FIND OUT THE LATEST NEWS FROM WINDCHASE, AND KEEP UP WITH PHYLLIS AND THE CREW.

Learn about Windchase XC Schooling	Get Info on the   Windchase Jumping Clinics	Sell your horse in our  Consignment Program	See our excellent Horses for Sale
Learn about our trip  to Africa in 2024	See Phyllis's travels on  the Trip Report Page	Learn about the Windchase Derby	Learn about our Working Student Program

October 29, 2025
     What a whirlwind summer and autumn it has been.  Clara, Devon and Kendall have had a busy Event season, successfully moving their young horses up to Training level, and getting a lot of the babies out for their first shows and starter trials. We have a super group of working students currently, and a great bunch of boarders and clients.
     In August my Lurcher dog Grainne had a litter of eight puppies, and they have been great fun, as well as quite a handful. They are now 10 weeks old and most of them are going to their new homes this week. I will miss them, but my brother Buddy and I are each keeping one so there will be no shortage of puppy love.

Cheers
Phyllis



August 24, 2025
     We had gloriously perfect weather yesterday for the Windchase XC Derby. It was cool and breezy with low humidity and plenty of sunshine. The footing was perfect, and the XC course was really nice, if I do say so myself.  We had a great group of riders participate, and everything went really smoothly. 
     Much thanks to our super volunteers; many of our friends and boarders spent the day helping out in various roles, such as jump judges, timers, scorers, starters,  warm-up stewards, coure-walk drivers, and many more.  And also, thanks so much to our sponsors:  Strider, Triple Crown Feeds, Another Turn Tack Shop, Hannah Jones Photography, and C&C Grill!  We could not have done it without the generosity of these sponsors and volunteers. And if you didn't get one of C&C Grill's smashburgers, then you really missed out.

     Below are the results for the top three placings in each division. 

     Put the Windchase XC Derby on your calendar for next year!

Cheers
Phyllis



August 12, 2025
    Windchase XC Derby is back!  Come join us on Saturday August 23   (The rain-date is Sunday August 24.)
     Sign up on Strider:  https://www.striderpro.com/a/oS9RJzxlaEKQ7unjGQ6Hug
   Sign up now; closing date is August 19.
     Fun and informal, and a good cross-country school for you and your horse. Ride individually or as pairs. There will be Prizes!    
     Much Thanks to our Sponsors:  Strider, Another Turn Tack Shop, Triple Crown feeds, and Hannah Jones Photos.

     The Windchase Cross-Country Derby course will run over our 100-acre-plus XC courses, going from field to field. Courses will be approximately 1.75 miles long. Participants may ride individually or in pairs.
     Footing permitting, the course will include water, banks and ditches, as well as some foxhunting type obstacles. All courses designed to be confidence building and inviting, and you have the option of jumping fences a level lower or higher than your entered division.  The Intro division will have small trot-over log options for all obstacles.

   This is a unique chance to ride over the beautiful rolling hills of western Loudoun County, at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, while competing in a fun and informal atmosphere. What is unique about our XC course is that we have so much space; the course will be run from field to field, and be approximately 1.75 miles long. For those who don’t want to walk that far, we will take people around the course by vehicle the afternoon before and in the morning before the derby starts.
   We will have a division for Pairs, where two riders go out together (and hopefully come back together too!), as well as the regular individual classes.

Divisions:
In all divisions, you may jump any fence a level lower or higher than your division!

Intro: Fences approximately 2 feet. Easy log-type options for all jumps, appropriate for green horses or riders. Speed 270 meters/minute
Starter/Elementary: Fences not to exceed 2’3, inviting and straightforward. Speed 300 meters/minute   
Beginner Novice: Fences not to exceed 2’7, speed 325 meters/minute
Novice: Fences not to exceed 2’11, speed 375 meters/minute
Training/Modified: Mostly Training, with some Modified options. Fences not to exceed 3’4, speed 425 meters/minute
PAIRS:  Two horse/rider combinations go out together.  Choose your jump heights, pairs can be mixed. Choose your optimum time target. 

    Classes judged on jumping penalties and closest to Optimum Time. In all divisions, you may choose to jump a lower or higher option at any fence. If you skip a fence altogether that is OK too, but a small time penalty will be added to your time. Lead horses will be available for the Intro/Elem and BN divisions.

     For more info about Windchase, visit our website:  http://teamwindchase.com
     Email  pwindchaser73@gmail.com if you have questions.
     Come Jumping!

Cheers
Phyllis



May 27, 2025
     It has been a busy spring, and we have been having a ball getting all the horses and students out competing. Kendall successfully moved her super partner Virago up to Training level at Loudoun.  

     Devon moved Tricia Sansevero’s lovely mare Lyricist up to Training at Hunt Club as well. It is great fun to watch these horses as they progress.

     Clara was having a great start to her season with both her new horse Sorrel and the up-and-coming Birch Hollow, but an unfortunate tumble while schooling resulted in a broken collarbone, so she is having to watch from the sidelines for a few weeks. Very frustrating for her, but at least she has plenty of time for teaching at the moment!

     Devon took Paddington to his first Novice events at Loch Moy, and he absolutely loves it – this talented warmblood will make someone a super mount to move up the levels with. Look for him on our Horses for Sale page, along with others.  This is a really special horse.

   Congratulations as well to working student Paige, who had terrific go with Rooney this past weekend, placing 3^rd in the BN. What a long way she has come!  Caroline also had a good run on Blazer a couple weeks ago. 

     Jineen and I are off to Africa in a couple weeks, and I am really looking forward to the trip. We have a great group going, and will be on a mobile camping safari with our friend and guide Gee Mange and Makomkom safaris. I have a new long camera lens, and can’t wait to try it out! 

Cheers
Phyllis



April 26, 2025
     Once again I am way behind on updating this page; my apologies.
     So far 2025 has been going like a whirlwind at Windchase. A great shout-out to our new dream team; Stable Manager Kendall Doran, and Trainers Clara Lenhart and Devon Sutherland. These three ladies are all doing a terrific job.
     The spring Event season is in full swing; Clara and Kendall had great rides around the Training course today at the Loudoun Hunt PC horse trials, and all the Novice and BN horses go tomorrow. We have a lot of young horses concentrating on gaining experience this season, and it is really fun to watch them progress.

     We have some really super nice horses available; check them out on our Horses for Sale page.

Cheers
Phyllis



January 1, 2025
     Happy New Year, everyone! Sadly we didn't do the Windchase Polar Dive this year, but here is a look back at a previous one! It is always more exciting when you have to break the ice first.

Cheers
Phyllis


December 24, 2024
     Happy Christmas Eve, and wishing you a joyful Holiday Season.  Pease on Earth.

Cheers
Phyllis



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!

     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!

     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.

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

Windchase
Phyllis Dawson
E-mail: pwindchase73@gmail.com
Phone: (540) 668-6024 stable,  (540) 454-3834 cell,  (540) 668-6548 home
Address: 36502 Kidwell Road, Purcellville, VA  20132  USA