Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!
Abby McCalmont won her first blue ribbon...her first medal...and her first Championship ever at Circle J! Congratulations to Abby!
Hey all you Newbies!!
A special welcome goes out to several additions to our barn family this month! DVK Kingsway and Austin Oplotnik, EN Excess NKS "Spot" and Kim Oplotnik; Tadgy and Mallory Stacy with Futurity Roman Torch "Torchy," and Ryne Swope who catch rode Ancan Raindance at Wheat State. Ryne is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his new mount, SSLLC On Demand "Lucas" from Mary Carlton in Michigan. Also making the trek from Mary's place is LCP Stars N Stripes "Boomer," a fabulous new lesson horse who I used to show many years ago; LR Amie Tiger Wood who is to be the new mount of Lynn Suchy to trail ride and possibly get her feet wet showing; and several new barn kittens! Karen Cooley just purchased a handsome black gelding to show western pleasure named EV Santa Fe Special "Pasco" who just arrived from Washington. Aimee Shriner was his former owner, and Darryl Hopson agent for the sale. Marilyn Esteb's Stone Pine Farm just sent 3 gorgeous new horses to begin training: Stone Pine Lillian, Stone Pine Elegance and Castleridge Cambio Corsa! What a busy month we've had!
Barn Remodel
Our barn remodel has begun! The South side of the roof is finished. The horses have settled into the banging of the contruction crew and we are all glad for the great weather!
Welcome Briar Oaks Uptown Girl and Jennifer!
Briar Oaks Uptown Girl "Zoe" and Jennifer (Maunder) Cristantielli have joined us! They make a darling team and will be debuting at Wheat State in the Amatuer Hunter Pleasure division!
Facebook
We have finally joined facebook! You can look up both Colt and I and find us in the facebook community!
Emerson Ann Varner "Emmy"
Colt and Kelly Varner welcomed a new baby girl into the world on January 18, 2009 at 1:36pm. Emerson Ann weighed in at 6lbs 8ozs and measured 20 inches long. She is said to have Kelly's nose and eyes and Colt's mouth and chin! She's been a great baby who loves to be held and read to! Grandma Ann helped out the first week of her life, and has now switched off with Nana Susie and Grandpa Phil! Special thanks to all of our friends who have stopped by to visit and bring dinner! You are the best!
December Sales
]atest in December sales, Back in a Flash just sold to Melissa Montegomery to be her daughter, Bonnie's, new walk-trot saddleseat mount! Formerly owned by Ann and Frank Miller of California and shown, leased and loved by Rachele Heliker. Fawn McDaniel was once again buyer's agent for this sale. We know they will make a great team!
Welcome New Horses
Squirt and Lefty owned by Kim Saldana are the new Express Ranch Clydsdales that you may have noticed making there home here! Arriving for training for the 2009 show season is Gulfwind Tre'Sor (Gulfwind Sir William x Treble's Bonnie Blue) known as "Tre'" owned by Judy and Harry Leneau! We are also anxiously awaiting Triagn Nat'l Anthem's arrival from Florida and Dolce Gabanna (by Mizrahi) from California!!
Fall Sales and Purchases
Kelly Kraegel Varner also got lots of horses sold this fall despite the shakey stock market! Ultra's Play it Again was sold to Fawn McDaniel in Tulsa, OK for former owner Marilyn Esteb. Native Uprising was sold to Jim and Lori Jorgenson of Washington for Kristy Pojda. Lon Freiden's (Alana Little's world champion mount) Deleware's Shadow Dancer sold to Chelsey Abate with Melissa Lambrecht as new trainer, and Missouri's Boogie Futurity found a new home in Ohio with trainer Meredith Rosier and Tracy Smith. Fancy, a miniature horse also found a new home with Gina Little; and Stone Pine Cassandra with Lon and Virginia Freiden!
Purchase-wise, Kelly arranged the purchase of Bell South for Alana Little who made their debut at the Grand Nationals! During the Grand Nationals, Kelly discovered the availability of one of her former horses, Gulfwind Sir Patrick, whom she broke and owned as a youngster. Christy and Bryan Wingate purchased him to Christy's new western mount, (he's also our black logo you see on the top of the website!). Welcome home Patrick!
