Clairvaux LLC

08/27/2023

Riley is our next IEA rider! We’re so happy to have her on our team and serving as one of our Co-Captains. She will be riding as one of our Varsity Intermediate riders.

Riley’s favorite horse is Zuko, because he’s taught her so much throughout her riding career, and because he has such a nice personality. She’s doing IEA again because she learned a lot and had fun when she participated last year. In fact, she says that her greatest accomplishment in riding is learning to ride a variety of different horses!

Thanks for being part of the team, Riley!

💙❤️

08/26/2023

This IEA rider is Madison. Madison is returning to our team for a second season after an impressive season last year, which included a 2nd place ribbon at Zone finals!

Madison’s favorite lesson horse is Panda, and she has her own horse, Dora. She says that Dora has taught her so much, including managing emotions in the show ring. Madison decided to return to IEA because she gained so much confidence from her experience last season, and wants to continue that learning. She also says that IEA will make her a more well-rounded rider, which will help her with her own horse, and help her ride in college!

💙❤️

08/26/2023

Today’s IEA rider is Amelia! Amelia has been very patiently waiting to be old enough to join IEA, and will be showing as a Future Walk/Trot rider this season. We’re all so excited to have her!

Among Amelia’s accomplishments are showing in her first show over the summer and winning a class, and getting better at cantering, jumping, and tacking up on her own. Amelia is excited to start IEA because she wants to spend more time with horses, make new friends, and have fun. Those sound like great reasons to us!

We’re so happy to have you on the team, Amelia!

💙❤️

08/25/2023

Our next rider is Carrie! Carrie is a Varsity Novice rider returning to our team after a successful season last year.

Carrie very proud of herself for placing 5th at Zones and is excited for the coming season. She is also proud of herself for all that she’s learned about horsemanship. Her favorite horses are Queso, her lease horse, and Pickles. She hopes to show in the 3’6” equitation one day soon!

A fun fact about Carrie is that she’s watched every season of Grey’s Anatomy 4 times in the last year. We’re lucky that she’s just as dedicated to riding as she is to Grey’s Anatomy!

💙❤️

08/24/2023

It’s that time of year again! Time to meet this season’s IEA team!

Starting us off is Meghan. Meghan is returning for a third year of IEA with us and we’re thrilled to have her back! She will be one of our Varsity Novice riders.

Meghan’s favorite horse is Panda because of her personality and because she has learned a lot from riding and showing her. She says that her greatest accomplishment in riding is seeing improvements in her effectiveness and position over time. She loves riding because it has helped her become more confident. That’s one of our favorite things to hear from our riders!

We’re so excited to have you on the team, Meghan! And we’re excited to keep introducing our riders in the coming weeks!

💙❤️

08/23/2023

We’re a little late, but we had a great time at the Lexington National Horse show! We had riders earn great ribbons, move up to new divisions, show at a rated show for the first time, keep figuring out their new horses, and we had the best time doing it!

08/19/2023

Our vets’ and farrier’s (and other equine health professionals) personal time is important!

It’s difficult for us horse doctors to admit we aren’t superhuman. We’re hardwired to be there for you and your horse whenever you need us. But we’re finally in the midst of an overdue reality check as a profession and admitting that our desire to be available 24/7 isn’t compatible with our own personal health and happiness.

The most significant pain point for many of us is caring for our clients during regular business hours and then being on call for emergencies after hours. If we are a single-doctor or small practice, this traditionally has been the case most nights of the week.

The good news is that the AAEP along with private veterinary practices and veterinary schools are focused on developing new models for emergency care which ease the strain on individual practitioners. This includes the growth of emergency cooperatives where two or more practices in a geographic area work together to share after-hours care, as well as more emergency-only practices and the use of tele-triage services to address client concerns after normal business hours.

As equine veterinarians reevaluate what after-hours care looks like for their practices, we know that the support of our clients is critical to creating a balance that works for both of us. If your horse doctor talks with you about changes in how after-hours care is delivered, we hope you’ll welcome the adjustments, knowing that this evolution of emergency care must take place in order for equine veterinarians to avoid burnout and continue to be available to treat all of our patients. We appreciate our partnership with you, and your horse does too!

08/17/2023

Come on out to our VHSA show tomorrow! Oliver Brown is our esteemed judge and we start at 2pm. This a fun, casual afternoon of showing; we look forward to seeing you!

