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Updated July 9, 2010
Camp Update
Summer camp is going along great! Everyone survived the really, really hot week with the help of some shade, a sprinkler and a slip-n-slide! Of course Chubby was busy trying to steal the camper's lunches...surprise, surprise (not really!). There is still room for people to sign up for camp, it will be running each week all summer long. The camp experience is a memory that will last a lifetime!
New Barn
Construction is moving along on the new barn. This is a very exciting time for us. We are just thrilled with the beautiful work being done by Ben and his crew, they are truly amazing! If you haven't seen it yet make sure to stop out and walk through. We are hoping to have the horses in by the end of July/beginning of August. The flooring is in & the stalls are almost all up. It looks like the inside will be just as beautiful as the outside. The barn will have 28 stalls, a wash stall, grain room, tack room & office.
Summer Fun & Games Show
We are holding a summer fun & games show on Sunday, July 18th starting at 10am. All are welcome to participate and/or spectate! We will be finishing up some of the classes from previous shows. There will be jumper classes, games on horseback and beginner classes. Click here to see the prize list. We hope you can come out and join us!
Updated June 14, 2010
Summer Camp Open House
We are happy to announce our very first summer camp open house! It will be held on Sunday,June 20th - what better way to spend Father's Day? - from 12noon until 4pm.
Visitors will get to meet the camp counselors & horses, tour the farm, get a pony ride, enter a drawing to WIN A FREE WEEK AT CAMP or FREE RIDING LESSON and get more information about one of the best summer camp programs in Western New York!
So make sure to stop by. All are welcome...click here to view the flier.
Spring Horse Show & Basket Raffle
Our spring horse show & basket raffle were a big success! Over $500 was raised to help the rescue horses. Everyone had a good time and the weather was great! The only problem was that we started wilting as the day went on and didn't finish all the classes, so....
We have planned a Summer Fun & Games Show to finish the leftover classes from the past 2 shows and offer a few classes for newer student who are eager to show. We've chosen Sunday, July 18th as the date, and there will be no further fees, other than class entries for anyone that showed at the winter or spring show!
We will put up a list of classes a couple of weeks before the show.
A huge THANK YOU to everyone that helped out at the show and all of those who donated baskets and time to make the show so much fun and such a big success!
Updated May 11, 2010
Summer Camp Is Almost Here!
One of the most exciting things that's almost upon us is Summer Camp! We can hardly wait for warm, sunny days, new friends and LOTS of horseplay! And there's no better place to find it than at Spruce Meadow Farm.
What better way to spend those summer days than discovering the world of horses? Riding, learning about and caring for the horses while making new friends will make anyone smile, in addition to building confidence and learning new skills! What are you waiting for??? Call 741-2346 now to reserve YOUR spot in one of Western New York's most popular summer camps. You can also read more about camp and enroll online on our Programs page!
SPRING HORSE SHOW
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Sunday May 23rd 9:30A.M. Start
This year's spring horse show will be held on Sunday, May 23rd. There will be classes for all levels of riders from Walk-Trot through Jumpers, including a Hunter Classic Trophy Class, Gamblers Choice & Hunter Pairs. A new type of class we are including in this show are the IEA classes. In these classes riders will be assigned a horse to ride from among our lesson horses and will be judged on their horsemanship with a horse they are not used to riding. To see a complete list of classes and show information CLICK HERE.
Kelly Goeller & Cisco at last year's Spring Show!
Basket Raffle For Phoenix Rising Equine Rescue
During the show Spruce Meadow Farm will be holding a basket raffle to benefit Phoenix Rising Equine Rescue & Rehabilitation. There have already been several lovely items donated with more on the way!
Early donors are Nelson Feeds of Akron, NY, Golden Tails Pet Food & Supplies of Bowmansville, NY, Ken Spoth Farm Market of East Amherst, NY, Watts Farm Country Market of Albion, NY and Alan Deacon of Spruce Meadow Farm. If you would like to donate call 741-2346. We will be updating the donor's list as we get closer to the show!
Click Here For Prize List For Winter Fun Show On Sunday March 14th
Updated February 8, 2010
So much has been going on that time just flies by! Just to let you know, we have a few things on the calendar for the next couple weeks.
Upcoming Events
First is Winter Break Camp II starting Mon., Feb. 15th and running through Fri., Feb. 19th. There will be both morning and afternoon sessions, as well as full days. The theme for morning camp will be Winter Horse Care and the afternoon will be an Eventing Camp. For more information or if you would like to attend call 741-2346.
