What an inspiration!

Hi Everyone,

I just had the most amazing week. I was the Rolex 4 star with Ashley Adams and her horse Vaunted coaching them through their first 4 star. Ashley is the first student that I have coached through a CCI****. Yes, she is now a 4 star rider! Ashley rode every phase as we planned which meant so much to me. We had a plan and she executed it perfectly. Ashley has an amazing fan base that she probably has no idea about. The roar of the crowd when she came off cross country was deafening. It brought tears to my eyes. Do you all know that Ashley made that little horse named Vaughn from scratch? She taught him how to do half pass and all that dressage stuff. I believe he came with his character to be brave when asked and that is why this partnership has developed into the 4 star level.

I have a funny story to tell, I have been 21st two times at Rolex and so having Ashley finish in my same placing at 21st is slightly ironic. That is a song! Ashley's week has given me inspiration for my trip own upcoming trip to Badminton. Murry and I had a great opportunity to do the test ride at Rolex. It gave me insight to a few things about my test and I know what I need to work on these last few days. We leave for JFK on Thursday. I only have about 5 days to improve my dressage, but I also need a few more jumps under my belt!

I have an amazing group of people coming over to help at Badminton. In my past I was thankful I was not a downhill racer because the grand daddy of downhill racing was the Hannikahm race. Crazy!! But as this trip comes closer I realize that I am about to ride at the grand daddy of three day eventing. Crazy? Hell no. I have an amazzing horse and as I always say when I walk into a venue-- this party is for my horse. The people are here to see my horse jump these incredible fences. Next time you will hear from me, I will be in Amsterdam with my Murry. If you own a cow bell ring it for me on Saturday. I am # 88 so I believe this means I will do my dressage on Friday afternoon. What a great number. I love double numbers.

Ok everyone this is your last week to buy a raffle ticket. The ticket purchase helps Merloch and I to get to Badminton, but you win a week of lessons with me including one lesson on my buddy Merloch. Stabling and housing are included. Stay here on my website and purchase tickets.

Touch back with me for updates,

Cross every thing you got and believe,

Bonnie and Murry

Getting to Badminton...

It's Official! Bonnie's entry to Badminton has been accepted! Visit their website to see the sights www.badminton-horse.co.uk/. After Merloch's spot on clean run at Southern Pines the pair is well on their way to Badminton success!

As many of you know we are offering a raffle to help fund the trip (go to http://www.bonniemosser.com/pages/Raffle.html for more info). Bonnie's estimated budget for this venture is $25,000 (horse flights, human flights, housing, veterinary expenses, etc). If we sell every raffle ticket we will raise approximately $10,000. If you are interested in becoming a Four Star supporter please consider making a tax deductible donation to the American Horse Trials Foundation. Please contact rebecca@bonniemosser for more information about the AHTF and instructions for making your gift. If you wish to make an anonymous gift you may contact the AHTF directly:


The American Horse Trials Foundation
221 Grove Cove Road
Centreville, MD 21617
Phone: (443) 262-9555
Fax: (443) 262-9666
Email: ahtf@worldnet.att.net

Everyone who contributes (including raffle ticket purchasers!) and provides me (rebecca@bonniemosser.com) with their e-mail address will receive daily updates from Badminton (as long as technology cooperates!).

If you contribute $500+ we will send you a "Point Above Farm Four Star" shirt and an autographed photo of Bonnie and Merloch at Badminton.

If your business is interested in helping to fund this trip we will add your logo to our website (www.bonniemosser.com) for 1 year for all donations of $1,000+.

Whether you are behind this exciting next step in Bonnie's career with donations or simple well wishes, you all are what make these trips possible!

Thank you all for your support.

SUMMER CAMP!!

What will it take to make 2009 your best eventing season ever?

Summer camp 2009!

Get a "jump" on the competition! This unique 7 day training opportunity with Bonnie will provide you with the training tools you need to reach your next eventing goal. Whether its Fair Hill in the fall or your first beginner novice horse trial this summer, Bonnie will work with you to develop a customized training regimine to get you where you want to go.

