September 8th, 2000 Longacres Log Newsletter!
(Followed by Many others: June 22nd, May 31st - March 13th, February 19th, January 2nd, Oct. 29th, October 20th, Sept. 19th, July 10^th, July 2nd, June 26th, June 3^rd, May 3rd and March 10th Newsletters)

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Longacres; 1529 Mill Road; East Aurora, NY 14052 716-652-9495 www.longacres.com

You may e-mail Rebecca if you are interested at Ishmael189@aol.com.

Bulliten: 2001 rates & schedule now posted on the main Longacres page. - You will notice that our price for the full season remains unchanged and our four week sessions increased just slightly. Long term students are good for our program and we encourage them. There is a substantial price increase this year for the two week sessions in July which were in such great demand last year. Due to the demand for Longacres sessions last year, we do NOT anticipate accepting anyone for one week or short sessions in August. Link to 2001 Registration form.

Click Media Clip to hear Erica having "Fun"

UPDATE August 1st: We had very heavy thunderstorms in our area last night which made the news - all parents can relax; all the girls and all the horses are OK, though we got very wet and there are many down branches from trees and knocked over jumps and stuff. All is well!

It's been a VERY busy weekend! We ran out of time after the show on Saturday and didn't have time to take a digital pic to put up on the website, but I'll lift one off the video in the next day or so to post. The show was scheduled first for Friday night, but rained out. We all drove over to the showgrounds for a chicken bar-b-que with the people from the stable sponsoring the show, and then had a horseless horse show with them after dinner. Meg Duthie had the fastest time in the "jumper run", but their kids won over-all on points. Sarah and Danielle had "spectacular" performances!

The show was rescheduled for Saturday - and our riders were wonderful! Sarah Holzman was Pony Hunter Champion on Brownie, Erica Hankins was Pre-Children's Hunter Champion on Reggie. Meg Duthie was second in every jumper class, losing out just barely to Jaime Bates, a fine professional rider each time!

Sarah won four 1^st's; one 2^nd; two 5^th's; and Reserve Champion in pre-children's, as well as the Championship in Pony Hunter - GREAT DAY!

Erica won one 1^st, one 2^nd, one 3^rd, one 5^th, and Champion.

Katie won a 2^nd, a 3^rd, two 6^th's.

Kat Fink won a 6^th on Stoney. Danielle had a 4^th and a 5^th. Meg had three 2^nd's

More News coming soon!

Melanie was "it" today! She has gottan along really well with Brownie all summer. Brownie is a great little horse and jumped well for Melanie, but she has the talent to go bigger than Brownie can go. Today she had her chance, putting "Leather 'n Lace" over the big double oxer's we used last night. In fact she went bigger, going to 3'9", as shown in the pic below!

A first time Longacres student, Megan came to us as an advanced beginner not quite two weeks ago. Meghan is a careful student who always pays attention and tries her hardest. She has recently been asked to ride with our most advanced students in several lessons because of her great progress and her attention to details. Tonight Tom asked Megan to ride "Stoney" and jump some verticals on a line at a canter. We worked on position and control, and Megan did a great job. Honor Roll for Megan tonight!

Joetta is in her sixth year at Longacres and she is doing very well on "Peppermint Patti" this week. Tonight she and Danielle Hastings both jumped a triple combination including two big square oxers, as shown in the pictures below. Pardon the dark pictures - it was late in the evening!

Danielle Hastings has been here only two weeks, but gets along very well with "Leather 'n Lace", our great young jumper. Danielle matched Joetta and Patti stride for stride tonight, holding Lacey together very well over this big course.

We had a big show today with lots of tough competition from expensive horses from other stables. Riders from Greendale farms won the grand championship in Ring I, and many other ribbons, along with good horses from Long Snap Farms and Overlook Farms. But Longacres riders also had some great successes!

Alex and Missy were a tough combination today, winning two 1sts and a 3^rd on her way to the Championship of her division. Joetta rode Patti to a 2^nd and two 4ths; Danielle rode Lacey to a 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th; Melanie rode Brownie to a 2^nd, 5^th, 6^th in all her classes.

Gail Strecker won a X-rails jumping class and a trophy! Alex Allweiss also won 5^th, 6^th in other classes on green horses. Megan Robison won the walk trot class, and Caitlin Nolan won the 2^nd place ribbon.

Meghan Uzzi won 3^rd in eq over fences and 4^th in one flat and 6^th in another.

A good show day for Longacres!

Below - Alex sets her "personal best" on Missy at 3'9" - "No mom, this isn't the pic they're holding hostage!"

Left to Right - Alex Allweiss with "Miscellaneous"; Joetta with "Peppermint Patti"; Danielle Hastings with "Leather 'n Lace" and Melanie Kalisch with "Pony Express"

Special Pic Link (there is still some "negotiation" going on between Alex and the rest of the camp on whether to post a very special pic here! Check back soon!)

Longacres always does pretty well at the High Times show in the middle of July. But this looked like a tough show day when we unloaded the horses at 7:30 this morning on the polo field. It was a beautiful jump course with many scary looking fences.

We checked the entry chart and found 10 to 12 jumpers in each of the first four classes where we were competing. We have some talented riders at Longacres this session, but except for Joetta, they have little experience in the jumper ring. Joetta was on "Peppermint Patti" today, Danielle Hastings on "Leather 'n Lace", Alex Allweiss rode "Miscellaneous", and Melanie Kalisch was on "Pony Express".

I won't keep you in suspense any longer - - - the girls did G-R-E-A-T in what was the first ever show jumping class for three of them. Going down to the final horse in the first big class, Longacres was 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th!!!!! The stable owner's nephew had a good ride at the end, and came in 2^nd, but Joetta won the class, with Alex in 3^rd, and Danielle and Melanie picking up the next two places. Good job!

And it didn't stop there! Longacres won every jumper class we entered today, with Joetta winning the first two Puddle Jumper classes, and the championship in this division on "Peppermint Patti". Alex Allweiss would have won the second class easily with a very fast and disciplined ride on Missy, but had one refusal where she did a really tight turn. Just to give you an idea how good Alex's ride was, she finished within one second of the fastest time even after taking a refusal and turning and taking the jump again!

Melanie and Brownie were good in the first two classes, but the third was too big for our Brownie pony, so it is back to the hunter and equitation ring for him except for special occasions.

Danielle Hastings was decent in the first class and - - well - - not so hot in the second on Lacey. But Danielle is tough and always eager to redeem herself. And she came out smoking in the third and 4^th classes which were "Schooling Jumpers" over bigger three foot to 3'3" jumps. She and "Lacey" won both of those classes and were champions of their division, joining Joetta in giving Longacres a well earned double Championship. And remember, these weren't "gimme's" - - - there were 10 and 12 horses in these classes.

Meaghan and Mel showed on Joey and Bobert in the hunter ring and each won ribbons against some very fancy thoroughbreds. It was a good day for everyone!

I'm writing this article for the printed version of Longacres first summer newsletter of the season, which will be mailed out Sunday night, but I'm posting it to the Website tonight. We're having a FINE first week of camp!

It's thanks to a great group of people who have come together this first two week session of the summer and who are all getting along with each other AND pitching in to work hard with the horses. We knew we would get some help starting the season off right when we signed up half of the kids and all but one of our staff from returning Longacres people. It's nice to have some people here at the start of the season who know the ropes! And the new kids here for the first time have all fit in wonderfully. Especially our two "vertically challenged" young riders, Sarah and Sam!! They are everyone's favorite "little" sisters.

And it is a smart group of riders. Today I turned the whole group loose for five minutes of so-called independant riding at the beginning of my lesson for the first time. Usually when I do this for the first time in a season, two thirds of the riders follow each other around and don't do much thinking for themselves. Not this year! I had a pad and pen out to record all the mistakes they would be making, but instead, I wrote again and again, "good, thoughtful independant riding". It was one of the best performances I've ever had from a group early in the season. Good job, girls!

I just got back from taking a couple of pizza's, pop corn, soft-batch cookies, and coke to the cabins in the woods for a lights out time camp party. There happened to be a thunderstorm just as I was scheduled to bring the pizza, and SOME doubted that I would show up, but I did. Right at 10:30. Earlier I had asked the girls if they wanted the party a little earlier, but Sam said, "No, have it at 10:30!" I wondered if they really needed so much time to get ready for bed, but quickly realized that Sam was tricking me into a later bedtime tonight! Typical!

Our first horse show is tomorrow afternoon, and I think our girls will do well. But it won't be easy to win the blue ribbons since good riders from several other stables are visiting Longacres to give us some friendly competition. By the time this newsletter is updated and mailed out later in the weekend, we should have some headlines including some good wins in some classes.

I look forward to meeting many new students on July 9^th. We'll have more new people here that session than we do this first two weeks, but we are off to a good start. I hope you July 9^th students have even half as good a time as this first group is having.

- Tom Kranz

I think you're going to like it!

It's been a hectic week with quite a bit of rain which has made it hard to get all our painting and outdoor work done. Everyone worked like crazy today (Friday!) to catch up. Even secretary Meghan was a maintenance worker today, painting with the boys until after dinner. Showers, bathrooms, and other stuff all have new coats of paint. The jumps are almost all setup; we'll finish tomorrow afternoon. As I drove around the farm checking things tonight, I felt good. We are caught up enough so that we're going to take a few of the horses to a nearby show tomorrow. Patti and Lacey will test the jumper division, and first time pre-pre-camp rider, Jodi, will be taking Gary in her first ever jumping event! We'll post the results (if any!) tomorrow night!

Let me start by thanking the pre-pre-camp riders who have been working hard caring for our horses and exercising and training all our four legged friends at the barn. Head Instructor, Karen McCann, has been riding daily here for six weeks and her work is really paying off in the way Peppermint patti is getting in shape, and the way our new horses are learning to jump and behave well.