Second on the agenda is a "Ride-A-Test" Clinic with Sue Rosinski on Sat., Feb 20th. The clinic will start at 10:00 and go until everyone has ridden. Riders will choose a dressage test to ride and Sue will score them. After that she will work with them on portions of the test that she feels need improvement. Then the test will be ridden a second time and scored again. If you would like to participate, speak to your instructor or call Karla at 741-2346.
Finally, mark down Sun., March 14th on your calendar as the date for our Winter Warm-Up Show/Game Day. We will also be having a "Soup's On" Fundraiser in the lounge for Phoenix Rising Equine Rescue. If anyone is interested in making soup, stew or chili for the fundraiser let Karla or Jill know so that we can have things set up right! You will also need some type of crock pot for keeping things warm, if you don't have access to one, once again, let Karla or Jill know so that they can find one for you to use. I will post a prize list on the website as soon as it's ready (a day or two!).
Recent News
>Everyone has probably noticed that there has been site work going on behind the back barn. It is an exciting time for all of us here at Spruce Meadow Farm. We are officially undertaking a new venture.
You probably know that we recently officially incorporated a 501c3 non-profit horse rescue called Phoenix Rising Equine Rescue & Rehabilitation. We have always "rescued" any horses that we have been able to "out of pocket". Many of you have also helped us raise funds at times for necessary medical care for some of them. We, and they, have been very grateful!
Now we will be able to "officially" fundraise and offer tax deductions to anyone that cares to make a financial donation. Our first official fundraiser will be the "Soup's On" fundraiser at the Winter Horse Show. The money raised from the sale of bowls of soup and chili will go to the rescue.
The site work is the initial phase of construction of a new barn. This barn will enable us to move horses out of their temporary outdoor stalls, keep all of the horses needing medical treatment housed together in the front barn, have a much larger arena for exercising, riding and physical rehabilitation and housing all of the lesson horses in the barn with the riding arena. This will eliminate the need for students to lead horses to the back barn in the dark and in inclement weather.
We have been able to do this through a very generous donation to the rescue by Craig & Nan Rung that will finance the construction of the new barn. We will, however, still need to continue to raise funds to make sure that the entire project is completed.
You can visit the rescue's website (still under construction) at HelpSaveHorses.org
A Rescue Success
One of our recue horse successes has been Wilson. He had been sponsored by Joanne Vukman during his time here at Spruce Meadow Farm. She helped enable him to receive needed medical care and also donated time and finances towards his daily expenses. This past summer she purchased him from us for $1 in order to provide him with the certainty of a "forever home".
Wilson was, unfortunately, injured during his racing career. He was never able to properly heal and was left with permanent damage to his knee. He came to the farm as a beautiful (although thin) 6 year old with no future. We had hoped he would be able to be rehabilitated enough for light work in the lesson program....which would be a wonderful idea if he didn't have the "high spirits" of a Thoroughbred race horse! He's just not the kind to settle in for a quiet ride!
Joanne has given him a wonderful home with Irish, another horse that does not really want to be in a lesson program. They have all the grass they want and daily attention from Joanne. A happy ending for both of these horses!
Updated January 1, 2010
Happy New Year!
I can't believe 2010 is here. I never finished the 2009 news.
A Fond Farewell
I am sorry to say that in November we lost a cornerstone of our farm, Kismet. He has been with us for 20 years and will be sadly missed by many...especially Chubby and Karla. As you may know he was a very productive race horse and had raced until he was 7 years old. He was acquired by Al and Karla after a career-ending racing injury. X-rays showed he also had stress cracks on his sesamoids (ankle bones).
After spending 6 months recuperating from a bowed tendon he began learning how to be a hunter/jumper and later how to do dressage work. He had a great work ethic and lots of heart and energy but always tended to be injury prone. He probably spent as much of his life at Spruce Meadow Farm just being handsome and hanging out with his best friend, Chubby, as he did "working". He loved to work...and he loved to"hang out". The only thing he didn't like was being away from Chubby!
He injured one of is front legs yet again, and even though his spirit was willing, his body couldn't support his healing. When it became apparent that there was nothing further that could be done he was humanely euthanized. Many of his human friends, as well as Chubby, were by his side. He is buried next to Baby Grace and they will have a beautiful, flowering apple tree planted over them in the spring.
Updated December 21, 2009
Wow...as usual an update is long overdue! We'd like to wish a happy holiday season to everyone.
I guess we'll finish up the show year news first.