Campers of all skill levels are welcome.

The week will end with the CDCTA HT. (Note: CDCTA entry fees are not included in your camp fee, please enter by the opening date. From our farm you will not need stabling). Campers who wish to stay on for an extra week to prepare for Surefire are eligible for a discounted weekly training rate ($250 for 5 lessons, stabling $20/night).

Camp begins on June 14 and ends on the 21st. Day 1 is a move in and hacking day. Arrive by 1pm to take a horseback tour of the farm and join us for a welcome to camp cook out!

The rest of camp will consist of private and small group dressage, show jumping and x-c lessons. Groups will never exceed four people so you will be guaranteed lots of individualized attention. Bonnie will work with each camper to help design a fitness program appropriate for each horse over the rest of the season.

Every camper will participate in 7 mounted lessons, daily unmounted instructional seminars, course walks at CDCTA and fun evening activities!

Camp fee includes all of the above plus:

Stabling and bedding
Lunch Monday-Friday

$825

Please inquire about housing options available on the farm (first come/first serve!)

E-mail rebecca@bonniemosser.com for an entry or for more information/questions, etc.

Southern Pines Success!

Congratulations to Bonnie and Ashley for both of their spectacular performances at Southern Pines II! Bonnie and Merloch won their Advanced division and Ashley and Vaunted finished second in their own Advanced division! Next up... The Fork.

Pennfield is the "Official" USEF Feed

Point Above Farm would like to congratulate our newest sponsor, Pennfield Feeds, on recently being named the official feed of the USEF.

Our favorite Pennfield products include Cool "n" Lite and Fibergized. Contact Bonnie if you'd like to learn more about her feeding program.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information please contact
Susan Page 610-824-6215 spage@horseflycreative.com
Press passes and high resolution photos available for journalists

Hundred-Year-Old Promise to Always Put the Horse First Nets Small PA Company “Official Feed of the USEF” Title

LANCASTER, Pennsylvania, February 18, 2009 — “Official Feed of the United States Equestrian Federation.” It was a label and announcement that spoke volumes for the quality of a regionally produced product and small, family owned Pennsylvania company that since 1919 has lived by the promise of putting the horse first. Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies of Lancaster, PA couldn’t be more proud of their new partnership with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) as the Official Feed of the USEF.

“Earning the respect of a partner like USEF speaks volumes on what Pennfield Feed is all about,” explains Jeff Katelan, national sales and marketing manager of Pennfield Country Life Products. "Our competition in the industry is with some huge conglomerates, so this is an enormous honor for us and says a tremendous amount about the quality of our product and company. From day one, Pennfield has been a company that prides itself on its promise to always put the horse first and to care about the well-being of the horse as much as the riders do. It was our founding partner's mission almost a hundred years ago and it's still our mission today. So it's a great honor to be recognized as the ‘Official Horse Feed’ of an organization that values, protects and promotes the well-being of the national riding community the way USEF has proven itself to do."

A family owned, strictly regional feed company (Pennfield is distributed up and down the east coast), Pennfield is best known for using only the finest, most consistent feed ingredients and precise, manufacturing techniques that ensure top quality "fixed formula" feeds, meaning each lot is identical to the one that came before it. For over a decade they’ve partnered with Kentucky Equine Research (KER) to bring state-of-the-art nutritional expertise to their feed products, and give Pennfield customers advanced equine nutrition and uncontested technical support. “Our partnership with KER gives us the advantage of having the best equine nutritionists in the country involved with the formulation of every bag of Pennfield Feed that leaves our mill,” explains Katelan. “That, combined with our proprietary, state of the art milling techniques that we’ve developed, and our absolute vow to stand by our fixed-formula promise by buying only the best ingredients, and buying them consistently from the same folks regardless of pricing fluctuations, allows us as a regional family-owned company, to compete so successfully in the big leagues.”