We also thank Carrie who spent one week of pre-pre-camp riding here, and Meghan D. and Jodi who have spent two weeks riding and riding and riding some more! All of you who are arriving this weekend, don't worry - the horses are still fresh and full of energy. There have been ten of them for just two girls to ride all this week. Meghan and Jodi have been riding five and six times a day, but that still only gives each horse about an hour of work!

Riding the First Few Days: IMPORTANT!

You all signed up for Longacres because of the hours and hours of riding we offer. That's what you will get here, but not without an effort from each of our students to get the horse care work done on time, and to learn to tack up your horse and get ready to ride quickly. Many of you come from places where your stable gets your horse ready for your lesson, and even some pretty good riders are not quick at tacking their own horses when they first arrive at Longacres. You will get practice here! Some of your lessons may be only fifteen minutes long the first day or two if many of you need help tacking your horses; that will quickly improve. Getting your full allottment of riding time at Longacres also requires everyone to be ontime at horsecare and to pull your weight doing the work to get the horses fed and cared for properly.

You will also find the lessons the first two or three days hard work and not as exciting as you might wish. We will be stressing control of the horse and rider balance exercises the first few days; also switching horses frequently to make sure you get to know them all. This is to make sure you all have the control and are in good enough shape to do more inrteresting things after those first few days. We want you safe here this summer, and that means some hard work when you first arrive.

Don't expect to see any jump bigger than a X-rail, or to go on any difficult trail rides until Wednesday of your first week.

Homesick Campers: IMPORTANT FOR PARENTS & KIDS

We hope everyone this summer adjusts easily to Longacres and loves it here. But many years of experience running Longacres tell me that a few of you will not be happy here, at least at first. People can be unhappy at Longacres and want to go home early for several different reasons. Some may get "homesick" because they miss their family, friends, pets, etc. This is normal and healthy if you control it and enjoy all your riding and friends here except for a few minutes a day spent missing "home". A few people may have trouble adjusting because of this normal "homesick" feeling.

Other reasons for homesick behavior may involve not getting along with a staff member or someone in your bunk (or the camp owner!), or simply finding that you were expecting Longacres to be different in some way than it turns out to be when you get here.

As a small family style farm, we are not staffed to handle serious homesickness the way a big traditional summer camp would be. If a student here is unhappy for any reason, I am glad to speak with them about it or talk over the situation at length with parents. If we can do anything here to change something (move you to the other bunk, try to let you try more different horses, hold a conference with a staff member or talk with another student you are not getting along with,) - - we are glad to try to help you in those ways. But if we feel that you are not likely to adjust well to Longacres, we will tell your parents so, and cooperate in helping you go home early. We make no refund for early departures, so the money is not any factor in the way we work with you. We will try to do what is best for each student who may be "homesick".

Confirm Your Travel Plans:

Thanks to all of you who sent in your travel plans early; it has helped us plan. But to make SURE there is no mix-up, I ask that everyone arriving this Sunday telephone or e-mail and reconfirm your flight number and arrival time, or tell us again if you are driving here.

If you are arriving by plane and we are supposed to pick you up, remember to be carrying your riding hat when you get off the plane to help us recognize you. I may not know who is meeting each flight until the night before (Saturday night). So plan on getting in touch with me late Saturday night to find out who is meeting you. It will most likely be either Meghan M. or Asst. instructor Rebecca from last year.

Contacting Tom:

If you need to get a message to me or speak with me, you can always leave a message on my answering machine, or you can e-mail me. (click the link on the website for my e-mail) I check my messages at about 12:30 every afternoon after I teach my lesson, about 5 PM before dinner, and again about 10 PM. I try to return calls or messages at those times, so it will never take very long to reach me. I will pass along messages to your Longacres students.

e-mail for Students at Longacres:

You may e-mail a message to students here anytime. Obviously, it will not be private. E-mail to Tom, with the student name as the subject. I will print out the message and deliver it at the next meal. Please do not send attachments - we do not open them. Sorry

Phone Calls Home - NO CELL PHONES ALLOWED

Please do not ask to have a Longacres student call home during the week; it takes a lot of time to go find someone or to bring them up to the office after dinner and wait while they call and take them back to the barn or their bunk. No exceptions. Students are given an opportunity to phone home on Sunday afternoons when we do laundry and have "town day". We also go to the mall nearly every week during the week, and everyone has a chance to try to phone home then. A problem can arise if you get a message that your daughter tried to reach you but you weren't home. Parents often then call and ask me to have the student call back again that night, which is disruptive of our routine. Please wait for the specified calling times. (You are ALWAYS welcome to phone Tom and ask that I give your daughter a message, or ask me how things are going. I am glad to talk with parents anytime - we just don't want a parade of people using the phone and disrupting the farm routine.

Cell Phones:

The child cell phone phenomena is fairly new. I can see the attraction for both parents and campers of having instant communication with your daughter while she is at camp. I was glad to have students during pre-pre-camp with cell phones for their safety in an unstructured environment. However, after considerable thought, I have chosen NOT TO ALLOW students to have cell phones at the camp during regular camp sessions. Three reasons: 1) I do not wish to start a peer pressure contest to see who has the best cell phone and who gets the most calls. 2) I do not want the hassles over who lets who use their phone. AND 3) I choose to deal with any problems that may come up or with any homesickness of any kind through our established channels. And I am afraid that any minor problem a student may have that might be quickly forgottan will grow into a homesick situation if a call can be made home on a moment's notice. Do not send a cell phone with your Longacres student.

Well, it feels like the season is officially beginning tomorrow. We have several new students flying up from New York to check out the camp for their stay this summer. We will be welcoming Danielle Napoli and Katherine Fink for a visit to Longacres, and we have been working all week to get ready for them! Show ring fences along the entrance road have been painted, fresh paint on some of the buildings, new roof on the old "Peppermint Lounge", and we have been running the tractors and mowers into the ground (with this rainy weather, the grass grows faster than we can cut it).

 We've even cleaned up some of the junk in the main lodge office so it will look decent when Danielle and Katherine get here! This is all stuff we needed to do anyway, but somehow I keep putting it off until we have visitors coming.

Peppermint Patti and Stoney arrived from their winter home last night, and they both look GREAT! I told you all in a newsletter story a while back that Patti was beginning to show her age and had been a little stiff earlier this spring. Well, you wouldn't know it to look at her today. She looks as good as she has in a long time. I know that Joetta and many other Patti lovers will be pleased to hear this. Danielle and katherine will be the first Longacres students this year to see Patti looking like this. I did some free longing with her tonight, and she was positively dancing around the ring!

The girls will probably get to ride Stoney when they visit tomorrow, and perhaps get on one of our new horses as well. Fun to be a VIP on a visit like this!

Several of you have called in the past few days worried that you couldn't get your physicals or return your health forms before tuition is due on June 1^st. Don't worry about it. As long as I have your money - - - - (just kidding!) Actually, it is better to have your health form come later just before you arrive or with you when you arrive so that we know it is current. No problem.

All three of our new horses are coming along well in their training. And in just two weeks, we will have students here for the pre-pre camp training and conditioning weeks. We have two 15 year olds coming for the June 12^th to 18^th week, and staying on until the regular season opens on June 25^th. Meghan Duthie is also coming in early to condition horses on about June 18^th. So there is going to be a lot of riding and training going on at our barn well before most of you show up for our regular sessions.

More camp news to come soon!

Get in touch if you have any questions - Pre-Pre-camp in two weeks, regular camp in four weeks.

- Tom Kranz

The first two pics were taken May 17th while Karen was training our very newest horse, Mickey.

Another New Horse! Mickey doing his first ever jump!

Mickey - Close up

New Bob Kat training Pic, May 8th (Head instructor, Karen McCann on Bob Kat this morning!

Click for Pic of Bob Kat lounging over training jump

Click for pic of Bob Kat galloping

Just wanted to catch you up on everything going on. Thought that this
might be the easier way to do so for both of us.

I did indeed get on Mickey today. Dennis was very helpful with this
endeavor since we weren't certain he could or would crosstie and Dennis
thought he tended to be antsy when tacked up. Mickey was actually very
good with Dennis holding him. We walked trotted and cantered one
direction and he was very good. Sound.
Good points-I think he is adorable! Cute mover(with weight gone) I bet!
People oriented! Good balance (though better in one direction)! Willing
to please! I bet he could jump! (with weight gone he might even be a
jumper!!!) Likes to move at a forward trot and canter!
Bad points- A bit skittish. Western steering. Too much weight.

In all I really like him and think he will be great though he too needs
work, especially in his bad direction. I can't wait til you can see him
yourself! (I think I really, really like him)

Bobcat------lunging lesson went really well! I got him to canter around
many times around at a time in the correct lead! He still will do it
wrong but I think with consistency he will come around soon!! I then got
on him and remember how much western he had and had better luck with
steering! I also cantered on him in one direction. I was probably too
nice to him by your standards because I did something I saw Becky do with
horses that were having a hard time figuring out their own canter--I
stayed out of the saddle a little and very quiet and gently asked with
voice and then leg. We got the canter for the long straightaway but the
farthest we ever got was around the two corners before he would quit or
turn in but no bucking. I BELIEVE though am not certain at all points
that we were on the correct lead in front and behind. I think the time
he turned in he might have switched to the wrong lead behind.

Something I found interesting was that after a couple days off Bobcat was
sound and moving very well! When I got on however he still took off
steps-I think that you are right and shoes might solve this problem! I
was glad to see him stepping lively!

I have my lesson tomorrow but I will be out at approximately 7pm. I was
wondering if when I got the lunge whip if I may also get the fly spray
concentrate as well since I have not been able to find signs of it from
last year. I know I talked your ear off in this email but it only takes
a second to read and thought you would be interested in the progress of
the horses. Thanks, Karen.

