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November 27,
2024
Happy Thanksgiving!
I am thankful every day to live at such a
beautiful, special place on the earth, surrounded by Windchase Magic. This is what we call the special, peaceful, almost
magical quality of the land here at Windchase. It is like
our own little piece of heaven.
I am grateful that Windchase has such an amazing
staff and a great group of working students. Much thanks
to all of them for everything that they do. I am also
thankful for a great group of boarders and clients; they
make it all such fun. I am thankful to get to spend each
day working with horses and riders, and doing the things I
love.
I am very lucky to have a circle of good friends
that I can always depend on.
And I am blessed to have a wonderful extended
family; we are very close to each other, despite
geographical distance. And I am particularly happy that
many of the family are gathering at Windchase for
Thanksgiving this year. And that my brother Buddy lives
here now full time!
I am thankful for our beautiful horses, loyal and
loving dogs, and slightly arrogant cats. They are our
companions in life.
I
am also very thankful for the diverse wildlife that makes
Windchase home. Deer, geese, turkeys, raccoons, skunks,
ground hogs and rabbits are some of the regulars, along
with a huge host of birds. Hawks and eagles soar overhead,
and the ravens in the woods behind the stables make a
raucous clamor. There is a chorus of calls by the owls
each evening. Wild mallards or wood ducks sometimes join
the flocks of Canadian geese on the lake, and the great
blue heron often stops by. A pair of rare red-headed
woodpeckers lives near the water jump, bluebirds inhabit
the fence lines, and a kingfisher can be seen diving for
prey in the lake. A myriad of songbirds are at home in my
yard, and hang out at the birdfeeders; the ruby-throated
hummingbirds are among my favorites.
The
coyotes, seldom seen in the daytime, can often be heard
howling in the night. Foxes come around occasionally, and
once in a while a black bear family wanders through.
Squirrels raid the bird-feeders and taunt the dogs. The
tiny tree frogs we call peepers
sing in a joyous chorus in the spring, and bullfrogs croak
in deep-throated voices as fireflies shine bright in the
summer nights.
Black
snakes hunt mice in the barns and sheds, and a rainbow
array of koi and bass swim lazily in the lake. And there
are many more; from the tiniest mouse to the bats that fly
over the lake in the evenings, I am thankful for them all
(though I would prefer that the mice stayed in the fields
rather than in my kitchen).
In addition to the wildlife, there is the land
itself. The rolling green fields, magnificent trees, and
the mountains surrounding our little valley, glowing pink
in the warm glow of the setting sun. The stream that runs
through, shaded by sycamore and beech trees, and elegant
willows, and adorned with wild irises in the spring. The
Windchase Lake, home to multiple ecosystems of nature, and
a great swimming hole for people as well in summer. The
autumn leaves turning running the gamut from green, to red
and gold, to subtle shades of rust and brown before
quietly drifting to the ground.
And as always, I am thankful for the brave men and
women in the military who keep us safe and free, and for
the first responders who are there for us when need is the
greatest. I wish them a safe and joyous Thanksgiving.
I hope you all have a joyous Thanksgiving. Here’s
wishing you all some Windchase Magic, or its equivalent,
wherever you are.
Cheers
Phyllis
October
26, 2024
It seems just a moment ago that it was summer and
we were looking ahead to the autumn Events, and now it is
late October and we are winding up the competition season.
Time sure flies, and we have been having fun!
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Clara Lenhart
riding Brambleridge Blueberry Hill |
The Windchase XC Derby was a big success; after the
drought in July we were lucky to get good rains in early
August, and the course and the footing were excellent. We
had a nice turnout for the Derby and everyone seemed to
have a good time. Windchase staff, working students and
boarders all chipped in to help (as well as riding for
some of them), and I want to give a big shout-out to Chris
and Cody for providing great food on the day with their
C&C Grill. And also thanks to our sponsors!
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The Windchase
XC Derby
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The horses have been going well at the Events, and
we have sold quite a few really nice eventers recently. We
have several exciting youngsters coming along, and are
focusing on developing them for the future. And in the
meantime, we are enjoying the fabulous autumn weather, and
having a lot of fun schooling.
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Windchase working students have a fun XC school
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Cheers
Phyllis
August
17, 2024
The summer has flown by. I had a knee replacement
in mid-July which side-lined me for a while, but now I am
mostly recovered and happy to be back at the barn again.
The Windchase XC Derby is next Saturday, August
24; it is a fun and informal cross-country derby
with a long course that runs over 100 acres. We are
excited to be putting on the Derby again, having not had
it the last two years. It is not too late; you can still
enter on Strider: https://www.striderpro.com/a/gRDuZCErLEKkDA-5jdsF6g
We had a bad drought during late June and all of
July, with the grass turning brown and the ground like
cement. But now we have gotten a good amount of rain and
everything is green again, and the footing should be
perfect for next weekend. Come
Jumping!
Cheers
Phyllis
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