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JANUARY 2025

Issue 15 - Welcome to 2025!!!

Happy New Year, friends!

Let’s welcome 2025 with arms open wide! Our barn is more than just a place—it’s a space where we grow, laugh and learn about the lesson horses that we love and care for. Together, let’s make this a year where every ride brings more than progress—it brings connection to each other.

So, here’s to 2025: a year of unbridled laughter, and making time for what matters most. Here’s to a year of action and intention!

P.S. Whether you’re a seasoned rider or a parent still mastering “barn chic,” we’re thrilled to have you here. Keep an eye out for upcoming events and ways to get involved.

Robin

WHAT'S COMING

Goal setting helps us create a roadmap for where we want to go and how we are going to get there. Confidence and self-esteem blossom as we feel that sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes from achieving a goal.

Of course, getting started and staying going is the hard part. To help with that, our instructors are offering goal setting sessions that can include the student and parents. Developing as a rider is a process so it’s good to break things down into bite size pieces and build on small successes. Your success is our success, and we wish you the very best! Please let us know how we can best help you. Goal setting can be scheduled with your instructor as time permits.

Robin

January 18

Barn Buddies at 11am - 2pm

Horse Lover - Barn Buddy Program

Have you ever noticed the adults and young people who always seem to be at the barn—quietly moving horses, grabbing tack, or sweeping up a corner? These dedicated individuals are our Horse Lovers, people who are passionate about being part of our barn community and eager to learn everything it takes to care for our beloved horses. If you're here, it means you're curious too! Caring for horses is rewarding, but it comes with plenty of challenges.

At Greenbriar, there are countless small but meaningful tasks that make a huge difference in the lives of our horses and the smooth running of the barn. Often, these little details are overshadowed by more urgent priorities. That’s where our Horse Lovers step in and fill the gaps—they’re mentors, role models, and guides for our students both youth and adults who want to dive deeper into the behind-the- scenes work of horse care.

If you want a meaningful role in the daily operations of the barn or lesson activities, becoming a Barn Buddy is the first step! This program is a wonderful opportunity to build connections within our community. It’s a space where students young and adults can learn from each other. Together, we create a stronger, more supportive barn family!

Program Details:

Open to students who have completed Red Level or higher.

Held on the third Saturday of each month, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Barn Buddy Activities: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Snack and Review: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Please sign up on the white board by the Saturday

before to ensure we have a mentor available for you.

Our next session is on January 18th at 11:00 AM.

Don’t forget to bring a snack!

HORSE SPOTLIGHT

Glider and Clancey

A Little Greenbriar Family

Glider and Clancey are full brothers who began their lives here at Greenbriar. They are the best of friends, you will always see them together in the pasture.

Greenbriar acquired a Thoroughbred mare named Fast Anna in 1996, she was a three year old beauty! Regardless of her name she was not “fast enough” to make it as a racehorse however, with time, she made a nice lesson horse for our more advanced riders. Anna had two foals for us, Glider and Clancey. I am so grateful to our student who gave Anna her forever home in 2007 for it was a good life. She had regular exercise and routine health care and lived to be 31 years old!

Their sire, Mountain Pearl was a registered Irish Draft stallion who was imported from Ireland in 1997 and stood at stud in the United States with Fox Hollow Sport Horses through 2007. During that time, he spent a year or so at Greenbriar training under Geline and Laurel. What an athlete, he loved to jump!

He made me want my own Mountain Pearl, so I decided to have Anna bred to him. When Glider was born, my goodness, we had our hands all over that baby! We just couldn’t get enough of him. He would sleep with his head in your lap. Even now, as a full-grown horse, he is trusting enough to lay his head on you. It weighs a lot more now! During his life at Greenbriar, Glider has been a trail horse, a jumping horse, and a lesson horse. Now he has his own girl! Many of you know Gwen, our resident photographer.

Little brother Clancey came along in 2004. Clancey had an eye injury when he was only a couple months old which we treated under the guidance of the veterinarian. Unfortunately, the bacteria that infected his eye would continue to cause flare ups. We eventually had the eye taken out and he has had no problems since.

Glider and Clancey are two Irish Sport Horses that were born and raised here at Greenbriar. They are full brothers out of a Thoroughbred mare named Fast Anna and a Registered Irish Draft named Mountain Pearl. They are rarely far from each other in the pasture and a lot of times you can catch them playing with the same “toy”.

Glider is the oldest of the two and owned by Gwen, our resident photographer. Gwen enjoys riding him around the farm and taking him on trail rides.

Clancey was trained by Geline, she showed him in dressage shows. He has become a wonderful lesson horse now. If you get the chance to ride him, take it!

After more than ten years Clancey and Glider see their mom Anna again!

If you would like to share your story, fill out

our questionnaire and we will publish your

experience in our next newsletter!

Discover the World of Ponies 2025

No pony under the tree again this year? We have something even better! A program for students aged 6-8 years of age to discover what the life of a pony is like. What does it feel like to ride a pony? What does a pony eat? Just how do you take care of a pony? Students will learn the answers to these and many other questions while participating in this fun, hands-on learning program. Imagine the conversation on the car-ride home as your child tells you about what it was like to RIDE A HORSE for the very first time!

Tuition for this program is $440.

Each session is for four weeks and will be held on Saturdays 2:30-4:00pm. This special program will be offered in February and March.

Click below to enroll the horse lover in your life!

Enrollment is limited to 4 students.

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament

Saturday, March 22nd

Join us on a trip to Chicago on a Deluxe Windstar Tour bus and enjoy an afternoon of Medieval fun! This event is open to Greenbriar students and their families. Any students under 10 should be accompanied by an adult.

When you enter the arena, you will be seated in one of six sections that correspond to the Knight of the Realm you will be cheering for. During the tournament, you’ll enjoy a four-course feast, be treated to a spectacular display of equestrian skills, and witness knights jousting and competing in games of skill on horseback. The tournament culminates with incredible sword fights and the crowning of one of the Knights of the Realm as champion!

The two-hour show will include a feast of chicken, corn, garlic bread

and tomato bisque soup along with a dessert and drink. The bus will leave Greenbriar at 9am to arrive in Chicago for the 1:30 show. We expect to be back in Springville about 8pm.

Adult ticket $135

11-18 years $125

10 & under $100

Payment is due by March 1st and is non-refundable.

Summer Camp!

The summer day camp program is designed to allow students opportunities to learn horse management as well as improve their riding skills. Four areas of information are covered at each level, these include: Riding Skills, Horse Handling Skills, Equipment Knowledge and Horse Health. Each level builds on the knowledge learned in the previous level.

All camps are $420 per week. A $140 deposit is required to reserve space in a camp. Deposits are non-refundable unless cancellation or changes are made 30 days prior to the scheduled camp date.

Summer Camps will start in June!

Camp hours are 8am-12pm M, T, Th & F.

Reserve your camp sessions now to save $40!

Use code SAVE40 at checkout!

OUR MAILING ADDRESS
Greenbriar Riding Academy

PO Box 435 - Springville, IA, 52336

United States

+1 319-854-7115