St. Andrews Equestrian Program

Busy Weekend of Competition for the Equestrian Team

2012-02-03T11:22:00.000-05:00

This weekend is a tad busy! The western IHSA team is traveling to Martin Community College for back to back shows Saturday and Sunday. Assistant barn manager Rachel Buckler is travelling with the team to assist Carla, keep points and report back so we can keep everyone informed. Meanwhile at home we are hosting an IHSA hunter seat show on Saturday. Home hunter seat shows require an enormous effort from all team members. Team members groom and tidy the horses, clean the tack and the barn, share horse holding duties, and keep thing running. Work study and the barn staff start early and stay late. Staff serve in various capacities including announcing, running the draw table, working the paddock, posting points and pitching in wherever they are needed. We live by the saying it takes a village… and it SO true! Our village will be spread a little thin this weekend! Go Knights!

Tournament of Champions and Ride-Like-A-Knight Updates

2012-01-30T18:51:00.001-05:00

The past week was pretty busy. Ashley Duda and six hunter seat riders made the drive to Mary Washington University in Fredericksburg, VA. The Tournament of Champions is an invitational IHSA style show that pits the strongest teams in the nation against one another. Coach Duda had prepped her team well and improved their previous team placing to sixth. That is sixth in the nation! Not too shabby!

Meanwhile at home the Ride-Like-A-Knight program installed a new lift for mounting riders. This lift was funded by The Elizabeth Fund.

The Elizabeth Fund exists to enrich and enlarge the lives of youth and adults with physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities through the therapeutic horsemanship program at St. Andrews University.

Established in 2010 through the generous $25,000 gift by Joe Junod '69 and Marilyn Greene, it is named in honor of their mothers, Elizabeth Donaldson Junod and Dr. M. Elizabeth Peck.

“We are both committed to programs assisting people with disabilities,” said Greene. “Our mothers were both great humanitarians, and lovers of animals as well. Since I have a special love for horses, we decided to focus on giving to this program and dedicate these efforts to the memories of our mothers.”

The lift will be used to offer services to a wider range of riders in the Ride-Like-A-Knight program. Before that can happen, staff, students and especially the horses need to be trained in its use. This will be a great learning opportunity for the students in the RLAK program.

Looking ahead to next weekend, we are hosting our first IHSA hunter seat show of 2012 on Saturday and the western team travels to Martin Community College for a double header Saturday and Sunday. It is good to be busy!

Busy Start to Spring Semester

2012-01-22T19:48:00.000-05:00

Life throws you curves, last weekend I was in Florida with Peggy and Debbie Bell at the College Preparatory Invitational in Wellington FL, and this weekend I am bundled up at home with a cold and icing my back which decided that the misery of a cold needed company! Meanwhile while I am laying around (I am icing my back as I type) the equestrian program has been really busy.

Lessons started early this semester so we can finish early and focus our energies on IHSA Nationals which we are hosting in Raleigh in May in 2012 – there will be lots more about that in the coming months.
Riding Council organized a cleanup of Hasty Road this Saturday which was well attended and the road is now beautifully clean. (Why do people throw trash into nature, do they do that in their houses too? Yuk!)
Scot Evans is teaching a clinic this Sunday/Monday for the hunter seat riders – always an interesting and inspiring opportunity.
Riding Council is organizing horse cleanup for our first IHSA hunter seat show of the spring semester which is scheduled for Feb. 4th.

As for me, it’s back to the chiropractor and work tomorrow! Can’t wait to be busy again!

The History of the St. Andrews Equestrian Program

2012-01-16T11:53:00.000-05:00

The book is here! The project completed by the History and Theory of Modern Riding class has been turned into a book discussing the history of the St. Andrews Equestrian Program starting in 1969! If you would like a copy of the book please send a check for $25 made out to St. Andrews University. Attn: Jackie Dwelle, 9167 Hasty Road, Laurinburg, NC 28396. Shipping is free. Below is the introduction to the book.

Front Cover: Main photograph is the Lesson barn in 2007.

Top left to right, Jon Conyers with his dog Kaleb; Kira Gainey showing Chessie; Peggy McElveen and Sami Cram class of 2012

Second row Oscar Allen who has been with the program since at least 1984, cleaning stalls, mowing, raking pine straw etc. Oscar turned 80 in 2011 and still works at the equestrain center; Kelsey Moody showing at IHSA Nationals 2010 in reining.

Therapeutic riding photo Liz Harris Adams, Liz Capalbo and Katie Tieman holding Special; Shelby French with a team in the early 1980s; J.R. McCaulley jumping on campus, J.R. was a member of the team that competed in Panama in 1993, his team mates were Susan Yeaman Deal, Beth Anna Perry and Cathy Kassell Geitner; Sarah Rhymer mounted with Debbi White and Bob Cacchione at IHSA Nationals; Christine Eidson showing Max in an IDA show in 2005.

Introduction

In 1958 a Charter for a Consolidated Presbyterian College was registered with the North Carolina Secretary of State by representatives of Peace College in Raleigh, Flora Macdonald College in Red Springs and Presbyterian Junior College in Maxton NC. Friends of Peace College filed successful litigation to be excluded from the proposed consolidation and so it was that on September 22, 1961 St. Andrews Presbyterian College opened its doors to 750 students from the merger of Flora Mcdonald and Presbyterian Junior College 4.

From the beginning St. Andrews’ core curriculum was considered to be the school’s greatest asset. The campus was built to accommodate students with disabilities which in 1961 was many years ahead of the 1990 American with Disabilities Act. The buildings and walkways were designed with ramps to create a modern and accessible facility 1.

Eight years later during the 1969 – 1970 academic year a small group of students with the support of the Dean of Students, Rodger Decker, formed a new club, The St. Andrews Hoofers 2. Marguerite “Bunky” Simpson the first president of the new riding club brought the first horse, Popsi, onto campus in 1969 and a new era for St. Andrews was born 3.

For the last 42 years, the equestrian program has consistently functioned as a student directed and driven program. From the very beginning students have organized the program demonstrating their interest in horses, developing the program into a varsity sport, supporting academic programs and throughout the history of the program sharing their enthusiasm with others in multiple roles including teaching, event management, and service projects.

The drive demonstrated by the students has been matched over the years by the staff and faculty. Many people have contributed to the program, sharing their knowledge, guiding students, creating opportunities and facilitating student driven ideas. You will meet some of these extraordinary people and learn about their accomplishments in the chapters of this book. Looking forward the equestrian program is always evolving; some of the current staff and faculty shared their dreams with the research team.

What Bunky Simpson and her peers started in 1969 has grown today into a nationally respected equestrian program that still embodies the motto adopted early in the program’s history Equitation Elicits Excellence.

This book was researched and developed by the Fall 2011 History and Theory of Modern Riding class. Many hours were spent in the college archives exploring the numerous publications and artifacts that have been collected over the years. Personal interviews with students, instructors, and faculty both past and present were conducted to pull together as much information as possible with the goal of developing a publication that reflects the beginning, development and growth of one of the leading collegiate equestrian programs in the United States.

References
1. The History of St. Andrews University retrieved Dec. 11, 2011 http://www.sapc.edu/aboutsa/history.php.

2. “Elise Eleazer, “The History of the St. Andrews Equestrian Program, Nov 28, 1993.

3. Interview Marguerite Simpson Garfield Nov. 2011.

4. Melton, George E. St. Andrews: A Brief History. 1981. Print.

History of the St. Andrews Equestrian Program

2012-01-04T09:32:00.000-05:00

I spent my entire Christmas break helping out at the barn, but mostly working on the History of the St. Andrews Equestrian Program project. It is now 50+ pages and will be printed in book form with lots of color pictures. The history starts in 1969 with the first horse on campus moves onto the Shelby French Era and ends with the Peggy McElveen era and looks at the development of the various programs. Lots of memories from students and staff and some thoughts looking forward. The History will be available for sale, $25 free shipping to U.S. addresses. Hope to send it to the printers today! Email dwellejm@sapc.edu if you are interested!

A Christmas Story...

2011-12-22T07:11:00.002-05:00

I entered this story in the Fayetteville Observer Children's Christmas Story contest. They published the winners today and this was not one of them! So the blog seems like the perfect place to put it. Enjoy!

Away in a Manger…

“T’was the night before Christmas and all about the house, nothing was stirring, except for a mouse.1”

“Wait, wait, wait, we live in a barn!” said Bailey interrupting Max’s musings, “and we spend most of our time in this huge pasture, plus the mice do clean up for us where you and I drop food while we eat due to our failing teeth at our advanced age.”
Max sighed, “I know, but Christmas time seems so special to our humans.”
“You are a horse! A retired one at that! What do you know about Christmas!” Bailey tossed his head and rolled his eyes.
“I know that our humans think that Christmas is a pretty special time of year. They are kind to one another and give gifts to the people that they hold dear.” Max dropped his head and licked his lips. “I also get extra treats at Christmas for no reason that I can tell other than they are feeling extra kind.”
“I know dude, they really seem to change at this time of year.” Bailey conceded as he ever so gently pushed Max’s nose aside from a particularly green patch of clover.
Just then Haflinger pony Toby wandered over, “Mind sharing the clover?” he asked.
“I mind,” said Bailey flatly, snarling the corner of his nostril nearest to Toby to emphasize the point. Toby looked hopefully at Max who backed up a step and lowered his head indicating that the clover was up for grabs as far as he was concerned. “Toby, do you think humans are kinder at Christmas time?” he asked.
Toby kept one eye on the clover and the other on Bailey as he thought about the question. “Well, maybe, they do seem to spend more time together, sharing food and giving one another gifts.”
“Why do they do that at this time of year?” asked Max.
“I think it has something to do with that display they put in the courtyard for everyone to see,” said Toby. “There is a family as well as sheep and other animals, shepherds and some dudes in fancy looking outfits that must be important in some way. The dressed up guys also look to be giving gifts to the baby.”
“Plus the scene is in a barn,” added Max. “I’ve heard the humans talking about how barns are great equalizers, something about all people being the same when they are at the barn. I’m not sure exactly what they were talking about but they all agreed that the barn is their favorite place to be.”
“I’ve heard comments like that too,” said Toby, “they were saying, when they are at the barn, they can just be themselves and don’t have to worry about what other people think. In fact now that you mention it I also heard the program director telling someone how important it is to her to have everyone feel welcome when they are at the barn. She also said that the barn is a place where everything is always the same and everyone respects each other’s point of view.”
“Well they are always happy to see us and they give us lots of hugs and praise no matter what time of year it is,” said Bailey. “But they don’t’ always treat each other that way all the time, I have heard them talking and saying some not very nice things to each other. Maybe they have to be reminded to be nice to one another and that is what Christmas is for.”
“So is that why there are people and animals in the display?” asked Max.
“I think it is one of those barn yard themed birthday parties,” chimed in Toby. “There are guests with gifts, all they need is a cake. Although I suppose the candles might be a bit hazardous in a barn particularly as the baby is sleeping in a feed tub bedded with straw”
“It looks like our therapeutic horsemanship program to me,” observed Bailey.
“How do you mean?” asked Max.
“Well everyday, families bring their children to see us horses. Some of them ride, some of them brush us and some of them just enjoy watching others ride. We also have the volunteers that take care of us, and help the children with their riding and other skills, sort of like the shepherds caring for the sheep.” Bailey lifted his head from the clover patch for a moment allowing Toby to grab a bite.
“What about the guys with gifts, they fit well with Toby’s birthday idea” said Max.
“Gifts are not just for birthdays although this could well be a birthday party. The humans who teach lessons and organize all our events wear matching shirts that make them stand out from the families and volunteers,” said Bailey “The gifts maybe birthday presents or perhaps they are symbols of appreciation or recognition from the guys in the fancy clothes.”
“Oh the gifts are the easy part!” exclaimed Toby. “Gifts come everyday in one form or another. Remember that little girl last month who has been coming to ride with us for two years? Well she never said a word and then suddenly she started saying “walk on” and “whoa” like she had been doing it all her life. I overheard her mother saying that since that day she has started to speak more at home. I was so excited to hear her speak for the first time that I almost trotted off – luckily I managed to stop myself just in time!
“That’s not all,” Bailey said “Last week we needed to raise money for new equipment for the program so the program director posted an appeal on her facebook page and someone was kind enough to donate all the funds needed, just like that! Did you not see the fancy new saddle that Marshmellow has been wearing? They bought that, as well as some other items that make riding more comfortable for the riders.”
Toby looked a little troubled, “So which is it?” he asked. “Does the display represent a birthday party or is it a reminder to humans to treat one another well or is it just a representation of our riding program?”
Bailey being the leader of the herd considered this for a minute while Max managed to grab the last few bites of clover. Finally, Bailey spoke, “I think it is all of them,” he stated. “It looks like it is the baby’s birthday which serves as a reminder to humans to be kind to one another and in our little bit of the world this just happens to occur at a therapeutic horsemanship center.”
“Well there is one thing about the display that you have not yet explained,” said Toby. “and that is the giant star hanging over the barn.”
“Oh I know what that is,” said Max through the last mouthful of clover, “it represents the head lights on the pick up truck that is coming up the lane right now with our warm mash and blankets to keep us comfortable on a cold winter night. Follow those lights to the barn, its time for dinner!”

1. Clement Clarke Moore (1779 - 1863)

The semester is coming to an end...

2011-12-08T10:12:00.000-05:00

The end of the semester comes so quickly! Last weekend Ashley and six members of the IHSA hunter seat team made the drive to Centenary College in New Jersey to compete in the invitational IHSA Tournament of Champions (TOC). Schools are invited to compete in TOC competitions based on their success so the competition is very tough as the best intercollegiate teams in the country are represented. St. Andrews ended up in 13th place out of 25 which is not too shabby considering the competition.
The team visited Washington DC, specifically the Lincoln Memorial, made a stop to take a lesson at Regina Barash’s barn in the Bronx and did a quick tour of the USEF team headquarters in Gladstone NJ. From all reports it was an amazing trip for all involved.

With finals starting tomorrow (today is study day on campus) equestrian activities are limited to stress reducing hacks and pleasure rides. Tonight the equestrian staff don their Chef hats for an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party in the Party Palace. The menu consists of warming dishes including soups, chilli, chicken and dumplings and of course Pebbles’ brownies. Finals start tomorrow, good luck to everyone!

Intercollegiate Horse Show Scoring

2011-11-14T18:10:00.002-05:00

The fall intercollegiate season comes to a close with St. Andrews teams having the following points.

Hunter Seat 200
Western 144
Dressage 16

This places the hunter seat and western teams in the lead in their respective regions by 32 and 20 points and the dressage team one point behind Averett University in their region. The point value differences come from the different approach taken by the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) and the Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA).

IHSA and IDA both use the same system when it comes to awarding points to individual riders.

1st – 7 points
2nd – 5 points
3rd – 4 points
4th – 3 points
5th – 2 points
6th – 1 point

Individual riders in both organizations accumulate points towards year end awards and for the opportunity to ride at Regionals for IHSA or Nationals for IDA. IHSA has more competitive layers at the end of the year than IDA.

In IHSA, point riders are designated by the coach at the coaches meeting prior to the start of the show. Schools may have more than one rider in each division but only one rider’s score counts for the team. In IDA usually 2 teams of 4 riders from each school compete for the day’s points. IHSA Hunter Seat has 8 designated point riders with one drop score. IHSA Western has 6 designated point riders with no drop score. IDA teams count the best 3 scores (by point value determined by their individual placing in their division) from each team of 4 riders. At the end of each show the most each team can score is as follows.

IHSA Hunter Seat – 49 points
IHSA Western – 42 points
IDA Dressage – 21 points

In IHSA the team’s points from each show are cumulative. For example three perfect shows in hunter seat would earn 147 points. In IDA the winning team earns 7 points, the second place team 5 points etc. So a perfect score for three shows for IDA would be 21 points. To further complicate things no matter how many shows are held in a region for IDA only a team’s top 4 shows count. If a school has a second team their points do not count towards qualifying. In IHSA each region must have a minimum of 5 shows to qualify for Regionals and therefore Zones and finally Nationals.

Very confusing and this does not address all the rules in both organizations that start with “In the event…".

I’ll discuss individual scoring and qualifying for Regionals and Nationals in a later post.

Currently, all St. Andrews Intercollegiate Equestrian Teams are strong contenders in their respective regions.

Regional Standing for All St. Andrews' Intercollegiate Teams

IHSA Hunter Seat - After 5 shows
St. Andrews University 200
UNC-Chapel Hill 168
North Carolina State University 161
Duke University 154
East Carolina University 154
Coastal Carolina University 116
UNC-Charlotte 89
UNC-Wilmington 89
Virginia Commonwealth University 84
Davidson College 37
Martin Community College 14

IHSA Western - After 4 shows
St. Andrews 144
NCSU 124
VA Tech 82
High Point University 59
Martin Community College 43

IDA – After 3 shows
Averett University 17
St. Andrews University 16
Furman University 10
North Carolina State University 11

Show teams, Alums etc.

2011-11-08T10:52:00.000-05:00

As is the case with most weekends during the semester the equestrian staff were going in several different directions this past weekend. Carla and the western team had back to back shows at Martin Community College and the show team with Ashley and Heather were showing in Raleigh at an NCHJA show. Peggy headed to Raleigh Friday to support the show team and I accompanied Carla as the second driver to Williamston NC.

The western team arrived early Saturday morning for a 2:00 start. We were able to watch some of the horses school and Carla ran through patterns on foot with her riders. They have miniature cones which they set out to practice patterns. The show started late and did run a little slowly which intensified the chill in the air which you really feel if you spend most of your time on the bleachers! Unlike St. Andrews, Martin does not have a small army to run their shows and does a wonderful job with only 17 students and 2 staff. The day was long but our riders were focused and very supportive of one another. At the end of the day NCSU came out ahead. Peggy was keen to be updated so we were soon into a pattern of texting placings and accumulated points back and forth after each class.

After checking into our hotel we went to the Shamrock restaurant for dinner. The food is family style ranging from burgers and fries to seafood and steaks with vegetables - something to appeal to everyone. At the end of the meal Kimmy made an announcement that Alum Leah Davison had paid for everyone’s dinner! What a great supporter! Brittany called Leah right away and the entire team thanked her for generosity and support.

Sunday the show was not scheduled to start until 11:00 a.m. so I made a quick visit to the NCDCTA Harvest Moon dressage show at the Horse Complex. Talk about a contrast! At the western show the music was country and the classes ran when folks were ready. In dressage land, classical/elevator music was piped into the indoor arena and riders reported to the ring at their appointed time. The atmosphere was serene and organized. I spent a happy hour at the show watching FEI level tests before returning to the hotel pick up the team.

Sunday’s show ran more smoothly than Saturday’s. We started on time at 11:00 and were done by 3:30 including running the BOB Derby to raise money for IHSA Nationals 2012. I got better at texting Peggy (I have a 5 year old flip phone) and she texted back that she was at Elon’s IHSA show to see Alum Rob Jacobs ride in the Alum class. Rob was second on the flat and first over fences. At the western show our riders were really on form beating NCSU by one point!
The drive home is only about 3 hours but it seemed longer as we were driving directly into the sun which is low in the sky at this time of year.

A good weekend for the SAU equestrian teams. The western team showed grace and determination with many challenges during the weekend, our alums remain involved with the program in one way or another and the show team earned many ribbons and represented St. Andrews well to the horse show world. Very happy to be part of this wonderful program!

Good weekend for western and show teams!

2011-11-07T11:59:00.001-05:00

The western team still leads the region by 20 points after this weekend's back to back shows.

Katie Hansen and Alexandra Fullerton were champion and reserve champion in the NCHJA Equitation Finals in Raleigh.

For a complete report of this weekend's shows click here!

November 19th, 2011 - Riding Open House

2011-11-02T13:49:00.001-04:00

High School Seniors sign up for Riding Open House on Nov 19th? This is the only open house this year where you will have an opportunity to ride our horses! Come meet the coaches, tour the incredible equestrian center and learn about the many and varied programs St. Andrews has to offer. Click here to register!

Questions? Drop me an email dwellejm@sapc.edu

Dressage Team Fight for Regional Lead

2011-10-31T07:12:00.000-04:00

Twelve riders, one coach and a barn manager serving as the second driver and cheering section for the dressage team left in the first frost of the year to travel to the Averett Equestrian Center early Sunday morning. The day turned out clear and fine with a cool breeze as the Knights battled to retain their regional lead.

In first level test 2, Junior Lindsey Agaliotis found it difficult to establish a good working relationship with her horse in the limited 10 minute warn up. She earned 66.8% to place third for the day. Sophmore Erin Hudson who is small in statue drew the largest first level horse but put in a very respectable test to earn 65.40% and 4th place. In the upper training division Senior Casey Curtis laid down a solid ride to place 5th with 66.40%, Senior Olivia Taylor had what appeared to be a beautiful ride on a sensitive horse but failed to show the quality in the movements with coefficients to finish a disappointing 9th in the division.

In lower training sophmore Brianna Carter rose to the occasion scoring 67.9% and earning 2nd place after requesting a re-ride due to the horse she drew having significant issues with the flowers in the ring. Senior Lauren Parker was right behind her with 67.5% and 3rd place riding the same horse. At the Introductory Level St. Andrews riders rose to the occasion with Jenna Marten scoring 72.5% for 2nd place and freshman Masha Peckham scoring 67.5% for 4th and Senior Katelee Johnson placing 5th with 66.30% in a large division with 12 riders.

At the end of the fall season this leaves the Knights trailing Averett University by one point. “I have challenged the team individually and as a group to tell me how they plan to improve their riding by February when we compete again,” said coach Dwelle. “Although this is a team sport it is the responsibility or each individual to improve their skills, everyone has a different challenge. Averett is a strong school and will be difficult to beat, their riders have more opportunities to compete at schooling and recognized shows than our riders and this gives them a competitive edge.”