PC: Mosaic Photography

08/09/2023

We’re very excited for a great week at Lexington National! Many thanks to our awesome students, their parents and our staff for the swift set-up and schooling today! Good luck to our riders and everyone this week!!

08/03/2023

We’re having a blast at trail and games camp! So far, we’ve gone over bridges and creeks on the trail, played mounted relay games, hacked out in a field, done barrel and keyhole races, and that’s just the riding. We’ve also been learning about horse colors and markings, barn and facilities management, parts of a bridle and bridle assembly, course design, and types of mounted games. We’ve done a whole lot of learning and had so much fun, and it’s only Wednesday!

07/29/2023

One more big shout out!
We’re so proud of our riders who were selected for the regional EAP session at ! Congrats to Kate, Tessa and Taylor!

We are so fortunate to have an educational program like this, and we’re happy to shepherd these young riders as they expand their horsemanship and riding skills. Bravo, Clairvaux riders!

07/29/2023

So proud of our riders at Rose Mount!

Lauren and Georgie did their first 3’ classes at a rated show and earned a fifth in the Schooling Hunter.

Eden and Daisy did their first rated show together and earned a ribbon in the Special Hunter Under Saddle

Grace and Choco earned great ribbons in the .80 and .90 jumpers

Natalie and Frankie did their first .90m together and won the .80m
Stake class.

Congrats to our riders and as ever, huge thanks to our Head Groom, Katelyn Jones, and to our riders’ supporters!

07/29/2023

We had a fantastic second week at Vermont Summer Festival! Here are some highlights:

Kate and Dermie had a successful move up to the 1.20 Junior Jumpers

Sophie and Cherie won the M&S 2’6” Children’s Medal and were reserve champion in the Modified Children’s Hunter

Tessa won the NEHC medal, qualifying her for the final

Taylor and Paris won two High Children’s Jumper classes

Nancy and Eddie had great rounds in the .90m and Modified Ch/Ad Jumper and earned nice ribbons

AND our team of Tessa, Taylor and Sophie won the first-ever Jumper Team Relay!!

We’re so proud of our riders and we really enjoyed our time in Vermont! Many thanks to our Head Groom, Katelyn Jones, and to all the riders’ supporters for making it a great two weeks!

07/29/2023

Long overdue update from our Vermont trip:

We had a great time in Vermont for the second week of their summer festival! Here are some highlights:

Tessa won the USHJA Hunt Seat Medal and placed second in the 3’3” Junior Hunter Handy with Pepper.

Taylor and Paris won the High Children’s/Adult Classic and the High Children’s class on Friday.

Kate and Dermie placed second in Saturday’s High Children’s Jumper and tenth in the High Children’s/Adult Classic. Best of luck to them in their 1.20m debut this coming week!

Nancy and Eddie placed well in the .90m and Modified Ch/Ad jumpers all week with some nice rounds.

Sophie and Cherie placed second in the Modified Children’s Hunter U/S and fifth in the Low Children’s Hunter U/S in their first show together.

Congrats to our riders! We had so much fun showing at this venue and enjoying Manchester.

07/26/2023

Virginia Horse Peeps, we’re looking for grooming help at Lexington National, 8/8-8/13. Please PM for details!

07/20/2023

Riding is more than just an activity - it’s a passion and a lifestyle. Read more from Aaron Vale in this article.

I was at the Tryon International Equestrian Center (North Carolina) one summer watching rounds while waiting to go into the ring, and a certain white pony caught my eye. It was a good jumper, competitive, brave and had the sweetest disposition. Over the summer I kept seeing this pony and could not h...

07/17/2023

Quiet evening at the show grounds.

06/26/2023

Thanks to for photographing our in-barn, summer camp show! Our campers of all levels were able to ride, in addition to helping out with various horse show jobs, including announcing, running the in gate, building and adjusting jumps, and, of course, handing out ribbons!

06/24/2023

We had a fun and educational first week of camp! We had to make some adjustments due to the rain, but we still spent the week learning how to prepare yourself and your horse for the show ring, how to care for your horse to keep them happy and healthy, how to build and ride a course, how to perform the jobs required to put in a show, and so much more! We finished the week with an in-house horse show, complete with ribbons, numbers, a photographer, and detailed feedback from a ‘R’ judge!

Big thanks to Dr. Hyman with , our farrier , for your demonstrations on health, shoeing, and saddle fit. We’re excited for another awesome week of camp starting on Monday! Will we see you then?

