2010 is looking like a fantastic year.   We have been very lucky to have a surviving and growing business in these hard economic times.  We cannot thank our costumers enough, Thank you!  We are striving to make the experience as enjoyable and informational as possible.  Due to the increased demand in student numbers, a few changes will take place starting March 1, 2010.

We will be changing to a monthly membership. Basically moving from 6 lesson packages to 4 payments that will be due the first lesson of every month.  The months that offer 5 weeks for certain days will be offered to boarders at the discounted monthly price or to non-boarders at the individual lesson price.  Cancellation is required 24hrs in advance in order to make up your lesson.  Of course, in emergency situations we will try to be as accommodating as possible.  Kristen will be offering make-ups mostly Thursday and Sunday and Codi will be offering make-ups on Wednesday and Sunday.  If the cancellation is due to weather or Mane Top, you will be guaranteed a makeup without restriction and in extreme prolonged periods (unpredictable circumstances) a discount on the following month’s membership fee will be applied.  Please call if you have any questions or concerns.

The new prices are as follows:

1 private lesson: $55             

1 group lesson: $45

1 pony ride: $35

1 private lesson once a week (4 lessons for month): $210

2 private lessons a week (8 lessons for month): $410

1 group lesson once a week (4 lessons for month): $170

2 group lessons a week (8 lessons for month): $330

1 pony ride a week (4 lessons for month): $130

2 pony rides a week (8 lessons for month): $250

We value your business and deeply appreciate your support. Thank you Thank you!

**If your package is up before March 1st you may pay $29/group or $39/private per lesson until the end of the month or if you have lessons left over, you will be credited $29 or $39 for each remaining lesson toward your membership.

Have you marked your calendars for our next Winter Festival Horse Show at Mane Top Stables?  Pony rides, hay rides, raffle items, door prizes, pictures with ponies, food, crafts, vendors, horses, ponies, Paddington the pig, Victor the goat, and much more!

Saturday, Jan. 23rd, Mane Top will be hosting one of their monthly festival shows. The show begins at Noon and will continue until about 4pm. Whether you are a rider or just looking for something to do on a Saturday afternoon, you will enjoy this event.

Division sponsors include:

Nelson and Co. Contractors

Y-Nots Jewelry handcrafted by Linda Melton

Thanks to all Mane Top Family and friends who help make our shows a success!

What a great night to be part of the Mane Top family! We attended the Annual Awards Banquet this past Saturday evening at the Natural Bridge Hotel to dine with our fellow competition and collect year end awards. The Krason family, Megan McMahon and her mother Yvonne, as well as Grace Gardner and her mother Berkley, all joined us for a great evening with SWVHJA members.

Award winners for Mane Top included:

4th place in the Small/Medium Pony Hunters-  Remington Steele (ridden and owned by Mackenzie and Reilly Krason)

5th place in the Small/Medium Pony Hunters- Mane Top’s Dixie Charm

5th place in the Large Pony Hunters- Mane Top’s Silver Slippers (Thanks to riders Alex Beth and Mackenzie Parks)

9th place in the Large Pony Hunters-Salvandi Mojo (Thanks to rider Alex Beth)

10th place in the Large Pony Hunters-Chance Encounter (Thanks to rider Megan Trum)

12th place in the Intermediate Hunters- Silver Slippers (Thanks to rider Grace Gardner)

Also a special congradulations to Mackenzie Parks for winning the SWVHJA Pony Medal at the Annual Show on Mane Top’s Silver Slippers!

What a great 2009 year for Mane Top! Now let’s go out with an even bigger bang for 2010! Watch out SWVHJA, here we come…

The show this weekend planned for Sat., Dec. 19th has been rescheduled for Jan. 3rd due to inclement weather. Our judge could not be present for Sunday the 20th so we have decided to move the horse show to Sunday, Jan. 3. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you or your family and hope that you will still be able to make it on the 3rd!

Happy Holidays to all!

Mane Top Stables offers for sale: Miss Charlotte, for Ms. Lauren Linfest

Dressed up for Halloween

Charlotte is a 5 year old, 13.2 medium dapple grey Welsh pony mare. She is a DREAM to work with. She is currently being used in our lesson program doing everything from teaching the most beginner children to showing in SWVHJA in the Medium Pony Hunters and Equitation classes with more advanced riders. We plan on making our debut in a few A-rated shows come 2010 if she is still with us. Charlotte is ready to be the next big rated Medium Pony winner. She is a 10 mover and jumper. Although she will tote around the up-down riders and do cross-rails with little effort, she needs an intermediate-advanced ride to the bigger, fancier jumps. With more experience she has the attitude to be bomb proof for any level rider.