The Knights have three shows left in the spring a double header at Averett Feb 18th – 19th and the final show March 18th at St. Andrews.

Regional Standings after 3 shows
St. Andrews University 16
Averett University 17
Furman University 10
North Carolina State University 11

St. Andrews Team B – 10 points
Erin Hudson First Level Test 2
Casey Curtis – Training Level Test 3
Paige Tillison – Training Level Test 1
Jenna Marten – Introductory Level Test B

St. Andrews Team A – 9 points
Lindsey Agaliotos – First Level Test 2
Olivia Taylor – Training Level Test 3
Brianna Carter – Training Level Test1
Hannah Firth – Introductory Level Test B

Individual Results
First Level Test 2
3rd Lindsey Agaliotis 66.80%
4th Erin Hudson 56.40%

Training Level Test 3
5th Casey Curtis 66.40%

Training Level Test 1
2nd Brianna Carter 67.90%
3rd Lauren Parker 67.50%

Introductory Level Test B
2nd Jenna Marten 72.50%
4th Masha Peckham 67.50%
5th Katelee Johnson 66.30%

IHSA Hunter Seat Team Increases Their Regional Lead!

2011-10-29T19:11:00.001-04:00

Judge Diann Langer from Johnston, SC endured cool temperatures and a light but persistent wind to judge today’s IHSA Hunter Seat show. Eleven schools fielded riders including Davidson and Virginia Commonwealth who have not competed at St. Andrews this season. Team veterans Kim Graves, Alie McGraw and Katie Hansen all won their flat classes setting the standard for the remainder of the day. Freshman Regina Barasch won her section of Open Over Fences and followed that up with a win in her Intermediate Flat class becoming one of three riders tied for high point rider. In the ride off at the end of the day Regina came out ahead of the two riders from Duke to earn the championship title. The Knights continued to show their strength throughout the day placing well in just about every class leading to a strong win with 46 points to Virginia Commonwealth’s 36.

At the end of the day the BOB Derby brought a new first to St. Andrews and IHSA where coaches from 8 of the 11 schools competed against one another to raise money for IHSA Nationals 2012 and more importantly Regional bragging rights! Equestrian Program Director Peggy McElveen added a dash of fun to the event with a draw for candy hidden in brains (cold cooked spaghetti) to go with the Halloween theme for the day. The 8 coaches rode briefly on the flat and then each one was required to complete a western style pattern and jump 4 fences including a trot fence. Coach Thom Pollard rode a smooth pattern and nailed his fences on Feeny to win the blue ribbon for NCSU.

Regional Standings
St. Andrews University 167
Duke University 131
UNC-Chapel Hill 130
North Carolina State University 128
East Carolina University 116
Coastal Carolina University 97
UNC-Charlotte 77
UNC-Wilmington 67
Virginia Commonwealth University 62
Martin Community College 14

Team Results Oct 29th
46 St. Andrews University
36 Virginia Commonwealth University
35 UNC-Chapel Hill
33 Duke
33 Davidson
30 NCSU
26 UNC-Charlotte
25 UNC-Wilmington
21 Eastern Carolina
21 Coastal Carolina

St. Andrews Results
Open Flat A – 1st Kim Graves
Novice Flat A - 1st Alie McGraw
Open Flat B – 1st Katie Hansen
Novice Flat B – 1st Park Hoey
Intermediate Flat A – 1st Kayla McBath
Open Fences A – 2nd Regina Barasch, 4th Cat Stumberg
Open Fences B – 3rd Kim Graves
Open Fences C – 3rd Katie Hansen
Walk, Trot, Canter A – 1st Caitlin Karolak
Novice Flat C – 1st Abigail Skillman
Walk, Trot, Canter B – 2nd Hillary Todd, 3rd Sarah Lishen
Intermediate Fences A – 4th Keli Van Den Heuvel
Intermediate Fences B – 2nd Nikki Napoleone
Intermediate Fences C – 1st Kali Cram
Walk, Trot, Canter C – 1st Tori Burkey
Walk, Trot A – 1st Valerie Robey
Novice Flat D – 3rd Tara Algeri
Novice Flat E – 2nd Michelle Eld
Walk, Trot B – 3rd Morgan Potts
Walk, Trot, Canter D – 1st Jackie Rigsbee, 4th Chandalyn Chrzanowski
Novice Flat F – 6th Kali Cram
Walk, Trot, Canter E – 1st Mia Dipillo
Intermediate Flat C – 1st Regina Barasch
Walk, Trot, Canter F – 3rd Julie Griffin, 4th Sara Hackney
Novice Fences B – 3rd Alexandra Fullerton
Bob Derby – Thom Pollard NCSU

High Point Rider – Regina Barasch, St. Andrews
Reserve High Point Rider – Caroline Culbertson, Duke

Coming Up Next Weekend!

2011-10-26T13:40:00.001-04:00

IHSA Hunter Seat Team hosts the 4th show of the season this Saturday at the SAU Equestrain Center

“We are looking forward to a big day of showing at home this Saturday,” said Coach Ashley Duda. “We are currently 23 points ahead in our region. The team is looking to bring home a win on Saturday but also hoping to extend our region lead. Katie Hansen is leading the Cacchione Cup race at this point. She has been riding very strongly this week and the team will look for strong performances from Hansen in the Open division. The team will also rely on a number of upperclassmen to lead throughout the day. 26 riders will compete for the Knights on Saturday.”

The IDA team travels to Averett University Equestrian Center near Danville, VA Sunday. The SAU team leads the region by one point in a highly competitive region. Junior and team Captain Lindsey Agaliotis will be riding in first level test two against Averett's strong senior Emily Henderson. "Emily has been to Nationals every year I believe," said Coach Jackie Dwelle, "Lindsey just moved up to first level and is working really hard." Emily and Lindsey are currently tied for individual points with 11 each. Team riders include many seniors. "These riders have worked at their riding during their time at St. Andrews," said Dwelle, "I am hopeful that the many hours spent riding without stirrups and practicing in the dressage arena will pay off." A total of 12 riders will be traveling on Sunday including some freshmen who are just getting their feet wet in the intercollegiate dressage arena.

Also Sunday, St. Andrews hosts Showing Under the Stars starting at 2:00 p.m. Classes will include , the annual Costume Contest, Bareback Hunter Derby, Dressed up Hunter Derby, Haunted Trail Class, Candy Corn in Spoon, Bareback Ride-A-Buck, Keyhole Race and a Coaches Class! The focus is on fun and games after an intense few weeks of horse showing.

IHSA Hunter Seat Strong Win at Duke!

2011-10-25T09:28:00.001-04:00

Sunday, October 23, 2011

A glorious fall day for a horse show! The Knights left Laurinburg long before dawn for the trip to the Duke University Hunter Seat Horse Show. This was the third show in our fall competition schedule of five shows and an important competition for all eleven collegiate teams in Zone 4 Region 3.

Coach Ashley Duda had her riders well prepared having done special team practices on Friday and Saturday. Many of our students’ parents came to cheer us on and they had a lot to cheer about as St. Andrews began to win class after class.

Overall, St. Andrews was the Champion Team with 45 points. Duke was Reserve Champion Team with 42 points. Every one of our riders placed in the top four in their divisions! Alexandra Fullerton was the Champion High Point Rider and Katie Hansen and Kim Graves shared the honor of Reserve Champion High Point Rider. Whenever there is a tie in points for High Point or Reserve High Point Rider, the judge asks the riders questions concerning equitation, theory, or horse care. There were five riders tied for Reserve High Point at the Duke Show and the judge quickly eliminated all but the St. Andrews students. After the fourth round of questions was answered correctly by Katie and by Kim, the judge declared a tie! Congratulations ladies and thank you to all the Equine Studies professors who have taught these students so well.

Results for individual riders and for team riders were:

Katie Hansen – 1st place Open Flat Section B
Kim Graves – 1st place Open Flat Section C
Katie Hansen – 2nd place Open Fences Section A
Regina Barasch – 1st place Open Fences Section B
Kim Graves – 2nd place Open Fences Section B
Sami Cram – 1st place Intermediate Flat Section A
Kayla McBath – 4th place Intermediate Flat Section B
Kali Cram – 1st place Intermediate Fences Section B
Alexandra Fullerton – 1st place Novice Flat Section B
Catherine McDowell – 2nd place Novice Flat Section E
Alexandra Fullerton – 1st place Novice Fences Section A
Alie McGraw – 1st place Novice Fences Section C
Hillary Todd – 2nd place Advanced Walk, Trot, Canter Section B
Cami Glaff – 2nd place Advanced Walk, Trot, Canter Section E
Jameson Crandall – 2nd place Beginning Walk, Trot, Canter Section A
Lacy Burke – 1st place Beginning Walk, Trot, Canter Section C
Morgan Potts – 4th place Walk, Trot Section A
Shiloh Kozlowski – 2nd place Walk, Trot Section C

Team Results for Duke University Show:

St. Andrews University 45
Duke University 42
East Carolina University 37
Coastal Carolina University 35
UNC-Chapel Hill 33
North Carolina State University 29
Virginia Commonwealth University 26
Davidson College 22
UNC-Charlotte 22
UNC-Wilmington 15
Martin Community College 10

Overall Team Standings after three competitions:

St. Andrews University 121
Duke University 98
North Carolina State University 98
East Carolina University 97
UNC-Chapel Hill 95
Coastal Carolina University 76
UNC-Charlotte 51
UNC-Wilmington 42
Virginia Commonwealth University 26
Martin Community College 14

St. Andrews IDA Show Oct 22

2011-10-24T11:13:00.002-04:00

Thanks to the dedication and team work of the St. Andrews Equestrian program students and staff, Saturday’s IDA show ran like a charm. “We really know how to put on a horse show,” said coach Dwelle

Furman University surprised everyone in IDA Region I by winning at St. Andrews today. Congratulations to Furman for great riding and working together as a team even though you did not have your coach with you! St. Andrews finished in third place behind regional rivals Averett University. St. Andrews leads the region with 11 points to Averett’s 10 points. Junior Lindsey Agaliotis earned second place in first level test 2 being beaten by Averett’s Emily Henderson riding Wind Song a horse which Lindsey has worked closely with. Agaliotis commented, “I guess I prepped her too well!” Agaliotis put in a strong performance riding Astaire. Also riding in first level was Andrea Tito who drew Jake for her ride. “I was thrilled with my ride!” said Tito who just moved up to first level. “Moving from training to first is a big step,” commented dressage coach Jackie Dwelle, “Andrea is a senior and I wanted her to have this experience before she graduated. She rode well laying a strong foundation for her next show.”

In lower training Brianna Carter laid down a solid test on Reagan to win the division and earn reserve high point rider with a score of 70.41% (behind Henderson in first level with 71.08%). Paige Tillison riding as an individual placed third on Magic.

At the introductory level freshman Masha Peckham riding Popsicle placed third with a solid ride besting Jenna Marten on Russell who was fourth. “There were 13 riders in the intro division,” said Dwelle, “I am really excited for Masha and Jenna for doing so well.”

The dressage team competes next Sunday at Averett University where they will be riding to defend their regional lead.

Regional Standings after 2 shows
St. Andrews University 11
Averett University 10
Furman University 7
North Carolina State University 7

Team Results Oct 22
1. Furman University Team A
2. Averett University Team A
3. St. Andrews University Team B
4. St. Andrews University Team A
5. North Carolina State University Team A
6. North Carolina State University Team B
7. Averett University Team B

First Level Test 2
1. Emily Henderson AU 71.08%
2. Lindsey Agaliotis SAU 65.94%
3. Helen Olmi FU 65.4%
4. Ellen Shaw NCSU 65.4%
5. Lexy Pingree AU 64.59%
6. Andrea Tito SAU 63.78%

Training Level Test 3
1. Amy Furguson FU 68.1%
2. Shannon Stone AU 67.6%
3. Ashley Grandis NCSU 66.8%
4. Casey Curtis SAU 66.8%
5. Olivia Taylor SAU 65.6%
6. Emily Scotton NCSU 61.6%

Training Level Test 1
1. Brianna Carter SAU 70.41%
2. Jessie Hayes AU 68.75%
3. Paige Tillison SAU 65.83%
4. Cat Rock AU 65.41%
5. Brittany Hoffman NCSU 63.75%
6. Melissa Switek NCSU 62.91%

Introductory Level Test B
1. Sarah Smith FU 68.12%
2. Kassia White AU 67.5%
3. Masha Peckham SAU 67.5%
4. Jenna Marten SAU 65.62%
5. Lindsey Baker AU 65.0%
6. Catherine Doane 65.0%

Busy Weekend Showing!

2011-10-18T10:50:00.002-04:00

Friday evening Showing Under the Stars was very well attended with representatives from all three disciplines. Alums Gwen Titus and Mike Kryzack served as the judge and announcer respectively. The theme for the evening was “pink” to support October being breast cancer month. All competitors paid $5 a class and contributed a can of food for the Laurinburg food bank.

Saturday Ashley, Heather and Peggy traveled to Chapel Hill to compete in the second IHSA show of the season.

Showing Under the Stars Oct 14th SAU Equestrian Center

Results:

Walk Trot Canter Equitation Section A

1. Michelle Hustad – Benji
2. Kayla McBath – Frankie
3. Sarah Lishen – Feeney
4. Hillary Todd – Claire
5. Erica Leseur – Andy
6. Courtney Nix – Magic

Dressage Equitation Section A

1. Jenna Marten – Chico
2. Masha Peckham – Socke
3. Callian Trujillo – Moe
4. Katelee Johnson – Coosa

Dressage Equitation Section B

1. Lindsey Agaliotos – Windsong
2. Casey Curtis – Clara
3. Sarah Jones – Jake
4. Hannah Firth – Astaire
5. Brianna Carter – Bear

Open Equitation Over Fences

1. Kali Cram – Teddy
2. Sami Cram – Royal
3. Regi Barash – Nito
4. Katie Hansen – Beckett
5. Kim Graves – Yack
6. Alexandra Fullerton – Fenney

Western Horsemanship Section A

1. Keli Van Den Huevel - Emma
2. Chris Harrelson – Will
3. Madison Webb – Lark
4. Megan White – Harley

Walk Trot Canter Equitation Section B

1. Tori Burkey – Happy
2. Angie Cormack – Reagan
3. Shiloh Kozlowski – Ben
4. Sarah Williams - Astro
5. Michelle Hustad – Jackson
6. Madison Edwards - Rodin

Novice Equitation Over Fences

1. Cami Glaff – Andy
2. Abi Skillman – Onyx
3. Dara Corbett – Glenn
4. Hanna Hinrichsmeyer – Quincey
5. Chandalyn Chranlowski – Fritz
6. Michelle Eld – Ozzie

Western Horsemanship Section B

1. Michelle Hustad – Benji
2. Brittany Powell – Russell
3. Kali Cram – Leaguer
4. Kelsey Jones – Emma
5. Shannon Leggett – Holly
6. Erica Leseur – Andy

Walk Trot Canter Equitation Section C

1. Sara Hackney – Andy
2. Stephanie Whitlock – Magic
3. Lacy Burke – Glenn
4. Katie Ballard – Jeb
5. Katrina Buiel – Astro
6. Rachel Samuel - Pokey

Western Horsemanship Section C

1. Kimmy Simonsen – Jacob
2. Katie Mosca – Popsicle
3. Liana White – Gracie

Intermediate Equitation Over Fences

1 . Mia Dipillo – Profound
2. Brianna Carter – Bear
3. Keli Van Den Huevel – Onyx
4. Nikki Napoleone – Bruce Lee

Western Trail

1. Megan White – Russell
2. Kali Cram – Leaguer
3. Michelle Hustad – Jackson

Western Horsemanship Section D

1. Andrea Velez – Tony
2. Rachel McGarvey – Harley
3. Tyler Gritzuk – Jack (riding bridleless!)

IHSA Hunter Seat Show
Hosted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill October 15, 2011

Team Standings:
1. St. Andrews 76
2. NCSU 69
3. UNC-Chapel Hill 62
4. ECU 60
5. Coastal Carolina 46
6. Duke 28

Team Results:
1. East Carolina 36
2. UNC Chapel Hill 33
3. St. Andrews 32
4. NCSU 32
5. Duke 25
6. Central Carolina 25
7. UNC Charlotte 16
8. UNC Wilmington 14
9. Martin Community College 4

Reserve High Point Champion:
Katie Hansen

St. Andrews University Individual Results:

Open Flat:
Katie Hansen - 1st
Kim Graves - 5th

Intermediate Flat:
Regina Barasch - 4th
Sami Cram - 1st

Novice Flat:
Alexandra Fullerton - 3rd
Alie McGraw - 3rd

Walk/Trot/Canter:
Caitlin Karolak - 1st
Cami Glaff - 1st

Beginning Walk/Trot/Canter:
Lacy Burke - 5th

Walk Trot:
Shiloh Kozlowski - 5th

Open Fences:
Katie Hansen - 3rd
Kim Graves - 2nd

Novice Fences:
Alie McGraw - 5th

Bob Derby:
Katie Hansen - 2nd

Horse Shows and Open House the Weekend!

2011-10-14T07:51:00.002-04:00

Short week after fall break but the activities at the barn do not slow down. Tonight we have Showing Under the Stars with all three disciplines competing in a variety of classes. Tomorrow St. Andrews hosts Open House which includes a barn tour at 1:30. This is always a fun event meeting future students and their families. Coach Duda and the IHSA Hunter Seat team travel to Chapel Hill tomorrow for an IHSA show. Coaches Wennburg and Dwelle have practice scheduled for the western and dressage teams in addition to competing in tonight’s horse show. The dressage team will be videoing dressage tests in preparation for next Saturday’s home show.

Introducing the Pony Up Campaign!

2011-10-10T07:08:00.001-04:00

Ride-Like-A-Knight is planning a Therapeutic Driving program but needs your help!

Manly the mini, who is trained to drive, recently joined the program but we do not yet have a cart. A suitable cart costs $695 plus delivery and tax. We are looking for 120 people willing to donate $6.95 each to help us reach our goal of expanding the RLAK program. This will cover the cost of the cart, delivery to RLAK and tax.

The St. Andrews “Ride like a Knight” program offers therapeutic horsemanship for people with disabilities of all ages. Therapeutic horsemanship works to partner people and horses through activities. RLAK currently offers therapeutic riding, which emphasizes teaching riding skills to people with disabilities; recently the program has decided to branch out and work on building a therapeutic driving program. Therapeutic driving is an aspect of therapeutic horsemanship which allows the participant the ability to partner with a horse while riding or driving in a cart. Through therapeutic driving, those participants that may not be able to ride due to contraindications (aspects of their disability that make it unsafe for them to ride) will now be able to experience working with a horse in other ways than simply grooming or watching from the sidelines.

Benefits of Therapeutic Horsemanship

• Improved verbal and nonverbal communication
• Improvement in motor skills and spatial awareness
• Trunk and core improvement
• Improved balance and coordination
• Psychological well being
• Increased self esteem, self image, confidence, and responsibility
• Along with improvement in the overall quality of life

Please make checks out to RLAK and mail them attention Pebbles Turbeville, to 9167 Hasty Road, Laurinburg, NC 28352.

Huge Weekend for the Equestrian Program!

2011-10-03T09:55:00.001-04:00

St. Andrews University Equestrian Teams off to a Cracking Start!

Coach Carla Wennburg and the IHSA Western team followed the lead set by the IHSA Hunter Seat and IDA Dressage Teams last weekend by convincingly winning on Saturday and Sunday. “Every rider did well in pattern work which is huge to me. They were all very effective and thoughtful which showed in the ultimate placings.” said Carla. At the end of the weekend St. Andrews led Region 4.5 with 78 points to NCSU’s 50 points. Senior Shannon Leggett was high point rider on Saturday and then won her reining division on Sunday with a beautiful rider on LJ.

In Raleigh Ride-Like-A-Knight program director Megan Ellis with student coach Rachel McGarvey and rider Josh Dazey represented Scotland County at the Special Olympics. Josh rode Red Ted in several classes placing 4th in Showmanship and earning a Silver Medal in Western Equitation with Pattern. Megan put together a short video of the weekend to view it click here!

Also at the Horse Complex in Raleigh, coach Lindsey Crowther and several students competed at the Triangle Farms “C” Show. Regina Barasch and her horse Incognito were first in the Derby, Katie Hansen and her own Lucky were third and Allie McGraw and Monkey placed eighth.

Other show results:

Allie McGraw and her own Monkey - 2nd in the Derby flat class
Paula Kramer and Amador 1st in the Pre Child Adult Under Saddle
Abigail Skillman and St. Andrews Onyx 2nd in the Equitation on the flat & 2nd in the Hunter Over Fences
Julie Griffin and her own Apache 3rd in an over fences class.

Busy weekend for the St. Andrews Equestrian program!

2011-09-30T11:39:00.000-04:00

The St. Andrews Equestrian Program is full steam ahead this weekend! At home we are hosting back to back IHSA Western Shows Saturday at 1:00 and Sunday at 10:00. Following up on the Hunter Seat team’s lead Coach Carla Wennburg is planning the western version of the BOB Derby. The BOB Derby will be similar to a trail class with some other fun activities. The BOB Derby is a fund raiser for IHSA National Championships next May in Raleigh.

The brand new horse trailer left for Raleigh this morning for its first trip with horses. Coach Lindsey Crowther is taking the show team to the Triangle Farms ‘C’ show and RLAK program director Megan Ellis is accompanying Red Ted and his rider Josh to the NC Special Olympics. Coach Ashley Duda is also going to Raleigh to show at some point, but knowing Ashley she has also managed to plan some practice time for the IHSA Hunter Seat Team! The dressage team will be working on the tests for the SAU IDA show scheduled for Oct. 22nd this afternoon.

