08/03/2026
So this is a bit of a long one, but I promise it’s worth the read. Please share this message with your child:
In preparation for the Cornerstone Farm 2026 Showcase yesterday, I will say there were countless hours spent on the event (well over 75+ hours) and it was for sure stressful to coordinate 14 horses, 19 kids, multiple tack changes, 3 drill teams & different events. BUT after a quick reflection (& a good night of sleep) I would for sure be lying if I said it wasn’t worth it. Every smile from ear to ear on EVERY kids face that came out of that arena after each ride, made every stressful moment 100% worth it.
I never in my life have seen so much positivity, support & growth within a span of 4 hours. To see pure joy radiating off of every kids face to be able to go and show their friends & family what they have been working on throughout the year, was more than I could have ever asked for. I am so incredibly PROUD of how well every student displayed wonderful horsemanship, kindness & confidence throughout the ENTIRE day. I am so blessed to be able to have seen many of these students start from day 1 on their riding journey & watch them absolutely FLOURISH in our program. Every. Single. Student. should be so proud of their many hours of hard work put into these horses. You ALL rode so wonderfully and made my mom & I so incredibly proud. 👏
Thank you to every spectator who came & supported our students. Your encouragement in these young ladies lives will stick with them forever. I hope each child that participated never forgets this day (I think the pounds of glitter that ended up on the barn floor & in the dirt will also be a great reminder😉). Thank you all for making this event run so smooth & for bringing so much joy to so many people. To have an event this large with 0 negativity, I don’t see how I could say no to making this an annual event…
With much love & gratitude,
your barn manager & assistant trainer,
Grace Vandenberg
❤️🤍💙
There are also so many people that made this day possible, without you, it would not have been possible. Thank you to the following & I’m sure other people I’m missing that I can’t quite remember because my brain is still fried:
*Thank you Jesus for watching over our event, keeping every horse & rider safe without a single fall or incident! Also, for the most lovely weather-we could have not asked for better weather or better ground to keep our horses safe!
*thank you to our wonderful, safe horses who carried so many different riders of all ages & skill sets-they were the real mvps 😎
*Layne for being my clone & wearing so many hats yesterday-from switching saddles to being ring steward, playing music & so much more!
*Beau Koltz for bringing the bleachers, running the cotton candy machine, & taking drone footage. For being my rock to keep me sane and somewhat functioning properly to be able to coordinate events like this for you all, as well as planning a much needed getaway.
*Kollin for making sure all things electrical weren’t burning down, making sure everything ran smoothly with the power, & helping with odd jobs as well as always putting a smile on my face-maybe it’s the mustache, who knows 🤷♀️😉
*My parents, Scott & Renee Vandenberg for listening to my ideas all the time for this event, having the wonderful facility to host the event, & supporting me to put on the incredible day.
*Kevin A for running in any/every direction I asked of him ALL day-gate man, ground crew, horse groomer, parking cars-you name it, he did it.
*Abrams family for being so incredibly reliable all the time & their extended family bringing majority of the food
*Lehmans, Kalyx, Hanna, Annabell & Carrington for helping paint the arena fence which looks so beautiful & hopefully will look this great for many more years!
*Geoff Koltz/Always Available Seating
for having the bleachers & cotton candy machine available for us to use
*Evelyn for always being the best mini me & extra hands, helping with whatever jobs I need done
*Faith for helping where was needed in tidying up the place & helping maintain gardens and more
*Michelle for the microphone & last minute ice run
*Allisyn & Macy for running the gate
*Rhonda for painting chairs & table
*Gordon for the yard games
*Dalton for helping the days prior in preparation-making the yard look great, doing odd jobs, & helping with parking
*Dave for capturing this event in photographs (sign up sheet for photos will be in the barn-email is needed to receive your child’s folder of photos)
*Megan for helping get horses ready/deglitterificarion process
*Hengels for helping with the brochures
*every person who was so willing to help all day & was constantly checking in with me
*every spectator, parent, family member, & friend who supports these girls continually throughout the year, as well as the day of the showcase.
*every person who brought a dish to pass
*every person/ground crew who jumped in when we needed barrels, jumps or poles set
*last but certainly not least in the slightest, my absolute favorite, my horse, Pepsi for being so patient, carrying 4 riders, & being so willingly 24/7 from carrying flag, to drill team, barrels-whatever is needed, he gets is done with the most fabulous attitude 🤍
❤️🤍💙THANK YOU ALL! 💙🤍❤️