I am back from all my travels and the work I do on boating books in the south. I'm full of enthusiasm for the coming season at the Longacres Riding Camp, and ready to answer all your questions about the summer. I am busy out and around the farm much of the day, but I check my answering machine often and will return your phone calls as soon as possible. I also answer e-mail every night, so contact me that way if you like (tkranz@postoffice.worldnet.att.net)

I am enclosing your tuition statement and a general info sheet to help you prepare for the summer. Since we have a full enrollment, it will be important for you to pay your tuition balance by June 1^st to keep your enrollment in effect. If you have any questions about your bill, or if we have made a mistake in your dates, please call right away.

We are full in all of our published sessions, and if I were to take any more students it would cut into the quality of the program we have advertised. I suppose I could buy more horses and hire a bigger staff, but that's not the kind of program I want to run. Been there, done that - - - when I was younger and more ambitious!

I have a couple of people on wait list, and if you would like to be listed in case of an unexpected cancellation, let me know. People do change their plans in this business.

I am opening up the period from June 12^th to June 25^th for either one or two weeks for mature teens who are responsible and experienced riders to come and condition and train horses. You will ride all day long. Reduced tuition of $450 per week to reflect the fact that you will not have all of our "camp services" in operation while you are here. You will ride and train with my advice and guidance, will get a lesson a day, and will then do lots of individual riding and training. Call if you are interested. I am only taking 4 students for this program. (NOTE: As of May 8th, I may be full from June 18 to 25th, but have two spots from June 11 to June 18th if you are out of school early. - Tom)

I will also consider taking four experienced riders to New York State Fair in Syracuse, NY on August 27^th to Sept. 5th. Although it would be possible for you to train at Longacres right from the last day of our regular season on August 20^th, most would go home for a few days and return in time to train with me for just a few days before leaving for the big show in Syracuse. $650 per week, plus your show expenses.

Our first new horse for 2000, Ty, is working well as we start conditioning and training for the summer. We're trying another quarter horse right now, 10 year old "Bob Kat". He is pretty spunky, after doing very little work for the past two years, but looks very athletic, and like Ty, has a great personality. I'll post a picture of him on the website tomorrow or the next day. We'll make a decision on buying him soon. We're borrowing a mare from barn managers, Dennis and Tracy Thompson to add to our string for the summer, and looking to buy at least two additional new horses. There will be lots of new horses to get to know when you arrive at Longacres, along with the horses listed on the website that have been with us for a long time.

Peppermint Patti, one of the finest show jumpers western New York has ever seen, is 18 this year, and beginning to show her age. Patti is not the kind of show horse most summer camps ever see. She has won every possible jumper championship here in Western New York over the years, up to the very highest levels, including the Erie County Fair Special Jumper grand championship a couple of seasons ago. Joetta Mortillaro rode her to a win at Erie County last summer.

Well, Patti came back from her winter home last spring a little stiff in the hindquarters. We carefully worked and conditioned her for many weeks before camp and treated her well all summer. By fair time, she was in as good a condition as ever in her life, and was ready to win that blue ribbon with Joetta. Patti has shown some additional gimpiness this spring, though she seems fine right now. I fully expect her to respond to the same kind of careful training and preparation that we put her through last year, and I expect that Joetta and perhaps one or more of you first time Longacres students will be able to show Patti to more 1^st place finishes this summer.

But no show horse goes on forever, and Patti is telling us that the end of her great show career is not far off. When the time comes for her retirement ceremony, every trainor and horselover in western New York will give her a standing ovation and a great send-off.

Longacres has been blessed over the years to almost ALWAYS have at least one national class Show Jumper in our barn to expose our students to the highest levels of jumping training. We have been lucky enough to have a younger horse coming up everytime one of our greats reached the end of a showing career. "Leather 'n Lace, aka Lacey" is about nine now, and in the prime of her life. She also won a big show jumper class at Erie County Fair last summer, with Meghan Duthie in the saddle. I have big plans for Lacey this year to keep Longacres in the winner's circle as we take it a little easy on Patti, Miscellaneous, and our other jumpers.

Before Peppermint Patti, we had the great buckskin mare, "Tip-Off", and before her it was "China Heart" and "Yorke Springs", and "Rameses", and before them the great jumper pony, "Deamyn", and going back 33 years, it was "Whistle" showing at Hamburg Fair! Some of you former Longacres students reading this mayhave trouble imagining tough old Tom's face as you read this, but a tear is rolling down my left cheek as I type the names of these great old horses out of Longacres showing history. "China Heart" and Yorke Springs" were the two jumpers that I rode personally back when I was actively showing. Yes, Longacres has had great good fortune in the horses we have trained to jump over the years. I am grateful.

I think I will try to make time to add a new webpage to our site honoring and describing our greatest horses out of the past. I think you newbies would enjoy reading some of the stories!

I have an early appointment, but will try to be online for the first time in 7 weeks for our Wednesday night Longacres Chat Room. Go to our references page for more info.

I am just starting to work outside and clean up around the farm this week. Give me one more week, and then you are welcome if you would like to pay a pre-season visit to Longacres before sending in your full tuition payments later this month. I will be here at the farm and glad to show you around and show you some of the new horses almost every day from now until we open in June. I am almost always gone managing sports events from mid Saturday afternoons until Monday morning, but you are welcome to visit during the week or Saturday mornings. I also plan to visit my parents in Connecticut on Monday and Tuesday, May 15^th and 16^th. Aside from that, I will be here in East Aurora. Anyone near New York city who would like to meet me can call, and we might be able to hook up somewhere on the 15^th or 16^th.

Look forward to getting to know all you newcomers and having your help training the group of new horses we are adding this year. Hope to hear from you soon!

- Tom Kranz

 Longacres Riding Camp News - March 13, '00

We had a flurry of enrollments this weekend, just before I have to leave for my spring working vacation in Florida. Longacres is now full for the 2000 season in all sessions except for the last four weeks, where I have two spots as of tonight. Matter of fact I am over-booked by one in one week due to a mix-up.

If you call to leave a message on my answering machine during the next six weeks while I am away, you will get a message about the office being closed, and asking that you not leave a message unless it is very urgent. All of you from Longacres, especially if you want one of those last spots, may ignore this and go ahead and leave a message. I am just trying to avoid having 50 messages to go through when I do call in for them about once a week while traveling.

If anyone has delayed signing up too long, but still wants to come, please call or send in a "Wait List" reservation. I did have several late spring cancellations last season, so there is a decent chance that one or more sessions will open up again. In this fast paced internet world, people do often have to change their plans.

As I just said, from past experience we do expect a couple of more cancellations between now and the time the season opens. The sooner we know, the better, so we can take someone off our wait list. (I don't believe in "over-booking" to cover this possibility, though I am tempted sometimes!) I'd like to clear up any changes immediately when I get back here at the end of April. We normally give no refunds of deposits if you cancel. However, to encourage anyone who may we wavering, we WILL give a full refund of your deposit if you cancel prior to May 1st. That will help us make sure all of our very limited spaces are filled. Thanks!

As our regulars know, I close up and go south for five weeks at this time of year. You can send in e-mails, but they won't be answered until I get back in late April. You may leave a message on my answering machine if you need something. I check in about once a week while I am away.

Check out the latest newsletter page on the website. We just bought a new horse, an 11 year old Quarter Horse gelding named "Ty". We have two pics of him on the website. You will like him. We plan on buying two or three more new mounts for this summer!

The stables in our area are just putting together their show date schedules for this summer. We should be able to tell you most of the show dates for the summer when I get back here to the farm in May. We know we will be going to the annual July 4^th Chestnut Ridge show, and to the Erie County Fair 3-day show August 15, 16^th, and 17^th. We'll have one show at Longacres in July and another in August. Usually the nice Bechtel Stables show is early

August, and the Hasty Hills show late July. Details coming soon.

If you have already signed up at Longacres, you should be getting a written enrollment confirmation along with this newsletter. If you think you're signed up and did NOT get a confirmation, please leave a phone message on my machine! I am also including blank health forms, so you have plenty of time to get to your doctor. We do not require an elaborate physical. As an alternative, you may fill in all the information yourself and attach a simple statement from your doctor that "Jane Doe is in good health, free from communicable diseases, and able to participate in horsemanship and other summer camp activities without restriction".

You will receive a longer newsletter and your tuition bills the first week in May, with travel suggestions and lists of things to bring. We do encourage you to bring your own saddle if you have one. We have school saddles, but your own will fit you better!

Anyone just buy a new saddle and want to sell us your old one? We need a couple more school saddles. They MUST have safe, sound girth billets, but minor scratches or tears in the seat are OK for a school saddle. Call us if you've got something.

We've purchased some trick digital video stuff, and if we have the time, there will be the capability to send some very nice digital pictures of you on Longacres horses home to your parents attached to e-mail during your first couple of days here this summer. No promises, 'cause of time, but we will try.

If you are new to Longacres, you will be very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the video production we have, both for instructional purposes. You can take home copies of our summer video (there will be a charge for this for the first time this year - sorry, but it has proven very time consuming, as more and more of you have requested this service that was free in the past - Tom)

In case someone in your family is really interested in video, we have two 3-chip cameras, one a large professional camera (JVC KY-17 S-VHS), and the other a new Digital Video 3-chip (Sony TRV-900). We have computer titling equipment for the times we want to put graphics on video, and our new digital camera plays back flawless slow motion. We have both an older style large screen TV in the main lodge, and a new large Flat Screen TV for the finest quality playback when we are analyzing your riding in slow motion. I would be embarrassed to tell you how many thousands of dollars we have tied up in all this stuff, but it is worth it during the summer when you want to watch yourself and see what you are doing. We take many hours of video during the summer, both in your training lessons and at all our away horse shows. It is a great training tool, and at Longacres you will have access to the very best of these tools. Nearly all our camera work is done on heavy duty tripods to add to the quality of the video.