Results of the NCSU IDA Show Sept. 25th

2011-09-29T10:47:00.000-04:00

Champion Team – St. Andrews University
Reserve Champion – Averett University

Individual Results
First Level Test 1
1st Lindsey Agaliotis - 71.0345%
3rd Erin Hudson - 68.2758%

Training Level Test 2
1st Olivia Taylor – 68.9655%
5th Andrea Tito – 61.3793%

Intro C
1st Lauren Parker – 73.00% Reserve High Point Rider!
3rd Brianna Carter – 68.00%

Intro B
4th Hannah Firth – 65.00%
5th Katelee Johnson – 65.00% (judge split the tie)

Great Weekend for St. Andrews University!

2011-09-28T07:19:00.000-04:00

The Equestrian Team had a great start to the competitive season this weekend with the IHSA Hunter Seat winning at home and IDA team winning at NCSU. The IHSA team had lots of support from friends, parents, alums and program supporters. This is just some of the people that stopped by to show their support.

• Alums visiting to IHSA - Rob Jacobs, Marianne Stark
• Bob Cacchione!
• Keith Wade stopped by around 9:15. “I’m on my way to the airport good to see the turn out”
• National anthem sung by Professor Bill McConnell
• Family members of Andrea Velez, Sami & Kali Cram, Kayla McBath, Tori Burkey. Paula Kramer, Hillary Todd, Caitlin Karolak, Alexandra Fullerton, Catherine McDowell.
• Announcer - Alum Mike Kryszak, Judge - Carol O’Brien Aiken SC

Bob Cacchione spoke during the lunch break.
“I am honored to be here today. Thank you to Peggy McElveen and the St. Andrews team for hosting the first and the last show of the season. You all will be taking part in hosting the IHSA National Championships at the Fairgrounds in Raleigh. I have been walking around talking to everyone and have been told by many parents that they will be there next May. If you make it to Nationals this year my hat is off to you, if you don’t qualify this could be the closest you will be to a National Championships. We have over 100 jobs that need to be filled, participating in these championships is something you can put on your resume. IHSA has sent 4 riders that have participated in the Cacchione Cup to the Olympics. The membership is currently 8,600 individual members and growing.

Every year IHSA raises the bar at the National Championships, knowing Peggy McElveen and Carla Wennburg I know we are in for something very special next May.”

Team Results
1. SAU – 44
2. NCSU – 37
3. Duke – 3
4. UNC – Chapel Hill – 29
5. ECU – 24
6. Coastal Carolina – 21

High Point Rider – Allie McGraw SAU
Reserve High Point – Kathryn Hall ECU

Individual Results

Open Flat A - 1st Kim Graves

Novice Flat A - 5th Catherine McDowell

Open Flat B - 1st Katie Hansen

Novice Flat B - 4th Tara Algeri

Open Fences A - 3rd Katie Hansen

Open Fences B - 2nd Kim Graves, 3rd Cat Stumberg

Walk, Trot, Canter A - 5th Brittany Powell

Novice Flat C - 6th Katie Mentzel

Intermediate Flat A - 3rd Sami Cram, 4th Keli Van Der Heuvel

Walk Trot A - 1st Shiloh Kozlowski

Intermediate Fences A - 2nd Kali Cram

Novice flat D - 4th Michelle Eld

Walk trot canter B - 1st Caitlin Karolak, 3rd Angie Cormack

Intermediate Fences B - 2nd Nikki Napoleone

Intermediate Flat B - 2nd Regina Barasch, 6th Kayla McBath

Novice Flat E – 2nd Park Hoey

Walk Trot Canter C - 1st Mia Dipillo, 3rd Hillary Todd

Novice Flat E - 1st Ali McGraw

Walk Trot B - 3rd Morgan Potts

Novice Fences A - 1st Ali McGraw

Walk Trot Canter D - 5th Paula Kramer

Novice Fences B - 1st Alexandra Fullerton

Walk Trot Canter E - 1st Cami Glaff

First IHSA Show for 2011 - 2012

2011-09-22T09:21:00.002-04:00

The first IHSA show of the 2011-2012 academic year will be hosted by St. Andrews on Saturday. The show begins at 10:00 on Saturday morning with the finale class, The BOB Derby, at approximately 4:00. As one of the most competitive IHSA regions in the entire country, we have strong competition from many schools. The Knights have been working hard with afternoon and evening practices to prepare for this competition. Bob Cacchione, the President and founder of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association will be visiting with us from Friday through Sunday and will be at the show all day on Saturday. We are eager to start our competitive season which goes throughout the school year and culminates with the National Championship the first week of May, 2012. Teams competing Sat. Coastal Carolina, Duke, ECU, NCSU, Martin Community, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, UNC- Wilmington, & St. Andrews.

Go Knights!

The Coaches are Preparing!

2011-09-17T14:25:00.002-04:00

The barn is a busy place lately. The coaches have been running team practices for the IHSA and IDA teams. Friday Coach Duda was running a 3 ring circus with 3 horses on lunge lines with riders practicing without reins and stirrups. The IHSA hunter seat team have their first show at SAPC next Saturday! There is a work night planned for the 21^st and schooling all day on the 22^nd. Coach Dwelle held dressage practice on Friday and Saturday for dressage team members. Riders practiced their tests and worked on improving their feel and connection with the horse in preparation for an IDA show next Sunday at North Carolina State. Coach Wennburg attended a Board meeting at Colorado State this week, but barn manager Rachel Buckler stepped into to help the western team as their first shows are October 1^st and 2^nd at SAPC. Megan Ellis is preparing some of the riders in the Ride-Like-A-Knight Therapeutic Horsemanship program for the Equestrian Tournament at the NC Special Olympics Sept. 30^th – Oct. 2^nd . Barn Manager Kellie Garrabrant has been preparing Red Ted for his journey to the Special Olympics by having him live in the round pen with a two horse trailer. Red Ted has a history of being difficult to load, but now he willingly walks on the trailer by himself!

2011 - 2012 Team Rosters

2011-09-14T19:48:00.000-04:00

IHSA HUNTER SEAT ROSTER 2011-2012

Tara Algieri

Regina Barasch

Vanessa Bradley

Lacy Burke

Tori Burkey

Chandalyn Chrzanowski

Chelsea Clasper

Dara Corbett

Angie Cormack

Kali Cram

Sami Cram

Jameson Crandall

Mia DiPillo

Madison Edwards

Michelle Eld

Alexandra Fullerton

Cami Glaff

Kim Graves

Julie Griffin

Sara Hackney

Katie Hansen

Hanna Hinsrichmeyer

Park Hoey

Caitlin Karolak

Shiloh Kozlowski

Paula Kramer

Sarah Lishen

Kayla McBath

Catherine McDowell

Alie McGraw

Katie Mentzel

Nikki Napoleone

Bridget Newman

Courtney Nix

KP Poole

Morgan Potts

Valerie Robey

Hannah Platt

Brittany Powell

Jackie Rigsbee

Abi Skillman

Cat Stumberg

Hillary Todd

Keli Van Den Heuvel

Sarah Williams

Miranda Wright

IDA Roster 2011 - 2012

Lindsey Agaliotis

Brianne Carter

Casey Curtis

Hannah Firth

Erin Hudson

Sarah Jones

Katelee Johnson

Katherine Kaltenbach

Jenna Marten

Lauren Parker

Masha Peckham

Claire Pollard

Olivia Taylor

Paige Tillison

Andrea Tito

Callian Trujillo

IHSA Western Team Roster 2011 - 2012

Kali Cram

Tyler Gritzuk

Michelle Hustad

Kelsey Jones

Shannon Leggett

Erica LeSeur

Dugan McDermott

Rachel McGarvey

Katie Mosca

Jake Nix

Amber Powell

Brittany Powell

Kimmy Simonsen

Logan Teeter

Andrea Valez

Keli Van Der Heuval

Madison Webb

Liana White

Shelley Whittemore

Megan White

Vicki Wiese

Miranda Wright

2011-2012 Show Team Members!

Nicole Napoleone

Chandalyn Chrazanowski

Bridget Newman

Lacy Burke

Dara Corbett

Michelle Eld

Keli Van Den Heuvel

Kali Cram

Sami Cram

Alexandra Fullerton

Regina Barasch

Julie Griffin

Katie Hansen

Allie McGraw

Kayla McBath

Abi Skillman

Kim Graves

Paula Kramer

Catherine McDowell

Team Tryouts This Weekend!

2011-09-09T13:40:00.002-04:00

This weekend is team tryouts for freshmen and transfers. In previous years all students have been required to try out for teams the exception being riders that competed at intercollegiate nationals in the previous year. This year the intercollegiate coaches Duda, Dwelle and Wennburg decided that last year’s team members did not have to try out for the IHSA hunter seat and western and IDA teams. This puts pressure on new students to fill the available slots on these three teams.

Another change for this year that the coaches felt was important for making the intercollegiate teams more competitive is that students may only compete on one intercollegiate team. The coaches agreed that riders need to focus on the competitive discipline of their choice. Riders are encouraged to ride in other disciplines during their lessons to broaden their horsemanship skills but competitively the coaches expect a single minded focus.

Support for team mates, excellent horsemanship, and a true understanding of the requirements of a sport are key for competitive success. The coaches are looking for riders dedicated to their sport, that are thirsty for knowledge and are willing to study their chosen discipline as well as practice it.

Good luck to everyone trying out this weekend!

Happenings at the barn since school started.

2011-09-01T07:51:00.001-04:00

Staff Changes
Kellie Garrabrant has been promoted to Barn Manager for the entire facility. Kellie’s office is now in the Boarder barn, but she will be supervising horse care on both sides of the property.

Rachel Buckler SAPC 2010 has joined us as assistant barn manager working at the lesson barn. Since graduation Rachel has worked in Wisconsin with SAPC Alum Alison Koenig and at a teaching barn in Maryland. Rachel’s responsibilities include supervising the work study program.

Liz Dulski SAPC 2011 joins the staff as Barn Fellow. Liz works with Rachel at the lesson barn and also covers the Boarder/TH barns on Kellie’s day off. Liz will also be responsible for the community lesson program.

New Trailer
Exciting news Peggy and Dale picked up our brand new trailer yesterday. It is made by Gore in Whiteville, NC, six horse slant load with dressing room and it still has that new trailer smell!

Using Technology in the Classroom

2011-08-11T17:18:00.000-04:00

Summer is winding down and the new school year right around the corner! Yippee! We get to meet lots of new people, reconnect with those that have been gone for the summer and start educating both in and out of the classroom.

For this fall I am going to experiment with technology in some of my classes. The goal is to help students use the ever evolving read/write web to further their education. I remember the days of coding “by hand” in HTML and navigating complicated FTP programs to publish to the web. Oh how things have changed!

Stable Management class will be interacting through a closed facebook group. The History and Theory of Modern Riding class will be making web videos of important theoretical concepts and Basic Riding Instructor Lab will be sharing information in a Wiki (History and Theory might end up there also.) I have some other ideas I am playing with which need a little more thought before sharing!

This is a really exciting time to be involved in education with so many free or low cost resources available to educators and students. The resources are really limited to your imagination!

Equestrian Program is now Twittering!

2011-08-05T12:31:00.002-04:00

The Equestrian Program is now on Twitter! Follow us @StAndrewsEq

Horses Looking for Forever Homes

2011-07-28T15:30:00.001-04:00

We are looking for homes for some of our horses. Some are retired, others are still working but are ready for a less hectic schedule and some are just not a good fit for our program but could be very useful in another setting. We are very selective about where our horses go when they leave SAPC and carefully screen anyone that is interested in giving a horse a forever home. If you are interested in learning more please send details of the type of horse you are looking for and the level of care you can provide to Jackie at dwellejm@sapc.edu.

Follow this link to see a listing of the horses. Horses Looking for Forever Homes

Sarah Marsh's Therapeutic Horsemanship Story

2011-07-26T06:48:00.001-04:00

by Sarah Marsh

I was first introduced to Therapeutic Riding as a freshman at St. Andrews when Liz walked up and said “You need to volunteer with the Therapeutic Riding Program.”

“Okay…what’s that?” Prior to coming to St. Andrews I had never been exposed to the world of Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies, but I was quickly hooked. There is something that happens in a therapeutic riding lesson that is just magic. There is no other way to explain it.

I continued to volunteer in the therapeutic riding program throughout my time at St Andrews, graduated with a degree in business, and headed off into the working world. Five years later I was burned out. Though I had the opportunity to work for a couple great companies and learned a lot professionally during this time, I also learned about myself personally. We spend so much time and energy at our jobs that for me, a paycheck wasn’t enough. I needed to work somewhere that fed my soul, not just my bank account.

A wise friend who is a professor at the University of New Hampshire gave me the advice to figure out when I was happiest, and see how I could make that work. I realized that when I was happiest was when I was volunteering, specifically when I was volunteering with Therapeutic Riding Programs. So I began to pursue certification, and after that things began happening quickly.

Once I committed to making this change, I jumped in with both feet. Four months after enrolling in the certification class at UNH, I had passed my registered instructors exam. I sent out a resume on a whim, more to gauge what areas I needed to improve to be an attractive candidate to future employers than with any expectation that I would be hired. Two weeks later I accepted a job offer from Sagebrush Equine Training Center for the Handicapped in Hailey, ID. Two weeks after that I was driving across country to a job and a state I’d never seen. A week after that I was teaching full-time, 28 lessons a week! My head still spins thinking about that.

The next two years were some of the richest of my life. I worked as an instructor, the Volunteer Coordinator, and Assistant Program Director for Sagebrush. We operated four days a week and had about 130 riders per session. I learned so much being fully submersed in working full-time at a therapeutic riding program, but the most important lessons I learned were from my students.

I could share countless stories of perseverance, determination, and overcoming overwhelming odds to succeed. I was blessed to cross paths with some truly amazing people and for a few short years, I got to be a part of their stories. I learned to appreciate every moment, because you never know when your life can completely change in the blink of an eye. I learned that no matter what happens you can always find something to be grateful for, no matter how small. I had never experienced anything so humbling in my life.

I was eager to give back to these participants for all that they had taught me, and how better to do so than by becoming the best instructor I could be. I began preparing for Advanced Certification. I sought out any educational experience I could to learn more about the disabilities I most commonly encountered, about general teaching and learning principles, and anything I felt would enrich the services I was able to provide to my students. But something was still missing.

In the summer of 2010, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Marty Clements, a PT who was preparing to get certified in hippotherapy. She was assisting in a lesson with an adult rider with Multiple Sclerosis I had been working with for two years. It was one of those lessons that while it was enjoyable and while we were achieving measurable goals and objectives, it still left me feeling like I wasn’t doing enough, like I was letting her down because I couldn’t do more. The first time I worked with Marty it clicked – this was what was missing! Though she had not been utilizing horses in a therapy setting for very long, Marty was able to draw upon her knowledge and experiences to quickly evaluate where some of the participants main challenges lay and come up with exercises incorporating the horse and horse’s movements to help her address some of these areas. This was what I needed to give back more, to give back better than I was. I realized with a better understanding of the human body, how it ideally works, and how to address issues that may arise when it’s not functioning in the ideal state, I could help not only physically involved riders, but also have better tools to assist able-bodied riders as well.

So here I am a year later. I have left behind a job, riders, and a place I loved to keep pursuing this dream of doing more, of giving back better. I have moved to Bozeman, MT in preparation to get my doctorate in Physical Therapy. I am a volunteer instructor at Eagle Mount here in Bozeman and have been accepted at Montana State in the pre-physical therapy program so I can complete the needed pre-requisites. My goal is to be accepted into the Physical Therapy program at the University of Montana for the fall of 2014. It will not be a short road or an easy one. I am working two jobs to save to go back to school for an education I hope to have completed six years from now. Had you asked me three years ago before I started this journey if this is where I would be, I would have laughed. But I it’s not about me. I am doing this for the Anns, the Lilis, the Zacs, the Reannas, and all those I haven’t met yet. I am doing this because I have a responsibility and a need to give back to those who have taught me so much, those who have made my life better.

It always amazes me to look back and see where this journey started. I had the opportunity recently to experience that journey come full circle when I traveled to High Hopes in Connecticut for Advanced Instructor Certification. It was very special to me to get to see Liz again now that she is the Program Director at High Hopes. She started it all ten years ago by recruiting me to volunteer in the program at St. Andrews. Adding to the uniqueness of that moment was the fact that one of my evaluators was Lorrie Renker, the founder of the Therapeutic Horsemanship program at St Andrews. So in a long and round-about way, I owe this all to the Equine Program at St Andrews. You never know where donating an hour a week will lead…

Equine Business Internships

2011-07-14T13:24:00.000-04:00

Laurinburg, N.C. – The Equine Business Management program at St. Andrews offers students hands-on experiences in both the equestrian and business aspects.

The ideal scenario of hands-on training was obtained this past spring when six Equine Business Majors tackled seven local internships.

Amber Powell, Erica Hill and Karen Gruninger did equine specific internships off campus in three diverse areas of the industry.

"I got to do a little bit of everything and they were very good about getting me involved,” said Powell of her internship with Gene Parker Farms, LLC, a breeding and showing facility in Orrum. “The value of this internship was that getting up at 5 a.m. is exhausting and it is a long day with hard work but the experience was priceless."

Powell felt so prepared by the experience that she has no doubt that she could move to another facility and step in.

"I learned how to do each of the processes and I feel like I could go to any breeding farm and step in right away,” she said. “This is how a business should be run. I also learned how crucial it is to get prepared and try to stay a step ahead. I would love to find a job somewhere like that."

Hill had a similarly successful at The T3 Ranch in Laurinburg.

"It was a great environment for me,” Hill said. “I thrived in the family atmosphere. It allowed for the refining of my skills and to refocus my steps for progression. It was not what I expected, and I had to do a 180 on my thinking.

“The learning here at St. Andrews forced me to partner with the horse and I took that to this internship,” she added. “I got the ranch on the track of education that moved them from a raw material location to a show level facility."

Gruninger worked with Carolina Horse Park in Raeford as well as doing an internship with the St. Andrews Equestrian Center as well.

"On schooling days at the Carolina Horse Park, I was in charge of theses events and collected paperwork and money, raised jumps in the ring and designing courses for some of the show,” Gruninger said. “I helped with the Southern Pines Horse Trials I and II. The first was for 300 local riders and the second is the first stop for the pro-rider tour with Olympic riders.”

Gruninger was able to network with those Olympic riders and others knowledgeable of the ins and outs of equestrian events.

"I did the administrative work that I hadn't ever experienced before,” she said. “I realized the value of teamwork. It was different knowing that no matter what, if something needed to get done, whether it was your normal skill set or not, we had to get it done. Organizing events I realized how important it was to do things but you hold on until the end. There is only so much you can do once the day arrives."

This helped Gruninger in her work with the St. Andrews Equestrian ANRC program.

“It included event entry, cleaning out the trailer, packing, and going down early for the ANRC to set up the barn so the horses could come straight off the trailer and go into the barn,” Gruninger said. "I learned the importance of effective communication before, during and after the events. I also learned about event entries. I have done my own entries before, but getting an entire barn together was definitely a learning experience."

Equestrian Program Director Peggy McElveen was highly impressed with Gruninger’s work.

“She has worked 12 – 14 hour days and done a fantastic job,” McElveen said. “She was the backbone of the team, planning horse feedings around competitive ride times, getting all the barn management done on time and knowing the rules of the competition to make sure everyone was in compliance. She was fabulous.”

Despite the success, Gruninger already knew that it is not the full-time direction for her future.

"I enjoy going to shows but it is not a full-time career choice for me,” she said. “I always knew what I wanted to do but one of the things I like about this program is getting to see all the facets of barn management."

Jenn Callahan also spent the semester working with the St. Andrews Equestrian Center events coordination, with hers specifically focusing on hunter seat clinics.

“I worked with the Scot Evans clinic with the ANRC team and the Sarah Good clinic helped prepare for the IHSA Zones," Callahan said. "I learned about the importance of organizing, scheduling, researching and promotion."

Through working with the other students and the staff with the events, Callahan saw an added value of the experience.

"I realized that you are never done learning,” she said. “A clinician can change one thing and the light bulb goes off."

Allison Brewer and Marissa Romaniello had parallel internships focused on publicizing the St. Andrews Equestrian Program to the world through web and social media outlets.

"My internship was to work around the equestrian website in the St. Andrews Communications Office,” said Brewer. "I learned the importance of strong communication, especially when you are working with someone. I did a lot of research and had to determine the most reliable sources because there are so many ideas out there. Time management was another key lesson and I realized this is something I need to improve on."

While Brewer was focused specifically on the website and video, Romaniello worked on the social media promotions more directly attached to the Equestrian center.

"I worked in marketing with a specific focus on social media,” Romaniello said. “We had a blank slate as this position was created for me. We started with a survey to determine where we should focus. "We created a schedule to provide our fans to get a taste of what we do here and we hope to get more participation in the future,” she continued.

Reposted from http://www.sapc.edu/PDF/2011/062011tebusinesinterns.php

Light Bulb Moments For Me!

2011-06-30T16:32:00.002-04:00

I had two interesting rides today. I decided to ride Holly western to work on position. Carla has been riding her and she is a little more tuned up. Steering seems to be my greatest challenge as you really have to ride off of your seat and leg and not rely on your hands which I obviously do too much! So I spent most of my time practicing riding circles, squares and straight lines trying really hard to get Holly to go where I wanted without using the rein. A good self taught lesson for me, boring for Holly.