06/21/2023

Spot on.

Let’s talk social media and the pressures of do it for the ‘gram. Social media is the highlight reel. It’s selective and non-representative. It’s also a tool for self sabotage when you catch yourself comparing your worst to someone else’s best. It’s twice as sabotaging when you gauge your success on having something to post. I said what I said. The above picture is pretty sick from a grand prix a few years ago, I was excited to buy it especially since I was 2nd in that class. The bottom is that same jump from a side angle. I rode that jump poorly, had it down, and that’s why we didn’t win. I left that detail out when I originally posted and either way I was thrilled with making it to the jump off in what was my biggest class to date at that time. Sometimes your goals might not translate to results or pretty pictures but you do not have to justify their significance. Perhaps you put in mostly consistent rounds; you were better than last time and you learned something along the way. Maybe your goal was to master the stripey poles without heart palpitations or to move up a division and take the learning curve in stride. Maybe you returned to the show ring after a year off for injury or maybe you had the win of your career and are still on cloud 9! Goals of all shapes and sizes deserve to be celebrated. Do yourself a favor by celebrating your success for where you’re at rather than comparing yourself to somebody else’s journey. Success is not pie: someone else having “more“ success doesn’t mean you have “less“

06/20/2023

Proud doesn’t do justice to how I feel about our riders’ performances at Loudoun Benefit. Here are so highlights:

Kate and Dermie were Reserve Champion in the High Children’s Jumper

Emma and Cooper were Reserve Champion in the Small Children’s Pony Hunter

Reese and our own Kobe were Reserve Champion in the Short/Long Stirrup Hunter

Taylor and Paris won the Open 1.10m Jumper on Thursday

Meghan and Stormy earned great ribbons in the Short/Long Stirrup Eq and Hunters

Tessa and Pepper won the NCEA medal and earned great ribbons in the Older Children’s Hunter

Bridget and Blue earned super placings in the Younger Children’s Hunter

Nancy and Eddie had some great placings in the .80m and .90m jumpers

Meagan and Archie were fantastic in the .80m and .90m jumpers with great ribbons

Grace and Choco were clear at .90m and very successful at that and the .80m

Carrie and Queso placed 4th and 6th in a huge Low Children’s Hunter division

Eva and Basil were strong in the .80m jumpers

And finally, Sara and our special Covey were second in the USHJA 2’9” under saddle and had some nice jumping rounds. This horse keeps getting better and better. Sara also rode Eddie, Archie and Basil and produced some consistent and successful rounds.

Thanks to Katelyn, Anneliese and Sydney for all your hard work to keep our horses happy. And thank you to our fantastic riders and parents for your help, whether it was feeding us, running to the show office, checking on a ring or even an emergency on-the-spot physical therapy treatment so Terri could walk, these past two weeks have been fantastic and we are grateful.

06/17/2023

Blues for bays! Congrats to Meagan and Nancy for great rounds this morning at

06/13/2023

👉🏼 Be coachable. Be willing to give what your trainer says a shot, even if it sounds a little wacky, even if it sounds a little uncomfortable. I don’t mean “beat your horse” uncomfortable, of course. But try moving your body a little different. Try doing it on less contact/less leg/more leg/whatever, even if you’re sure Dobbin is going to hate it, and it won’t work. How do we get better if we can’t leave our comfort zones? How do we help our horses improve if they won’t leave theirs? And even if your trainer has you make a mistake, or goes down a path that won’t work, it’s super hard to wreck a horse in one 45-minute lesson. Give it a shot.

06/12/2023

We’re so proud of our riders at Upperville! Here are some highlights: Taylor and Paris, Champion High Children’s Jumper, Tessa and Pepper, 3rd and 4th in the Older Children’s (sixth in the Classic), Kate and Dermie placed in all of the High Children’s Jumpers including 9th in the Classic, Bridget and Blue were 4th in the Younger Children’s Hunter Under Saddle, Catie and Tony had a super round in the TB Jumpers on Tuesday, Sara and Covey were outstanding in the Back from the Track Hack, and Caroline made her Upperville debut in the Leadline on Panda! What a fantastic week!! Congrats to everyone!

06/11/2023

Saturday at Upperville means Leadline fun!

06/04/2023

Having fun at !

It's cloudy and COOL for once here at Upperville and everyone is 😁 at Jump4Fun!

