Monday, January 30, 2012

2012


Welcome CRISTOL RA, our newest Arabian show horse! 2012 is off to a wonderful start with a fabulous and very sweet new addition to our lesson program. CRISTOL has been shown in halter at Scottsdale and Region 1! He is green under saddle and we are slowly introducing him to our program and the sites and sounds of a busy lesson barn.

Please call to schedule a farm visit or riding lesson and check out our beautiful Arabian horses! Sarah Holton 863-655-1582

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Back to School Newsletter


Good morning and congratulations to all my riding students entering a new grade this week! I wish you all the very best school year possible!
We had such a fabulous summer at Orchid Hill Stables; the weather was not overly hot and when we thought it was a bit too warm the afternoon showers came along to cool the kids and the horses. God really blessed us with a beautiful Florida summer.
I’m adding updates to our calendar at www.orchidhillstables.com this week, and by Friday you should be able to access all of the upcoming camps and horse shows for 2011/2012. Also check out the information I will be posting throughout the year on Orchid Hill Stables Facebook page. It would be great to receive photos of my students riding in horse shows, trail rides, or here at Orchid Hill Stables, as I’d love to share these pics with others who visit our Facebook page. If you want to keep updated on Harper Lynn and the fun things she and I are doing this year follow me, Sarah Holton, on Facebook.
We have not planned a trail ride for this fall, but please let me know if you would like to join us on an adventurous ride through the hammocks and prairies and let’s make a date!
The next horse show is October 29th & 30th in Clarcona. This is one of my favorite events of the year, as it is a very laid back fun Arabian horse show. The grounds are very nice and if you like to camp the RV hookups, are located next to the show arena and barns, giving you the fastest access to your classes. Reservations are still available to those wishing to enter this event with an Orchid Hill Stables lesson horse.
While the year will be filled with many events at Orchid Hill Stables, the biggest “happening” I’d like to share with all of you will take place around April 2, 2012. Harper Lynn will become a big sister! God is so good! Lawerence and I could not be more exited about welcoming another little one into our family. For those of you who were with me taking riding lessons while I was pregnant with Harper, you know that I don’t plan on slowing down too much. Yes, I sat a lot more and rode a lot less, but lesson plans went on un-interrupted, and so did spring break camp (which fell just over a week after Harper’s birth!
Life is truly an adventure, God has an amazing plan and I’m just exited to be a part of it! I’m so thankful that each of you has shared a part of our family’s lives through the activities at Orchid Hill Stables!
Love,
Miss Sarah, and Rio, Mr. Kool, Tony Pony, Buddy, Vic, Ali, & Missy

Monday, July 11, 2011


Orchid Hill Stables, Inc.

Dear Friends, I hope that each of you are having a wonderful summer and enjoying some vacation time with your families! Lawerence and Harper Lynn and I were able to take two fishing trips since May; while we caught more clams and oysters than fish, just getting to the ocean was a fabulous treat! Harper loves to play in the water, and takes the best naps while being rocked on a fishing boat! She loves the barn as much as the boat and this makes her a perfect blend of Mommy and Daddy!

The summer is warm, but we are still enjoying several hours of horseback riding each day during our summer camp program. Wading in the water trough has proved to cool us in the afternoon. What fun it is to ride the horses to the lower end of the farm, tie them up and jump in the refreshing water. I truly hope to see each of you before summer's end!

Call me at (863) 655-1582 to sign up for a retreat to the farm!

Have a super summer!

Sincerely,
Sarah Holton

www.orchidhillstables.com
visit us on Facebook

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Thanksgiving & Christmas Camp


Thanksgiving and Christmas Camp Fun 2010

In Thanksgiving and Christmas’s past we have played mounted games, hunted for hidden Christmas ornaments, practiced for horse shows, and hacked along the cattle pastures. This year how about getting your Christmas shopping done at camp! No not you grown ups; kids I can’t give too many details, but we have some gift ideas planned for your lunch time project hour.

With 8 lesson horses in our program there are plenty of equines to go around. Whether you are learning the basics of riding or the beginnings of under saddle horse training your camp experience will be tailored to make your equestrian dreams come true! Don’t worry about sitting around waiting to ride your FAVORITE horse, because the Christmas gift project will keep you entertained when you’re not on a horse’s back. You just don’t know what Miss Sarah has up her sleeve for you this Holiday season!

Thanksgiving Camp November 22, 23, 24, and 26; 8:30-3:30, extended hours available on Black Friday for Mom’s extended shopping spree! Lessons and trail riding available Saturday November 27th. Lunch, snacks, and water provided to campers. Camp is $75 per day, pick and choose your dates!

Christmas Camp December 17th ½ day only $40! Full day camps December 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, $75 per day, you pick your dates! Food, crafts, riding, hours of horsemanship fun all provided at Orchid Hill Stables Christmas Camps!

