Mill Creek Blog

Go Maddy! Once again, Madison Reeb qualifies for the NAJYR Championships!

2009-07-13T23:37:00.001-07:00

Madison Reeb has qualified for the second year in a row for the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships! Maddy and her horse Raquel will be part of the Area VI Young Rider team competing at the Kentucky Horse Park, July 26 - 29. Visit the NAJYRC site for more info and look for updates on the Area VI website.

You may remember that Maddy finished 5th in the One Star on her horse Idle Bells last year. Best of luck Maddy!

Check back here for the final results!

Fabulous New Mill Creek Polo Shirts!

2009-06-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

Mill Creek would like to extend a big thanks to Sara Chang for designing our fabulous new polo shirts! She is making them available to us at cost, so they are very reasonably priced:

Children's Sizes: $15
Adult Sizes: $20

The shirst are available in Green and in White (pictured below)! Get them while they last--they are selling out FAST!

What's Going on with the Dressage Rings?

2009-06-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

In case you were wondering...

Both rings are having Airfoot™ installed. Airfoot is a "mixture of nylon, rubber, foam, and fiber designed to reduce compaction, promote water retention, and help bind sand together." It's dust free and easy on the horses feet and legs. The Dressage Rings are being renovated and redesigned by Ranch Performance -- a fantastic company that Cory says is a joy to work with and is doing a beautiful job!

We think you (and your horses) will appreciate this improvement!

Mill Creek Easter Egg Hunt 2009

2009-04-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

The Easter Egg Hunt was a great success!

See more photos!

Spring Day Camp in April!

2009-03-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

Day Campers can now get a head start on Summer Camp! We are offering a spring horse camp for levels 1 - 4!

Session 1 is April 7th - 10th; Session 2 is April 14th - 17th:

First level - Tues. and Thurs. 9am - 2pm
Second level - Wed. and Fri. 9am - 2pm
Third level Tues. and Thurs. 10am - 3pm
Fourth level - Wed. and Fri. 10am - 3pm

Weekend camp for level 1 - 4 remains the same. Weekday afternoon classes for level 1 - 4 are not being offered those two weeks. Private and semi private classes may be scheduled instead. Parents can schedule spring camp on their regular lesson request form.

Join Us for Mill Creek's Annual Easter Egg Hunt!

2009-03-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

Our Annual Hunt is Saturday, April 11 at Noon! Children and All Family Members are welcome! We have lots of Candy and Prizes!

See more photos from last year's Easter Egg Extravaganza!

Congratulations Andrew Chang and Carol Lieberman!

2009-03-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

Andrew Chang and Carol Lieberman are first time horse owners! Andrew's family just purchased the lovely Warmblood gelding Manolo. Long time Mill Creeker Carol is now the proud owner of the Thoroughbred mare, Sage--a wonderful schoolmaster!

Congratulations to you both!!!

Special Lessons Offered on President's Day, February 16

2009-02-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

On Monday, February 16th, President's Day:

We are offering the following classes:

Jamie:
10 am and 1pm combined first and second level camp - $70
11am and 2pm combined third and fourth level camp - $70

Cory:
10am BN / N jumping
11:30 dressage

Joe and Lindsay are available for private lessons. Please call the office to schedule. In the event of rain on Monday,call the office prior to coming to Mill Creek to find out the status of lessons.

Christmas & New Year's Eve Lessons, 2008

2008-11-24T08:43:00.001-08:00

Back by Popular Demand!

We will be offering the following lessons on Wednesday 12/24 & 12/31:

9am - Adult and BN Dressage w/ Lindsay
10am - Private horses Dressage w/ Lindsay
10am - BN/N Jumping w/ Cory
11am - A family trail ride with Joe
11am - 2nd and 3rd level with Jamie
12pm - 3rd and 4th level with Joe

Goodbye from Grace Chucla

2008-08-28T22:29:00.000-07:00

Grace has returned to Pomona College and she wants everyone to know that she will miss them, but plans to come back and teach during the winter break.

We'll miss you, too, Grace. Good luck at school this year!

Mill Creek is Taking a Vacation!

2008-08-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

In order to give the hard-working school horses, staff and trainers at Mill Creek a well-deserved vacation, Mill Creek will be closed from September 1 - 15, 2008. During that time, Mill Creek will be open to boarders only, but no lessons or training services will be available.

Hours for boarders are as follows:

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 7am - 8pm
Friday, Saturday and Sunday: 7am - 5:30pm
Monday: 2:30 - 5:15pm

During the break, Robyn will continue to teach lessons (on privately owned horses only) to prepare for Copper Meadows. Please book these lessons directly with Robyn.

All regular lessons and services will resume on September 16.

Madison Reeb is a 2008 Young Rider Team Candidate!

2008-08-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

UPDATE! Maddy won 5th place out of 30 competitors in the One Star Young Rider Championship! Congratulations Maddy!

Congratulations to Madison Reeb and her horse Idle Belles! They are Area VI candidates for the One Star Young Rider Eventing Team. We are very proud of Maddy for this accomplishment! Young Riders who qualify for these FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships each year are among the very top in their equestrian discipline. Best of luck to Maddy at the championships in Colorado this year!

The Mill Creek Barbecue Dinner Party is October 4th!

2008-08-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

Please join us on the evening of October 4th for great food, fun and friends. The party will begin at 5pm at Mill Creek. There will be surprise entertainment! Everyone is welcome, just be sure to RSVP in the office (call (310)455-1116) by September 20th.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be no lessons after 2pm on October 4.

Pony rides are here!