Astaire was my next teacher. He has had a couple of days off so I was excited to try out what Kris helped me with on Tuesday. Wow! What a difference! When I expected that every step be supple, balanced and connected and when I rode in self-carriage, I was able to sit the trot and perform balanced transitions. I realized that I had been allowing Astaire to be lazy with his work. Raising the bar really helped as I was able to ride him in a more connected frame which helped him balance more on his hind legs and not tip onto his forehand. Light bulb day for me! Looking forward to practicing my skills on Jake and Astaire tomorrow.

Relative Elevation!

2011-06-28T14:34:00.003-04:00

Carla, Megan and I had a great lesson with Kris Hamilton today. Kris started out talking about relative elevation meaning putting the horse in a suitable frame for its training, conformation and age. We had a mixed group of horses Wind Song, (new dressage horse schooled to 4th level) Big John and Jake which really illustrated varying degrees of contact and frame for the small audience of barn workers and staff. Kris talked about suppleness and balance EVERY step. We were not allowed to accept poor quality, rushed, tense, not forward or tripping steps at any gait. This required us to be in self carriage ourselves, engaging our core muscles and using the lightest aids possible. Nagging was not permitted the softest touch was required and the cliché that Carla and I have been talking about for the last few days “less is more” again seemed so true!

All the horses were great. Carla and Wind Song did some lovely shoulder in, haunches in and half pass. Kris had Megan canter John around 3 or 4 times counting her strides and only using her leg on the 4th step. This was a great exercise for both of them and Megan soon had John cantering without his little bucky hop that he likes to do. Kris focused on my position which was exactly what I needed reminding about the importance of connection, keeping my hands connected to the horse’s mouth and showing me when my hip was not following enough causing my body to rock or twist. Very helpful, I am sitting up better since I started seriously riding again so the next step for me is to improve my balance so I can follow the horse at any gait, and not ride with reins that are too long and a dropped contact!

Follow up blood and urinalysis for Max

2011-06-22T13:06:00.002-04:00

I am happy to report that Max’s kidney enzymes are back in the normal range indicating that his kidneys are functioning well. The previous levels were most likely due to the insult from the bladder stone. Urinalysis indicated that the inflammation was greatly reduced and cystitis resolved at least for the time being. After talking with Max’s Doctors and reading about the suggested procedure in veterinary texts I am going to hold off on having the second stone removed at least for now. It is encysted in the bladder wall so the greatest risk is from it getting larger. The last urine sample contained a lot of calcium carbonate crystals which are the building blocks of Max’s particular stone. Max will start on Vitamin C (30 grams) which may make his urine more acidic. Equine urine is alkali and contains a lot of calcium. The pH and the high calcium content set up conditions for crystal and therefore stone formation. Lowering the pH should help reduce the growth of the existing stone or the formation of additional stones.

Stone formation in horses is not all that common, researchers believe that the mucus produced by the kidneys protects against crystal formation. One article which really helped my understanding of the condition, symptoms and treatments came from Compendium Equine: Continuing Education for Veterinarians® it also has a couple of great pictures of a bladder stone both inside and outside of the body.

At this point I feel good about taking a conservative approach, Max’s Doctor at the vet school felt that body condition, appetite and overall condition would be good indicators of increased cystitis or movement of the stone. I may choose to do a follow up urinalysis in a month to see if the Vitamin C changed to pH, but if all goes well we will follow up every 6 months with blood and urine analysis.

So Max is hanging out with his friends at the Equestrian Center for the summer which makes us both happy!

Summer is my time to ride!

2011-06-20T15:42:00.002-04:00

Max seems to be doing well, pretty much demanding attention at every opportunity. So today he was very happy that I needed to collect a urine sample which caused me to hang out with him for quite a while. He was not so keen on the blood sample being taken! These samples will be evaluated prior to him coming off the antibiotics and analgesic drugs in a day or two.

I am having a good time riding this summer. I usually have a project horse to play with over the summer break which I thoroughly enjoy spending the time doing ground work, earning their trust and usually spending a lot of time on elementary control and communication under saddle. This year I have two really nice, well trained horses to ride - Jake and Astaire. This is allowing me to work on myself for a change. Both of these horses give great feedback when you don’t do things right. I tend to tip forward and this just puts them on their forehand. I am finding that it takes quite a bit of core strength to maintain a good position with an open hip angle. Astaire really challenges riders as his trot is very bouncy even when he lifts and softens his back. Jake’s challenges are different, he looks to his rider for confidence and does his best work when he is ridden forward and confidently. Both these horses make you want to ride well to show them off which is a real treat for me! We are still spending a lot of time on the basics, relaxation, rhythm, suppleness etc. It is really fun to feel the partnership that is possible with a horse that has been well trained and knows his job when the slightest cue from your seat can create a balanced canter or a smooth leg yield.

Max continues to improve

2011-06-13T14:45:00.003-04:00

Max continues to do well, he was very “tucked up” when he returned from the vet school but now looks like his round self again. He still drips a little urine when he exerts himself (like today when he decided he was tired of standing on three legs while Chad worked on the other one) but the amount is minimal and I did not need to wash his legs down this morning which is the first time since I bought him home.

So I had thought until now that Max had a low pain tolerance and was basically a wimp. This was based on his strong reactions to needles in any form for shots or to stitch up injuries. He has been known to strike with his front legs at the thought of a needle and has in the past tried to squish people against walls if they were trying to do anything that was the least bit uncomfortable. After the way he put up with the pain of a bladder stone and how he was so patient with the vets in Raleigh I have to change my opinion! I think that perhaps he has a high pain tolerance (no pain symptoms at all when he was passing the stone!) and that his behavior was learnt at some point in his life due to the way he was treated. He has a disfigured nostril which must have been quite dramatic when it occurred and would have required some kind of medical attention. So this incident has been enlightening and once again affirms the need to educate people how to handle horses so that a horse like Max, who only wants to please, does not develop dangerous behaviors because he was misunderstood and most likely mistreated at some point in his life.

Max is brighter today

2011-06-10T16:03:00.002-04:00

Max is doing better today. NCSU called yesterday to check on him and wanted to make sure he was urinating OK. Well that can be pretty hard to monitor unless you actually just hang out with him for a few hours. So of course that is what I did today until he decided he was ready to pee. In the meantime he was pretty convinced that I should be grooming, grazing or otherwise entertaining him. Even putting a fresh bag of shavings in his stall had little effect. He really is much brighter today and was very interested in everything and everyone which is his normal behavior. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he will continue to improve.

Max Update

2011-06-09T14:33:00.000-04:00

Tuesday’s blood work still showed signs of possible kidney failure and an ultra sound of the right kidney showed an increase in accumulated fluid. I believe the left kidney is was still too deep in the body cavity to be assessed. Given this news and after discussion with Max’s Doctor, we decided the best plan was to bring Max home and monitor his progress to see if this is a chronic condition (which is a possibility), Max’s norm or something that will improve or worsen over time.

I left early Wed morning to get to the Vet school by nine so that Max could travel when it was relatively cool (of course it was super hot yesterday). Discharge was pretty quick and his student and Doctor were very helpful answering my multiple questions and making sure I understood the care he needed when he got home. Rising sophomore Alexandra Fullerton was also at the Vet school doing an externship which was great as she kept Max supplied with apples during his stay.

We made it back to the Burg in time for Max to settle before I was scheduled to present the summary of my trip to the NAEAA conference to the equestrian staff, administrators and business faculty. After our brown bag lunch I was able to clean Max up and observe that he was pretty much back to normal. He came home on SMZs for the urinary tract infection, and Phenazopyridine which is an analgesic drug to help him feel more comfortable. One side effect of this drug is that it turns the urine bright yellow and everything the medication touches turn yellow including Kellie’s hands and Max’s teeth and tongue. Max’s student from the Vet school called me today to let me know the urinary culture came back and the SMZ’s should take care of the infection.

So Max is home, eating, begging for treats and acting pretty normal. The plan is to reassess his blood and urine before he comes off of his meds in a couple of weeks. The elevated kidney enzymes in his blood are an indication of kidney failure which maybe chronic and progressive and which has a poor prognosis. In the meantime the barn staff will be extra vigilant for any changes and Max will enjoy being spoiled more than normal – if that is possible.

Max is spending a few days at the vet school

2011-06-07T14:20:00.000-04:00

My dear partner Max is currently at the NCSU Veterinary School recovering from a painful condition. Over the weekend we noticed that he was dribbling a little urine just a drip, drip, drip type of thing but all the same not normal. Monday morning his urethra was swollen and extended. Veterinary investigation revealed a stone the size of a grape which had travelled down his urethra and was blocking the normal flow of urine. Once this was extracted (poor Max he was a superstar throughout this whole episode) they were able to drain his bladder with a stallion catheter.

Max was referred to the Vet school for further diagnostics to establish if this stone was the lone ranger or if there were others. The Vets and students at NCSU were fabulous and very efficient. They scoped his urethra and bladder using a color camera which was pretty cool to see. The procedure took quite a long time as they wanted to flush some of the accumulated “sludge” out of his bladder as well as evaluate if the flow of urine into the bladder was normal. Although there was significant swelling and trauma the general consensus was that things were relatively normal. They did however find a second stone which looks pretty sizable on the scope. They said it was difficult to attain an accurate measurement of its size.

The Vets followed up with kidney ultrasounds and blood work looking for abnormalities. Although, there were a few abnormal indicators they felt that these were likely caused by the stress of the day. Having listened to the options I decided that Max should remain at the Vet school and provided today’s blood work comes back normal (they are primarily concerned with kidney damage) he will have a standing procedure on Friday to remove that second stone and clean/flush his bladder. The Doctor assured me that the surgery is pretty easy on horses with of course the usual risks associated with this type of medical procedure. At 27 years of age I wanted to be sure that Max does not have to endure too much to fix the problem.

He was on fluids last night and was urinating during the night, which is a good sign. His appetite is good and he appears to be in good shape considering what he has been through.

So keep Max in your thoughts, although he is 27 years old he is in great physical shape and my hope is that he will be able to return to a normal horse life once he recovers.

Faculty Development by Jackie Dwelle

2011-06-05T18:33:00.001-04:00

Faculty development comes in many formats. Continuing education is certainly one of them! This morning Pebbles and I had the privilege of riding western with our colleague Carla Wennburg. For me it was a great experience for many reasons. First I am from England and never had the opportunity to ride western growing up, second as the dressage coach I have seen how riding western has helped my team riders and I wanted to experience it for myself and finally I love learning new things and finding out how they work. Of course as with anything new there is a learning curve from how to secure the cinch, to correct leading procedures to the fact that the horses are a lot shorter and you just mount from the ground. (Yes, I led little Holly, up to the giant TH mounting block causing much hilarity from my colleagues.)

So where did we start? With elementary control of course! Two hands, ask the horse to go to the bridle and then ask it to carry itself. (This is how I started with Holly with Carla saying, “just ride like you ride dressage.” Pebbles rode Harley with less contact.) Once I figured out not to hurry the jog (dressage makes you want to ride forward) then I was able to stop and steer very easily. Holly was very responsive to the voice when it came to stopping! Loping was the next thing and I had to really concentrate on being tall through my upper body. Canter to halt easy! We have to get better at those downward transitions in dressage. Carla showed us how to spin the horses and then had us finish up riding squares. It was fabulous!

So I had to try out some of this on the dressage horses and it was Jake’s turn today. We have been working on transitions within the gaits and he was amazing, going softly into the bridle and seeking contact which he has been a little tentative about lately. His canter was relaxed and adjustable and his halts improved as I remembered that when you train the voice is a VERY useful aid. It probably did not hurt that I rode with a more open hip angle and focused on using my outside aids to turn.

Looking forward to riding more western this summer - Thank you Carla!

NCDCTA Dressage Symposium

2011-05-24T17:21:00.000-04:00

I drove to North Start Training Center in Chapel Hill on Saturday, stopped the car, got out and wondered what that noise was. The 13 year cicadas are in full voice in that part of the state and they spent the day dive bombing us and landing on everything. The sound they make is incredible!

Henk van Bergen did a magnificent job both talking over the cicadas and sharing his training concepts. The symposium’s title was “Achieving Throughness” which as Henk explained is not one concept but a combination of many. Henk also shared many insights and much wisdom with a very appreciative audience. For me it was another opportunity to affirm that the training scale is the correct approach to progressing dressage horses through the levels.

After a brief introduction Henk explained the importance of the warm up with horses at all levels. “The horse must be in front of the rider’s leg and there must be contact with the reins. It is the combination of responsiveness to the leg aid and the feeling with the hands that creates balance.” Henk went on to explain the importance of the warm as a diagnostic for the training session. “The warm up should be as short as possible and as long as necessary. The rider must look for that feeling from the horse that he is ready to work. Once you have control of the rhythm and the body position by influencing the neck through the reins you have balance, then you can teach whatever you like.”

Henk is a strong believer in the use of transitions to develop the horse. He calls the gaits the building blocks and the transitions the cement between the blocks. “Transitions increase the strength in the hind leg” he said. He asked each demonstration rider no matter what level they were riding to start with transitions within the gaits before doing transitions between the gaits. “If you practice transitions between the gaits before the horse is supple you create tension. Practicing transitions within the gait also reduces anticipation and loss of balance. You reward by allowing the horse to change gaits when he is balanced and soft.”

For the warm up Henk wanted each horse to demonstrate a relaxed, forward stretch at the trot. The riders were instructed to maintain contact in the stretch and not allow the horse to lower his head much below the point of the shoulder as this tips the horse on the forehand and blocks the shoulder. “Horses that are unwilling to stretch are often scared or not trusting. You cannot have relaxation with tension so using artificial aids to tie their head down just does not work they must be relaxed through their back.” Henk said, “Stretching allows the hind leg to step under the body. When you take a break allow the horse total freedom of his neck but maintain the activity of the walk. When the break is over the only thing you need to reestablish is the contact.” Henk advised not to ask for more energy and power than the horse’s level of relaxation can handle. He observed that horse’s that are fussy in the mouth are showing us that there is a problem behind the saddle often related to the hind leg not being sufficiently active.

Henk had thoughts on sitting the trot. He observed that it is difficult to sit the trot if the horse is not using its back correctly. “It is not good for the horse or the rider” he said. “Once the back is relaxed sitting trot becomes a lot easier, sitting trot without stirrups can be bone jarring for horse and rider unless the horse is using his back correctly.”

Henk cautioned riders to be very aware of what their horses were communicating with them. “You can be firm with a horse if he understands the meaning of the aids. If he does not understand or does not want to his reaction is very similar, but the rider’s reaction would be very different in each case.” Henk used the image of someone typing to illustrate how the aids must be applied one at a time to make sense to the horse. “An accomplished typist appears to be using multiple keys at one time but in reality they are only using one key at a time. That is how it must be when we ride - one aid at a time.”

Development through the levels was illustrated by each demonstration rider being a level higher than the previous one. Henk said that development can be very slow and likened it to grass growing. “You don’t see the grass grow but every Saturday people are out there cutting it” he said. “As the horse develops his balance improves. It is like someone learning to walk a tight rope. Initially, he uses his arms a lot for balance and his body may waiver. The accomplished rope walker can walk the rope with his hands down.” As Henk explained this he demonstrated the concept much to the delight of the crowd. “Transitions improve balance, but there is a fine line between not doing enough and doing too much” Henk said. “There is also a fine line between good training and abuse!”

Throughout the day, Henk shared his ideas on teaching and coaching. He advised instructors to identify what a horse and rider combination can do well. “The horse maybe capable of FEI work but this is only possible if the rider is educated too” he said. “We must find what the pair can do together.” Henk also observed that breeders are producing horses that are built for dressage who can often compensate for the rider’s lack of feel. On the flip side he also noted that these well bred horses often have temperaments that are more difficult to deal with.

Henk noted that it is important for riders to enjoy the level they are at and enjoy the process. He suggested that the teacher is a translator for the horse and helps the student to understand the feedback the horse is giving him. Personally, I really liked this and it makes a strong case for instructors to be active riders whenever possible. “The good teacher does not give too much information at once” said Henk. “The teacher selects which mistakes impede progress and development the most and works on these first. It is not even necessary to mention the other problems that are going on until the student understands the concepts you are trying to teach.”

I was impressed by Henk’s approach to training. He understands horses and is practical pointing out that not every horse is built for dressage and that riders need to recognize this if they plan to work their way up the levels. His training philosophy reflects the training scale and he did a magnificent job of explaining why the training scale works and how to use it in the development of the dressage horse.

Now about those cicadas – they kept up their noise all day, I guess if you only emerge every thirteen years you have a reason to celebrate!

Expanding our Capabilities

2011-05-17T14:52:00.001-04:00

With the horses almost ready for summer camp, the tack packed and the decision as to which horse goes to which camp made, we finally have time to develop some new skills or brush up on some old ones! For me this includes making my riding a priority. I am riding every day which is a big change from when school was in session and I was lucky if I got to feed Max an apple each day!

In the office I am working on integrating our social media to make it work together as much as possible and trying to keep up with this ever changing medium. Don't laugh, but it has taken me quite a while to figure out how to embed YouTube videos into facebook and the blog. I am so proud of the achievement that I'm using this post as a practice. If you have not seen Max's Guided Tour of the SAPC Equestrian Center take a look now. Max has shot more footage for his future videos and is waiting for his editor to piece it together. Next up Max's Guided Tour of the Ride-Like-A-Knight Therapeutic Horsemanship Program.

Where Did They Go?

2011-05-13T17:53:00.003-04:00

Saturday May 7th, we said goodbye to 120 seniors as they take the next step forward in the journey that is their life. They are all special people with strong connections at St. Andrews having survived four years with the cloud of accreditation issues hanging over their heads. Many of them came to St Andrews because of the Equestrian program and have spent four years riding horses, organizing horse shows, participating in horse shows, volunteering for Therapeutic Horsemanship, participating in non equine activities such as choir or theater and fitting in some study time to earn a degree in Business Administration, Biology, Psychology, or Sport and Recreation.

The Therapeutic Horsemanship (TH) majors are headed into a TH or an equine related job. Kathryn Sorgenfrei will be joining December graduate Laura Dyer at Heads Up! Therapeutic Riding Center in Pittsboro NC. Heads up! is a NARHA premier accredited center. Laura and Kate will be working to build the program. Fiona Lindsey Delfino is going to Florida to serve as Director of Horses Helping People (HOPE) in Archer, Florida. “I am so excited,” said Fi “I found this job doing research for my equine business management project. I called them up and it has turned out to be a perfect fit. It is 20 minutes from my Dad’s house and as I turned in the driveway I just had a great feeling about the facility and after I met everyone I felt even better about it.” Liz Dulski is taking her considerable teaching skills to Camp Seafarer in Arapahoe, NC. The campers are lucky to have such a talented teacher on the staff. All these graduates were student leaders in the Ride-Like-A-Knight Therapeutic Riding program as well as participating in other campus activities.

Students in the Business Administration program some doing straight business and some with a Specialization in Equine Business Management are headed in several different directions. Audrey Bolte is serving as Equestrian Director with Rockbrook Camp for Girls in Brevard, NC. St. Andrews sends several horses to this camp which Audrey will be responsible for as well as running the equestrian part of the camp. Audrey’s good friend Audrey Hayden is taking a different path she is going to work for EMO Equine Insurance Agency in Warrenton, VA. “I already sent them a new customer,” said Audrey, “Bri bought a new horse and needed insurance. I was able to refer her to EMO.” Both Audreys contributed a lot to the equestrian program, serving as Riding Council Officers riding on the ANRC and IHSA teams and both are very tall! Amanda Ligouri accepted a position as barn manager at Stepping Stone farm in Andover, NJ. “It is fairly close to my home and is exactly what I was looking for out of college.” said Amanda. “I can't believe that four years have gone by so fast, but they will never be forgotten, that's for sure. “ Amanda was a member of the IHSA hunter seat team and spent many hours at the barn taking care of the horses.

Jesse Elliot and Kate Hollingsworth chose to get “regular” jobs to support their horse habit. Jesse has been offered a job as Marketing Assistant for Atlantic Seaboard Corporation in Wilmington, NC and Kate has accepted a position at Stage Stores as an Executive Trainee in South Hill, VA. After training Kate will become a store manager.

Kelsey Moody who served as Riding Council President and a team leader for the western team studied psychology at St. Andrews. Kelsey came to school with considerable equestrian experience and has been a motivator and supporter of her team mates and fellow equestrians. During her time at school Kelsey rode on the IHSA western and hunter seat teams and would do Reining demonstrations at various events sometimes bridle less! Kelsey has accepted a job with the Children’s Special Services for occupational therapy in Atlanta, GA. Her plans also include going to Brenau University’s graduate school to pursue a masters in occupational therapy.

Marisa Hughes who graduated with honors with a degree in Biology with a Specialization in Equine Science has a job as a veterinary assistant at Crofton Veterinary Center in Maryland. “I need to do the small animal stuff as well as the horses to get into Vet school so this is a great job for me.” Marisa rode on both the hunter seat and western IHSA teams at St. Andrews.

Philip Ratchford is not going anywhere. He graduated with a degree in Sport and Recreation Studies and has been hired by St. Andrews to serve in Sports Information. Phil was an officer of the Therapeutic Horsemanship club, rode western, sang in the choir, performed in college productions, assisted with scoring at college games and just like all the students in this article was active in supporting his peers in all their endeavors both on and off a horse.

The End of the Academic Year

2011-05-09T09:26:00.000-04:00

Wow! Have we had a busy weekend with the IHSA hunter seat team and western individuals in Kentucky at Nationals, Baccalaureate Friday and Commencement Saturday. Half the staff travelled to the Kentucky Horse Park to either coach or learn how to run the National Championships that we will be hosting next year for Zone 4 Region 3. (The region is the actual host, but I am pretty sure SAPC is going to do the majority of the work!) At home the rest of us pulled together to take care of the horses, attend the end of year ceremonies and honor our graduates with a lunch in the party palace (also known as the TH indoor arena).