By tradition at Longacres, you join the "Dusty Bottoms Club" if you have an unexpected dismount. It's almost an honor! Well, guess who's the charter member this year? Yours truly, Tom. Fell off my snowmobile in a spectacular way this morning (minor concussion & stuff)! Does that count for me to join? - See Ya' - Tom

Today, March 11, 00 we bought the first of several new horses that we'll be adding to the Longacres string for the 2000 season. "Ty" is an 11 year old Quarter Horse gelding. Our barn managers, Dennis and Tracey, have known about this horse for four years and say he has a great disposition and is a great trail horse. He has little jumping experience except for logs and stuff on trail. He'll be a good project for the first part of this summer, but from what I have seen of his disposition, I wouldn't be surprised if he is ready to show in the low Special Hunter division by the end of the summer. He has all kinds of personality in the stall and when being handled. Likes to play with his lead rope and stuff.

Following are two pictures of "Ty":

. . . and his head shot!

Hello Friends of Longacres!

I just got back yesterday from several weeks working (and playing!) in Florida. Many new inquiries about Longacres, including 122 e-mail messages on my computer waiting to be answered! The next few weeks will be busy!

July 9^th Session Almost Full

I have just three spaces left for July 9^th to July 23^rd as of today, and several of you have told me you might be interested in that session. Don't delay, if that's the only time you can come. We really can't take more students than our limit! I have more space than that in all other sessions, so you probably have more time to make up your mind if you are looking at those sessions.

Welcome Year 2K Students!

Welcome back to returning students already signed up, Meghan D. and Kim SS! Also a welcome to the girls who have signed up already for their first time at Longacres, Sarah, Gail, Sara, Meaghan, Danielle, and Melanie. Hope to send out lots more "Welcomes" in the coming weeks.

If you requested an info packet sent to you during the past three weeks while I was away, they are now on their way to you. It looks like a busy season and I will be buying at least two new horses to add some youth to our wonderful group of veteran horses.

New Jump Course Page Coming Soon

We built a beautiful jump course when the drought ended last summer and all the grass turned bright green at the very end of the camp season. I took lots of pictures and in the coming days will be posting them and writing a careful article on planning and riding courses of jumps. It will teach you something about courses at the same time it shows off the gorgeous Longacres jumps and main jumping field. Watch for it to develop in the next few weeks.

Water, Water!

I know that all of you are interested mostly in our horses and riding program and won't find pipes in the ground very interesting. But I have to report that only a few weeks ago I gave a loud cheer of delight, jumped up and down three times in a row and clicked my heels together. After spending all my adult life and much of my teenage years (yes, girls, I WAS a teenager once!!) fixing pumps, adjusting well controls, checking water filters, and all the other things you have to do in the country to keep healthy water flowing in the dining hall, showers, and wash rooms, not to mention the horse barn - - - after 61 years of that (COUNTING my grampa's time before me, GIRLS!), I finally turned a little valve handle and connected to the new city water line that has finally made it out here to Longacres!! Yahoo!!!!!

Horse Show Reunion

Joetta M. hosted an overnight for some and a bigger group of Longacres people hooked up at the National Horse Show in New York's Madison Square Garden for our annual reunion last November. Uncle Billy, Meghan, and I travelled from Buffalo and met Joetta, Rebecca, Alicia, Meghan Duthie, Sarah Pistone and Maddy at the show. We all liked the jumping classes and special events, and though I didn't intrude on their fun, I KNOW a good time must have been had at the overnight!

Well, this is just a beginning for the new year. Check back on this website often for updates. We recently posted pics of the new horses for '99, Tanner, and Bobert. More horse news coming along with updated pictures. Send me a note with news of your riding activities so I can tell your friends. (Meghan Duthie has been riding MANY horses, and I heard from Adrienne that she bought a new horse - details next week.)

Longacres E-mail Pen-pals Page

Want to trade e-mails with other horse lovers who are interested in Longacres and might be coming this year? Here's how it works. Send us an e-mail telling us that you would like to be on our "e-mail pen pal list". We will NOT list your e-mail address here, to avoid getting you on SPAM lists or otherwise improperly publicizing your private e-mail address. But about once a week we will update a "Longacres Pals" list and send it to you and everyone who has asked to have their e-mail addresses added. Then you can privately trade horse talk and riding camp talk. This is a new idea. We'll see how well it works.

Another new experiment; I thought we might try to do an occasional Chat Room meeting for people interested in Longacres. It would be easy on AOL, but only about half of you are on AOL. Yahoo also makes it easy to start new chat groups, and I have started one called Longacresriding. Here is the web address for it: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/longacresriding

I am not expert in how this works, but our Chat room is set up. Anyone can click on that link. You have to join and answer some questions from Yahoo, but it is FREE. Try logging on and see how it works. 9:00 PM Wednesday Meetings! Let's plan for anyone interested to log on to the chat at 9 PM on Wednesdays. You might want to sign on before then to see how it works. Meghan D. from last year and Julie B. have been regular visitors to the Chatroom and answer some newcomers questions. I will log in myself when I am in town.

- Tom Kranz

In Memory: Goodbye Summer

We are sad to announce that our great mare, Indian Summer, was put to sleep on January 20th, 2000. Summer has been one of our finest horses for a number of years. She was sick last summer, and our barn managers, Dennis and Tracey, put months this fall into nursing her and trying to bring her back to good health. Sadly, she took a sudden turn for the worse several weeks ago and it was kindest to put her to sleep. We will leave "Summer's" photo's on this website all year as a tribute to this great mare and the riders who loved her!

 Happy New Year! - January 2, 2000

We try at Longacres to provide you more information about our riding program and facilities than any other equestrian center site on the WEB. Keep reading on the present page for our most recent, as well as many back issues of the Longacres newsletters. Clicking on Main Longacres Page will link you to many articles and dozens of photo's about Longacres horses and programs as well as enrollment info. In articles on that page about our facilities, supervision, and "Is Longacres Right for You?", I go out of my way to provide complete impressions of Longacres as well as full disclosure of factors that might make Longacres unsuitable for your family's needs. Read on and enjoy exploring "Longacres on the Web"!

With the holidays over, my attention turns to preparations for Longacres' 2000 season. We're off to a fast start, with the earliest paid enrollments in Longacres history - three of you already signed up even before the X-mas holiday week!

Lots more info packets e-mailed out (if you requested a snail mail packet, we are stopping at the printer tomorrow morning and will have those mailed out this week). It looks like a busy season and I will be buying at least two new horses to add some youth to our wonderful group of veteran horses.

We built a beautiful jump course when the drought ended last summer and all the grass turned bright green at the very end of the camp season. I took lots of pictures and in the coming days will be posting them and writing a careful article on planning and riding courses of jumps. It will teach you something about courses at the same time it shows off the gorgeous Longacres jumps and main jumping field. Watch for it to develop in the next few weeks.

I know that all of you are interested mostly in our horses and riding program and won't find pipes in the ground very interesting. But I have to report that only a few weeks ago I gave a loud cheer of delight, jumped up and down three times in a row and clicked my heels together. After spending all my adult life and much of my teenage years (yes, girls, I WAS a teenager once!!) fixing pumps, adjusting well controls, checking water filters, and all the other things you have to do in the country to keep healthy water flowing in the dining hall, showers, and wash rooms, not to mention the horse barn - - - after 61 years of that (COUNTING my grampa's time before me, GIRLS!), I finally turned a little valve handle and connected to the new city water line that has finally made it out here to Longacres!! Yahoo!!!!!

Joetta hosted an overnight for some and a bigger group of Longacres people hooked up at the National Horse Show in New York's Madison Square Garden for our annual reunion. Uncle Billy, Meghan, and I travelled from Buffalo and met Joetta, Rebecca, Alicia, Meghan Duthie, Sarah Pistone and Maddy at the show. We all liked the jumping classes and special events, and though I didn't intrude on their fun, I KNOW a good time must have been had at the overnight!

Well, this is just a beginning for the new year. Check back on this website often for updates. We will post pictures of new horses for '99, Tanner, and Bobert soon. More horse news coming along with updated pictures. Send me a note wit hnews of your riding activities so I can tell your friends. (Meghan Duthie has been riding MANY horses, and I heard from Adrienne that she bought a new horse - details next week.)

Personal New Year's resolution: Lose ten pounds! Well, your camp owner is not out of control yet, but over the past year I am afraid that I've put on more of a bulge around my middle than I would like. I confess to 164 on January 1st when I would much prefer 154, which is my goal by the time camp opens. If I fail to meet the goal by opening day of our season, I'll take all the rest of you here for that session into town and get you ice cream at my treat while I eat a cracker!

- Tom Kranz

Five year Longacres student, Joetta Mortillaro, is holding a sleep-over party for Longacres people at her family's apartment in New York City after the evening horse show performance on Saturday night. Nobody has unlimited room in a private home, so call Joetta soon if you would like to stay overnight so she can tell you if there is still room. Joetta's phone number is 212-367-0830.

Uncle Billy, Meghan, and I will all be at the evening horse show, and we will be glad to make sure that you get safely to Joetta's apartment with her when the show is over on Saturday night. Joetta lives at 445 West 23^rd Street between 9^th and 10^th Avenues. That is not far from the Garden (33^rd Street & 7^th)

Unless you make other arrangements with Joetta, parents of girls staying at Joetta's should plan to pick their children up in front of Joetta's building between 9:30 and 10 AM on Sunday morning (set a specific time to meet your parents)

The last newsletter is posted on our Website, so check that for all other details of the Saturday afternoon and evening horse show performances. We will look forward to meeting some of you at 12:45 Saturday afternoon, and we will be at the show right through until the end of the evening performance when we will make sure that those staying overnight get to Joetta's, and others are met downstairs at the Garden by their families.

By the time you receive this newsletter, we should have finished updating our Website with Y2K schedules and rates. We will be accepting 2000 enrollments as of November 6^th. Because we expect some sessions to fill very early, we are offering a special "Temporary Registration" to hold a space in case you are not absolutely sure of your plans now. Send a check for $50 which is fully refundable if you change your mind before you make a final reservation, and that will hold a space for you. If we do begin to fill any session early, we will contact you and offer you the option of confirming your space. These "Temps" must be confirmed or cancelled by February 1^st.