05/24/2023

We had a great time at Keswick last week! Congrats to our riders. Here are some highlights:

Meagan and Archie were back at it with a pair of thirds in .80m.

Emma and Cooper won the Sm/Med Children’s Pony hack and a pair of second place ribbons over fences to match

Natalie and Frankie won the Low Children’s Eq Flat and placed well in the Low Children’s Hunters

Taylor and Paris won the High Children’s Classic and Friday’s open 1.10m

Tessa and Pepper placed second in the MHSA, USHJA Hunter Seat, and the Hamel

Bridget and Blue won the Younger Children’s Under Saddle and took third in the Gittings

We welcomed Eden and Brendan in their first show with us!

We’re so proud of everyone’s hard work. Many thanks to our awesome staff, helpers and clients! On to Upperville and Loudoun Benefit!

05/02/2023

We're growing! Looking for an Assistant Trainer. Successful candidate will be a strong, empathetic rider, who can also communicate well with owners and students. Will assist Head Trainer with riding/training, schedules, and management of horses, as well as teaching in her absence. Must have rated show level experience and be an advanced rider, with a comprehensive understanding of Hunter/Jumper training methods. Position includes teaching intermediate and advanced riders. Must like people as well as horses and be pro-active and enthusiastic. No housing offered at this time; board for one horse may be an option. Must have reliable transportation and be a non-smoker. Please DM for more information - questions will not be answered in comments.

PC: Mosaic Photography

04/11/2023

So proud of our horses and riders who showed at McDonogh last weekend!

Here are some highlights:
Emma and Cooper earned great ribbons in their first rated show together.
Karen and Lady got off to a great start in their first show together.
Tessa and Pepper placed 2nd in the MHSA and VHSA children’s medal and 3rd in the THIS.
Bridget and Blue won and Children’s Hunter class and the Classic.
Kate and Dermie were great in the High Children’s/Adult Jumper, with 2nds across the board.
Taylor and Paris won all three High Children’s/Adult Jumper classes.
Finally, Terri showed Kat Blum’s Breitling to some nice finishes in the .70 and .80 Jumpers.
Congrats to all!

04/03/2023

Our riders had a successful show at today!

To start the day, Sarah, Lilly, Ellie, and Emma all put in good work in a large Low Hunter division. Sarah earned a 6th place on Secret Handshake and Ellie won both over fences classes, earning a champion on ‘s Lilly Bear!

Then, Maddie did an job awesome job in her move-up to the Pre-Short stirrup, with some good ribbons and big smiles! Ella also moved up at this show, and earned champion in the Novice Equitation on Audacious! Vivian and Crazy About YooHoo looked great in the Pre-short Stirrup and earned solid ribbons in their classes.

Sofiya and Carrie were both competitive in the Student Equitation division, including a win for Carrie over fences, and a 2nd place for Sofiya. To close out the day, Ellie, Carrie, and Lilly competed in the Equitation on the Flat, with Lilly riding beautifully on Lapland Rosebay, Carrie earning 6th place, and Ellie earning another 1st!

Great work everyone! Thanks to .eq , , .eq and Gigi for helping us out and keeping us company!

04/03/2023

Fabulous day at two shows in two different states! First, some of our jumper riders rocked it at McDonogh. Here are some highlights:
Grace and Choco won big in the .80 and .85
Tessa and Pepper were super-competitive in the .90m with a third place finish and made some fantastic progress in the Low Children’s/Adult.
Taylor and Paris won the High Children’s Speed and Jump-off classes and placed second in the Classic
Kate and Dermie won the 1m speed class and the High Children’s Classic!
Congrats to our riders and stay tuned for our update from Red Gate, and a big congrats to Bridget and Blue for their great rides at McDonogh in the Younger Children’s Hunters yesterday!!

03/21/2023

So honored to be a part of Loudoun’s Farmer Trading Cards!!!

03/14/2023

A little late, but we had a great time in Week IX at WEC Ocala! Here are some highlights:

Bridget and Blue: Reserve Champion Younger Children’s Hunter

Catie and Tony: Third and eighth in the 1m Jumper division

Jess and Mark: Great placings including 3rd in the Middle Low Adult Hunters

Kat and Breit: Lovely rides in Younger Low Adult Hunters, including 7th place in the Under Saddle

Sophie and Jewel: A win in the Low Children’s Equitation on the Flat and 4th in the 2’6” Non-Pro Derby

Taylor and Paris: Champion 1.15m, as well as Champion and Classic winner High Children’s Jumper

Tessa and Pepper: A win in the Children’s
Equitation on the Flat and great o/f placings, plus good ribbons in the Novice Children’s Jumper

And a big congrats to Karen on her new horse, Magic Lady!