Our Halloween Show was a lot of fun. We had the only sunny weekend in October...thank goodness! The highlight of the show, as usual, was the costume class. I am glad I wasn't the judge because all the costumes this year were awesome. Chubby and Emily as a dog and his vet, Friday as one of the 101 dalmations with Cruella DeVille, Cricket as the "One-Eyed Purple People Eater", Dallas as a pumpkin,Sparkles and Emma as a racing zebra (Stripes) and jockey, Magic and as and Teddy as King Tedward the I was the winner!
Updated October 7, 2009
An update is long overdue! It has been a hectic time and much has been going on.
HALLOWEEN SHOW
We'd better start with the Halloween show...Our annual Halloween Show is scheduled for Sat., Oct. 17th & Sun., Oct. 18th. All are invited to participate or spectate! There is no admission charge for spectators. Click here to view the Prize List.
Lots of fun events are planned. There will be prizes for all 1st place winners and silver awarded in all Hunter Over Fences and both Pleasure Divisions and a beautiful Sash for Best Costume in our Annual Halloween Costume Class!
If it rains we will reschedule, probably for the following week but hopefully that won't be necessary. If you are unsure give us a call at 741-2346.
RECENT HORSE SHOWS
Several horses and students participated in the annual Erie County Fair Horse Show. Kaylea Neverosky took Star, Erin Cox took Baraque and Janine Lumia took Pumpkin. Everyone did a fabulous job and we were so proud of the horses and riders! Besides that we had a blast! It was the first time at the fair for all of these horses and we couldn't have asked for them to be any better.
In fact, Star even discovered a new favorite treat! Cheese crackers with peanut butter...YUM!
Many horses and riders also went out to Gasport, NY to participate in Chestnut Ridge's "Ride For Roswell" Fall Horse Trials. The weather was excellent and everyone had a wonderful time! Jen Bejarano took both Cricket and Rosie and raised money in honor of her friend Austin's father and Nicki Tarbell took Sage and raised money in honor of her grandmother.
Other horses and riders that participated are; Erin Cox with Boo, Baraque and Jasmine, Audrey Yu with Aries, Rebecca Kroll with Teddy, Marissa Tranquilli with Nemo, Janine Lumia with Pumpkin, Kaylea Neverosky with Star and Olivia Hannah with Mattie. All performed very well and took home many ribbons!
SAD NEWS
Sadly, on October 1st we lost our beloved Baby Grace. She was the light of the farm. She colicked in the evening and even though the vet spent most of the night treating her and helping us watch over her we were unable to save her. She was kept comfortable through the night and humanely euthanized early the next morning when it became clear that she would not be able to recover.
Even though we are deeply grieved by our loss we are blessed to have had such a beautiful and sweet soul with us even for such a short time. Grace led a pampered, spoiled life full of fun, and charmed all who met her. She was loved by all of us and we will always miss her... until we meet again....
Updated August 16, 2009
It's hard to believe it's more than 1/2 way through the summer! It's been a busy, but fun time.
Game Day ---*NOTE NEW DATE!
Our next upcoming event is our Gymkhana & Game Day this Saturday, August 29th. A gymkhana is a set of organized team games. In addition to team games there will also be a couple of pairs games and individual games. Click here for a list of events. Anyone is welcome to attend or join in.
Game day is also a celebration of Marissa's Sweet 16th Birthday! So make sure to give her your wishes for the happiest birthday ever if you stop by!
We will have pizza, cake and pop available. If you are able to bring a dish, snack or dessert to pass it would certainly be appreciated...we love to eat!
Show Schedule
It's been a somewhat hectic show schedule with a couple of riders in the Southtown Summer Series and several other shows we've attended this summer.
At Southtowns Summer Series Erin Cox and Baraque were champions of the Puddle Jumpers Division. She brought her trophy home last night and it's so big it looks like it will need a room of it's own to put it in...LOL! This was no small feat since it is Baraque's first show season! Erin has been working with him for about 1-1/2 years and started him basically from scratch. We are all proud of both of them. It was so much fun to watch such a great team effort between them! Baraque was also reserve high score jumper horse for the entire series. Way to go guys!
Even though Olivia Hannah with Mattie, and Janine Lumia with Pumpkin were only able to attend two of the shows they did so well that they both were Reserve Champion in their divisions. Olivia and Mattie in the Low and Slow Hunter Division and Janine and Pumpkin in the Child/Adult Hunter Division.
Kristin Monaco riding Brandy in one show and Dallas at another came in 4th place overall in the 2'6" jumper division.