See you in New York, Tom Kranz

PS: Thank you, Joetta!

Longacres; 1529 Mill Road; East Aurora, NY 14052 716-652-9495 www.longacres.com

Longacres Log - September 1999

By Aime Gorsuch

Lisa- very nice; fun to be around, calm, nice to talk to and a great teacher. Her favorite horses are Stoney and Ginger.

July 10^th Newsletter
Welcome to "Regular Camp Longacres"!

This newsletter is being distributed on the first day of the regular two week July session, as five new campers join 4 hold-overs from the pre-camp weeks. It should be a pretty smooth transition - pre-camp has turned out to be almost like regular camp this year. Our off-season barn and maintenance crew did a good job getting the farm ready, and about the only so called "pre-camp" work our first two week riders had to do was about an hour of work helping paint some jumps the other day.

Thanks to Pre-Campers

We do send out our thanks to all of you who took part in pre-cam pweeks this year. Even though there wasn't much actual work for you to do, you helped us out a lot as we got things organized during the first two weeks. In a program where we ride as much as we do, there will always be some lame horses, but there were more than usual during the first two weeks as the horses started to muscle up for the season. It was a particular loss to have one of our best horses, "Summer", out of commission with a horse shoeing problem the first two weeks. We're just starting to ride her now, and hope that she'll soon be in the thick of things and showing you all her fine jumping style!

Meghan and Shelly did a great job with the food service the first two weeks, and there was little of the "help yourself" meal service we might occasional resort to in future pre-camp days. About the only real sacrifice you all had to make was that it took us four days of hard work to rebuild an electric line to the cabins that has been more badly damaged over the winter than we realized. There was a hearty cheer the first Thursday night when residents of Esseress and Pegasus realized they finally had lights!

It also took us a week or more to develop some new routines for horse care work. With outside boarders also using the barn this year, some of our old habits had to be changed. We had a productive staff meeting two nights ago, and things seem to be going more smoothly now. It's still a LOT OF WORK to care for all these horses, and we expect every newcomer to Longacres to pitch right in and pull their weight with the barn work.

"A" and "B" Riding Assignments

You will all be given a copy of the rules for assigning horses in lessons when you arrive. Check them out and ask questions if you don't understand. Lisa and Tina assign horses for each riding hour, and there are various things they take into account, including which horses you LIKE the most, which horses you might LEARN the most on, and which horses may already have worked too hard on a particular day or might need a rest to stay sound.

The main point of "A" and "B" riding assignments is that in an hour when you are an "A" rider, you should usually be on a horse you find quite to your liking, and you should never have to sit out a lesson and be ground crew when you are an "A". When you are a "B", you are more likely to find yourself on a less exciting or more difficult horse, and not often, but sometimes in hot weather or if several horses are lame at once, you might have to sit out a lesson and help the instructors as "ground crew".

Appeals of horse assignments:

I (Tom) give Lisa and Tina a lot of freedom in the way they assign horses to riders. Lisa has been doing it at Longacres a long time, and Tina has picked it up well. But there are times when I may feel you should have a chance to ride a horse they aren't assigning you. You are welcome to ask me if you aren't being put on a horse you think you can ride. Most likely I will agree with Lisa's judgement, but not always and there's nothing to be lost by asking.

Tom's Riding Lesson - Voluntary this session

I have not always taught a regular lesson every day. Two years ago I frequently taught individuals with special interests or problems, but did not teach a regular daily lesson. Last summer I did teach at 11 every morning, and I did for the first two weeks this year.

Not every rider is suited to the kind of lessons I teach. When I run a lesson, I run it the way top professional riders run clinics. I expect students to be paying strict attention to what I'm trying to teach, to the way the other students in the lesson are riding, and to their own mount at ALL TIMES. I feel that I'm letting you down as riders if you leave Longacres without at least being exposed to this level of riding discipline. But for some of you, probably a couple of days of this exposure is all you want.

For the next two weeks, my lesson will be voluntary. I will teach you all at 11am on Monday and Tuesday so that this week's new riders will see what to expect, but then you are welcome to drop out and be taught by Lisa or Tina at that time. Those who wish to remain in my lesson will be welcome, but you will be held to a high standard.

What's the Catch?

Of course there is one. Riders in my lessons will have access to first choice on horses, and will do more challenging and higher jumping, if they are ready for it. I have a lot to teach you if you really want to learn. But you can't do it in my lesson if you're slouching on your horse, talking to the rider next to you while I'm trying to teach, or letting your horse go to sleep while you wait your turn to perform. I hope we have three or four riders this session who are eager for that challenge.

Great Job, Jessica, and Welcome Caitlin

Jessica Brown was our youngest rider the first two weeks at 11 yrs old. She wins the "Most Improved Rider" award hands down! Jessica came to us nearly a complete beginner, and was cantering around and jumping like a pro by the end of her two weeks. It was probably a little tough sometimes being the very youngest at Longacres, but Jess handled it very well, and we all cheered her on at her first horse show, when she took her first real jump, and when she jumped her first real course. It was fun watching someone really learn to ride so quickly! Have a great year at home, Jessica, and we all hope you return to Longacres next season!

Caitlin Tedesco takes Jess's place as our youngest rider this second session. Caitlin is also 11, and like Jessica, is a beginning english rider. Caitlin does have some experience western, so she may be a quick learner at Longacres also. We welcome you to our group, Caitlin! I hope everyone else at Longacres is as helpful to Caitlin this session as our staff and students were to Jessica in the first two weeks.

The Campers Take Over!

The rest of this newsletter is written by this session's campers and staff, pretty much the way they turned it in. Read on for their descriptions of some of the action here the first two weeks:

"Cow Girl Style " (yee haw)

I've always wanted to learn how to ride western. I thought it would never happen at this camp because we mostly do english flat work and jumping. Tina is so obsessed with the whole western style that I asked her to give me a lesson, and she said sure. I also asked Tom for permission, and he also said sure. Tina taught me how to tack a western saddle and cinch on Lacey. I rode Lacey and got a great jog out of her with her head down and relaxed. The lesson went great and I got the position of my legs and shoulders down right away. I only jogged, but got enough confidence to use my reins with one hand and layed my other hand on my leg and off the horn. It was a great experience and the next time I'll lope Lacey! Thanx Tina!

By: Grayce Mc Laughlin

(PS: western training is great for many english horses because it requires them to slow down and collect for the comfortable, controlled western jog-trot and lope - Tom)

High Jumping by Joetta Mortillaro

While the rest of the camp girls were on a casual walk/trot trail ride with our counselor Tina, myself, Meg, and Alana got to jump our favorite horses REALLY HIGH. I was on Patti, Meg was on Lacey and Alana was on Missy. We jumped the ditch, bank and then we jumped the triple combination in the ring. Then, Tom raised the jumps. The highest we got to was 3 ft. 3 in., but thats OK because Meg and I got to jump higher a few days later.

The day, a few days after we jumped 3'3", when everyone went down to untack after a lesson, Meg and I stayed in the ring. I was on Patti again, and Meg was on Lacey again. We jumped the triple combination again, but this time, the last two jumps were oxers. Then Tom raised the jumps, and raised them, and raised them. I jumped 4'0". And it was an oxer, with a 3 foot spread. Meghan jumped 3'6" but the next day she was on Patti so she jumped 3'9".

It was fun jumping high, I hope we get to do it again!!!

The Chestnut Ridge Show by Meghan Duthie

There were a few last minute changes to our first horse show of the season. All 7 out of 7 of us participated.

Joetta and I shared Peppermint Patti, Mady took Joey (aka cow , heffer), Jessica took Treek, Alana took Missy, Lizzie rode Brownie, and Kim took Stoney.

Joetta picked up a 1st and 3rd in open jumpers (with prize money). I won a 1st and 3rd in junior open jumpers, Mady received two 2nds and one 3rd in the hunter ring, Jessica picked up two 2nds in her crossrail classes. Alana earned a 2nd and 4th in the jumper ring ( she was against Patti in all her classes). Lizzie received two 1sts and a 2nd, and last but not least, Kim won two 1sts and one 3rd. We all felt very happy with our success.

Just after all of our events were finished, Kim and Lizzie had to leave us, but Grayce and Alissa joined us.

We are looking froward to our longacres show coming up on Wednesday, although 4 of us are leaving before hand. Then on July 17th there is another show at Knox polo field. We will keep you posted on the dates. Wish us luck!

By Jessica Brown

My favorite horse at camp's name is Treek. Treek is half arab and half welsh pony. I love him more than any other horse. He is a white gelding with a few brown spots on his silky white fur.

Today is my last day at camp and I don't want to leave. During camp I have learned to jump, canter, count strides, post, emergency dismount, etc, etc - - - it is lots of fun here and we go to the mall and movies a lot so we NEVER get bored! We have 3 new members at camp right now: Their names are Grayce, Alissa, and Becky.

Gin-n-tonic-a By Alissa Brandes

Friday night we had a gymkhana arranged by our counselor Tina. It was her first gymkhana. Mady rode Joey, Meghan rode Lacey, Alissa rode Brownie, Joetta rode Missy, and Jessica rode Treek. There were four events; the scavenger hunt was the first one , where you had to find seven things and get off your horse and collect all of them in a bucket (Nobody liked that one!). Meghan D. came in 1st , Alissa B. came in 2nd, and Mady H. came in 3rd. The second event was bucket racing, where you had to weave back and forth through buckets. Joetta M. came in 1st, Mady came in 2nd, Meghan came in 3rd, Alissa came in 4th and Jessica B. came in 5th. The third event was knocking Stuffy off the fence, where you had to knock buckets off the fence with a stick. Mady came in 1st, Meghan came in 2nd; only a few seconds behind Mady, Joetta came in 3rd, Alissa came in 4th and Jessica came in 5th. The final event was broom polo. Alissa rode against Mady, Joetta against Meghan, and Jessica against counselor Lisa. The first person to make a goal won. Mady came in 1st, Meghan came in 2nd, and Jessica came in 3rd. In the end Mady and Joey were champions, and Meghan and Lacey were reserve champions.