So IHSA first, a great weekend for Coach Duda and the hunter seat team. Early results had the team in 2nd place. After three days of competition the team placed 7th overall. A great achievement for the first time SAPC has sent a hunter seat team to the National Championships. Contributing to team points were Sami Cram in novice over fences in 5th place and intermediate flat 4th place, and Jen Callahan novice on the flat 4th.

Senior Rob Jacobs represented SAPC extremely well in the USEF/Cacchione Cup which is awarded to the National Individual Hunter Seat High Point Rider. After the first over fences phase Rob was in sixth place. During the flat phase he moved up to third place and held onto that placing following a ride off. Only 1.5 points separated the top three riders. What a great way to end a college career!

Saturday afternoon the four seniors dressed in blue gowns and hats participated in their own graduation ceremony conducted by program director Peggy McElveen. Missing graduation at SAPC is a sacrifice and Peggy made sure the seniors were recognized for their academic achievements. During graduation at SAPC Dean Hopkins made special mention of the seniors that were competing at IHSA.

Sunday our two individuals for western took the stage and both ended up as Reserve National Champions in their divisions! Brittany Powell in Intermediate Horsemanship and Leah Davison in Walk/Jog. Leah’s family was on hand to celebrate with her and handed her the keys to a new F150 as a graduation gift!

Speaking of graduation, SAPC does a terrific job with one of the prettiest graduation ceremonies anywhere. The pipe band leads the faculty, trustees and graduates across the cause walk to the library terrace for the ceremony. It is a great photo opportunity for parents and friends. Several times the graduating class was recognized for their courage to stick with SAPC during the tough times with our accrediting agency SACS. This class were freshmen when the dispute began and have stuck with the school for their entire college career. With the partnership with Webber International moving forward the classes’ commitment has paid off for both the graduates and the school.

Alexandra Hartner was remembered by her classmate Dani Buchanan during the ceremony. Alex was tragically killed in a car accident in January of 2008. Alex was at SAPC for a short time but she is greatly missed by all who knew her.

As is our tradition the Equestrian staff hosted lunch for the graduates and their families. About 100 people joined us in the party palace for some home made goodies and an opportunity to wind down after the earlier formalities. Family members also have an opportunity to see the equestrian center as many grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings have never visited. Graduation is always bitter sweet. We don’t want to see our friends move on but at the same time we are proud of their accomplishments and know they will go out into the world as servant leaders to give back to the greater community.

Rob Jacobs, 3rd in the USEF/Cacchione Cup

Seniors Audrey Bolte, Jen Callahan, Leah Davison & Rob Jacobs

Leah with her parents and Reserve Champion Ribbon

Graduation at SAPC, crossing the Cause Walk

Congratulations Lindsey Agaliotis 6th in Nation at Upper Training!

2011-05-03T09:49:00.000-04:00

The University of Florida hosted the IDA National Championships at Canterbury Show Place in Newberry, Florida April 30 – May 1.

Lindsey Agaliotis represented St. Andrews in the Upper Training division riding test 3. “Lindsey is a great student and takes her horsemanship very seriously” said coach Jackie Dwelle. “On Saturday, she watched every horse go, recorded all of the scores and talked to as many people as possible to learn as much as she could about the horses she could potentially draw. The individual draw was on Sunday at 7:00 a.m. and right after the draw she was talking to riders that rode the horse the day before and found a local person who knew the horse well. By the time she got on the horse we had a game plan and strategy for our 10 minute warm up.” Dwelle continued, “In my opinion she achieved her goal of showing off the horse to the best of his ability. The horse could be tense and a little stiff. During the warm up Lindsey worked on stretching and transitions to relax and supple him. During her test she said he felt a little less relaxed but I did not see that.”

Lindsey placed 6th overall with a score of 63%, the horse she rode placed 12th with his second rider. “We were all very please with this result” said Dwelle. “Lindsey’s parents were there the entire weekend and could not have been more supportive. They pitched in to help wherever we needed it, putting up banners and organizing the awards presentation on Saturday. They were fantastic, I’m so grateful for their help and support.”

Unlike previous hosts the University of Florida does not have a large equestrian program. The Gators ride with their coach Bridgette Boland at her home in Newberry. Bridgette, nine very dedicated University of Florida students, and some wonderful volunteers planned and organized the show. Bridgette’s clients and friends very kindly lent their horses and served as parade riders and horse handlers. “I was amazed at how organized the show was” said Dwelle “I thought Bridgette was crazy when she offered to host last year, but I was so impressed with the organization of the show and how everyone worked together so well.”

Dwelle coaches the St. Andrews Dressage Team and serves as National Secretary and Treasurer for the IDA and also is filling in as the web liaison.

Lindsey on the Equisense horse

Lindsey and Coach Dwelle

Joanne Agaliotis, Lanier Cordell and Lindsey helping set up the Awards Presentation

Lindsey with parents Bobby and Joanne

Intercollegiate National Championships

2011-04-27T08:47:00.001-04:00

St. Andrews has qualified riders for three National Intercollegiate Championships this spring. These competitions are the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) at the Kentucky Horse Park, May 5 -8 for hunter seat and western and the Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) National Championships at Canterbury Show Place in Florida April 30 – May 1.

Hunter Seat Team members are Audrey Bolte, Rob Jacobs, Katie Hansen, Kali Cram, Sami Cram, Jennifer Callahan, Miranda Wright and Blake Liljestrand. Rob Jacobs will also be competing for the Cacchione Cup and Katie Hansen will be representing St. Andrews as an individual in the Open Fences division. Coach Ashley Duda said that the team’s goal at the beginning of the year was to place in the top five at Nationals. She believes this is possible. “This is a much stronger team than I had at Nationals five years ago when I coached for Kansas State. These students really want to win, they are self-motivated and I don’t have to tell them to work hard. If all the riders are “on” and everything falls into place we can bring everything home. We have placed second and third at two National tournaments and like I said they really want to win,” then she added with a laugh, “and the coach is more knowledgeable than five years ago!”

Coach Duda will continue with the regime of no stirrup work, lunge lessons and continual improvement of the rider’s positions in the saddle. “I am working with eight different personalities and each one needs something different. Some need more pumping up than others.” Coach Duda said that confidence in one’s ability to perform well at Nationals is really important. “This group has competed together all year and should feel very confident but it can be hard convincing people at this level that they can win. At the end of the day our riders will be much stronger because of this experience. Once they are in the ring all I can do is trust that our practices have given them the tools to react to whatever comes up with the horse they are riding. It is totally up to them, I find it hard to watch the over fences and usually watch the horse’s footprints to see if they are straight on course and have a good distance to the fence.”

Rob Jacobs is competing in the Cacchione Cup which is awarded to the National Individual Hunter Seat High Point Rider. “Most of the riders in the Cacchione Cup have a background in the 3’6” medal classes prior to coming to college,” said Coach Duda. “Rob’s background prior to college was jumping 2’6” courses on well trained horses and his position was not solid. He has come a long way in four years! He has the ability to lay down a beautiful over fences ride.” Coach Duda’s final comment was that given all the preparation the competition has an element of luck because you draw for the horse you ride.

Coach Carla Wennburg has two riders headed to IHSA Nationals to represent St. Andrews as individuals in western. They are senior Leah Davison in Beginning Walk/Jog and Brittany Powell in Intermediate Horsemanship. Coach Wennburg’s strategy is similar to Coach Duda’s when it comes to preparing her riders. “We have been working on body position, strengthening and correct design of position all year. Confidence is important at this point, winning is more about your mental approach than your physical approach. The horses can be good or bad and you have to be ready to deal with every situation. The patterns will be more intricate at Nationals plus the riders must convince the judge that they have a beautiful position and can ride softly. For Leah especially being 6’1” she stands out in the ring so that first impression is really important. The riders have to draw a horse that they can ride well, have a consistent performance on the rail and demonstrate an excellent pattern while exhibiting poise and confidence.”

Coach Wennburg is also a judge and she said that when she is watching her riders compete she thinks and reacts like a judge. “I analyze everything and know what is going on. It gets to be emotional too when you have worked so hard to get to this point and then the element of luck from the horse draw might help you or not. It sets you up for a lot of turmoil. I have to keep it in perspective and remind myself that neither my rider or I trained the horse.”

The IDA National Championships hosted by the University of Florida are where sophomore Lindsey Agaliotis and coach Jackie Dwelle are headed at the end of April. “I really thought we would qualify our team this year,” said Coach Dwelle. “When Averett University beat us by a tiny margin for the team title I was really disappointed because I believed we were strong enough to come out on top. They showed me! I am really excited to be travelling to Nationals with Lindsey representing SAPC in the Upper Training division. She has worked really hard to develop her horsemanship on all levels and has been a true leader for our team. Lindsey has been riding every day on as many different horses as possible to refine and hone her skills. Probably the biggest unknown for us is how Lindsey will cope with the pressures of competing at Nationals. It is different than a regular show and she has never been under that kind of pressure before. We have talked about it and discussed ways I can help her on competition day to stay calm and focused on her riding. Once she is in the competition ring I will be riding along with her and holding my breath! That is the hardest part of coaching because there is nothing I can do if things go wrong it is all up to the rider.”

Coach Dwelle went on to talk about her plans for the 2012 National competition. “When our regular season was over before spring break I started to look forward to 2012 and tried to figure out how we could be better next year. I came up with the Secret Squirrel Training Squad (there is a story behind the name) which required team members to submit applications for admission into the squad. I accepted eight riders and with the help of my two graduating seniors we have met consistently on Fridays and Saturdays to do lunge lessons and ride in halters bareback. The squad was also required to compete at Showing Under the Stars and several of them also competed at Antares to get more time in the competitive arena. It has been very successful, not only have the riders improved but we have developed several of the dressage horses into solid lunge horses.”

All three coaches agree that National Championships create a goal for a team to work towards. In addition this type of competition helps riders become more comfortable in a pressure situation and ultimately develops them to be effective stylish horsemen.

ANRC Results and Rider Comments

2011-04-22T11:37:00.000-04:00

It took a while to tabulate the final ANRC results but here they are. Riders Jen Callahan and Allie McGraw share their experience. This is what Jen said about the weekend.

ANRC is more than an intercollegiate horse show. It was hours of work, dedication, sweat, and tears, but every minute was worth it in the end. Over the course of a semester it has broadened my horsemanship skills, improved my riding, and created undeniable bonds with my teammates and my horse. It truly was a once in a lifetime experience and a fabulous way to conclude my senior year at SAPC.

Here are Allie's comments.

The ANRC experience was an eye opener for me to a National Competition, and finally all of the hard work we put forward boiled down to three events in the ring in a two day span. It was nerve- racking but I felt very confident going into the ring after all the help from my trainer Lindsey Crowther and my teammates, placing 8th overall individually in the Junior Varsity division was a great accomplishment, but what was even more rewarding was to see how far my horse Rodin and I had come, and how much of an improvement we had made together from day one.

OFFICIAL 2011 ANRC CHAMPIONSHIP SCORE AND RESULTS

NOVICE DIVISION

Written Phase

1. 134 – Jennifer Callahan 96 SAPC
2. 110– Addie Jabin 93 Goucher
3. 132 – Ali McGraw 90 SAPC
4. 154 - Bailey Cone 89.1 VIC
5. 133 – Alexandra Fullerton 89 SAPC
6. 155 – Taylor Brown 83 SCAD
7. 111 – Charlotte Kellogg 82 Goucher
8. 123 – Annie Patterson 81 SCAD
9. 126 - Hayley Bolton 80 SCAD
10. 149 – Mary-Ashley Marable 79 VIC

Dressage Sportif

1. 112 –Alison Born 32.56 Midway College
2. 154 - Bailey Cone 32.08 Virginia Intermont College
3. 125 – Erin Hickey 30.96 SCAD
4. 134 – Jennifer Callahan 30.04 SAPC
5. 114 - Erinn Born 29.68 Midway College
6. 132 - Ali McGraw 28.80 SAPC
7. 126 - Hayley Bolton 28.48 SCAD
8. 133 - Alexandra Fullerton 28.0 SAPC
9. 147 – Caroline Minchew 27.120 Sewanee
10. 155 – Taylor Brown 26.96 SCAD

Hunter Trials

1. 112 – Alison Born 25.60 Midway College
2. 149 – Mary-Ashley Marable 25.50 Virginia Intermont College
3. 154 – Bailey Cone 24.60 Virginia Intermont College
4. 123 – Annie Patterson 23.55 SCAD
5. 113 – Kalena Richards 23.55 Midway
6. 126 - Hayley Bolton 22.50 SCAD
7. 148 – Lillibet Motion 21.45 Sewanee
8. 125 - Erin Hickey 20.86 SCAD
9. 132 – Ali McGraw 20.85 SAPC
10. 114 – Erinn Born 20.01 Midway College

Novice Individual Medal Round

1. 112 – Alison Born 25.50 Midway College
2. 114 - Erinn Born 24.90 Midway College
3. 155 - Taylor Brown 24.30 SCAD
4. 123 – Annie Patterson 23.40 SCAD
5. 113 – Kalena Richards 23.10 Midway College
6. 126 - Hayley Bolton 22.50 SCAD
7. 143 – Linnea Carver 22. 20 Sewanee
8. 134 – Jennifer Callahan 21.90 SAPC
9. 133 – Alexandra Fullerton 21.60 SAPC
10. 149 – Mary-Ashley Marable 20.40 VIC

NOVICE TEAM RESULTS WRITTEN

1. St. Andrews Presbyterian College 186
2. Goucher College 175
3. Virginia Intermont College 167.1
4. SCAD 163
5. Midway College 148
6. Sewanee 141
7. UGA 74

NOVICE TEAM RESULTS DRESSAGE SPORTIF

1. Midway College 62.24
2. SCAD 59.44
3. St. Andrews Presbyterian College 58.84
4. Virginia Intermont College 58.32
5. Sewanee 51.76
6. Goucher College 26.16
7. UGA 17.04

NOVICE TEAM RESULTS HUNTER TRIALS

1. Virginia Intermont College 50.10
2. Midway College 49.05
3. SCAD 43.30
4. Sewanee 41.25
5. St. Andrews Presbyterian 40.35
6. UGA 18.30
7. Goucher College 17.80

NOVICE TEAM RESULT MEDAL

1. Midway College 50.40
2. SCAD 46.80
3. St. Andrews Presbyterian College 43.50
4. Sewanee 42.15
5. Virginia Intermont College 37.80
6. Goucher College 20.70
7. UGA 18.00

NOVICE DIVISION TEAM RESULTS-OVERALL

1. Midway College 161.69
2. Virginia Intermont College 146.22
3. SCAD 144.57
4. St. Andrews 142.69
5. Sewanee 135.18
6. Goucher College 64.66
7. UGA 53.34

NOVICE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS- OVERALL

1. 112 – Alison Born 83.56 Midway College
2. 114 - Erinn Born 74.68 Midway College
3. 154 – Bailey Cone 74.08 VIC
4. 126 – Hayley Bolton 73.48 SCAD
5. 149 – Mary-Ashley Marable 72.14 VIC
6. 123 – Annie Patterson 71.63 SCAD
7. 125 – Erin Hickey 71.11 SCAD
8. 132 – Ali McGraw 69.15 SAPC
9. 113 – Kalena Richards 69.13 Midway College
10. 133- Alexandra Fullerton 69.10 SAPC

OFFICIAL 2011 ANRC CHAMPIONSHIP HORSESHOW RESULTS:
NATIONAL DIVISION

Written Phase

1. 109 – Amory Brandt 98 Goucher College
2. 152 - Laura Hannink 97.2 VIC
3. 127 - Audrey Hayden 97.1 SAPC
4. 107 – Taylor Marcus 97 Goucher College
5. 136 - Lauren Perhala 94.1 SBC
6. !02 – Samantha Whitley 94 Centenary College
7. 130 – Robert Jacobs 93.1 SAPC
8. 122 – Kels Bonham 93 SCAD
9. 138 – Elizabeth Hansbrough 92.1 SBC
10. 100 – Marissa Cohen 92 Centenary College

Dressage Sportif

1. 103 – Katie Haley 36.08 Centenary College
2. 118 – Henrietta Armstrong 35.92 SCAD
3. 122 – Kels Bonham 34.48 SCAD
4. 100 – Marissa Cohen 34.48 Centenary College
5. 120 – Paul Frederick 34.32 SCAD
6. 137 – Olivia Smith 33.44 SBC
7. 102 – Samantha Whitley 32.16 Centenary College
8. 101 – Kelsey Barnini 32.08 Centenary College
9. 136 – Lauren Perhala 30.96 SBC
10. 108- Karli Postel 30.88 Goucher College

Hunter Trials Phase

1. 122 – Kels Bonham 26.4 SCAD
2. 118 – Henrietta Armstrong 25.35 SCAD
3. 108 – Karli Postel 25.275 Goucher
4. 129 – Kimberly Graves 25.2 SAPC
5. 137 – Olivia Smith 25.2 SBC
6. 121 – Caroline Ingalls 24.75 SCAD
7. 152 - Lauren Hannink 24.525 VIC
8. 136 – Lauren Perhala 24.3 SBC
9. 153 – Jordan Shelburne 24.15 VIC
10. 138 – Elizabeth Hansbrough 23.775 SBC

Medal Phase

1. 108 – Karli Postel 26.70 Goucher College
2. 152 – Lauren Hannink 26.55 VIC
3. 119 – Lydia Todd 26.4 SCAD
4. 103 – Katie Hayley 26.25 Centenary College
5. 121- Caroline Ingalls 26.1 SCAD
6. 109 – Amory Brandt 25.95 Goucher College
7. 129 – Kimberly Graves 25. 80 SAPC
8. 145 – Caroline Willis 25.65 Sewanee
9. 101 – Kelsey Barnini 25.50 Centenary College
10. 137 – Olivia Smith 25.20 SBC

National Team Written Results

1. Goucher College 195
2. Virginia Intermont College 187.2
3. Centenary College 185
4. Sweet Briar College 183.1
5. SCAD 182
6. St. Andrews 181.1
7. UGA 160.0
8. Florida International 159.0
9. Sewanee 152.0

National Team Dressage Results

1. SCAD 68.8
2. Centenary College 68.24
3. Sweet Briar College 63.36
4. Virginia Intermont College 60
5. Goucher College 59.2
6. St. Andrews 58.08
7. Sewanee 52.08
8. Florida International University 45.68
9. UGA 40.8

National Team Hunter Trials Results

1. SCAD 51.15
2. Sweet Briar College 48.975
3. VIC 48.675
4. Goucher College 48.075
5. Sewanee College 46.20
6. St. Andrews 44.1
7. Centenary College 42.3
8. Florida International University 39.45
9. UGA 38.25

National Team Medal Results

1. Goucher College 52.65
2. Centenary College 51.75
3 VIC 51.6
4. Sewanee 50.55
5. SCAD 50.40
6. SAPC 49.65
7. Sweet Briar 45.60
8. FIU 42.0
9. UGA 40.50

National Overall Team Results

1. SCAD 170.35
2. Centenary College 162.29
3. VIC 160.28
4. Goucher College 159.93
5. Sweet Briar College 157.94
6. St. Andrews 151.83
7. Sewanee 148.83
8. FIU 127.13
9. UGA 119.55

National Overall Individual Results

1. 122 – Kels Bonham 85.18 SCAD
2. 118 – Hennrietta Armstrong 84.07 SCAD
3. 103 – Katie Hayley 83.93 Centenary College
4. 137 – Olivia Smith 83.84 Sweet Briar College
5. 108 – Karli Postel 82.86 Goucher College
6. 121 – Caroline Ingalls 81.17 SCAD
7. 152 – Lauren Hannink 81.08 VIC
8. 136 – Lauren Perhala 79.26 Sweet Briar
9. 153 – Jordan Shelburne 79.20 VIC
10. 101 – Kelsey Barnini 78.28 Centenary College

Local Horse Farm Destroyed by Tornado

2011-04-19T18:46:00.002-04:00

The Pellitier family lost everything in the tornado that wiped out Misty Creek Ranch in Sanford Saturday. Dany, Tania and their two small boys are fine but they lost everything, their home, ranch, and many wonderful reining horses. Other horses have been transported to NCSU Veterinary School for treatment and care. The tornado left nothing standing. To learn more about Misty Creek Reining Horses visit http://mistycreekranch.net/default.aspx

To help out go to http://danyandtania.tadalist.com/lists/1908264/public

I am keeping the Pellitier family in my prayers.

ANRC 2011

2011-04-19T12:44:00.001-04:00

Eight riders, nine horses, one chef d’equip, three coaches, one Veterinarian, numerous parents and one surprise visitor made the trip to Savannah College of Art and Design to compete in the American National Riding Commission (ANRC) National Intercollegiate Equitation Championships April 13 – 17. “The Ronald C. Waranch Equestrian Center is absolutely beautiful.” said Coach Ashley Duda.

As with most intercollegiate competition the coaches meet to discuss logistics etc. for the event prior to the start of competition. This meeting ran until about 7:15 on Friday evening after which the coaches returned to the barn to meet up with the riders and check on the horses. They found Rob tending to Ozzie who had ripped open his right bottom eyelid. Fortunately with SAPC’s Veterinarian Dr. Kellam in attendance the injury was quickly sutured. The SCAD staff even allowed Ozzie to stay in the main barn which was described by Coach McElveen as the horse Taj Mahal with luxury horse suites.