2008-08-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

Ranger and Brady have offered their services so our "too young for lessons crowd" can have a chance to ride. The rides (lead by our older sudents) are 15 minutes in length for $15. Riders must be at least 4 years old and parents must sign a release in the office. Rides are offered Wednesdays and Sundays. A sign-up sheet will be posted at the end of the L-barn. You may also call the office (310-455-1116) to book a ride.

Congratulations Toni Hubenette on Winning High Point at Flintridge

2008-06-18T19:42:00.000-07:00

Toni Hubenette with her horse Donizetti won the Cornerstone/Markel High Point Series Champion - Amateur Division at the Flintridge Dressage Show on May 23 - 25, 2008. Congratulations Toni! We're so proud of you!

(photo couresty of Elaine Rosenberg)

A Special Way to Remember Annie

2008-04-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

Cory has received Annie's tail hair from Doctor Boles' office and is making it available to anyone who would like to honor her memory by using it to have horse hair jewelry made. If you are unfamiliar with this art form, you can see some excellent examples at Nannasalmi Horsehair Jewelry or Twisted Tails.

Ask in the office for more information and recommendations for jewelers to use.

Goodbye to our Beloved Annie

2008-04-17T00:47:00.000-07:00

We had to say goodbye to our dearest Annie on April 16 after she colicked the evening before. An emergency vet was called in and she was immediately trailered to Dr. Boles' office in a special trailer with a camera so she could be watched on the way. Sadly, she was too sick and he could not save her. Annie would have been 19 years old this Saturday (April 19).

Annie was probably the most popular and well-loved school horse of all time at Mill Creek. She was a kind and giving horse who gave many, many riders the confidence to grow in their riding. Annie has been at Mill Creek since she was 5 months old and was a registered Belgian Draft Horse (see a copy of her papers).

Please be sure to visit the Annie photo gallery, which includes photos of baby Annie.

Annie will be deeply missed by all of us.

Happy 28th Birthday Tom Cat!

2008-04-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

Merete Goldberg's fabulous horse Tom Cat just celebrated his 28th Birthday with a little party at Mill Creek on March 30!

See more photos from Tom Cat's party... (photos courtesy of Lorie Fee)

Horses in the Hood - March 2008

2008-04-13T23:22:00.000-07:00

See photos from the Bradley/Milken Family Youth Center HHLA camp in March.

Photos courtesy of Lorie Fee

Mill Creek Easter Egg Hunt 2008

2008-03-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

We had another exciting and fun-filled Easter Egg Hunt this year!

Many more adorable photos are available!

In Memory of Button

2007-09-18T20:07:00.001-07:00

Button was a generous pony who served Mill Creek and his riders well for many years. He will be greatly missed.

Mill Creek welcomes Oslo & Bergen

2007-06-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

Cory recently bought two adorable new Norwegian Fjord horses, which she named Oslo and Bergen (after two major cities in Norway). They will be used in the School Horse Program as soon as they receive training. You can see individual photos of Oslo and Bergen on the school horse pages.

Norwegian Fjords are prized as children's horses all throughout Europe due to their mild disposition. Read more about these Fjords horses on Wikipedia!

Becca Hugh-Jones buys Wellington!

2007-06-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Becca on her recent purchase of Wellington (aka "Wellies") from Robyn Fisher. Robyn had previously bought Wellington from Mette Rosencrantz last year. Becca, Robyn and Mette are all very excited that Wellies will stay at Mill Creek!

Jakob, We Will Miss You!

2007-05-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

The following is posted on behalf of Toni Hubenette:

Jakob's story is quite wonderful. He was born on a farm in British Columbia sometime in 1983. Apparently the farm bred horses for slaughter but he was rescued at age 2 by two young girls who lived down the road from the farm. They raised him, trained him and decided to event him. He grew into a 16-1 grey gelding and was probably a Dutch Warmblood cross although his heritage was obviously not truly known. He ultimately qualified with Kendra Clark for the 1993 Area VI Young Riders Team which won the gold medal in Wadsworth, Illinois. Thereafter, Kendra decided to sell him when she went off to college. I first met Jakob during a journey to Pullman, Washington in January, 1994 and he arrived at Mill Creek on February 18, 1994. We competed through Preliminary until July, 1999 when he went on to teach many other Mill Creek riders including Nanine Russo, Heather White, Penny Fink and, of course, Tracy Ryan who successfully competed him for 3 years. In December, 2002 it was Marisa Metzger's turn and she won many ribbons with him until 2005 when Jill Greenhut took over. Jakob's last competition honor was to win Reserve Champion, Junior Novice with Jill in 2006 (some of Jakob's other accomplishments are listed below). He retired to Tally Chang's barn in early 2007 and was euthanized on April 14, 2007 at age 24 after sustaining a re-injury to an old shoulder stress fracture.

Jakob was kind, gallant, stubborn, strong, and had the best feet of any horse I have ever met. He was an 'easy keeper' in the true sense of that phrase. I miss him so.

Jakob's Show Record:

2001: Tracy Ryan and Jakob, Reserve Sr. Training Champion, Area VI

2002: Marisa Metzger and Jakob, Junior Novice Champion, Area VI

2003: Marisa Metzger and Jakob, Junior Training Champion, Area VI and 3rd nationally

2006: Jill Greenhut and Jakob, Reserve Jr. Novice Champion, Area VI

Want good prices on Tack, Riding Apparel or other supplies? We have two ways to save!

2007-05-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

Mill Creek has arranged for you to save 15% on any single purchase at Calabasas Saddlery. Coupons are available in the office and expire May 31, 2007, so be sure to pick one up soon.

Come to Tack and Apparel Sale at the Mill Creek Horse Show this Sunday (5/20)!! You will be sure to find great deals on high quality used (and sometimes new) items!! Bring cash and come early to get the best selection. The sale will be on the patio near the vending machines and it ends at 3pm.