Straight from the Horses' Mouth...
-Therapist...
-The electrical man, John has been trained for carpentry
-Lacey has no friends.  Poor ole' gal.
-Brownie might "come out of the closet"
-Burger King boy
-Denny's-Past 2:00?
- a bigger one than me
-Magic bag
-Rotten
-Gin-n-tonica
-Blue

Horsey's Point of View
By Mady Hoog

Well, I for one am soo relieved that our dear Lady Summer is feeling better on her legs. This "thing" she has is really prevented her from aging well, though I dare not say it to her face. That's what evil Lacey did and now that Summer had enough strength, she runs away from that bxxch! Every time Lacey goes over to apologize, Summer runs in the opposite direction. Your can't blame her.

On another topic, the two new arrivals Bobert and Tanner have not yet been accepted into the "group." Bobert has a singular friend, Stoney, who is kind and whole-hearted to everone. Tanner is such a flirt he always struts his so-called stuff around any of his ladies. If you ask me , his hindquarters are a little too big for my taste. Stoney is a sexy horse, but there are always ladies after him - -Patti, Ginger, Lisa, and maybe even some unknown secret crushes. Who knows???

Guess who is finally starting to trim down to a reasonable girth size . . . Joey. Though he has had much help from a gorgeous New Yorkette with a strong leg. Don't say this too loud, but I actually think he is looking pretty damn handsome.

Meet Bobert and Tanner

By Lisa Kaminski In the last Longacres Log, we told you guys about our newest addition to the barn, Ben. In the days to come, it was apparent he had no clue that his name was Ben. Tina would call him anything from Fred to Jerky. We figured we should probably give him an appropriate name and start all over. Well anyway, we came up with Bobert by combining Bobby with Robert, and that became his new name (don't ask why, he just looks like a Bobert). It turns out that Bobert happens to be a wonderful, bold hunter with tons of personality. Bobert is an excellent addition to the Longacres horsey family. Tanner is the newest horse to be boarded at Longarces for the time being. He is borrowed from Hasty Hills Farm until he finds a permanent home. Tanner is a near black gelding who is well liked by most riders. He is an incredible sweetheart who means well and has a terrific floaty canter with a lovely jump.



JULY 2nd Newsletter
Good First Week!
I knew I had a good group of horse lovers at Longacres this session when I drove into the barn on Tuesday evening of the first session, got out of my car, and looked down the hill to see all seven of this weeks students, plus our friend Julie, pretending to be horses themselves as they cantered back and forth over the jumps set up next to the barn! Where else can a group of teenage girls go and find a whole group of friends who will joyously and without any emabarassment play horse games? It feels completely normal at Longacres.

Drill Team & Gymkhana
The first week has gone well, and we've already done many of the planned special activities. We've held regular drill team practices, and everyone, including our lone beginner, Jessica, will be in the weekly drill team performance scheduled in front of the video cameras for tonight. Today we held a timed Gymkhana mounted games event, with Meghan Duthie taking the championship ribbon. The other ribbon winners were Joetta Mortillaro in 2nd, and Maddie Hoag, Lizzie Bronson, Kim Strand, Alana Noritake, and Jessica Brown.

Moonlight Ride
The third night of camp the moon rise bright and nearly full about 9:45 PM, and our riders took to the show field and surrounding areas, led by instructor Lisa for an hour of moonlight riding. Just about everyone got to ride their favorite horses on this very special ride. It was a beautiful, still evening, with only a few clouds slowly crossing the sky. It was nearly light enough to have jumped by the moonlight, but we did not, since it was only the third day most of these riders had been working with our horses. Next full moon is the first weekend in August, and perhaps we'll go over a few little jumps and out into the forrest for that moonlight trail. We'll see how the horses are going by then.

Chestnut Ridge Show
The first show of the season is this weekend at Chestnut Ridge Farms near Lockport, NY. I think five out of our seven riders this week plan to show. It's a tough show most years, especially in the jumper ring, where Alana Noritake and Joetta Mortillaro plan to try their luck, both sharing Missy. We hope you readers at home all keep your fingers crossed and wish this weeks riders good luck in Longacres first show of the season.

Mall Trip
Joetta's 14th birthday fell on the day we planned for our first "field trip - mall trip" of the '99 season, and it made a fitting little celebration for her. We took off for the mall in the middle of the afternoon, and everyone had time to do some shopping, eat dinner, and several caught a movie (don't know if I want to know which one they saw!). Got back to the farm in time to do horsecare and find the pleasant surprise that John had finished fixing the electric lines to the cabins so there were LIGHTS last night!

Great Learning Job, Jessica!
Most Longacres riders come here already having a couple of years of riding and jumping experience. But we are pleased to take on a beginner from time to time, and this session we've all enjoyed 11 year old Jessica Brown as our "mascot" and favorite beginner. Jessica came to us already having been around horses quite a bit, and beginning to get the feel of posting to the rhythm of the horse. She has a naturally good seat and good sense of balance and timing. Well, she has sure made good progress in five days at Longacres!

I taught Jessica for about a half hour myself on the first night of camp, and she had private lessons on the first two days. Since then we've brought her right into the main lesson group, having her do simpler exercises than the rest of the riders some of the time. Jessica went over a jump rail on the ground at a walk her first night, trotted a ground rail her second day, and jumped her first real little jumps by the third day of camp. At the end of the week now, she is performing with our drill team, and jumping little courses at a canter! One of the quickest learners we've had in some time - - - Good Job, Jessica!

Cheers for the Cooks!
Meghan has a season and a half of experience serving breakfast and lunch to Longacres riders and is taking care of that and planning the food service again this year, but we have a new dinner cook in Michelle. Chel has already won praise from this group for her dinners, and has stayed after hours on her own time to serve some special dessert treats. No one is going to go hungry this session!

Pre-Camp Stuff:
Our maintenance and barn staff did far more pre-season work than I had thought they would finish, so the riders in this first pre-camp week have had relatively little "clean-up fix-up" work to do. It did take us four days to get the long electric lines that feed the sleeping cabins repaired, but that is now done - thanks for your patience, riders! We have a few more jumps to repair, and we are still waiting to order a few new odds and ends for the tack room, but we're in pretty good shape. Almost all the horses got new shoes on today, so when the regular session begins on July 11th, we should be in great shape!

Meet "Ben"!
If all goes well this afternoon and tomorrow during our trial period, we will be purchasing a new horse, 12 year old bay gelding, "Ben". Ben is 16 hands, an all bay gelding with a lot of thoroughbred in him. He's a willing jumper and a good horse to work around. We think you riders coming later in the summer will find him a good addition to the Longacres string of horses. We're also expecting another new horse in this afternoon to try out for a few weeks. He is owned by one of the riders from Hasty Hills, and many of you former Longacres riders will have seen him at shows the past two years. We'll tell you more about him in the next newsletter.

Longacres Log - June 26, 1999

Students will be riding and working with the horses at Longacres in five days (two or three when you get this) - hard to believe! I think you'll like the way the barn and riding areas look when you get here. The staff and maintenance crew have been knocking htemselves out painting and fixing up. All the jumps are shiny bright white, contrasting with the rainbow colors of all the jump rails and panels. The rails are nearly all painted; we've just left some of the colorful panels for you pre-camp weekers to help touch up.

Even if you have already mailed us your travel plans, we ask that you phone us on Friday or Saturday night just before you arrive at Longacres for a final confirmation of your travel plans so we know when to expect you. This is especially important if we are meeting you at the airport.

Be certain that you bring a health form with you if you have not already mailed it, and be sure that the emergency authorization is signed. If you have any special health needs, or have any prescription medications, you must bring instructions IN WRITING when you arrive.

All tuition should have been paid by now; one or two late enrollees have made special arrangments. If you did not send a spending and showing money deposit with your tuition, bring it with you when you register. You may wish to keep out fifteen or twenty dollars in cash spending money, but we do not want you to have more than that in your bunks, in case it gets lost.

I will be trying to phone everyone who is arriving for this first session during the next two evenings. If you have not heard from me by Thursday night, please try and phone me (Tom) here, 716-652-9495. I want to refresh my memory on each of you as far as your riding experience and special interests so I can plan next weeks activities better. Forgive me if we have already talked about this earlier this spring; I need to remind myself.

We have put a map of East Aurora and the location of Longacres on our website; click on "MAP" near the top of the main Longacres page, and you should be able to download or print out that map. Otherwise, from the traffic circle by the McDonald's in East Aurora, take #20A west for 1/4 mile, then bear left next to the Monroe Muffler shop; take Mill 3 1/2 miles until you pass Grover Road on the right. The driveway to the office is on the right side of Mill Road just past the corner of Grover Road.

If you are visiting with your whole family on the way to or from Longacres, here are some points of interest in the area. First, remember that Niagara Falls is only about one hour from the camp. Also, Six Flags Darien Lakes theme park is just 35 minutes from the camp.

A couple of suggestions for eating in town; informal hamburgers, etc, and good ice cream at Schoonies drive-in on #16 just south of town; McDonald's & BurgerKing right in town; very nice dining at the historic Roycroft right in East Aurora, and my personal favorite restaurant is the Old Orchard Inn, a traditional restaurant in an old farm house just outside of town.

For a place to stay, we recommend the Four Points Sheraton near the airport and 30 minutes from Longacres; the very simple Aurora Motel, just three miles away; the nice but expensive Roycroft Inn in town, or the Pipe Creek Farm bed and breakfast just down the road. Hope these referrals are useful to you!