This is the first year that ANRC has offered two divisions. The Novice division competes at 2’6” and the National division at 3’. All competitors are allotted schooling time for the three phases giving the riders and coaches the opportunity to plan their strategies for each of the three ridden phases. The competition starts with a theory test. In the novice division Jennifer Callahan won this phase with a score of 96%. In the National division senior Audrey Hayden scored 97.1% to earn third place and senior Rob Jacobs placed 7th with a score of 93.1%.

Long time friend of the St. Andrews equestrian program and frequent clinician for hunter seat riders Scot Evans made a surprise visit to the competition. “I was talking to Scot on the phone Friday and asking about his plans for the weekend,” said Coach McElveen. “He said, I thought I’d spend the weekend in Savannah! What a wonderful surprise! He was so helpful with the riders. Rob has ridden with Scot for four years and Katie, Kim, Audrey and Jenn the last two years. Scot was able to give Coach Duda some great advice and gave all our competitors a great pep talk.”

The dressage sportif phase is ridden in a large arena with dressage letters, a trot fence and a canter fence. Junior Kim Graves riding her own horse for the National team had an absolutely stunning ride which would have probably been in the top placings in the division had she not made a walk transition in the wrong place in the ring and lost her counter canter lead. For the Novice division Alexandra Fullerton had a challenging ride on Glenn “who was in the grumpiest mood I have ever seen” said Coach McElveen. “Alexandra had to be conservative and tactful so as not to make him angry.”

The hunter trials equitation phase started early Sunday morning followed by the hunter seat equitation medal course in the afternoon. Kim Graves earned the highest St. Andrews score in the hunter trials equitation putting her in the top five for that phase, she also earned a top ten placing in the medal phase. “Stage fright” was an unexpected problem for Rob who has represented St. Andrews many times in competition. While Rob and Katie each had some issues in the hunter trials phase, they came back strong in the Medal phase and this competition is a great primer for IHSA Nationals the first week of May where Rob will compete as part of the St. Andrews hunter seat team and ride for the prestigious Cacchione Cup and Katie will compete in the Individual Open Fences.”

Many of the rider’s families came to the competition including Alie’s parents, Katie’s parents and brother, Rob’s parents, Audrey Bolte’s Mom and Audrey Hayden’s Mom who was excited to let Coach McElveen know that she was willing to serve as the IHSA Awards Coordinator in 2012 when St. Andrews hosts IHSA Nationals. “I am so grateful for the support of the parents, staff, and Scot.” said Coach McElveen. “I also want to thank Karen Gruninger who is here as our Chef d’Equip. She has worked 12 – 14 hour days and done a fantastic job. She was the backbone of the team, planning horse feedings around competitive ride times, getting all the barn management done on time and knowing the rules of the competition to make sure everyone was in compliance. She was fabulous.”

Coach McElveen must have done a pretty good job too as she was awarded the United States Hunter Jumper Association Affiliate ANRC Instructor of the Year Award. This award recognizes an outstanding riding instructor who is dedicated to teaching the Forward Riding System, a dedicated teacher who has spent time “in the ring” encouraging love and growth of forward riding to entry level riders, primarily at unrecognized competition level. Not expecting to receive an award Coach McElveen was caught with a plate of food in her hand at the awards luncheon. Ever resourceful she used the silver tray that she was awarded to carry the food back to her table.

Calculating the final results can be a complicated process which led to some mix-ups at the end of the competition when errors occurred with the calculation. However, even this challenge did not diminish the wonderful competition. The St. Andrews novice team of Jen Callahan, Alie McGraw and Alexandra Fullerton placed 4th in their division, the Nationals team Rob Jacobs, Kim Graves and Katie Hansen placed 6th along with Nationals individual riders Audrey Hayden and Audrey Bolte.

The Novice Team - L to R Jen Callahan with Jojo, Alexandra Fullerton with Glenn and Allie McGraw with Rodin

Rob with Royal at the bank

Audrey Hayden with Daniel

Weekend Update

2011-04-17T07:04:00.000-04:00

We were fortunate that the devastating storms that hit North Carolina yesterday did relatively little damage in Scotland County. Our prayers go out to those who lost their homes and the families of the people killed in the Fayetteville, Raleigh and Sanford areas.

The ANRC Squad competing at the Savannah College or Art and Design were lucky with the weather mostly bypassing the event. After the dressage sportif phase of the competition the Novice team is standing in 3rd and the National team is standing in 6th with only a 10 point difference between them and SCAD who stands in first. Sounds like the competition is wide open going into the outside and medal courses today. On Thursday senior Jennifer Callahan scored 96% on the written test leading the Novice team to win the written phase of the competition.

Today, the competition begins at 8:18 with Allie McGraw and Rodin on the outside course. The competition will wrap up this afternoon with the medal course.

At home we also had to reschedule the Ride-Like-A-Knight therapeutic horsemanship show for today. The fun starts at 12:00 with demos from the Natural Horsemanship class, the dressage team and reiner Kelsey Moody. The change in schedule allowed Lenny and I to finish up a project Max and I had been working on. You can view Max’s Guided Tour of the SAPC Equestrian Center at,

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/video/video.php?v=1952659703179&comments

What is ANRC and Why Does it Matter?

2011-04-12T16:50:00.000-04:00

Every year St. Andrews fields a team at the ANRC National Championships. Historically, we have been very successful at this competition yet outside of college circles only the most dedicated horsemen understand what ANRC is all about. As we prepare to send our eight representatives to Savannah this weekend for this year’s competition it is a great time to share with the greater community what ANRC is and why we take it so seriously.

ANRC stands for The American National Riding Commission. ANRC has a rich history reaching back more than 60 years and undergoing various name changes but never losing its strong focus on correct hunter seat equitation. The theories and techniques that are taught reflect the teaching on one very determined Russian Calvary officer who came to America in the 1920s with literally nothing including no understanding of the English language. Captain Vladimir Littaur developed a riding system focusing on position, control and schooling. His system became known as the forward system of riding and at the three levels he defined offers a system of riding and training to everyone from the casual recreational rider up to the serious professional trainer. Horsehold names such as George Morris, Joe Fargis and Lendon Gray embrace the forward system for its simplicity and effectiveness.

The Forward System of Riding focuses on cooperation between horse and rider developed through a systematic approach to riding and training. The system starts with communication between horse and rider that focuses on gross motor skills and clear aids such as a tapping leg. As the horse and rider progress they learn refined aids for example the squeezing leg. With the development of the aids comes improved balance, timing and coordination leading to the appearance of horse and rider moving as one.

ANRC has developed a rider certification system to allow riders to track their progress starting with an Introductory level through nine progressive levels to National Judge. The certification process offers participants professional credentials as well as a clearly defined progression. Events called Equitrials are held for evaluation purposes and riders competing in the National Championships can earn a rating if they sufficient scores.

Why is this important to the instructional program at St. Andrews? Simply put it provides a logical framework for teaching. As riders progress from the elementary level of control into the intermediate level of control they develop refinement and grace in the saddle as well as becoming effective on a variety of horses. The system develops horsemen not just riders. At St. Andrews we teach the forward system to all riders including those in our western and dressage programs. The students that take this training to heart often graduate to become successful trainers or instructors. Daniel Geitner, SAPC alum, is an example in the competitive world of show jumping who came through the system.

The ANRC National Championships are hosted every year by different colleges. The strongest riders in the SAPC program are selected to represent their peers in this challenging competition. They must complete a written test on theory and stable management. The riding phases of the competition consist of a dressage sportif test (similar to a dressage test but including a trot and a canter fence), an outdoor course (think hunter trails) and a medal course (stadium). All riding phases are judged on equitation (defined as the art or act of riding a horse –we judge artistry or style). The quality of the horse certainly does come into the judging which can be advantageous for students with deep pockets who can afford a high quality equine. A couple of our riders have their own horse but the others are competing on school owned horses.

So it is a big deal! This is what we teach every day not just in the riding ring but in the classroom too. It is a system that we embrace to develop our riders into horsemen and our horses into solid equine professors that do the brunt of the teaching for us!

Tomorrow the 2011 squad leaves for Savannah College of Art and Design for this year’s competition. Good luck to all!

National Division – 3’
Audrey Bolte
Audrey Hayden
Rob Jacobs
Katie Hansen
Kim Graves

Novice Division – 2’6”
Jen Callahan
Alexandra Fullerton
Alexandra McGraw

Coaches
Peggy McElveen, Ashley Duda, Lindsey Crowther

Chef d’Equip – Karen Gruninger (Karen’s job is to organize everything, people, horses, meals, logistics etc.)

Showing Under the Stars: “Firsts” & “Lasts” (Also known as “We Will Miss Our Seniors”)

2011-04-11T08:19:00.002-04:00

Showing Under the Stars is different every time and is often a place of “firsts.” First over fences class for someone, first western horsemanship class etc. This Friday evening the show was also a place of “lasts” being the last S.U.S. for many seniors. Event organizer Heather Wile recognized the Seniors listing them in the program and handing each one a flower as they exited the ring. The theme for the evening was baseball and several horses showed with baseballs drawn on their rumps.

The evening kicked off with the community lesson class. The riders decorated their horses for Easter with eggs on the rider’s shoes and the horse’s tails braided with rabbit tails. This class was followed by a series of freestyle dressage rides performed to music. Senior Donna Fowble paired with junior Andrea Tito to do a fun ride to music from Beauty and the Beast. Leah Davison left everyone very emotional with a bareback western ride on Tony that was dedicated to the instructors and coaches which she called her “Goodbye Ride”. She rode to a Carrie Underwood tune using elements from a reining pattern to involve the crowd. Kate Sorgenfrei rode in her last S.U.S doing her first dressage test on Sockie. Next weekend Kate pairs with Sockie again for a Natural Horsemanship demonstration at the Ride-Like-A-Knight horse show.

In the western horsemanship classes Nationals qualifier Brittany Powell competed in her cowboy hat (for practice) standing out among the standard riding helmets. The hunter seat classes included ANRC riders preparing for next weekend. Senior Marissa Romaniello completed the over fences class earning second place on Quincy to fulfill her dream of competing over fences at SAPC. The evening ended with the Ride-A-Buck class which has become a favorite with everyone. Ride-Like-A-Knight program director Megan Ellis riding Timmie beat senior Leah Davison after a long session of posting trot.

The evening was very “St. Andrews” with alum Gwen Titus judging, alum Mike Kryszak announcing, and staff and faculty in attendance to cheer the riders on. Gwen helped start the western program several years ago as part of an internship and Mike teaches in the local school system. The audience included Lorrie Renker who started the Therapeutic Horsemanship Program at SAPC and just happened to be visiting the program this weekend.

Marissa and Quincy Alex Meyers and Joker Judge Gwen Titus Seniors Kate Sorgenfrei and Donna Fowble

IHSA Hunter Seat Regionals

2011-04-02T16:37:00.004-04:00

In addition to representing the region as a team at zones next weekend Coach Ashley Duda qualified several individuals at the Regional finals hosted today at SAPC. The Equestrian center was buzzing for the final IHSA home show of the year. We also had a large gathering for open house which coincided with the regional finals. Students and their parents were able to observe the SAPC team in action both in the ring and as a group working together to host a top rate horse show.

At the awards luncheon ribbons and trophies for the year were awarded. Rob Jacobs took first place in the Cacchione Cup followed by Katie Hansen in second and Audrey Bolte in sixth place. SAPC’s horse Glenn was awarded the Horse of the Year trophy an honor voted on by the regional coaches.

The IHSA team had a great year with much success. I asked Coach Duda what was the hardest part of being an IHSA coach. She laughed and said, “Having no control! Once they are in the ring you have to have confidence that your preparation will pay off. The rider has to be prepared to answer any questions that arise during the class.” A good illustration of one definition of “luck” – where hard work meets opportunity!

Individual riders moving onto zones - Audrey Bolte, Audrey Hayden, Rob Jacobs, Katie Hansen, Kali Cram, Jessica Bitz-Richards, Kim Graves, Sami Cram, Jodi Brinn – Congratulations!

Regional Results
Open Flat
1. Audrey Bolte
2. Audrey Hayden
3. Katie Hansen

Rob Jacobs also rode in this class, SAPC had 4 out of 5 regional qualifiers in the Open division.

Open Fences
1. Katie Hansen
2. Loren Kirk
3. Rob Jacobs

Novice Fences
1. Kali Cram
2. Audrey Bolte

Walk, Trot, Canter
1. Jessica Bitz-Richards

Intermediate Flat
1. Kim Graves

Novice Flat – this was the largest class of the day with 10 riders.
1. Sami Cram
2. Jodi Brinn

Team Results
1. SAPC
2. UNC – Chapel Hill
3. NCSU
4. Duke
5. UNC – Charlotte
6. Coastal Carolina Community College
7. ECU
8. UNC - Wilmington

2010/2011 IHSA Hunter Seat Team
Seniors Rob Jacobs, Jen Callahan, Audrey Hayden, Audrey Bolte & Jessica Bitz-Richards accepting the Regional Trophy.

Equestrian March Madness

2011-03-31T16:42:00.003-04:00

by Jackie Dwelle

This article appeared in The Laurinburg Exchange March 31.

While Carolina and Duke and the other 62 teams are fighting for the Division I NCAA Basketball Championships riders in the St. Andrews Equestrian program are experiencing much the same process as they vie for a slot at the IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Show Association) National Championships in Lexington, KY May 5 – 8, 2011. IHSA offers competition in hunter seat and western for both teams and individuals. Many parallels exist between the road to the Elite 8 and the Final Four and the path equestrians must ride to reach Semi Finals and Nationals. St. Andrews IHSA Western team has been riding down that path with tenacity and determination this semester.

Intercollegiate basketball is contested within one of the 30 NCAA conferences. IHSA competition is divided geographically into 9 zones and 36 regions. St. Andrews Western Team competes in Zone 4.5, Region 3. (Zones with a fraction are a combination of two zones.)

Basketball teams must participate in 33 - 34 games, conference and non-conference and either win their conference or finish strongly to stand a chance of competing in the NCAA Championships. Equestrian teams must accrue points within their region with only the top team in each region advancing to Semi Finals. This year the St. Andrews Western Team showed at 9 shows both home and away with each show offering six qualifying divisions contributing to the team score.

The road to the Final Four begins with the selection of the 64 teams that will compete in the tournament. The 30 conference winners receive an automatic slot as does the winner of the Ivy League Championship. The remaining “at large teams” are awarded subjectively by the selection committee. Members of basketball’s top conferences The ACC, the Big 10 and so on do not know if they will be selected until the announcement is made on Selection Sunday. There is no subjectivity for Equestrians either you make it to Semi Finals or you don’t. During the regular season the St. Andrews Western Team accumulated a total of 275 points (beating their nearest rival NCSU by three points) to win the championship in Zone 4.5 Region 3.

For basketball teams moving into the NCAA Tourney it is a process of advance or be eliminated. For Equestrians the same is true. The regional (conference) winner goes to one of three Semi Finals and the top three teams from each Semi Final progresses to the National Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

How Far Did The Western Team Go?
The Western Team was beaten at Semi Finals. Coach Wennburg commented, “We are proud to have the opportunity to go and compete at the Semi Finals. It is a test which we accomplished by riding properly. When you go to Semi Finals you are up against riders who are as good as you and strong competitors. Our riders rode smart and correctly with good pattern and rail work, there were a few glitches which can make a huge difference at this level. The three schools that advanced all brought horses to the competition which is an advantage, there is always an element of luck involved which you cannot prepare for. We learned a lot and will put that to good use for next year.”

Individual March Madness
In addition to the team competition students may compete as individuals in one of six IHSA divisions. For Western these Horsemanship divisions are Reining, Open, Advanced, Novice, Intermediate, and Beginner. Each division is contested at the National Championships, however the qualifying road is long and arduous. Individual riders must earn 35 points to qualify for the Regional Championship (28 for Reining and Open). This can sometimes take multiple years to accomplish. To qualify for Semi Finals riders must be first or second in their division at the Regional Championships. To progress to Nationals riders at Semi Finals must be in the top 4 of the 16 riders in their division.

One Rider’s IHSA Journey
Senior Alex Meyers has been an active participant on the IHSA Western Team throughout her college career. As an individual it took Alex three years to point out of her starting division and just one year to point out for the next division. “All together I have ridden at 20 shows I think, give or take. I know this year was my second year going to regionals and first year qualifying for Semi-Finals. I began in Intermediate and pointed out last year to Novice. Now I have successfully pointed out of Novice.”

Alex views qualifying for Semi Finals as a great honor, “It means a huge accomplishment for me. It's like the light bulb clicked on and everything Carla (Wennburg) has worked on with me has come together. I am so very excited to have this opportunity.” Being part of the Western Team has been a highlight for Alex, “I think it is amazing. We all are able to come together and have a great time. I think it was hard for me at first because I was so shy and all my team mates had much more show experience than I. However I have discovered that none of that matters. We all may not spend every single moment around each other as a team, but we are all there to help each other out when needed.”

Alex placed in the top ten at Semi Finals. Three of her team mates placed in the top four in their divisions to qualify for the slot at Nationals.
Kelsey Moody – Reining
Brittany Powell – Intermediate Horsemanship
Leah Davison – Beginner Walk/Jog

Western Semi - Finals

2011-03-28T13:03:00.013-04:00

The Western Team had a great weekend in Springfield Missouri. I talked to Coach Carla Wennburg about the experience.

What makes Semi Finals special? ”Semi Finals in the western is a chance to compete with many colleges we have never seen and some that we have and know will make us STEP UP!”

As a coach what do you see as the benefit of IHSA competition? “To learn how to win and lose, I am fiercely competitive and HATE to lose, but I have built ALOT of character and grace, some days better than others, but ultimately, try to be a leader to our students and show many aspects of competition and results of all things working!! Happens once in awhile! MOST of all it is about our horses!”

How would you describe the experience of being a part of an IHSA team? “Team is what life is about, simply! Learning to get along and help each other in EVERYTHING we do, on the road is really a great time to bond and enjoy each other! Best experience for me working with people!”

Tell us about the experience of going to Semi Finals “We are proud to have the opportunity to go and compete at the Semi Finals. It is a test which we accomplished by riding properly. When you go to Semi Finals you are up against riders who are as good as you and strong competitors. Our riders rode smart and correctly with good pattern and rail work, there were a few glitches which can make a huge difference at this level. My team were great competitors, they take the most out of the experience and are very gracious. I am also extremely grateful to Peggy for sending Pebbles and Kellie with us. They are great travelers, and supporters. 17 hours each way is a test in itself”

The team did not qualify for the National Championships in KY, however 3 riders did advance as individuals, Kelsey Moody in Reining, Brittany Powell in Intermediate and Leah Davison in Beginner Walk/Jog.

Results from Semi Finals

1. Black Hawk College 2. Murray State 3. University of Nebraska 4. Alfred University 5. St. Andrews Presbyterian College 6. West Virginia University 7. Mt. Holyoke College 8. Perdue University

Top 3 schools advance to the National Championships at the Lexington Horse Park in KY, May 6th.

Individual Results

Reining – Kelsey Moody 4th***
Open Horsemanship – Kelsey Moody 5th
Advanced Horsemanship – Shannon Leggett 6th
Novice Horsemanship – Alex Meyers in the top 10.
Intermediate Horsemanship - Brittany Powell 3rd***
Beginner Walk/Jog - Leah Davison 4th***

***The top 4 riders in each division advance to Nationals.

The Team Entering for the Parade of Teams Team with Banner Carla with Seniors Anne Neal Thompson and Kelsey Moody on the horse. Carla and Anne Neal

Equestrians Honored at Awards Convocation

2011-03-27T09:54:00.001-04:00

Friday evening students from the equestrian program were honored at the Academic Awards Convocation. Many of the equestrians were unable to attend due to participation in program events. The western team is in Missouri competing at the Western Semi Finals and many of the hunter seat riders were attending the Scot Evans clinic at the Equestrian Center.

Congratulations to everyone who has worked so hard to maintain a strong GPA while being a contributing member of the SAPC community. Below are the awards given by the Equine Studies Department.

Therapeutic Horsemanship Academic Award - Alexandria Scholten
The Therapeutic Horsemanship Academic Award is presented to a Therapeutic Horsemanship Major with a grade point average of 3.5 and higher. This year’s recipient is Alexandria Scholten. Alex consistently puts time and effort into teaching creative therapeutic riding lessons, while maintaining a strong academic focus. This has allowed her to excel in all of her courses and to achieve certification in TH instruction.

Therapeutic Horsemanship Excellence in Instruction Award - Olivia Taylor
This student teaches safe, creative, and challenging lessons with enthusiasm. This year’s recipient is Olivia Taylor. Olivia teaches riders of all ages and skill levels in the Ride-Like-A-Knight program, and she designs thoughtful lessons that cater to each of their goals. She never misses a "teachable moment," and her riders show progress in every lesson.

Therapeutic Horsemanship Service Leadership Award - Elizabeth Dulski
This student also shows outstanding leadership service qualities and involvement in all aspects of the Ride Like A Knight Program as well as the St. Andrews Equestrian Program as a whole. This year’s recipient is Elizabeth Dulski. Liz spends countless hours at the barn, teaches riding almost every day of the week, and regularly takes the initiative on projects that benefit not only her riders, but the program as a whole.

Equestrian Academic Leadership Award
Each discipline gives an award to a student who maintains a grade point average of 3.5 or higher and serves in a leadership role in the Equestrian Program.

Hunter Seat - Jennifer Callahan
Jen has served as Horse Show chair for Riding Council and as an integral part of the barn management liaison program. She is a member of the 2011 ANRC team and helped lead the IHSA hunter seat team to the Regional Championships.

Western - Kelsey Moody
Kelsey serves as the President of Riding Council and is a strong competitor and team leader for the IHSA Western Team. She works closely with coach Carla Wennburg to prepare horses and riders for IHSA Western shows.

Great Presentation!