We can’t wait to hear from you!

Sincerely,

Miss Sarah, Mr. Lawerence, Harper Lynn, Valentino, Vic, Missy, Ali, Buddy, Tony Pony, Rio, Mr. Kool, (Angel, & Jody, guests of OHS), JJ, 0Clarisse, Vicious, Jill, Brownie, and Biggie.

www.orchidhillstables.com 863-655-1582 orchidhillstables@hotmail.com

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Thanksgiving Camp & Half Day Camps


Thanksgiving Camp is coming up quickly! Monday, November 22, 23, 24, & 26 8:30am – 3:30pm

This camp is for beginner to advanced riders! $75 per day for OHS students! Ask about extended hours on black Friday so you can shop till you drop, while your kids horse around!

Half Day Camps every early release Wednesday
1pm – 4pm at Orchid Hill Stables.
Enjoy a half/day of camp for just $40! Arrive at 1 P.M. for 3 hours of riding and horse fun!
Please sign up in advance! Check the Calendar at www.orchidhillstables.com for early release camp dates!

Come out and enjoy the cool riding weather!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Fun Show Weekend!


Hi everyone, we had a fabulous weekend at the Arabian Community Horse Show in Clarcona this past Saturday! Tarryn Paterson and Angel were amazing to watch; they performed in Show Hack, proving to be a wonderful pair to exhibit this very difficult class. This team gives encouragement to any riders working toward a goal. It has taken three hard years of practice and now these two are often winning their under saddle classes! Katie Noon also proved that she has been practicing hard with Rio as the two won numerous classes in walk/trot/canter hunter under saddle. Megan Rae Bowers and Rio were also a winning combination in Western Horsemanship walk/trot; this class included a difficult figure eight pattern which Megan aced! Sabrina Land and Buddy entered the open (non-Arab) classes and won both the grooming and conditioning class and showmanship! Buddy still has tons of energy for a 21 year old horse, and Sabrina had to slow him down a few times! Great riding girls!

The second day of the show was an open fun show and we had two exhibitors showing for their very first time! Katelynn Painter was up on Buddy in walk/trot, winning two of her classes and taking two seconds! Amazing! Also competing for her first time was Julia Cook riding Rio in walk/trot hunter under saddle; Julia and Rio also won two classes and took home two seconds! The Orchid Hill Stables team was really taking home the blues this weekend! An additional compliment to Tarryn Paterson who, with her total of five years show experience, took Beyond Ali into his first classes at a horse show! She worked very hard to make certain that Ali was calm and attentive to her signals. What a proud weekend for all of the parents, the exhibitors, and of course this trainer!

Our next horse show is scheduled for January and will be an A rated Region 12 qualifying show. Everyone getting ready for Regionals in May needs to start practicing for this show!

Hope I’m not overwhelming anyone with this long email, but I also need to mention that we will be giving pony rides at the Spring Lake Homeowners Association Annual Bar-B-Q this Saturday from 10:30 – 2 P.M. If you can come and promote Orchid Hill Stables by passing out business cards, and helping with the horses please let me know. I do have new t-shirts if you need one to wear for the pony rides.

Ok, have a wonderful week and look for more updates on our newsletter blog at http://www.orchidhillstables.com/newsletter.html You can even post comments!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Remembering Jack


It was quiet in the barn this morning, the yapping of our old Mr. Jack was silenced Monday morning. I won’t go into details of how his four legged life ended, but he was with Lawerence and I as he took his last breath.

Most people will remember Jack dog as the Jack Russell Terrier that always seemed to be antagonizing a horse or barking at a squirrel, but for Lawerence and I Jack will always be remembered as our first little buddy. We had only been married 5 months when we got the call that a 1 year old Jack Russell pup needed a new home. The first time I saw his big brown eyes, he nearly jumped into my lap, and I knew we were adopting our first pup as a couple. Jack would soon be seen everywhere with Lawerence on new construction sights around Highlands County. It is quite possible you live in a house that Jack helped build. Work stress melted on the jobs where Jack would be found lying on a cold slab of concrete, or underneath the work truck. On cold winter days Jack had to have his coat and rarely left the warmth of the truck seat. In our own home a stocking hung in the doorway with bones and toys, and was opened on Christmas morning by a happy Jack.

Every vacation we took included Jack. He loved to go fishing with us on Sanibel Island, where he’d nearly come unglued when someone caught a fish for him. Our very first ocean fishing experience was in the Outer Banks (OBX) of North Carolina. We rented a three story house with a pool just for Jack and by that time Jill too. Those two played in that pool for hours. Jill would run around the side and jump on Jack’s head, pushing him under water. It was a game that lasted until their bladders could not hold anymore pool h2o!

All of these wonderful memories are gifts from God! Those sweet newlywed years made even sweeter by our first pup, Mr. Jack. Rest in peace little buddy.