Dara Knot

The Dara Knot crew has had a busy and successful couple of weeks.

At Stable View's June Horse Trials, I had a great weekend out with Oakey and Salty. Oakey put in a solid effort at Training to finish 4th, while Salty made an exciting Novice debut and continues to show what a fun horse he is for the future.

Madison had the ride on Rosary Murphy’s Coco and Nancy Marks’ Pup, delivering a one-two finish in Beginner Novice with these two cool mares. Such a fun result and a great weekend for both horses.

Our working student Charlotte Thompson and her horse Mardi also did a super job around the Novice, and we have really enjoyed having Charlotte as part of the team this summer.

Client Elizabeth Ann and Mac & Cheese tackled the Beginner Novice together, continuing to build confidence and progress with this talented young horse. The results do not always show the full picture of the work happening at home, but EA keeps showing up, pushing forward, and putting in the time. We are excited for their future together.

This past weekend, George Barker and I headed to Bouckaert Farm. I moved Oakey up to Modified, where he stepped up beautifully and finished 4th. This horse just keeps getting better, and it is exciting to have such a special young horse coming up through the levels.

George came back out after a bit of a competition hiatus and made it count, winning the Novice Rider division. He has worked hard for that result, and it was great to see it all come together.

Now we take a bit of a summer break for training, schooling, and time at home before kicking off the fall season at the end of August.

Proud of this crew and grateful for the horses who keep teaching us every step of the way.

— Babette Lenna

In November of 2021, a dream became a reality when a group of investors and I purchased Paradise Farm.

With hard work, a lot of support, and many long days, the last four-plus years have flown by as we transformed Paradise into Dara Knot and continued building something incredibly special here in Aiken.

This spring marks a major milestone for Dara Knot, as I step into full ownership of the farm and into the next chapter of this journey.

The group who believed in this vision from the very beginning gave me an opportunity I will always be grateful for. Their support made all of this possible, and being able to give that support back to them so early in the life of the farm means more than I can put into words.

I truly believe you can grow every day if you are willing to put in the work and surround yourself with an incredible support network. I have been lucky enough to have both.

Here’s to the next chapter at Dara Knot, and to many more sunrises, sunsets, and long days spent building something we believe in.

—Babette

Another successful Horse Trials in the books.

A huge thank you to everyone who came out and competed with us on Saturday. We appreciate each rider who chose to spend their day at Dara Knot.

More importantly, thank you to our incredible volunteers. These events simply would not happen without the people willing to give their time, energy, and support behind the scenes. From start to finish, it takes a dedicated group to make a day like this possible, and we are incredibly grateful for each and every one of you.

As we head into a summer break from Horse Trials, we’re already looking forward to what’s ahead this fall. Stay tuned for upcoming dates and announcements.

Thank you all for being part of it. We’re proud of what this community continues to build together. 🤍🐴

The courses are set.

Cross country maps for tomorrow’s Three Phase are now available.

Looking forward to welcoming everyone to Dara Knot for another great day. 🌾🐴

Entries for our May Three Phase are now open through end of day tomorrow!

We’re looking forward to another great day at Dara Knot and would love to see a few more riders join us. Share with your friends 🐴

📅 Saturday, May 30
📍 Dara Knot Farm

As we gear up for our May Three Phase, it feels important to take a second to recognize the incredible young riders here at Dara Knot and all they’ve accomplished already this year.

This group shows up. For the farm, for their horses, and for themselves. The work behind the scenes is paying off, and it’s been rewarding to watch each of them continue to grow in their own way.

Madison Blodgett recently completed her 2*L with Fen. It hasn’t been the easiest road, but she proved she had the grit to see it through—and that’s what this sport takes.

Sophia Miller wrapped up her winter season with a 2nd place finish in her final Modified before heading back to Maine for the summer. She continues to develop her talented and slightly unconventional horse with so much patience and hard work.

Katelyn Hoy has spent the last year bringing along her young Thoroughbred mare. Not always straightforward, but Katelyn stayed committed to the process, and the partnership they’ve built has been so rewarding to watch. The mare is now confidently jumping around the .95 and ready for more. On top of that, Katelyn recently graduated high school with honors—a reminder of just how difficult it can be to balance riding at this level alongside school.

Marissa Redmond put a tremendous amount of work into bringing along Turbo, and while it became clear he would prefer a more focused dressage path, that process only sharpened her skills as a rider. After a short break from competing, she catch rode my new event horse Salt Air at Intercollegiate Championships this past weekend—and won.

We’ve also recently welcomed Charlotte Thompson to the group. She brings so much maturity and drive, and we’re excited to continue helping both she and Mardi develop. She comes from a great program, and we’re lucky to have her here.

The future of this sport feels bright with young riders like these continuing to put in the work every day. So proud of this group 💛🐴

Entries close May 26th! Enter here: https://evententries.com/ ==

Saturday, May 30th at Dara Knot: Three Phase!

A full day to get out and build confidence across all three phases.

Three-Phase | Combined Test | Dressage | Test of Choice | Show Jump Round

Offering:
Three-Phase: Starter through Training
Combined Tests: Starter through Modified
Advanced Test of Choice

Entries close May 26th.
Sign up at Event Entries: https://evententries.com/ ==