Here are a few of the things you guys coming for the first pre-camp weeks will be doing when you get here. There will be seven of you, a couple more than I had planned on when we set up the pre-camp program. But you divide up pretty well into two groups. We'll be putting the older girls in Esseress Cabin, and the younger group next door in Pegasus with Lisa.

You'll all get to ride three or four different horses on your very first afternoon here. You'll take turns as we bring different horses out of the barn, so you get to know how they ride. We also want to enlist your "art skills" on the first afternoon you are here, and have each of you make a stall "horse name" sign. We'll have posterboard, some magic markers, and maybe some crayons. If you want to bring any other simple art supplies, feel welcome!

It's going to be a full moon the first night of camp, and if the horses are behaving well, and you all get used to being here quickly, I hope to give you a moonlight ride on the show field during the first two or three nights of the session.

We'll plan on taking video's of all of you on Monday, the first full morning of riding, and we'll all have some laughs, I'm sure, when we view them Monday night. I imagine one of the funniest video's will be a close-up of our fine instructor, Lisa's face! Lisa is attending a special graduation party the Sunday we open, and we have promised to cover for her until she flies in early Monday morning for our first full day. Rumor has it that Lisa will not be getting much sleep that night, so we are not counting on getting her up to full teaching potential until Tuesday - I will make sure she's on those first day video's, though!!!!

You're going to have another treat on that first night; Meghan will be substitute counselor for Lisa. Meghan usually prefers her own apartment on the camp grounds to staying in the cabins, but she is looking forward to a slumber party with you new girls in Lisa's cabin on that first night - (this Sunday night, WOW, it's getting close!)

• Tom Kranz

1529 Mill Road

East Aurora, NY 14052

716-652-9495

www.longacres.com

Longacres Riding Camp June Update

Well, it really seems like the season is ready to start now that we have some of our horses munching the long green spring grass in the paddock. Peppermint Patti and Stoney returned from their good winter home with Wendy Obriant yesterday, and they look terrific. Patti is just slightly overweight this spring, not nearly as plump as she was when she came back to us last summer. Julie Burckhalter and several other local riders plan to exercise her and get her in shape for the show season over the next few weeks!

There are also nine horses in the barn that belong to Dennis and Tracey, our new barn managers, and their customers. Longacres is a busy place this year!

Clean-up Fix-Up

We've been working around the camp for several weeks now painting at the dining hall and getting ready to paint the sleeping cabins you guys will be using. (A NOTE on cabin "autographs": In acceptance of Longacres tradition, it is OK to write small remembrances on the inside of the bunk doors, or on window sills, but NOT - NOT on the varnished knotty pine walls of the cabins. A very few people have trangressed in that area the past two years, and we are taking a lot of time to sand and refinish those spots on the walls this spring. I ask you to respect the nice appearance of the cabins and limit your literary efforts to acceptable spots in the bunks! - Tom)

Show Schedule

The show schedule changes frequently at this time of year as one stable or another finds there is a date conflict with another show, and changes their show dates. As of now, we plan a show of our own at Longacres on Wednesday evening, July 14th, we plan to attend the re-scheduled High Times show on Saturday, July 17th; we will hold another evening show at Longacres on Friday, July 23rd. There is a Hasty Hills Farms show on July 30th and 31st, and the Bechtel Stables show on August 7th. Then the Erie County Fair show August 17, 18, and 19th. We will likely host another small show of our own during the second week in August.

We expect to find a show near enough so that we can go to an away show on Saturday, July 10th, but I have not picked one yet. Will let you know of this and any other changes SOON!

Payments Due Thursday, June 10th:

All payments are due by next Thursday to keep your enrollment in affect. Be sure to call and make arrangements if this presents any problem. (I have to pay my Hefty real estate taxes that week!)

August Vacancies:

The first four weeks of the season are now full (might be able to take ONE more during pre-camp, but I prefer not). I do have several spots open during the final four weeks, between July 27th and August 22nd. That has traditionally been a time for only longer term stays at the farm, but two week sessions are so popular this year that I have opened the second session up for up to four two week riders. You can come from July 27th to August 8th, or August 8th to August 22nd. I doubt that I will be completely full for all of August, but maybe there will be a last minute signup surge. (If anyone wants to switch from the two weeks of July 11th to 25th, and come in August instead, that would be great - just let me know.)

Most exciting time of the summer for those of us with long experience at Longacres is the Hamburg Fair the final week of the season. We'd be glad to have a few more of our old friends from the past come in for those two weeks if they wish.

Buddy Riding

This is a good place to talk some more about our experimental program of "Buddy Riding" on trails. The following was written in a newsletter several weeks ago:

"INDEPENDANT RIDING: Through-out our history, nearly all riding has been only under the supervision of an instructor or trail leader. For the first time last summer, I experimented with occasionally letting a few riders go out on a trail with just a buddy, after getting their parent's OK. I have mixed feelings about this, but many of you ride independantly at home, and many are probably ready for this responsibility.

You will be getting a permission sheet in the mail soon that your parents can sign to OK "buddy riding". It will be limited, and at my discretion. But you and your parents should talk it over."

Not everyone is ready for the responsibility to ride on trails with just a friend along. (No one will ever be allowed to ride alone out on a trail.) "Buddy" riders must be responsible enough to follow instructions about where you must restrict yourselves to walking, and where you may trot or canter. To resist the great temptation to gallop your horses and feel the wind in your hair! If your parents think that you are responsible enough to take part in buddy riding, they may sign the permission slip for this activity, but that does not guarantee that we'll let you go out on buddy rides when you get here. I will from time to time give special "buddy riding" permission to the right people who are on the right horses. It will not be often, so you should not feel that you will be missing much if your parents and you do not choose this option.

What it Will be Like When You Get Here:

I hope that you all have read and re-read the articles on our Website, especially a typical day at Longacres and if you are coming for the Pre-Camp weeks, the article about those weeks. Also read again the article "Changes at Longacres for 1999" that describes the "A" and "B" group riding schedule. All of you are likely to ride more at Longacres than you've ever ridden before and you are likely to have experiences with the horses you've never had before and will long remember. But there is hard work to do here taking care of the horses, and you won't be on your dream horse every hour you ride. I want you to remember all the good times when you leave, and to not be disappointed in anything when you get here.

Pre-Camp Week Thoughts

Especially during Pre-Camp weeks, we'll be spending some time painting up the show jumps and doing other things to prepare for the rest of the season. You will ride hours every day during Pre-camp, but we may skip an hour here and there to do chores. Fortunately, Dennis and Tracey have already finished many of the jobs I had planned that we might have to do during Pre-camp weeks, so your time here will be easier than I thought when I planned those sessions! Just to give you an idea of what to expect on the GOOD side, you will probably ride three different horses your very first afternoon here on June 27th, and several more the next day. By Tuesday, you'll probably have picked a favorite to concentrate on during your stay, while you help ride the other horses in the barn.

Assistant Instructor Position

We've got the same staff we had last summer and will have most of the same guest instructors. But I am considering taking another assistant instructor to help Lisa. If you know someone 17 or older with good horse experience and a responsible personality, have them get in touch. They would get to ride regularly and show if they like. (Bulliten: Karen McCann, one of our 1997 instructors will be returning part time to help at Longacres this summer.)

A Different Slant for Two Weeks

I've spent some time thinking about new ideas to try to make Longacres a better place for riders coming for just a two week stay. I won't lie to you; I've always preferred having students for four weeks or more, since they make such dramatic progress in their riding and are able to do more at shows if they are here that long. The farm also feels more like a family group when we have the same people here for longer than two weeks at a time. Lisa, Meghan, and Joetta will be here for nearly the whole season this year, and we have right now three riders signed up for the full month of August, so at the end, especially we'll have that continuity.

But we sure have a lot of two week riders this year. The Internet has been very good to Longacres, but I think the kind of people who find us on the Web are looking more for that "two week riding vacation" than for a more traditional month away at summer camp. It's good for business, but presents a challenge to us in building that family feeling or in giving all of you coming for the short stay the same good experience.

I'm going to try to fit in many of the "special events" that we have only done once or twice a summer in the past during each of the first two week sessions of the summer. We'll try to do "Pond Jumping" during each of the first sessions, as well as a night time ride, and perhaps some other special traditional surprise activities. As it happens, it will be a full moon on the opening day of camp, so we may have a moonlight trail ride during the first couple of days of Pre-Camp week.

That's about all the time I have to write today. Hope you are all looking foreward to the summer as much as we are here in East Aurora.

- Tom Kranz

May 3rd, 1999 Update:

Lots of news to give you all in the next few days. I am now back from Florida for the rest of the spring and working on opening the camp. The barn is open and WOW! is it looking good. More on that in a minute!

Any of you are welcome to visit the farm from now until we open in June; just phone to make sure I will be here. I work away from the farm at race events on Sundays, but anytime during the week is OK.

Meet Dennis & Tracy
We'd like to introduce our new year-round barn managers, Dennis and Tracy Thompson. The Thompsons have six of their own horses, a couple of great people with horses as their own customers, and they will be leasing the barn from us when Longacres is not in session. They have outstanding references, and I'm sure you are going to like them. Lisa will still be running our program during the summer season, with Dennis and Tracy helping out when she needs them in the background.

I made a list of things I wanted Dennis to get done during the first two months he was here when he moved in last week. Nearly everything has been done by the end of his first full weekend at Longacres. I'm very pleased! You will like the new coat of paint on the barn, new split rail fence near the opening to the pasture, new flower gardens already planted, gravel floor in the barn completely leveled and rolled so the wheelbarrows are easy to push, and on and on and on!!!! Great job, Dennis!

Dennis and Tracy like paints and raise and train them. They have a couple of stud colts that they say are very well behaved, and an older paint they are conditioning that they rescued from a poor home. They also have a cute little bay pony their son rides.