2008 Grand Nationals - October
Hello everyone! Welcome to my first attempt at adding a news page to our website! We have just returned home from the Morgan Grand National where we an exceptional show. Some of the highlights included Briana Berg and Hylee Blood Sweat & Tears (aka "Teddy") won the National Champion Western Seat Equitation 14 & 15 year olds with a unanimous decision and also Reserve World Champion Senior Western Seat Equitation Champions! Briana also showed "Nikki" (KJM Moulin Rouge) to a fourth place finish in the World Champion Hunter Pleasure 14 & 15 year old class! Alana Little (already a National and World Champion) showed our beloved "Sam" (Ultra's Play it Again) for he first time ever! The pair have been a team for a little over a month and won the Reserve World Huntseat Equitation Championship, Reserve National Champion Hunter pleasure 15 year Olds, and third in the World Champion Junior Exhibitor Hunter Pleasure, every class having a first place vote from the judging panel! Alana also showed her new mount "Hanz" (aka World Champion Bell South) to third place in the Hunter Pleasure Youth Finals with an incredible ride that left us all excited to see more next year! Lauren Little (our twin sister to Alana, and also a World Champion in her own right) had a great show, pinning Third in the AMHA Western Seat Gold Medal Finals and several top ten finishes with her honest and beautiful partner, Futurity Such A Twist (who is better known around the barn as "Sunny Foo-foo"). Multi-World Champion Kern's Endeavor ("Kern") and Ashley Wingate kept the tricolor ribbons and roses coming all week! With a gorgeous new blue outfit Ashley won her first World and National Championships! Showing in the 10 year old division she won the Western Seat Walk-trot National championship and the Western Seat Walk-trot World Championship! Changing into her english attire, the versatile youngster rode her heart out to win the Grand National Championship for Walk-trot Hunt seat Equitation. Ashley worked hard for her titles, even riding at boot camp with the older riders and practicing without stirrups on a regular basis. We are all very proud of her! "Fifi" is a favorite around the barn with her barbie-blonde hair and exceptional disposition. She had an incredible show winning the Reserve World Champion 3 year Old Western Pleasure and Reserve National Champion 3 Year Old Western Pleasure Mares with Kelly Kraegel Varner. A regular member of the family, Fifi has been owned by Kelly since she was 3 days old! Stevie Watson and HVK Proud Nobility (aka Stryker) put a HUGE cherry on top of her first show season with us! They won the Grand National Champion Hunt Seat Equitation 15 year old class, proving that you should never give up! They also finished a strong 5th in the World Champion Junior Exhibitor Hunter Pleasure class right on the heels of Sam & Alana, and Brian & Nikki, giving the Cottonwood Creek girls a 3-4-5 placing in that big class!! Loren Irwin and her super cute Rum Brook Immortal Dimond (aka "Neil") had a great first Nationals in the Walk-trot division! Neil and Loren finished top ten in the Western Seat Equitation Walk-trot and Classic Pleasure Saddle Walk-trot. They weaved in and out of traffic like pros and no one would have guessed this was their first time to show off the leadline at Nationals! Great job Loren and Neil. And special thanks to Maranda Irwin (Loren's proud Momma) who cooked for the whole crew (grooms, horse shoers, trainers, riders and random passerbyers) all show! We couldn't have done it without you! Karen Cooley and Treble's Commando had their best show yet, taking top ten in the Amatuer Western Pleasure and Amatuer Ladies Western Pleasure. Commando and Karen are truly coming together as a team and will be tough to beat in 2009! Chuck and Karen Cooley also took care of us by bringing Olive Garden and homemade dessert for dinner for us! Back in a Flash (Stitch) is a talented three year old gelding who finished top ten in the Classic Pleasure Saddle and Classic Pleasure Driving divisions with Rachele Heliker. Rachele enjoyed her first show with the Cottonwood Creek gang at Nationals and is already back riding getting ready for 2009 with us! Several other horses made great top ten finishes including Jean Louise Finch (Scout), RFF Wild Flower (Daisy), and Flaiming Flaire (Fancy-Flaire). We really had an incredible Grand National this year! Special thanks definitely goes out to our Cottonwood Creek Team. Without the grooms, vets, horseshoers and volunteers none of this would be possible. Special thanks to Bill Caywood, Sammy Crosby, Charlotte Kin, Devon Rose, Bill Starkey, Becky McGee, Bonet Girard, Rachele Heliker, Maranda and James Irwin, Brookie Cookie Yule, my mom Ann Kraegel, and the greatest customers in the world!
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