Asking price: $15,000

SMARTY PANTS “Trigger” Offered for sale by Mane Top for $12,00o

“Trigger” as he is fondly known around the barn, is a 7 year old, Halflinger/Shetland,paint pony gelding and an all around winner. At 12.2 he is the perfect size for any child rider to learn on. Currently being used in our lesson program for all level riders. He will tote around a child who is just learning to walk/trot/canter and jump as well as step into the show ring and catch the judges eye with his fabulous markings, cute movement, and AMAZINGLY correct jump. Snatch him up before someone else does!

SUCCESS! For those of you who missed our first Winter Fun Festival Show this past Saturday, November 21st, it was a blast!

We started the fun at Noon and kept it going  till 4pm. The weather was perfect, the ring was beautiful (thanks to Kristen’s footing obsessions, taken after JT Tallon I would assume), and all the horses and ponies were PERFECT!

The show ran smoothly with more and more community members showing up as the day went on. We had pony rides thanks to Sarah and her pony CoCo, hay rides thanks to Mr. Krason, a great craft of painting little Bryer horses thanks to Western Ways and Pet Craze, awesome vendors including Narrow Gate Tack (check out their website, they have tons of awesome stuff), great jewelry for sale thanks to Y-Nots by Linda Melton, and awesome food thanks to the Lambert family!

The raffle was awesome thanks to our most fabulous ticket salesman, THANKS MORGAN! Spectators could purchase a $1 ticket to place with the raffle item of their choice and at the end of the show we drew a winner for each item. The raffle items included:

A necklace by Y-Nots Jewelry

Free private lesson at Mane Top Stables

Free tub of a well known Ulcer supplement from Augusta Co-op

$100 off a spray in bedliner from Nelson and Co.

Gift certificates from Harris Tire including one free tire rotation

Gift certificate from Accutemp

We also gave away some great DOOR PRIZES including some Mane Top t-shirts donated by the Delany famliy as well as a bunch of other fun gifts and toys!

Cars filled the parking lot by the end of the day and kids were screaming and crying as their parents drug them to the car… exactly what we were hoping for:)

Pictures from our wicked awesome event will be posted soon!

Please join us for our next Winter Festival event on Dec. 19th!

What a wonderful weekend we had at the VA Horse Center in Lexington for South West Virginia’s Hunter Jumper Association (SWVHJA) Finals! We arrived Thursday evening, November 5th and showed through Sunday the 8th.

From the moment that all our wonderful Mane Top families joined us at the show we had a blast. We brought Mane Top’s Silver Slippers, Mane Top’s Dixie Charm, Miss Charlotte, Remington Steele, and Hershey Kiss.

Tons of pictures were taken of all our beautiful ponies and riders so check them out at csyoung.smugmug.com.

Jenny Melton rode Mane Top’s Dixie Charm in the Hopeful Hunters with

Dixie and Jenny

some real finesse. She did an awesome job showing off our beautiful pony just as we hoped for:)  Great job Jenny!

Grace Gardner showed Mane Top’s Silver Slippers in the Intermediate Hunter division doing a fabulous job for her first big horse show.  She even ended up with some high ribbons and was 3rd in the Intermediate Derby! Rock on Grace!

Grace with Slippers and her trainer

For the Medium Pony Hunters Megan McMahon was supposed to be preparing Hershey Kiss for the SWVHJA Pony Medal Finals that Sat. evening. Unfortunately our poor perfect Hershey was not feeling well and we decided to scratch him from the show, leaving Megan with no pony… Jenny was gracious enough to let Megan take over the ride on Dixie for the Hunter Division as well as the Medal Finals. It turned out to be a FANTASTIC match. Megan looked wonderful on the beautiful bay pony and Dixie was so on her game and ready to win. They showed in the Hunter division with only minor mistakes holding them out of the ribbons. Megan went on to show Dixie in Finals that evening. With the pressure on, Megan schooled Dixie like a MILLION BUCKS! It seemed too good to be true as they walked up to the in-gate for their turn in the ring. Although their round may not have been the most smooth or most perfect ride of Megan’s life, they still went out there and performed. For their first time as a team we were EXTREMELY proud of both pony and rider. Megan is one of the hardest working and most focused riders Mane Top has the priviledge of calling their own and we couldn’t be more excited for the future rides and wins we will have together.

Charlotte, Jordan, and their trainer Kristen

Miss Charlotte with rider Jordan Josefczyk were also very pleasing in the Medium Pony Hunters. This green 5 year old pony proved to be one of the most fancy competing. She had a perfect jumping style over every fence and with the help of her fabulous rider she pulled out a 5th place ribbon over fences and got a 2nd on the flat proving everyone better watch out for this one next year! Thanks Jordan for your great riding and patience with the ponies.

Remy and his girls

The whole Krason family, including Remy’s other rider, Reilly Krason, made for a great cheering section from the stands of the Coliseum. Not only did Mackenzie have the best rides of her horse showing career, but her pony wasn’t too shabby either:) They ended up withsome GREAT ribbons against some of the most competitive ponies around. GREAT JOB!

