April 2017 April's horse camp was a total blast for everyone. The children enjoyed riding horses, decorating Easter bags and filling them with Easter eggs. Your children will not want to miss our next camp which is coming up quickly, on May 20th from 1-4 PM. We cannot wait to see all of your smiling faces! Our Diamond K staff is in the process of reorganizing and renovating all over the property. Every little bit helps. Barns are always a work in progress and there is always room to improve. Our DKS family works hard to make this barn a home away from home for our clients. Most importantly, Dusty got a buzz cut for the warm weather and he just looks so handsome. We hope everyone enjoyed their beautiful Spring/Easter weekend... here comes the warm weather!
December 2016 What an end to the year! So much to do and so little time. The Christmas party was fun for the kids and adults. A big thank you for all the food that was brought and our parents who volunteered with the mounted games. It is with great sadness that I must report in the same weekend we lost a beloved lesson pony, Wendy, who passed away at the age 32, on the 16th. Well loved, and surrounded by kids, she was our oldest horse and the sweetest. Wendy was never without her friend, Lacey, or her two companions, Merlin and Louie. She is now keeping Duchess company on her hill, adorned by tulips brought by Samantha and Erin. Mike and Dave have finished installing the posts for a new partially sheltered field. It encloses approximately another 10 acres and will be connected to exiting fields to offer flexibility with varying herd sizes. The rain and warm weather lent themselves to a very late, but well enjoyed Indian summer, allowing the kids to spend their time off from school with the horses. We are looking forward to 2017! We have so many exciting plans, starting construction on the second side of the barn, starting the USPC Riding center, offering guided trail rides and possibly hosting competitions at the stable. Happy New Year!
November 2016 Better late then never! With the holidays coming, it took longer than usual to get out a monthly recap. We had an open house and our first guided trail ride event, the first unofficial mounted meeting of the Diamond K Pony Club Riding Center, finished and delivered all of our sales from the Laundry Mama fundraiser, and celebrated Thanksgiving. Despite the fact that it rained during the open house, we had a great time. Moms and sisters of students had a chance to ride together, and they received coupons for 50% off their first lesson. The Yesterday Cafe and Mike Morrow, donated a basket of goodies and a Western saddle, respectively to be auctioned off, with proceeds to benefit the USPC Riding Center. We have so much to be thankful for at Diamond K - we have a great staff, a talented, experienced head instructor, and super boarders who are always willing to help out in a pinch. Looking ahead to December, a Christmas Party is set for the 17th from 3:00pm-6:00pm. We will be having a potluck dinner and mounted games. Feel free to bring guests to check out the facility and socialize with our family. We have exciting things starting in 2017, the Pony Club riding center, with programs for both adults and kids, our newly renovated trail system is fully marked now, great for riding at your own leisure or booking a guided ride with our staff on our mounts. To accommodate our growing herd, new pasture is being built which is partially wooded making it perfect for pasture board horses that spent time in inclement weather.
October 2016 Saw the last of our camp series, trail rides, a HJ Fox Classic Show, de-worming protocol updates, the arrival of Noble and Collin, and a visit from the Equine Chiropractor, Dr. Holly Breaux. We have been making the most of this unseasonably warm weather, (and unfortunately, the drought conditions that have been brought along with it), hosting three kids camps, enjoying our freshly cleared trails and showing at HJ Fox. Kiera and Cora represented us at the last of the 2016 HJ Fox Classics with Bentley and Zeza, both of them moved up to higher levels and brought home armfuls of ribbons! We welcomed two new boarders this month; Suzanne with Collin, and Noble with the Manville family. They are already settled in and feeling at home. Diamond K Stables has been working with Piedmont Equine and has formulated a cohesive deworming program for all boarders and Diamond K horses. This continuity will help with keeping fecal egg counts low and ensure the health of the entire herd. Dr. Holly Breaux came out and worked on three horses, she will be returning in November to adjust a few more. Her comprehensive exams, stretching and adjustments can be just the pick-me-up an equine athlete needs. Just like us, horses get aches and pains from exercise, playing in the field and old injuries. Training plateaus and horses saying 'no' can often be linked to hidden pains. Looking ahead to November, we have an open house on the 12th from 11:00am-3:00pm. We will have pony rides, raffles, USPC fundraisers and lawn games. November 26th from 12:00pm-4:00pm we will be offering guided trail rides, either on your horse or one of ours! $15 per horse and rider combination if you bring your own mount (negative current Coggins and signed release form required), $45 per horse and rider combination for a 1 hour guided trail. Please call 706-473-2452 or email diamondkstableseatonton@gmail.com to reserve a space in a ride by 11/20. We look forward to seeing you there!
September 2016 Was full of excitement at Diamond K Stables! We hosted the first two of out 5 part Kids Camp Series and our first gaming day, along with our first planning meeting for the new USPC Riding Center coming January 2017. If you are interested in joining us, contact Krystal at 706-473-2452, or email diamondkstableseatonton@gmail.com. In addition to our ongoing can and aluminum drive we are looking into other fundraising options as well to make this affordable for all students who wish to take part in this opportunity. New horses joined our herd including Lunch Box, a rescue from Connecticut lovingly cared for by her owner, Elizabeth. Our staffing changes include Mike joining us full-time as Assistant Barn Manager. Mike and Dave have been hard at work cleaning up our current trails and assisting with clearing new trails. We now have over 3 miles of manicured trails. Riders can bring their own horses to ride on the trails or you can schedule a guided trail ride with our staff. Lessons have been extended to include Wednesday evenings, and guided trail rides on Sunday evenings, to better accommodate school schedules. Looking ahead to October, on the calendar is three more kids camps, our second gaming day and attending the final H.J. Fox Classic at the Georgia International Horse Park.
August 2016 This month has seen plenty of changes here at Diamond K! We've welcomed three new staff members, Krystal Daubenspeck, our new barn manager and two new barn assistants, Rachel Stroh and Patty Johns. New horses have joined our herd; Lacey, Vivid, Vicky, Heatwave, Quest and more to come! Exciting new events are coming as well, a fall kid camp series, a games show series and there is talk of starting a pony club riding center. The parents and supporters of the soon-to-be founded Diamond K PC Riding Center are organizing a can and aluminum drive to raise money to cover membership costs, clinicians and competition fees. Several of our junior riders attended the August HJ Fox Classic, at the Georgia International Horse Park, they all showed confidence and horsemanship, making all of us very proud of them. We have attacked numerous house keeping projects as well, making sure that the facility looks its best! Looking ahead to September, we have plans to attend the September HJ Fox Classic, host the first of our Fall Games Shows, begin our fall camp series, attend the South Region Horse Region Horse Management Retreat and much more!