Not to leave out Emma Rehrauer who took Jasmine to one of the shows and was Reserve Champion in the X-rail Division! Erin also rode her in that show and ended up beating her ride on Baroque, with Jasmine getting Champion in the Puddle Jumpers and Baraque getting Reserve. I guess Jasmine showed him! And I don't want to neglect to mention that there was a common denominator for those rides...Erin...who rode both horses EXTREMELY well!
It was a good showing at the Southtowns Summer Series for Spruce Meadow Farm.
Other Shows
After the schooling show at Geneseo in May, Nicki with Sage and Janine with Pumpkin went back June 7th to do a recognized event. Both did quite well on a difficult x-country course and exceptionally well on the jumper course...in fact probably Nicki and Sage's best jumper course ever! Both horses also turned in a competitive dressage test.
At the beginning of August several horses and riders went to a dressage/combined training show at Chestnut Ridge Equestrian Center. Jen took Cricket, Anne took Aries... both horses 1st away show...Olivia took Mattie, Janine took Mo and Erin took Baroque. All the horses and riders did a great job and placed well. Riders and horses alike had a good learning experience.
The day after Chestnut Ridge Shilo took both Magic and Rosie to Maple Row. It was a busy and productive day for all of them. (Especially Shilo's groom, Victor!!!) It was Magic's first away show in two years and Rosie's first away show since she's been at Spruce Meadow. Both horses behaved excellently with Rosie taking reserve champion in the Pleasure Division....she actually looked like a pleasure horse!
Updated July 19, 2009
Our summer has been started with a kick! Firstly, there have been some unfortunate incidents around the barn. Our horse Riley had a swollen hock for some time, however, he is recovering excellently and is excited to show off his ability to walk without limping.
Our horse Friday also had an episode recently. We were unsure of what caused this episode but it was a somber time for all. Luckily, a miracle occurred and Friday is now her normal self, ready and eager to work.
Finally, our beloved lesson horse Rascal is currently suffering from a bowed tendon. He is receiving the best care and has six weeks off to relax and eat. Though his condition upsets those around him he is ecstatic to have time off in which his only job is to eat and heal.
On a more cheerful note we recently welcomed a new horse, Molly. Molly is a very sweet bay horse. She bears a remarkable resemblance to our other horse, Teddy, in both build and personality. Like Teddy, she may be tall, but she is gentle and sweet to all.
Camp, like always, is a huge success. From games of horse truth or dare to labeling the horses body parts to riding, the campers have long days packed full of fun for all. Camp information can be found on our programs page.
Updated June 15, 2009 Our Spring Horse show yesterday was a HUGE sucess. The freshened jumps were set, the barn was packed and it is all thanks to you. We couldn't have done it without the support of everyone coming out to watch, so we'd like to take this moment to thank you. Our Bake Sale was a huge sucess, we raised over $200 and the lucky winner of our raffle was Janine Lumia! So thanks to everyone who showed and who came to watch. To everyone else, we hope to see you at our next show!
Updated May 27, 2009
We have the prize list ready for the Spring Horse Show.We are all looking forward to having newly painted poles and getting all the jumps set up.
The Spring schooling event at Geneseo was a great learning experience for everyone. There were both high and low points for all! Some of the high points were...
- Kristen and Brandy had another very nice dressage test in which they placed first.
- Janine and Pumpkin did very well overall, improving on last year's dressage score and having a clean stadium jumping round.
- Nicki and Sage improved their stadium jumping from last year... they had a perfect trip.
- Erin and Jasmine were very consistent and had good scores in every phase.
- Joanne and Irish had quite a nice stadium jumping trip after Irish worked out some of the kinks.
- Kaylea and Star performed well in each of the phases...it was the first event for both of them!
The next event is a recognized show at Geneseo on June 7th. Nicki Tarbell is planning on showing Sage in Novice and Janine Lumia is hoping to show Pumpkin in Beginner Novice.
A new horse is arriving tomorrow afternoon. His name is Chigger and he's a sweet, sturdy, good looking boy! He is 6 years old and we are planning on working him into the lesson and camp program.
Updated May 18, 2009
The Spring Horse Show has officially been planned for June 14th. There will be a wide variety of classes including a Showmanship class, 2 Dressage Test classes, a Green Horse Division, Walk-Trot and Walk-Trot-Canter classes, a Pleasure Division and Jumping Divisions including X-Rails, 2' and 2'3".
There will be Champion and Reserve Champion ribbons, sashes and medals awarded. We are hoping for nice weather and are looking forward to having a great time! There will be pizza and drinks available as well as a baked goods sale.
Due to the weather and ring conditions we were unable to hold our Spring Gymkhana and Game Day. We are however planning it for sometime before the end of the summer and will announce the date as soon as we have it set.