Dennis's customers, Pam and Bob have had one of their horses for more than a year, and some of you Longacres campers - Much more news coming soon, including descriptions of the new horses Dennis, Tracy, Bob & Pam have brought in that you will be meeting this summer.

March 9, 1999

Welcome New Riders,

It was exciting to get home from Florida a few weeks ago and find six enrollment forms from riders new to Longacres this year. We're going to have a full group this summer! Welcome to Alana, Kim, Lizzy, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Adrienne. Kim and Lizzy signed up this week! We look forward to having you at Longacres and letting you get to know all our horses this summer. Danielle and Keshet very nearly joined us this summer, but just got a new horse, and will stay in California for the summer. We hope both of you can visit Longacres someday in your future.

Welcome Back, Lisa!

Our 1998 instructor, Lisa, is returning again for most of this season, along with Meghan working in the office and dining room. I have lost track of how long Lisa has been coming to Longacres! She came for many years as a camper before starting as an instructor. She does a fine job running the barn, caring for the horses, and teaching riding. Lisa does have to leave about two weeks before the end of the season to get ready for college. In addition to my own work training second session riders for the Erie County Fair, we will have guest instructors and a substitute instructor here after Lisa leaves. I have offered the spot to former Longacres rider, Emily Bogart, who is interested if she does not go to Ireland those weeks.

You can get an idea of Lisa's riding and her interest in horses as you look over the "Meet the Horses" page on our website. There are several pictures of Lisa jumping Stoney, and I have now posted a number of Lisa's comments about our other horses. Lisa has a link on the website to her e-mail address, and you can exchange e-mail with her asking about the horses and other aspects of Longacres. Lisa is already busy researching possible new horses we may buy for this season.

Meet the Horses

Be sure, all of you, to sign onto our website www.longacres.com, and check out the updated "Meet our Horses" page. We now have photo's of almost all the horses posted along with descriptions contributed by a number of different people. It will give you a much better idea of what it will be like to ride with us than you could get until recently. (Former campers - if you would like to send me your own short comments about your favorite Longacres horses or little stories about their best qualities, I'll be glad to add what you have to say to the descriptions of each horse.)

Wellington, Florida!

I have known that Wellington's horsey facility and development near West Palm Beach existed for years. But I never took the time to visit until last month. Wow!! They have horse shows there every day of the week from January through the middle of March - and I mean BIG shows! Anyone visiting south Florida on a family vacation during this time of year or any other should stop by just to check it out. If dad is reluctant, tell him it is just five minutes off the Florida Turnpike, so wouldn't take a lot of extra time to drive in and see what it's all about.

During the season, EVERYBODY who is anybody in the horse world, who has ever been anybody, or who wants to someday be somebody in the world of hunters, jumpers, eventing, and dressage or Polo manages to make it to Wellington. The day I visited there was a $50,000 Grand Prix of show jumping going on. The photo I'm copying on this page is of one of the Grand Prix horses just schooling before the event.



Not a bad schooling jump, is it? I will post this and other Wellington photo's on our website soon. There is already one of me standing next to one of the jumps. It was interesting to see how many of the riders in the Grand Prix event have visited Longacres for clinics or even ridden in the Longacres Jumper Classic over the years. I ran into Debbie Stevens, Barbie Bancroft, and Olympic Gold Medalist, Joe Fargis, all of whom remembered their visits to Longacres. Leigh Clark and Sue and Terry Williams (owners of Gold Medal horse, Abdullah) also talked with me.

The above picture is of successful Grand Prix rider, Debbie Stevens, showing at Wellington the day Tom visited. Debbie (once Debbie Shaffner), has shown several times over the years at bigger Longacres sponsored jumper shows, and once taught a clinic at Longacres with her late husband, John Shaffner.

Want to Show Jumper at Wellington?

I was very impressed with all the horses and riders showing at Wellington, not just the Grand Prix, but all the classes for amateurs and junior jumpers. I ran into many of my old friends from the jumper world the day I was there. Some of them commented, "Tom, some of those jumpers of yours would do very well here!" And they were right.

Both Peppermint Patti and Leather 'n Lace have the talent and "horse power" to win classes at Wellington. I like spending part of my winter in Florida where I also write boating books. I am interested in leasing these two horses to some rider who would like the chance to show in the lower jumper divisions at Wellington next January and February. You would have to be a fairly experienced rider, ready to ride show jumpers, though you would not necessarily have to have ridden beyond the hunter division before. I am thinking of a good, competitive junior hunter rider who wants to try jumpers at this level. You pay the bills, and I will arrange everything and coach you at the shows and in practice sessions. You could arrange to have the horses at your own stable during November and December to get used to them with your own trainer. Just one thing - with vanning, stabling and horse care expenses in Florida, entry fees, training fees, and your travel back and forth to the January and February shows in Florida, this is not a cheap thing! The old saying goes, "If you have to ask how much, you can't afford it!" But what an experience for someone!

Longacres Vacancies:

We have some vacancies left in all sessions, but with the enormous number of Internet inquiries we've had this year, they are going fast, and we will certainly be turning people away this year who apply late. In addition to the six early birds I welcomed in this newsletter, I am holding space for two from last year and three more new girls sending in registrations this week. (March 10th)

I am leaving for six weeks in Florida on Friday of this week, and I cannot hold spaces without enrollment forms beyond this weekend. After this weekend, we will accept enrollments in the order that they are postmarked. By the time I return to the farm in April, some sessions are certain to be filled. Please do not get frozen out if you are one of our old friends who is used to signing up in May or June - I CANNOT take more than ten riders and give the quality of riding I promise you. No exceptions!

Special sessions:

Because I have promised a couple of friends odd dates, I have one vacancy open for the final two weeks of the summer, Aug. 8th to 22nd, and one for the final three weeks, August 1st to 22nd. I also have two spaces for one week only ,available in the pre-camp, from July 4th to 11th. (Or it could be three weeks, from July 4th to July 25th).

Contacting Tom Kranz or Enrolling:

I am leaving for my final spring trip to Florida this Friday, March 12th. I will be back here at the Farm on May 1st for the rest of the season. While I am gone, I am a little hard to reach. I do not get my regular mail or e-mail during that period, but I do check my phone answering machine every three or four days (except when traveling on my boat). If you send in an enrollment application during this period, please also telephone and leave a message with the dates you are signing up for. That way I can keep track of vacancies from Florida and notify you if the session you choose should already be full. There should be no problem during the rest of March unless lots sign up all for the same weeks. If you sign up during the later part of April, I expect some sessions may begin to fill, at the present rate of interest.

As I explained in my last newsletter, Longacres shows up far higher on most Internet search services this year, including the big AOL service. We have already sent out far more information packets this season than in all of last year.

www.longacres.com

For all info on Longacres, including e-mail links to me, to people who can answer your questions while I am gone this month, and for references, sign on to the website and look around.

Thank you all for your interest in the Longacres Riding Camp - Tom Kranz

Straight from the horse’s Mouth:

- ARRGH!!!!!!!!

- Not me, not now

- stripper boy, the boy, Jesus

- We try really really hard!

- 1, 2, 3 Good job Esseres!

- 1, 2, 3 Pegasus is better

- pond monster

- Alex’s mammal / Alex’s malmol

- groundslugs!

- killing woodchucks/gophers/beavers/rodents

- Amish Tom

- hookers by the payphone in town (you had to be there)

- the Apple store

- scary fireworks

- peeing in the middle of the field

- Tom’s jumper daughters

- hey woman, you got a smoke?

- cabin!!!!

- It’s getting hot in here . . . .

- Here’s to you, Meghan McGuire . . .

- a-moving men, a-moving man . . .

- a-picture man, a-picture man . . .

- That’s MINE!

- Eat me!

- Annette Luther

- Patrick Scar

- let’s psyche Katie out

- When I think about you, I touch myself

- Bushy-ripper

- Faboo

- Muffin

- Maaaarce Evaaaaaans (in the airport)

- Bitchka

- Paxil

- crotch rocket ride

- five people falling off at the fair!

- "Did you ever know that you’re my hero - - -"

- Majic Wand

- Muffin, the smallest pony in the world

- "take off your shirt and wipe up the soda!"

- Lady jumping with Marce - "just kidding!"

- Grinding on Bella’s leg

- round the ouside

- There was an old farmer who lived in a crick…

- changing/ stripping in the tack room

- carrots and peanut butter

-"They don’t even care that there are horses here!"

- the boy riding his bike too fast

- " Le dressage instructor" (said in a french accent)

- marshmallow safari

- the egg conversation

- tipper and dy

- Ted and Joe I like it though

- "I like checking the fence"

- Opps, there’s a fire pit!!"

- Movah

- Narce

- Poision Summac

- Silly Stoney, tricks are for kids!

- Hannibal the war horse

- God’s creations

- Duct tape

- Mcflurries

- The dollar store

- McDonald’s play place

- Timmy Ho’s guys

- Horse trailer in the 4^th of July parade

- Showers in sulfur water

- Tickling WHO’s butt?

- Staff meetings

- Flies! Ah!

- Galahad battle scar

- Freddie’s safari rides

- Bouncers

- Twinkie wihout the cream, M&M without the chocolate, HoHo wihout the filling

-porridge

-bay jumper lovers

-Patti loves Quantum (oh wait, Shabang!)

-Sierra the whore

-Merlin's jumper turns

-Trailer Park Girls

-Team Extra Creamy

-Los Tostitos

-The Scammers

-ploughing the wheat fields

-corn fields and aliens

-Hi, take another little kick at my butt

-anorexic pasture

-Ebhorny

-He was a skater boy, she said see you later boy. . .

-fake polo shirts

-we're in public now

-the trough (trauw)

-WOW, guys

-Don't be sassin

-Cameras are illegal in the mall, girls

-Polly

-Canada, Oh Canada

-Granny panties

-sports bra tans

-flashlight legs

-Bam-bam, the Clown

-Wild Willy

-flashlight campfires

-the Mary star

-Dumpy Island

HHh

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