current rate of development, in a little more than 16 years, that amount of land will be gone--forever!
|
|
Featured Photo
What is Elena saying to Joe at the Mill Creek Spring Horse Show?
|
|
Goodbye, Dear Friends...
We recently lost two legendary school horses: Dave & Bruno 
Dave Judy & Peter Whiting, who bred horses for the racetrack, had a very nice 3 yr. old who started to have leg issues in race training. They thought Cory would like him as a show horse and they offered to sell him for $5,000 to her. When Cory saw him, she figured it was too much money because of his developing tendon problems and he was barely broke, so she passed. About a year later, they sold the farm and horses and moved to Canada. Shortly thereafter, a man Cory knows named Dave called her to say that he had bought the Whiting's farm, which came with a 4 yr. old Thoroughbred gelding, and would she be interested in buying him for $1,000? Cory bought him at that better price. She said, "never knowing what to name my horses, I named him Dave after his owner." One of Cory's older students trained Dave for his first year and taught him what he needed to know for the school. Dave went to many shows and was very successful. He was the top school horse for many years and as he grew older, he moved gracefully down the levels. Cory says, "I miss Dave, but he had one of the nicest lives of any horse I can remember. He lived at Mill Creek most of his life and was never asked to do anything outside his comfort level. We always gave him our best and gave us his." Dave was 26 when we lost him.
Bruno Most of you will remember Bruno who retired a couple of years ago to live with Glory in Topanga. Sadly, he was put down at the end of April due to cancer.
Cory purchased Bruno from an auction in Bakersfield. At each auction, there may be two or three horses worth buying; you don't get to ride them or anything. When Cory saw Bruno, she thought everything was right about him: perfect confirmation, great legs and feet. He was a correct horse. Cory thinks he was about five then and he came with a manila folder full of papers. Cory opened up the folder and found that, "By God, I'd bought myself an actual Mustang!"
Bruno had been brought in and started in a prison program. Cory had seen shows on TV where prisoners work with dogs, but she never knew there was a similar program for horses. Cory feels this is a win-win situation for prisoners and horses.
Stephanie Hodges started Bruno, trained him and took him to his first few shows. Cory says, "I can't begin to tell you how many people asked what his breeding was. They were blown away when they found out he was a Mustang."
|
|
Mill Creek Spring Horse Show
Our 77th show was a great success! Below are the first place winners for each class. Complete results and MANY photos are available on the website. Special thanks to Calabassas Saddlery and Candace Correa for providing prizes for the first place winners and to everyone else who helped make this show a success!
| Name | Horse | Class |
|---|
| Alana Billik | Pumpkin | 1. Beg. Nov. & Nov. Equitation | | Jocelyn Coe | Bambino | 2. Beg. Nov. & Nov. Eq. Over Fences | | Paulina Montgomery | Cody | 3. Beg. Nov. & Nov. Timed Jumpers | | Julie Kominski | Serena | 4. Adult Equitation | | Julie Kominski | Serena | 5. Adult Equitation over Fences | | Zoe Comporaso | Zory | 6. 4th Level Equitation | | Sofia Guarachi | Merry Go Round | 7. 4th Level Equitation over Fences | | Arienne Martin | Serena | 8. 4th Level Timed Jumpers | | Rocio Vietina | Gimli | 9. 1st Level Equitation | | Rocio Vietina | Gimli | 10. 1st Level Eq. over Poles | | Julia Brittain | Brady | 11. 3rd Level Equitation | | Romy Leyon | Bows | 12. 3rd Level Eq. over Fences | | Romy Leyon | Bows | 13. 3rd Level Timed Jumpers | | Audrey Regan | Annie | 14. 2nd Level Equitation | | Olivia Busselle | Diego |
15. 2nd Level Eq. over Fences
|
 | |
Congratulations to Veronica West and her family on their purchase of the fabulous pony, Apollo, from Jordyn Horwitz. Veronica and Apollo performed well at their first Mill Creek Show.
|
|
|
Summer Heat...
Tips for staying cool during our hot Topanga summer
 Summer is just about here and most of us know just how hot it can get in Topanga. Here are a few tips for staying cool and safe during the summer months: - Bring water bottles. A good tip is to put your plastic water bottle in the freezer the night before and then it will stay icy cold longer;
- Coolmedics.com makes an evaporative, cooling riding vest;
- Before your lesson, try wetting a washcloth and putting it under your helmet;
- Use a hose! You can put it down the front or back or your shirt or use it to wet down your Tipperary jumping vest.
Most of all, remember to stay hydrated! |
|
Monday Barn Rules:
Be sure to follow these very important rules!
As you know, Mill Creek is closed on Mondays; however, the barn is open for a short time to boarders only from 2:30pm-5:15pm. If you visit on Mondays, you MUST observe the following rules: - NO ONE UNDER 18 is allowed without a parent!
- Boots must be worn! No tennis shoes, flip flops, etc.
- No longeing in halters; you must use bridles;
- You must leave promptly at 5:15pm. The people opening Mill Creek for you are volunteers; please be respectful of their time.
Failure to observe these rules could jeopardize Monday privileges for everyone.
|
About Mill Creek Equestrian Center
Mill Creek is a full service boarding and training facility in Topanga, California. We specialize in Eventing and Dressage training for all levels of horses and riders. Mill Creek Equestrian Center
1881 Old Topanga Canyon Road
Topanga, California 90290
(310) 455-1116
|
|
