Once you've been witness to the spirit of a champion horse, you're never the same.

Yes, we've recently made some very cool technological advancements on our website. Now, when you go to the homepage at www.cashlovellstables.com, you'll see our most recent news articles right in the middle. You can click on the ones you want to know more about. You can also click on the "news" page and find out even more information about what's happening.  You can also sign up for our RSS Feed on the "News" page and have the latest send directly to your e-mail box. Check it out!

Our E-Newsletter format is about to change - Please look for new WEEKLY UPDATES in your e-mail box (they'll be short, sweet and still have all the info you need, plus great pictures)
As you know, things are generally crazy busy at Cash Lovell Stables. So we thought we'd try something new for a bit. Instead of having one VERY LONG e-mail per month, we're going to try a WEEKLY UPDATE. You'll get it every Friday. This will also help our busy Barn Moms and Dads because we won't be asking you to read a 14-page newsletter like we're doing today. So please watch your mailbox for the new format ... It will say, "This week at Cash Lovell Stables." Thanks!

Jeanne Willard, our new office manager, with her grandchildren (and CLS riders!) Willard and Ritter

Help Us Welcome Our New Office Manager, Jeanne

Please help us welcome Ms. Jeanne Willard to the CLS office. Jeanne spent 15 years with The Daniel Professional Group of CPAs here in Winston Salem. Prior to that, Jeanne spent 33 years at RJ Reynolds Co. But her greatest claim to fame is being Willard and Ritter's grandmother! These Little Bits are regulars around the barn, and began showing in Academy Shows this year!

 

Jeanne is fabulously organized and the she is whipping our office into shape.  Jeanne is also the sweetest soul you've ever met. So please stop in and say hello. You're going to adore her!

Entry Fee: $85 per rider  (Part of this fee goes to Make-A-Wish and to purchase a Make-A-Wish very cool tie-dyed T-shirt to show in!)  PLUS all the sponsorship money you can raise!!! It's time for an honored tradition here at CLS, the annual Fall Charity Fun Show! And this year, we're benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Our Little Bits are trying to raise $6,000 to help realize the dream of a child who is severely ill. And we can do it with your help!

 

Academy riders who will not be attending Nationals also are welcome to schedule an appointment for a fitting, or to pick out new clothing fabrics.

 

Dale also plans to attend the ASHAV show the weekend of Oct. 2 & 3. So many of our riders attending the ASHAV show in Lexington, VA., might get their fittings taken care of there.

 

Sign up now for our Fall Training Weekend with Cindy Mugnier, October 22-24. Cindy is one of the most respected and recognized names in the world of show horses. She's also a longtime friend of Cash and Parker's. For several years, Cindy has taught our advanced riders during a weekly intensive summer camp. We're thrilled to announce that Cindy also will travel to CLS throughout the year to work with our show and academy riders.

September 25 (Saturday) -- Little Bits Annual Fall Charity Fun Show and Make-A-Wish Fundraiser held at Cash Lovell Stables, Winston-Salem Barn

We just added a new "ChipIn" widget to our website (look for it on the Youth Programs pagae) that will allow friends, fans and folks from around the country to help us meet our goal of raising $6,000 for Make-A-Wish.

Over 2,621 Friends on Facebook! Wowee!
We thank all of our friends, family, fans and all the folks who are following us on Facebook. We're passionate about what we do and we love seeing that so many other people love horses, helping others and raising great kids just like we do. We invite all of our friends on Facebook to donate a couple of dollars (or more) to our Make-A-Wish fundraiser using a credit card or your PayPal account. If every single one of our friends on Facebook chipped in a couple of dollars -- we'd be able to grant someone's wish today!

Click here to go to our Chip-In Widget to make a secure donation.

P.S. You will receive a note confirming your donation -- thanks everyone!

CLS To Decorate 7 1/2" Christmas Tree for Festival of Trees -- Volunteers Wanted!
CLS Barn Mom Emily Semans has agreed to help design and create a Christmas Tree for the 2010 Festival of Trees. Emily will be holding two craft workshops to create beautiful, horsey ornaments for the CLS tree. We need help from artistically inclined riders and parents. Dates will be announced closer to the event. For now, if you're interested in being on the Christmas Tree e-mail list, please contact Emily at billsemans@aol.com.

Click to read more on this

New Pictures and Video
1. Click here for our Shutterfly Picture Page. You'll find new pictures from the World Championships, our Summer Camps and our recent Car Wash for Make-A-Wish.

2. The pictures on the CLS website are constantly changing. Click here for the Picture Page.
Special thank you to Sarah McAuley who has been taking a whole lot of great pictures for us. Thank you, Sarah!

Thank You, Emily, for the Gorgeous World Championship Gift Basket!
Many thanks to CLS Barn Mom Emily Semans for creating this gorgeous gift basket - a fundraiser for the American Saddlebred Horse Association. Thanks also to the many families who contributed items and money to buy all the incredible goodies. We are so fortunate to have moms like Emily in our barn who are always willing to go the extra mile. Thank you, Emily and someone out there is probably nibbling away at that gift basket right now.

It's been three weeks since the last overnight camper left my house. My mother's nervous twitch has finally stopped. "Your house will never be the same," she lambasted, while digging a lingering hunk of dried toothpaste from my basement carpet.

 

Pictures from our summer Advanced Rider Camp where the riders learned to some "vaulting techniques" (or standing on a 1,000 pound horse while it's moving)

I ignored her. Just like the campers ignored me when I threatened to hang them up by their toenails and spin them if they entered my home again wearing those foul barn boots. Just like they ignored me when I mandated that only two children be in the dunking booth at one time. Just like they ignored me when I shouted "No Wild Riding" during our midnight ride. Just like they ignored me when I declared most authoritatively that microwave buttered popcorn and ice cream sundaes are not breakfasts of champions.

 

Oh, the messy craziness I witnessed! But here's what I also saw and heard . . .

-- a teenager hugging a seven-year-old whose horse scared her. "I've been scared lots," the teen confided to her. "But you're a better rider than I am. I learn so much from watching you ride."

-- a stinky group of girls of all ages, after a long, hot day in this old hot barn, playing horse show in my yard -- round and round for two solid hours

-- two girls and a shared teddy bear cuddled together on a single blow up mattress early one sleepy camp morning. Somebody got scared and missed Mama during the night. Her friend came to the rescue

-- eight kids from my size to pint-sized skipping arm-in-arm through the barn, singing Hannah Montana to the top of their lungs -- on the way to the pasture to check the horses' water tub

-- a young man so comfortable in his own skin that he laughed out loud as the girls dressed him in feather boas and a tiara while his buddy captured the whole event on film

-- the tiniest little girl you've ever seen whispering to the new school horse, Monkey, "You're going to be OK. I know you're a little scared. And I was too when I started. But we're going to take good care of you, girl. I love you."

 

I could go on and on. My babies might ignore us sometimes on the little stuff. But I've seen firsthand the lessons they're not ignoring. Kindness. Caring. Tenderness. Joy in the care of others. Selfless love and empathy.

 

So to all the wonderful mothers in my world -- my own included -- our babies aren't ignoring the important stuff. Don't you fret.