Several of the horses went to Chestnut Ridge in Royalton for a Combined Training (dressage & jumper) show on the 16th. All did very well and are looking good for the upcoming show season. Kristen Monaco took Brandy and they placed 2nd overall in the Novice Division with a score of 73 in dressage and a clear jumping round. Erin Cox and Jasmine were second overall in the Beginner Novice Division with a dressage score of 65 and a clear jumping round and Janine Lumia and Pumpkin were first overall in Beginer Novicewith a dressage score of 66 and a clear jumping round. Congratulations to both riders and horses!
This coming Saturday 6 horses and riders will be traveling to Geneseo to compete in an Eventing competition; Kristen & Brandy, Erin & Jasmine, Janine & Pumpkin, Nicki & Sage, Joanne & Irish and Kaylea & Star....Best of luck to all!
HORSE NEWS
Lexus has journeyed to Chris White's farm in Gowanda to work on loosening up his joints. The vet recommended he spend as much time as possible moving around outside. He was definitely moving better when we went to see him last week and we are hoping to find a home for him that will be less demanding physically and where he can spend lots of time outdoors.
We also have a new addition to the lesson program. His name is Aries and he is a 15 yr. old bay Thoroughbred gelding. He is very pretty, very sweet and very pleasant to work with! I will try to get his picture up soon.
Baby Grace managed to tear her eyelid this past week and had to have the vet come out and put some stitches in. He did such a nice job that you can't even tell it happened.
Fancy (and of course Erin) is home from school for a couple months. Erin & Fancy are taking a break from school to work in the summer camp program and also so Erin can do an internship. I guess it's not going to be too much of a break!
Saturday, May 9th is the date of our Spring Gymkhana or Game Day. There will be a number of games offered including the old favorites pole bending and barrel racing. Team events will take place in the morning and individual games will be held in the afternoon. Bring a dish to share, we'll have the grill going! The sign up sheet is posted in the front barn. Talk to your instructor, or call us, for more information and to register. Hope to see you there!
Our Spring Show will be held on Sunday June 14th. More details to follow. Talk to your instructor or give us a call for more information.
The Genesee Valley Pony Club's Spring Event will be held on Saturday May 23rd. Several of our riders will be attending. Registrations are due by May 13th. For registration forms and more information, please visit Geneseo Entry Form
Brookfield Farms Equestrian Center will be holding an open horse show on Sunday May 31st. More information can be found at Brookfield Farms Open Show
Summer Camp is around the corner. Please contact us for more information. We are very busy getting ready for show season and excitedly looking forward to the rest of the year. Come on out and meet our new foal and our wonderful lesson horses and enjoy the beautiful spring weather!.
Wow, so much time has passed. First I want to say a special good bye to those we have lost this year Logan, Pal, Smokey and Breezy. We miss them terribly but know that until we meet again they are in a better place. On a happier note we have welcomed Teddy, Friday, Trixie, Cricket, Moose, Misty, Dorey and Jim Bob. We also have new barn cats... Spurs, Abigail (don't worry...it was only a toy!) and Bits.
Our pony, Jack, is currently on vacation where he is very happily spending much time turned out in beautiful pastures and being loved and tended to by his very own 7 yr. old boy!
Recently our first baby ever, Baby Grace, was born March 6, 2009. The proud mama is Trixie who just happened to already be in foal when we got her last fall! Grace was named after our beloved Ace who passed a year ago to the day that she was born. We thought it would be a great way to honor him. Also, the name fits her well as she is already very graceful as well as very beautiful! (No, we aren't prejudiced at all!)
The year has flown by with all manner of ups and downs. We have enjoyed many shows such as our summer series and very successful Halloween Show. We have also held a game day in January where everyone had a day full of fun. We hope to have another one soon and see you all there. Spring Break Camp is around the corner. Please contact us for more information. We are looking forward to seeing many eager campers! With our new foal and summer coming up fast we are very busy and excitedly looking forward to the rest of the year.
We recently welcomed two new horses. Snow is here for the next month or two. Her owner brought her to us so we can help her get in shape. Snow is a very loud Appaloosa mare who is very steady and quiet. Rosie should make a wonderful addition to our lesson string. A 14 year old Thoroughbred mare, she is sweet, quiet, and obedient. Rosie isn't quite fit enough for lessons yet, but we look forward to putting her in lessons soon. | 
Also in May, we took Riley and Wilson for x-rays. We learned that Riley's ankle had completely healed and he was 100% better. Wilson's x-rays, on the other hand, revealed extensive damage with surgery not being an option.