2011-03-23T13:16:00.001-04:00

Adequan representative Allyn Mann gave a great presentation last night. Allyn brought pizza to the meeting for the approximately 70 students present. His PowerPoint included some great graphics and animation showing how healthy joints function and the disease process caused in 95% of cases by work load. Allyn shared that good conformation was important for soundness in the long term but also emphasized that working a horse can lead to stresses that result in degradation of the cartilage. Allyn answered the many questions with great stories, examples, and information on research studies.

Tomorrow the western team leaves for the 16 hour drive to Springfield Missouri to compete in their Semi –Finals. Good luck to all the westerners!

At home it is another busy weekend with Scott Evans here this weekend to give a clinic to the ANRC squad.

Antares Schooling Dressage Show 3/20/2011

2011-03-21T12:39:00.003-04:00

While the western team was paving their path to Missouri, the dressage team had a fun trip to Antares Dressage in Pinehurst Sunday. Four horses and five riders competed at training and first level. For a couple of horses it was their first away dressage show since joining the dressage program. Marcus who moved over from the hunter seat program was on his toes but gave Paige Tillison a good ride in Training Level Test One. Jake who came up from Florida last summer showed his nerves a little with senior Donna Fowble but still put in a solid ride in First Level One. School master Astaire tested out freshmen Katherine Kaltenbach in the warm up arena but put in a good performance in First Level Test 3. Moe turned in two solid tests for Lauren Parker Training 1, and Sarah Kee in Training 2. Coach Dwelle commented, “It’s good to get the horses off the farm and ride them in a show setting. They all behaved differently at the show, nerves, a new setting and a spooky ring are all great tests for our riders.”

Training Level Division
Paige Tillison riding Marcus 67.083% 4th
Lauren Parker riding Moe 65.833% 5th
Sarah Kee riding Moe 61.795% 7th

First Level Test 1
Donna Fowble riding Jake 64.482% 3rd

First Level Test 3
Katherine Kaltenbach riding Astaire 63.225% 4th

Katherine and Astaire

Sarah and Moe

Paige and Marcus

Lauren and Moe

Donna and Jake

IHSA Western Regional Qualifers

2011-03-20T16:58:00.012-04:00

Shannon & Leah

by Marissa Romaniello

Sunday, March 20, 2011
The Western Team came out ontop today at Regionals, which was hosted at the St. Andrews Equestrian Center.

The Judge, Debra Jones-Wright from Plainville, GA was floored by the quality of the horses, riders and the event. "The facility is exceptional, one of the best I've seen. The horses here are of great quality and are well taken care of. The students and staff were pleasant and helpful and took great care of me. I cannot emphasize enough the wonderful care and presentation of the horses. Big Plus!" She was very pleased with how well the event was run and very much enjoyed her experience here at St. Andrews.

Coach Carla Wennberg could not be prouder of her team! She was very excited and emotional saying, "Today was a result of the Whole Package! The horses were brilliant and the students have been a wonderful team." Team members from all disciplines came out today to help and support the Western Team. "The judge was a professional, with excellent quality. I respected what she said very much. It takes a village! Amazing teamwork from all!"

Results from March, 20, 2011
Class 15- Open Horsemanship
1st- Kelsey Moody

Class 14- Advanced Horsemanship
1st- Shannon Leggett
2nd- Ann Neal Thompson

Class 13- Novice Horsemanship
1st- Alex Myers

Class 12- Intermediate Horsemanship
1st- Brittany Powell
Regional Qualifier- Jake Nix
Regional Qualifier- Kimmy Simmonsen

Class 11- Beginner Horsemanship
1st- Leah Davison
2nd- Shelley Whittemore

Zone Qualifiers from Today
Kelsey Moody
Shannon Leggett
Ann Neal Thompson
Alex Myers
Brittany Powell
Leah Davison
Shelley Whittemore

The team will travel to Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri March 26 – 27 to compete in one of three semi-finals. Qualifiers from this event will go onto the National competition May 5 – 11, 2011 at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Congratulations to all. Everyone did an excellent job today. The entire St. Andrews Community is so proud of you!

Congratulations Western Team!

2011-03-19T18:54:00.005-04:00

Congratulations to Coach Carla Wennburg and the Western IHSA team for qualifying for IHSA Western Semi Finals. The team will travel to Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri March 26 – 27 to compete in one of three semi-finals. Qualifiers from this event will go onto the National competition May 5 – 11, 2011 at the Kentucky Horse Park.

The team qualified at the last regular show of the season held at St. Andrews Equestrian Center March 19th. Emotions ran high when word came from the scorers that SAPC had beaten NCSU for the team slot. “You can’t imagine how proud I am.” said Coach Wennburg. “Our horses did a brilliant job, my students totally organized everything within two hours this morning, they did everything as horsemen.” NCSU and SAPC have been closely tied throughout the year. SAPC beat NCSU 38 points to 32 giving SAPC a year end total of 275 to NCSU’s 272. Equestrian Program Director Peggy McElveen said, “I am so proud of our students and their coach. It has been an extremely challenging year for the Western Team, they have had their ups and their downs. They have worked very hard to get to this point and today their hard work paid off.”

The Reining division has also been a back and forth competition between SAPC’s Senior Kelsey Moody and NCSU’s Kody Zaagman. Today Kody won the division to beat Kelsey by one point for the year. Kody will go on to Nationals as high point rider for our zone. Both Kelsey and Kody qualified for Western Semi Finals in reining. Interestingly, Kody started his IHSA career at St. Andrews riding for Coach Wennburg before transferring to NCSU for his sophomore year.

Judge Carolyn Johnson from Ringgold, GA was very impressed with the quality of the St. Andrews horses. “Today I saw a very, very nice group of horses. This is the nicest group of horses I have seen at any IHSA show.” After the competition she was very quick to complement Coach Wennburg, “Carla is like a sponge. She takes in everything and then gives it back to her students. She is such a special, dedicated, nice person.”

St. Andrews is certainly proud of our western team and their coach! Get plenty of rest tonight guys and good luck to all the individuals riding for Semi Final slots tomorrow.

Advancing to the Regional Competition March 20th at St. Andrews Equestrian Center

Reining & Open Horsemanship
Kelsey Moody

Advanced Horsemanship
Shannon Leggett, Anne Neal Thompson

Intermediate Horsemanship
Brittany Powell, Kimmie Simonsen, Jake Nix

Novice Horsemanship
Alex Meyer

Walk Jog
Leah Davison, Shelley Whittmore

Results March 19, 2011
High Point Rider
Tied Kelsey Moody, SAPC & Kody Zaagman, NCSU

Open Horsemanship
1st - Kelsey Moody
6th - Anne Neal Thompson

Intermediate II Horsemanship Section A
1st – Madison Webb

Advance Horsemanship Section A
2nd – Lindsey Agaliotis

Intermediate I Horsemanship Section A
1st - Leah Davison
2nd – Shelley Whittemore

Advanced Horsemanship Section B
2nd - Lindsey Agaliotis

Reining
2nd - Kelsey Moody

Intermediate II Horsemanship Section B
1st – Brittany Powell

Walk Jog Section A
2nd – Amber Powell

Novice Horsemanship Section A
1st – Alex Meyer

Walk Jog Section B
1st – Tyler Gritzuk

Novice Horsemanship Section B
2nd – Kali Cram

Alex Meyer

Amber Powell

Kelsey Moody

Leah Davison

Carla Wennburg, Kelsey Moody (mounted left) and Anne Neal Thompson (mounted right) before the first class

Weekend Activities

2011-03-17T13:10:00.002-04:00

Coming up this weekend, Western Show on Saturday and Western Regionals on Sunday. Good luck to Coach Carla and all the Western Team!

Pebbles, Megan and several students are travelling to the NARHA Region 3 conference hosted by Misty Meadows Mitey Riders in Charlotte where several of them are presenting!

The dressage team is travelling to Pinehurst on Sunday for a show at Antares.

Show Team Results Triangle Farms “C” Show Raleigh, NC March 10-13

2011-03-15T12:52:00.001-04:00

Rob Jacobs/Royal Palm
Saturday: Reserve Champion Adult Hunter Division
Sunday: Champion Adult Hunter Division

Katie Hansen/My Lucky Charm
Saturday & Sunday: Reserve Champion Jr/Am Hunter Division
Saturday & Sunday: NCHJA Adult Equitation Medal Winner

Kimberly Graves/Iliaque
Saturday: 6th Place Amateur Hunter Derby
Excellent showings Sat & Sun in the Jr/Am Hunter Division

Audrey Bolte/Onyx
Saturday: 2nd Place Amateur Hunter Derby
5th Place NCHJA Adult Equitation

Audrey Hayden/Classical
Excellent showings Sat & Sun in the Adult Hunter Divisions

Keli Van Den Heuvel/Kilfinnae
Excellent showings Sat & Sun in the Pre-Ch/Adult Hunter Divisions, Sunday: 4th Place Pre-Ch/Adult Hunter o/f (out of 25!)

Karen Gruninger/Dilkara
Saturday: 5th Place Pre-Ch/Adult Hunter Derby
Reserve Champion Pre-Ch/Adult Hunter Division

Jennifer Callahan/Eastern Shore
Saturday: 2nd Place Pre-Ch/Adult Eq o/f
1st Place Pre-Ch/Adult Eq Flat
2nd Place Pre-Ch Adult Hunter u/s
4th Place Pre-Ch/Adult Hunter Derby
Sunday: 1st Place Pre-Ch/Adult Eq Flat
1st Place Pre-Ch Adult Hunter u/s

Alexandra Fullerton/Glenfiddich
Saturday: Winner Pre-Ch/Adult Hunter Derby
Reserve Champion Pre-Ch Adult Hunter Division
Sunday: Champion Pre-Ch Adult Hunter Division

Alexandra McGraw/Rhodin
Saturday: 6th Place Pre-Ch/Adult Hunter Derby
Champion Pre-Ch Adult Hunter Division
Sunday: Excellent showing in the Pre-Ch Adult Hunter Division

Leah Davison/Show Business
Saturday: 5th in Long stirrup o/f and the Flat
1st Hunter Show ever!! Great Job!!

Blake Liljestrand/Show Business
Sunday: 1st Long Stirrup Eq Flat
2nd Long Stirrup Eq o/f
1st Long Stirrup Hunter o/f
1st Hunter Show ever!! Great Job!!

Sami Cram/Allegro
Saturday: 1st Adult Hunter o/f
Sunday: Excellent showing in the Adult Hunter Division

Catherine McDowell/The Ladies Man
Saturday: Excellent Showing in the Adult Hunter Division
Sunday: 3rd in both Adult Hunter o/f

TH Visitor and Raleigh Indoors

2011-03-11T08:59:00.000-05:00

Sandy Webster is here teaching classes and mentoring instructors in the Ride-Like-A-knight program. Sandy arrived late Wednesday evening and wraps up her visit Saturday with a morning clinic for dressage riders and some one on one time with NARHA Advanced Level candidates. Sandy’s achievements are very impressive!

Sandy Webster is a NARHA Master Instructor, CanTRA Coach, Canadian Equestrian Federation Level 2 Eventing and Dressage Coach. She is a NARHA Lead Faculty Evaluator for the Registered and Advanced levels of Instructor Certification and also an Accreditation Site visitor.
Sandy has attended 2 Paralympics and 3 World Championships as coach for the riders with disabilities. Of late, Sandy has been involved with several pilot projects involving the teaching and curriculum development for the Wounded Warriors and Veteran programs. She has a diverse background in many disciplines related to training horses, including racing, 3-day eventing, dressage, carriage driving and therapeutic riding. Sandy was the program director and executive director of CARD, a very large program in Toronto for 19 years. Sandy set out on a mission to help start up and growing programs the last 5 years as the Program Consultant of MANE, in Alabama, Shea Center in San Juan Capistrano and now at Giant Steps in Northern California. Sandy recently hosted and presented at multiple Region Conferences across the country on various topics related to therapeutic riding from horse training techniques, to volunteer management to developing program growth. Sandy is now consulting and conducting workshops full time in all aspects of therapeutic riding through her company “Gaits of Change”.

Also, this weekend we may have a record number of horses and riders attending the Raleigh Indoor “C” Show. Lindsey and Ashley with Dale’s help are shipping 16 horses to the show. Good luck to everyone attending!

Averett IDA Feb. 26th. 2011

2011-02-27T08:25:00.006-05:00

The Dressage team travelled to Averett University Saturday for the last show of the regular season. The day started with the first level division where SAPC’s Donna Fowble and Erin Hudson were vying with Averett’s Emily Henderson for the one qualifying slot for Nationals. Erin turned in a strong ride to win the division with a score of 65.41%. Emily placed second with a 62.16% and Donna was sixth with a 60.00%. This tied Erin and Emily with points for the end of the season. The tie was broken by the average percentage for the year with Emily coming out ahead of Erin by a hair. Erin earned the title of reserve champion and a handsome plaque for her wall.

In upper training Andrea Tito scored 62.4% to place second and Lindsey Agaliotis (who had already secured the slot for Nationals and the division champion title) placed third with a 59.2%. This is the first show of the year that Lindsey did not win her division. Casey Curtis placed sixth for St. Andrews.

The lower training riders put in the strongest rides of the day. Freshman Brianne Carter placed second with a score of 67.08% also earning the title of Reserve High Point Rider for the day. Paige Tillison placed fifth with a score of 65.00% and Olivia Taylor placed sixth scoring 65.00% (rider collective marks break ties.)

The Nationals Team slot came down to the riders in the Introductory division. SAPC’s Sarah Key riding for SAPC Team B won the division and Jenna Rash riding for SAPC Team A placed 5th. Averett’s Cat Rock who was tied with Jenna for points for the divisional championship placed 3rd winning the division for the year. Jenna earned the title of Reserve Champion for the year.

Team wise Averett beat SAPC for the Regional title with 26 points to the Knights 24. Coach Dwelle said, “Congratulations to Coach Henderson and the riders at Averett. The Knights worked hard this year, we will start preparing for the 2011/2012 school year right after spring break!”

Sophomore Lindsey Agaliotis will be the sole representative from SAPC competing at the National Championships hosted by the University of Florida at Canterbury Showplace in Florida April 30 – May 1.

Pictures
Regional Reserve Champions!
Andrea Tito warming up
Sarah Key going to the ring
Erin Hudson riding her test
Erin with her plaque and ribbon

Hunter Seat Team at Lake Waccamaw

2011-02-21T07:23:00.005-05:00

by Ashley Duda

The St. Andrews IHSA Hunter Seat Team traveled to Lake Waccamaw for their last regular season competition this Sunday. The Knights came home with a big win. The win secured the Knights as the 2011 IHSA Hunter Seat Zone 4, Region 3 Champions. The hunter seat regional champs will have a month off of competition to train for the zone championships held in early April.

The Knights faced tough competition today when they competed against seven other schools including the two host schools, Coastal Carolina University and the University of North Carolina – Wilmington. Despite not having a home team advantage, the Knights turned in strong ride after strong ride on their way to earning 40 points throughout the day. Picking up wins for the team were Audrey Bolte, Kali Cram, Rob Jacobs, Kayla McBath, Katie Mentzel, and Miranda Wright. Bolte rode very strongly today and won both her intermediate over fences class and open flat class. She earned the most points of any rider at the competition and was awarded the high point rider award. Several riders also qualified for individual regional competition. Additionally, Cram’s win qualified her for Regionals in Novice Fences.

Jacobs also had a banner day as he climbed his way to the top of the Cacchione leaderboard. Each year, the open level rider who has accumulated the most points in their fences and flat classes throughout the competition season, qualifies to compete in the Cacchione Cup at the National competition. Jacobs is the first St. Andrews rider to earn this title since the early 2000’s. Earning a spot to compete in the Cacchione Cup is a huge accomplishment. Many riders vie for the title each year but it takes consistency and solid riding to win. Jacobs has exhibited this consistency and good horsemanship throughout the season.

The team’s win today secured the IHSA Hunter Seat Team’s first regional championship in the history of the program. During the season, teams earn points at each competition. The team with the most points at the end of the season is crowned region champions and advances to post season competition. St. Andrews riders worked tirelessly to ensure the championship. The team competed at seven regular season competitions this season. The team won four of those competitions and finished second in three. The team will continue to work hard as they prepare for Zone competition in hopes of qualifying for IHSA Nationals.

Throughout the year, several St. Andrews riders have qualified as individuals for regional finals competition. Listed below are the St. Andrews riders who have qualified :

Katie Hansen – Open Flat and Open Fences
Rob Jacobs – Open Flat and Open Fences
Audrey Bolte – Open Flat and Novice Fences
Audrey Hayden – Open Flat
Kim Graves – Intermediate Flat
Jodi Brinn – Novice Flat
Sami Cram – Novice Flat
Kali Cram – Novice Fences
Jessica Bitz-Richards – Walk, Trot, Canter Equitation

Full Results from Lake Waccamaw:
Open Flat:
Audrey Bolte – 1st, Katie Hansen – 2nd, Rob Jacobs – 1st
Open Fences:
Katie Hansen – 3rd, Rob Jacobs – 3rd
Intermediate Flat:
Sami Cram – 3rd, Kayla McBath – 1st
Intermediate Fences:
Audrey Bolte – 1st, Keli Van Den Heuvel – 3rd
Novice Flat:
Alexandra Fullerton – 4th, Karen Gruninger – 6th, Missy Hughes – 3rd, Catherine McDowell – 3rd, Katie Mentzel – 1st
Novice Fences :
Kali Cram – 1st
Advanced Walk, Trot, Canter:
Mia Dipillo – 6th, Angela Gaskins – 4th, Miranda Wright – 1st
Walk, Trot:
Alex King – 2nd, Shiloh Kozlowski – 3rd

Randon Show Results

2011-02-20T16:31:00.004-05:00

For the first time ever the IHSA Hunter Seat team qualified for Zones! Congratulations to coach Ashley Duda and all team members.

Special congratulations to Rob Jacobs for winning the Cacchione Cup for our region and qualifying for Nationals! Awesome job!

Late results from last week’s IHSA Western Show at NCSU Feb 13th.

Kelsey with first-reining, and fourth-open
Audrey with second-advanced
Kali-with fourth in novice
Jake with fifth in intermediate
Leah with first in walk/jog

Team that rode at IHSA Western NCSU

Showing Under The Stars

2011-02-20T08:48:00.001-05:00

by Heather Wile

Over all it was an amazing night full of fun, great riding and some hard competition. With over sixty students competing and seven trailering in their own horses from local barns the barn was a busy place to be! We started the evening with a great reining demonstration from Kelsey Moody and then went on to the Western Horsemanship classes. The western team was using this event to get ready to go to Virginia Tech. to compete in their IHSA Show this weekend. They had some great rides and looked ready to go represent St. Andrews!

Three of our Dressage riders showed up to compete in the Dressage Equitation class in which Brianna Carter took away the blue ribbon riding her own horse.

As the sun began to set our Open Riders started off the Hunter Seat competition with a very challenging course and some spunky horses! Kali Cram ended up the blue ribbon winner with great flat work and a well thought out ride over jumps. In our Intermediate class we had a large number of riders on their own horses. The Dressage Team was well represented by Donna Fowble and Brianna Carter who had great rides over fences placing 6th and 4th but it was Jenn Callahan who rode away with the blue ribbon who will also be representing St. Andrews at the ANRC championships in April in the 2'6" division. Novice Over Fences kicked off with again some great flat work and great equitation! Blake Liljestrand who rides walk/trot for the IHSA Hunter Seat and Western teams took first place followed by Amanda Massengale in second and Caitlin Karolak in third. Next in rode our Walk/Trot Beginning Canter riders who did a great job! Rachel Samuel had a great ride in her first Showing Under the Stars and so did Danielle Martin on her on horse. The blue ribbon ride belongs to Hillary Todd on her own horse followed by Alex King who will be representing the IHSA Hunter Seat team later this weekend at Lake Waccamaw. The Hunter Seat divisions came to a close with our three sections of Advanced Walk/Trot/Canter. Miranda Wright, Stephanie Whitlock and Ellen Tobin all walked away with a blue ribbon followed in second by Angela Gaskins, Amanda Liguori, and Sarah Jones.

The Ride-A-Buck class was a great way to end the night with some great riding and lots of laughs. Brittany Powell held her buck the longest and walked away with the winnings. Some honorable mentions belong to Tricia James, Leah Davison, Jenna Rash, Jenn Callahan, and Natalie Norwood who was representing the SAPC Equestrian Staff!

Western Horsemanship- We had 3 divisions
Section A-
1st- Brittany Powell
2nd- Kali Cram
3rd- Shannon Leggett
4th- AnnNeal Thompson
5th- Lindsey Agaliotis
6th- Andrea Tito
7th- Alex Myers

Section B
1st- Maddie Webb
2nd- Andrea Velez
3rd- Jake Nix
4th- Blake Liljestrand
5th- Shelly Whitmore
6th- Lauren Parker

Section C
1st- Stephanie McElhaney
2nd- Megan Nedow
3rd- leah Davison
4th- Tyler Gritzuk
5th- Chris Harrelson

Dressage Seat Equitation
1st- Brianna Carter
2nd Hannah Firth
3rd- katelee Johnson

Open Over Fences
1st- Kali Cram
2nd- Audrey Bolte
3rd- Katie Hansen
4th- Sami Cram
5th- Rob Jacobs
6th- Kayla McBath
7th- Audrey Hayden

Intermediate Over Fences
1st- Jenn Callahan
2nd- Tricia James
3rd- Alexandra Fullerton
4th- Donna Fowble
5th- Kaila Hershman
6th- Brianna Carter

Novice Over Fences
1st- Blake Liljestrand
2nd- Amanda Massengale
3rd- Caitlin Karolak
4th- Katie Mentzel
5th- Marina Richardson
6th- Paula Kramer

Beginning WTC
1st- Hillary Todd
2nd- Alex King
3rd- Rachel McGarvey
4th- Holly Hickman
5th- Danielle Martin
6th- Rachel Samuel

Walk/Trot/Canter - 3 sections

Section A
1st- Miranda Wright
2nd- Angela Gaskins
3rd- Leah Davison
4th- Kelsey Jones
5th- Stephanie McElhaney
6th- Erin Hudson

Section B
1st- Stephanie Whitlock
2nd- Amanda Liguori
3rd- Kathryn Farley
4th- Shiloh Kozlowski
5th- Jenna Rash

Section C
1st- Ellen Tobin
2nd- Sarah Jones
3rd- Jessica Bitz-Richards
4th- Emily Caton
5th- Angie Cormack
6th- Tori Burkey

Huge Weekend Ahead!