In the Leadline class

Slippers and Mackenzie Parks with their Champion ribbon

and we couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome of this perfect pairing. Slippers WON all 3 over fences classes making them Champion of the Large Pony Hunters as well as GRAND CHAMPION PONY HUNTER of the horse show! Mackenzie also took home the award for best Child Rider on a Pony and after an EXCELLENT ride, they also won Pony Medal Finals! WOW, does it get any better than that?

The place to be with your family on winter Saturday afternoons!

Join us for our FAMILY FUN horse shows featuring:

• Pony Rides
• Raffle
• Petting Zoo
• Hay Rides
• Vendors
• Door Prizes

Schedule

Dates: Nov. 21, Dec. 19, Jan. 23, and Feb. 27

For inclement weather, events will be moved to Sunday

Time: From 12 Noon until late afternoon

Location: Mane Top Stables, 150 Linden Ave., Lynchburg, VA

Lynchburg’s historic stable beside Presbyterian Homes & Family Services

Mane Top Stables promotes proper horsemanship through the education of horse health, care, and safety.

We produce confident, independent, responsible riders with correct technique and good feel.

For more information, contact Mane Top Stables today!

Kristen Ackerson: 603-496-4624

Codi Lambert: 703-887-4146

Barn: 434-384-3776

Email: ManeTopStable@hotmail.com

Prize List

Sponsored by the Animal Hospital of Lynchburg

Classes are $8

Schooling from 11am-12pm

12:00pm Start Time

1. 2’6” Equitation on the flat

2. 2’6” Equitation over fences

3. 2’3” Equitation on the flat

4. 2’3” Equitation over fences

5. 2’0” Equitation on the flat

6. 2’0” Equitation over fences

7. Cross rail equitation on the flat

8. Cross rail equitation over fences

Schooling break

(Not to begin before 1:30)

9. 2’ Hunter over fences

10. 2’ Hunter over fences

11. 2’ Hunter flat

12. 2’3” Hunter over fences

13. 2’3” Hunter over fences

14. 2’3” Hunter flat

15. 2’6” Hunter over fences

16. 2’6” Hunter over fences

17. 2’6” Hunter flat

18. 3’0” Hunter over fences

19. 3’0” Hunter over fences

20. 3’0” Hunter flat

(Not to begin before 2:30)

21. Leadline

22. Walk Class

23. Walk, 2-poin, Trot with a friend

24. Walk/Trot class

25. Walk/Trot/Canter class

26. Trail Class

27. Ride-a-buck

28. Carrot race

For those of you who have been waiting to see our fabulous costume class pictures from our last Mane Top Fun Show on Oct 17th, here are a few fun ones!

You can see a few more shots on our flickr account so check them out! We also awarded the Best Turned out pair, Jenny Melton and Dixie Charm, with a $100 Gift Certificate for Dover Saddlery, generously donated by our judge for the day and good friend of Mane Top, Ms. Jana DiCarlo. Lets not forget to congratulate the high point winners of our Summer/Fall Fun Show Series who received trophies for their efforts!

We went on to compete the following weekend Oct. 24th and 25th at the Fall Festival held at Randolph College Riding Center. Both trainers were stoked to show off the fancy ponies we love so much at their old stomping grounds.

The show was held in the outdoor arena which we were all VERY excited about. If you have not been to the riding center you should check out the facility at least online at http://wildcats.randolphcollege.edu/riding/ (if you look close enough, the riders in the picture at the top of the page are from left to right: Betsy Christianson, Codi Lambert, and Kristen Ackerson).

It was POURING during the Pony Equitation. Megan rode her pants off on Miss Charlotte (whom she was put on at the last minute after her awesome pony Hershey Kiss decided he couldn’t stand a little cut getting rubbed under his saddle pad, poor baby), Jenny made Mane Top VERY proud riding our Dixie Charm through the mud and getting some great ribbons, and Burke rode Mojo for their debut and made her trainers very happy. She showed off how slow and quiet and fancy that pony really is. Everyone has a few things to work on for finesse but watch out SWVHJA Finals here we come!

This past weekend on the 11th of October Mane Top Stables headed in two different directions. Codi went with the Krason family and their pony Remy as well as, Megan McMahon and Hershey Kiss to the House Mountain Horse Show. Kristen headed to an eventing horse show with Lass and Connor.

All three pony riders, Mackenzie and Reilly Krason, and Megan, were fabulous riders at the show! Remy kicked some major pony butt in the Short Stirrup with Reilly and the Small Medium Pony Hunters with Mackenzie.

Lass and Connor proved to be show off’s as well with Connor and Tara Cook winning the stakes class and Lass winning a jumper class and coming in 4th in the X-Country Derby as well!

Way to go everyone! Now we need to get pumped up for our own Mane Top Fun Horse Show this weekend!