Many thanks to our awesome staff, Katelyn and Emily, as well as Sara and Kate the week prior. What a great couple of weeks we had! Looking forward to the rest of our ‘23 season!

03/08/2023

BY ABBY FUNK It is important to pave your road to be successful in anything you do. In riding and jumping, smoothing your path and planning ahead are essential to progress. To do this, you must literally look ahead where you are going before, during and after a jump. Focal points and straightness ar...

03/02/2023

This is the what we do:
We love on our horses.
We communicate.
We laugh.
We learn.

02/27/2023

We had an awesome time at WEC Ocala this past week!

Taylor and SFS Harriet earned champion in the 1.15m. Catie and Big Anthony were Reserve in the Thoroughbred Jumpers, Tessa and UpCountry Pisani had awesome rides coming back to the jumpers this week. Sophie and Vivianta rocked the Low Childrens Hunters and age group Equitation, with a 5th place in a very competitive flat class. Bridget and True Blue had some beautiful rides in the Younger Childrens, including a win in the under saddle. Eva and Marque my Points also had good trips and earned ribbons in the Younger Childrens and in the age group equitation. Kat and Breitling had great, confidence building trips in all three rings!

We’re excited to keep building on all this great work as we continue showing next week!

02/22/2023

A late but very important post! Both our middle and high school teams had an awesome show at IEA Regionals! Both earned champion and will be moving on to Zone finals!

🌟Starting with the Future Walk/Trot, all three of our riders, Emma, Katelyn, and Vivian, had awesome rides, with Vivian earning 6th and Emma earning 2nd.

🌟In the Future Walk/Trot/Canter Team class, Sarah placed 4th.

🌟Carrie won the Future Novice over fences Individual class, placed 3rd for the over fences team class, and placed 5th in the individual flat. Maddy won both the individual and team flat classes.

🌟Riley won all four of her classes, both team and individual flats and over fences for the Future Intermediate. Bridget placed 2nd in the individual flat.

🌟In the Upper School, Sofiya rode to a 2nd place in the Walk/Trot, and we are so proud of them.

🌟Reese placed 4th for the Team in JV Walk/Trot/Canter.

🌟Our JV Novice riders all had great rides, with Madison winning both of the team classes and placing 2nd in the individual class. Alexis won the Individual flat and Ellie placed 3rd.

🌟Sydney had a beautiful round to win the Varsity Intermediate individual over fences class, and put in strong rides to 3rd place finishes in both team classes. Riley places 3rd over fences for the team with a solid ride.

🌟In the Varsity Open, Tessa rode beautifully to a 2nd place in the team class and a 1st individually on the flat. Then, Savannah placed 4th for the team and 1st individually.

We are so proud of everyone’s progress and hard work this season. We’ll see you at Zones!

02/21/2023

Our horses are all settled in at WEC Ocala! We’re excited to see everyone and get things started. Be sure to come say hi if you’re around! ☀️🐴

02/06/2023

This is a fantastic program!!

✅The MZ Farms/USHJA Emerging Athletes Program will be offering a riding-focused portion and a stable management-focused program. A $50 application fee is required for either session. Applicants must also complete the Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Level One Quiz with a score of 80% or higher, no later than April 1, 2023.
⭐Regional Training Session near you:
📅June 7-9 at Midway University in Midway, Kentucky, with Julie Winkel and Erica McKeever
📅June 12-16 at Centenary University in Long Valley, New Jersey, with Jeff Cook and Tracy Forman
📅July 10-14 at Fox Lea Farm in Venice, Florida, with Joe Fargis and Julia Hogan
📅July 26-30 at Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Virginia, with Cynthia Hankins and Jennifer Fessler
📅August 1-5 at Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina, with Candice King and Tracy Forman
👉Apply: http://bit.ly/3X2EZ8s
👉Additional details: http://bit.ly/3JGiVgR

02/03/2023

It’s that time of year! There’s so much to learn through this program, please take part!

The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association is pleased to open registration for the 2023 USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge and Adult Horsemanship Quiz Challenge. With the aim of encouraging education and recognizing equestrians who have exceptional horsemanship knowledge, both Challenges allow equestrians of...