Their quality and consistency has not only earned Pennfield the trust of the USEF, but also of world-class trainers and competitors throughout the equine industry who rely on Pennfield feed to fuel their horses, such as Pennfield’s Promise Partners: Olympians and super-stars Karen and David O’Connor, Phillip Dutton, Bruce Davidson, John Williams, Kim Severson and Michael Barisone; Four-In-Hand Driving Champion Chester Weber; and top Irish show jumper Jonathon McCrea and his wife, U.S. show jumper Christine McCrea.

These riders will be showing their dedication to Pennfield by helping to host the eight-city “That’s a Promise Tour”, presented by Pennfield, KER and USEF. Designed to help fulfill the promise of the Olympians of tomorrow by supporting the USEF Young Riders Program through ticket sales and high-end silent auctions, its premise is to bring riders together with some of the best horsemen and women in the country to explore the two meanings of "promise"...one of potential and one of principal...and how they relate to themselves as riders and to their horse. Hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, mingling with stars and other amazing company from the riding world, and a silent auction will be the base format for each stop, and Dr. Joe Pagen, world-renown KER nutritionist, will provide cutting-edge nutritional insight. Plus, at each Tour stop attendees will have the opportunity to win a private lesson in their sport with one of Pennfield’s Promise Partners, and can bid on items donated by riders, the U.S. Equestrian Team, and other industry companies in a silent auction to benefit the USEF Young Rider fund. Many items promise to be unique – think Karen O’Connor preparing a gourmet style meal for you and five of your friends at her farm, or a crystal horse sculpture presented to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Equestrian Team by the Mayor of Hong Kong.

The tour kicked off with a huge party on the WEF show grounds in Wellington, FL on Sunday, February 8th, and was followed by the first educational tour stop in Ocala, FL on Monday night, February 9th. From there the tour will head north, following the competitive season, with monthly stops in Aiken on March 10th, then Lexington, Middleburg, Unionville, the Hudson Valley and Gladstone. For more information on the tour, or to get tickets for the tour stop in your area, visit www.thatsapromisetour.com.

About PennfieldPennfield is a widely respected, family-owned feed company headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania that has been serving the Mid-Atlantic since 1919, and was named in 2008 as the “Official Feed of the U.S. Equestrian Federation”. Pennfield is known for using only the finest, most consistent feed ingredients and precise manufacturing techniques that ensure top quality "fixed formula" feeds. In 1996, Pennfield joined forces with Kentucky Equine Research and consequently merged tradition and technology. Pennfield's quality manufacturing and personal service combined with KER's state-of-the-art nutritional expertise gives Pennfield customers advanced equine nutrition and uncontested technical support. For more information, please visit pennfield.com or call 800-995-0333.

Welcome Kelly!

Point Above Farm would like to welcome Kelly McDowell, the newest addition to our team. Kelly will be assisting Ashley and the rest of the gang around the farm learning the ropes and perfecting her riding and grooming skills.

Kelly lives nearby in Orange, and has been riding for 11 years. She is very excited about the opportunity to improve her riding skills and learn from Bonnie and the other students. When she's not working with horses, she enjoys reading, going to concerts and watching films.

2009 Season off to a great start!

The season is underway!

Point Above Farm is enjoying training and warming up at their winter home in St. Matthew's, SC at George and Ethel Gibbes beautiful facility. Our old friend Otis (see pig below) is still up to his old antics eating acorns and spooking the horses. One horse on the farm who is particularly scared of Otis, Ashley Adams gelding Vaunted, didn't let his jitters get the best of him this past weekend when he jumped cleanly into 4th place in the OI division at Pine Top. Ashley's season opener is particularly exciting as it was a fast and confident build up to her first CCI**** at Rolex in April.

Working student Lucy Drinkwater got her feet wet in the Novice division at last Wednesday's Full Gallop Horse Trials and is excitedly looking forward to the Training division at this coming week's Paradise Farm horse trials.

Bonnie and Merloch will be making their competition debut at Southern Pines II in the middle of March. Until then look for her at Paradise with White Out in the Training division and at Pine Top with Bounce Back in the Preliminary division.

New students and old are welcome and encouraged to get in touch to schedule a lesson. The farm will move back to Virginia in early March.