2011-02-16T18:09:00.001-05:00

Friday evening Showing Under the Stars including a huge Ride-A-Buck class! Saturday Kris Hamilton clinic for the dressage team, Open House for prospective students, and the Western team leaves for VA Tech for a 6:00 p.m. show. BTW Congrats to Kelsey Moody and Leah Davison for qualifying for IHSA Western Regionals.

Sunday the IHSA Hunter Seat team travels to Lake Waccamaw for their last show of the regular season. GO KNIGHTS!

Dressage Pictures and IHSA

2011-02-11T07:49:00.003-05:00

Saturday the IHSA Hunter Seat team hosts at St. Andrews and Sunday the Western team travels to NCSU - Go Knights!

Pictures from last weekend's IDA show thanks to Rooney Coffman and Shannon Leggett.

Top top bottom & Left to right
Paige Tillison on Magic & Lindsey Agaliotis on Astro
Brianne Carter on Reagan
Madison Webb on Feeney
Donna Fowble of Corky
The Team with their ribbons!

SAPC IDA Feb 5, 2011

2011-02-06T08:48:00.002-05:00

We are so fortunate to have a covered arena attached to an indoor adjacent to a barn so we can run a horse show in wet cold weather where everyone stays dry and has shelter from the wind plus a place to warm up between rides. This part of the facility is designed to accommodate the Ride-Like-A-Knight Therapeutic Riding Program which operates Monday through Friday. Lucky for us that IDA shows are on the weekend!

Riders from Furman University, Averett University, NCSU and UNC Charlotte braved the rainy drive to compete at St. Andrews. The day started well for St. Andrews with senior Donna Fowble winning the first level division with a score of 67.6%. “My dream as a freshman was to ride at first level and I have now fulfilled that dream” said Donna who started in the lower training division in her freshmen year. Freshmen Erin Hudson placed third in the first level division with a score of 66.2%.

Lindsey Agaliotis put in a strong ride riding last in the upper training division to win the division and secure her slot at IDA Nationals with a score of 70.7%. Junior Andrea Tito earned fifth place in the division with a score of 64.3%. Andrea also serves as the Dressage Show Chair for Riding Council putting in many hours and much effort to organize the horse show. She had this to say about the day, “Seeing all the disciplines come together and create such a fantastic event is completely worth all the hours organizing everything.”

Lower training riders continued the winning streak earning five of the six top placings in the division. Freshmen Brianna Carter won the division and high point rider of the day with a score of 71.5%. Close behind her were Paige Tillison, Olivia Taylor, Lauren Parker and Madison Webb.

In the Introductory division new team members Sarah Kee and Callian Trujillo put in good rides earning second and fifth place respectively. Senior Jenna Rash placed third and Katelee Johnson placed sixth riding at the very end of the day.

Lindsey Agaliotis secured her slot for Nationals but Donna Fowble, Erin Hudson and Jenna Rash could also qualify with strong rides at Averett on Feb 26th. St. Andrews and Averett are now tied for the Regional Championship. The last show at Averett will decide who goes to Nationals in FL at the end of April.

Team Results
1. SAPC Team A - 15
2. SAPC Team B - 14
3. Averett Team B - 10
4. SAPC Team C - 9
5. Individual Team B – 8 66.53%
6. NCSU Team A – 8 64.26%
7. Furman Team A – 8 63.26%
8. UNC Charlotte – 5
9. Individuals C - 4
10. Averett A - 3
11. Individuals A – 1

First Level Test One
1. Donna Fowble SAPC 67.6%
2. Laura Thompson AU 66.9%
3. Erin Hudson SAPC 66.2%
4. Laura Borges AU 64.8%
5. Emily Henderson SAPC 63.1%
6. Ellen Shaw NCSU 60.7%

Training Level Test Two
1. Lindsey Agaliotis SAPC 70.7% Reserve High Point Rider
2. Caitlin Oikemus UNC-C 68.2%
3. Khrystynna Hunsinger AU 66.4%
4. Lizzie Kenelly FU 65.4%
5. Andrea Tito SAPC 64.3%
6. Shannon Stone AU 63.6%

Introductory Level Test C
1. Brianna Carter SAPC 71.5% High Point Rider
2. Paige Tillison SAPC 69.0%
3. Olivia Taylor SAPC 65.0%
4. Lauren Parker SAPC 64.5%
5. Christine Fiebeck AU 63.0%
6. Madison Webb SAPC 62.5%

Introductory Level Test A
1. Jennifer Cooke NCSU 70.6%
2. Sarah Kee SAPC 70.0%
3. Jenna Rash SAPC 67.5%
4. Lindsey Baker AU 66.9%
5. Callian Trujillo SAPC 66.3%
6. Katelee Johnson SAPC 66.3%

Holiday Tournament of Champions

2010-12-05T09:11:00.004-05:00

Saturday’s Tournament of Champions was yet another example of the incredible teamwork that is St. Andrews. Can we put on a horse show? Oh yeah! The lesson barn was decorated with garland, Christmas trees, lights, snowflakes, and reindeer. A smiling inflatable nutcracker welcomed everyone at the gate and reindeer and poinsettias decorated the tents and stabling areas. The horses were for the most part body clipped and beautifully turned out. Our friends from Virginia Intermont brought six of horses to swell the ranks of the upper level horses. Thanks Eddie!

The day started with Opening Ceremonies including the National Anthem sung by Bill McConnell and members from the choir and opening remarks from IHSA founder Bob Cacchione. Mike Kryszak served as the announcer for the day and the usual cast of characters worked the paddock,, the barn and the draw table. Classes ran all day with short breaks to drag the ring. Chartwells was kept busy at the concession stand as everyone tried to stay warm. At the end of the day Delaware Valley came out on top with St. Andrews a close second.

Congratulations to all the competitors and thank you to the St. Andrews community for putting on a fabulous horse show.

Schooling on Friday

SAPC 8th placed team

Santa's helper in the paddock

Coach Duda and Jodi Brinn

Reserve Champions with their coach Ashley Duda & program director Peggy McElveen. Also in the picture organizer Gwen (left end) and IHSA founder Bob Cacchione (far right)

IHSA Western Nov 21st

2010-11-22T13:44:00.004-05:00

Kelsey Moody and Sailor and the High Point Ribbon

IHSA Western team had a successful show Sunday beating NCSU by 2 points to take a regional lead of 9 points. SAPC first place winners were Kelsey Moody in Open Horsemanship, Andrea Velez in Intermediate 1, Blake Liljestrand in walk/jog section A and Leah Davison in walk/jog section B. (Great way to celebrate your 21st birthday Nov 22nd - Happy Birthday Leah!)

Going into the Thanksgiving break SAPC leads the region with 156 points to NCSU’s 147. In the AQHA High Point Rider SAPC’s Kelsey Moody has 50 points to NCSU’s Kody Zagmann’s 47 points.

Kelsey & Sailor

Audrey Bolte on Popsicle

Blake Liljestrand on Reagan

Andrea Velez on Timmie

Leah Davison on Timmie

SAPC IDA Nov 20th

2010-11-21T07:58:00.005-05:00

The Dressage Team

SAPC horses and equestrian students worked hard Sat. at the IDA show hosted by St. Andrews. The show ran very smoothly with hunt seat team members tacking up and holding horses for their team mates on the dressage team. In addition to the horses that regularly participate in dressage lessons horses were “borrowed” from hunt seat and therapeutic riding.

At first level Jake, Astaire and Danny placed 1st, 2nd & 3rd . Donna Fowble beat Erin Hudson for 4th place with a tie broken by judge Cindy Sydnor. Lindsey Agaliotis maintained her lead in upper training scoring 73.2% to win the division. Freshman Katherine Kaltenback was second with a score of 68.8%. In lower training Lauren Parker and Madison Webb were 2nd & 3rd respectively. At Intro Big John took high point ride of the day scoring 74%. Freshman Hannah Firth was 2nd on Jeb with 69%, Jenna Rash was 3rd, Kacie Myers 4th and Katelee Johnson 6th riding Skunk. SAPC Team A finished one point behind Averett. SAPC Team C was 4th and SAPC Team B 5th.

Alum Greta Friesen served as scribe, Joanne Agaliotis took care of scoring and several parents were on hand to support the SAPC riders. The dressage team has two more shows in the spring to finish the season - SAPC Feb. 5 and Averett Feb. 26.

Team A, Erin Hudson, Lindsey Agaliotis, Jenna Rash, Olivia Taylor

Katelee Johnson & Skunk

Jenna Rash & Big John

Kacie Meyers & Big John

Hannah Firth & Jeb

Team
1 - Averett Team A, 17 pts.
2 – SAPC Team A, 16 pts.
3 – Averett Team B, 13 pts.
4 – SAPC Team C, 11 pts.
5 - SAPC Team B, 10 pts.
6 – Furman Team A, 3 pts.
7 – NCSU Team A, 1 pt.

First Level Test 1
1 –Emily Henderson, AU 72.00%
2 – Laura Borges, AU 68.66%
3 - Laura Thompson, AU 66.33%
4 – Donna Fowble SAPC 63.66%
5 – Erin Hudson, SAPC 63.66%
6 – Emily Carroll, FU 56.33%

Training Level Test 4
1 – Lindsey Agaliotis, SAPC 73.2%
2 – Katherine Kaltenback, SAPC 68.8%
3 – Shannon Stone, AU 62.4%
4 – Khrystynna Hunsinger, AU 62.0%
5 - Andrea Tito, SAPC 59.2%
6 – Andrea Massa, NCSU 58.4%

Training Level Test 2
1-Christine Fiebeck AU 71.07%
2 – Lauren Parker, SAPC 65.71%
3 – Valavie Harr, AU 65.36%
4 – Madison Webb, SAPC 63.21%
5 – Allie Pedigo, FU 62.14%
6 – Katie Coleman, FU 61.78%

Introductory Level Test B
1 – Cat Rock, AU 74.0%
2 – Hannah Firth, SAPC 69.0%
3 – Jenna Rash, SAPC 68.3%
4 – Kacie Myers, SAPC 66.0%
5 - Brittany Hoffman, NCSU 66.0%
6 – Katelee Johnson, SAPC 65.0%

Kelsey Moody at the AQHA World Show

2010-11-17T19:16:00.002-05:00

Kelsey and Blue

This article appeared on gohorseshow.com. Congratulations to Kelsey on a fabulous show!

Our nice streak of weather is nowhere to be found on this nasty rainy and windy day in Oklahoma City. It would be my mom and sister’s luck to just miss the sun and warm breeze. Despite the gross weather outside, we all wake up, get dressed, and head out to the show. It seems while my excitement has worn off, my family has caught the World Show fever; we couldn’t be there early enough.

The show was kicked off today with five different halter classes, and then four other hunter classes. First up on the list of riding classes was the Equitation on the Flat. This class is such an elegant class to watch, especially with the ‘queen’ of the Equitation, Jessica Johnson and Royalty in Blue in it. In my opinion, not many people can compare to Jessica with that leg of steel and perfect posture.

Today, it was two black horses left standing in the middle of the pen, and who else was it but Jessica Johnson and Kelsey Moody. Kelsey has quite an inspirational story behind her pretty smile and bubbly attitude.

On the arena floor you can see Kelsey start to cry when it the announcer gets down to just two, and I look over to my right I can see her mom, Kay Moody, jumping around in her seat! She was one proud mama. Both girls look over and congratulate each other as the announcer calls Kelsey out as the Reserve World Champion. She leans over and gives her partner, Blue, a big pat on the neck. I couldn’t be happier for anyone.

I met up with Kelsey soon after she got finished with pictures and what not. When I asked Kelsey what this accomplishment meant to her, she said, “I feel like I already won, because Jessica is so good it’s almost like she’s in a league of her own.” What good sportmanship.

Kelsey goes to school at Saint Andrew’s Presbyterian College in Laurinsburg, NC where she rides on the IHSA English and Western team. Ms. Moody will graduate in May of 2011. Kelsey was no new comer to the world show scene, but this was her first year at the AQHA Amateur World Show. Back in 2006 she and Blue were 6th in the Horsemanship and finalist in the Trail, Eq, and Western Riding at the Youth World. Then in 2007 she was 8th in the Horsemanship and 7th in the Showmanship. Her last year in youth she didn’t have the chance to show Blue, but she did have a top ten finish on her pleasure horse, Hot Lil Mama. To add to Kelsey’s List of accomplishments, she was 7th in the Trail and 10th in the Horsemanship here at the Amateur World Show, along with her newly awarded Reserve World Champion in Equitation.

Blue got hurt back in 2007 after the Youth World and the Colvin team managed to get him through another year, but ended up not being able to show at the 2008 Youth World, and had to give him some time off. Kelsey said they didn’t know if he’d ever be able to show again. She smiles and says, “I’m so glad he’s alive and it’s such a blessing to get to show.” I remember showing for a few years with Kelsey in the youth, and it’s obvious this big pretty gelding had way too much heart to give up now. Seems like he’s got many years of talent left to put in the show pen.

I asked Kelsey what she thought of the pattern today, and she said, “ My favorite part to the pattern was the hand gallop. I’m glad they are making Equitation more English rather than horsemanship in English attire. The hardest part, to me, was the hand gallop to the stop.” Which might I add, she nailed it perfectly.

I also wanted to ask, for all you trying to improve your equitation, what Kelsey’s secret to a super tight equitation leg was. She laughs, and says, “I give lots of credit to my coach at school. I get to ride the crazy warmbloods without stirrups. It just takes lots of practice and riding time.” As Charlene Carter would say, “perfect practice makes perfect.”

Plans for the talented duo are just to continue showing. This true all around girl says she might want to take up some reining in the future. We don’t want to leave mama Kay out; Kelsey says she will probably show Blue some in the Select Trail.

Once again, congratulations to Double T Blue Chip and Kelsey Moody in the Amateur Equitation.

Today for the McMullen’s was quite slow. We mostly visited ALL the shops in the trade shows, watched the Amateur Classes, and then hurried back to catch the always entertaining Working Cowhorse. A class that, when I am an Amateur, and my parents have sold my horses, I might want to take up. After the Cowhorse ended, we all ordered take out at the Cheesecake Factory then sat around and visited with our good friend Julie at her trailer. It’s Friday night, so I know we are leaving Sunday morning, but I wish we could be here another week. One more full day of reporting I have left for you, so I’ll try my hardest to make it a good one!

Back Soon,

Lindsey

IHSA Hunter Seat Show - Nov 14th

2010-11-17T07:41:00.002-05:00

All the colleges and universities in IHSA Zone 4, Region 3 competed at Jill and Rhett Taylor’s beautiful farm, Cottonwood, in Vanceboro, NC on Sunday, November 14. The weather was exquisite, the food delicious, and the hospitality was Southern at its best. The judge was Mike Rosser from Southern Pines.

Many St. Andrews alums worked together to organize and produce this show. Laura Underhill Norment and Caroline Taylor prepared the horses. Laura and Caroline teach full time at Cottonwood and coach the riding team from East Carolina University. Natalie Norwood, Morgan Worthington, Gabby Grubic, and Nikki Heath served as warm up riders. Sarah Rhymer ran the Draw Table (and was a warm up rider). Mike Kryszak was the announcer and the tack organizer. Even though the show was hosted by ECU and UNC-W we felt right at home being surrounded and cheered on by so many SAPC alums!

The riders from St. Andrews won the team championship! This win increased our lead in Zone 4, Region 3 to 16 points. Additionally, Audrey Bolte qualified for Regional Finals in Open Flat. Coach Duda had her team ready to ride their best.

Highlights:
Katie Hansen and Audrey Bolte each won their Open Flat classes. Rob Jacobs rode very consistently and placed second in his Open Flat and Open Fences classes. Audrey Hayden was fourth in Open Flat.
Kim Graves and Kayla McBath each placed second in their Intermediate Flat classes. Keli Van Den Heuvel was third in Intermediate Fences.
Jennifer Callahan was first in Novice Flat followed by Tara Algeria in second and Andrew Michael in fifth.
The Cram twins excelled in Novice Fences with Kali winning first and Sami winning second.
Miranda Wright was fourth in Walk, Trot, Canter and Shiloh Kozlowski was first in Walk, Trot.

Current Team Standings
St. Andrews 199 points
UNC-Chapel Hill 183
North Carolina State 179
Duke 145
UNC- Charlotte 138
East Carolina 81
Coastal Carolina 71
UNC-Wilmington 58

Averett IDA

2010-11-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

Averett University took full advantage of “home team advantage” at yesterday’s IDA show. We had a beautiful fall day at the Averett Equestrian Center with SAPC fielding 14 riders. Lindsey Agaliotis held onto her regional lead by convincingly winning the upper training division with a score of 70%. Erin Hudson rode a good test to earn 3rd place in first level and Donna Fowble was close behind her in 3rd place. Less than 5 percentage points separated the top 6 riders in first level. SAPC lower training riders Lauren Parker, Olivia Taylor and Paige Tillison were 4th, 5th and 6th behind Averett riders in the top three slots. At the introductory level freshman Kacie Meyers at her first IDA show placed 3rd with a score of 67.0% and senior Jenna Rash placed 6th .

Team Results

1st - Averett Team B
2nd – Averett Team A
3rd – Averett Team C
4th – SAPC Team A
5th – SAPC Team C
6th – NCSU Team A

Individual Results

First Level Test 1
1st - Emily Henderson AU, 69.33%
2nd – Laura Borges AU, 67.00%
3rd – Erin Hudson SAPC, 66.67%
4th – Laura Thompson AU, 65.33%
5th – Donna Fowble SAPC, 65.33%
6th – Charlotte Holt NCSU, 64.67%

Training Level Test 3
1st – Lindsey Agaliotis SAPC, 70.00%
2nd – Shannon Stone AU, 68.8%
3rd – Elizabeth Clapper AU, 68.8%
4th – William Robertson AU, 66.8%
5th - Lizzie Kennelly FU, 63.6%
6th – Andrea Massa NCSU, 62.8%

Training Level Test 1
1st – Valerie Harr AU, 72.17%
2nd – Jessie Hayes AU, 71.30%
3rd – Christina Fiebeck AU, 67.83%
4th – Lauren Parker SAPC, 65.65%
5th – Olivia Taylor SAPC, 64.35%
6th – Paige Tillison SAPC, 63.90%

Introductory Test B
1st – Cat Rock AU, 71.5%
2nd – Lindsey Baker AU, 69.0%
3rd – Kacie Meyers SAPC, 67.0%
4th – Wendeline Shea NCSU, 64.0%
5th – Ashley Farmer FU, 63.5%
6th – Jenna Rash SAPC, 63.5%

Regional Team Standings
SAPC - 11
Averett - 11
NCSU - 8
Furman - 6

November Happenings

2010-11-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Pebbles, Megan and four seniors just returned from the NARHA conference in Denver CO. From all accounts the conference was very educational for all attendees and allowed the seniors to make many contacts in the TH industry.

This weekend Jackie & Carla are taking 14 riders to the Averett IDA show on Saturday, Ashley and the IHSA team travel to UNC Wilmington on Sunday and Lindsey is taking a couple of rider to the hunter derby in Greensboro.

Next weekend is shaping up to be pretty busy as well with the SAPC IDA Show & Western Open House on Saturday and a Western IHSA show on Sunday.

Results of SAPC IHSA Show Oct 30th

2010-11-01T11:37:00.001-04:00

St. Andrews team remains in 1st place in the Region by 8 points. Katie Hansen remains 1st in Cacchione Cup Standings in the region followed by Rob Jacobs in 2nd Place.

10/30/10 show results
High Point Team - University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill - 41
Reserve High Point Team - St. Andrews Presbyterian College - 39

High Point Rider - Audrey Bolte - St. Andrews
Reserve High Point Rider - Marion Price - NC State

Individual Results for St. Andrews Riders:

Walk Trot Canter - Shiloh Kozlowski - 1st Place
Alex King - 2nd Place

Beginning Walk Trot Canter - Leah Davison - 2nd Place
Brittany Powell - 3rd Place

Advanced Walk Trot Canter - Angela Gaskins - 3rd Place
Sarah Jones - 3rd Place
Paula Kramer - 3rd Place

Novice Flat - Tara Algeri - 1st Place
Jodi Brinn - 1st Place
Jenn Callahan - 1st Place
Missy Hughes - 1st Place
Katie Mentzel - 2nd Place
Andrew Michael - 2nd Place
Karen Gruninger - 3rd Place
Amanda Massengale - 3rd Place
Park Hoey - 4th Place

Novice Over Fences - Audrey Bolte - 1st Place
Alie McGraw - 6th Place

Intermediate Flat - Kayla McBath - 1st Place
Kim Graves - 3rd Place

Intermediate Over Fences - Keli Van Den Heuval - 2nd Place
Andrew Michael - 3rd Place

Open Flat - Audrey Bolte - 1st Place
Rob Jacobs - 1st Place
Katie Hansen - 3rd Place
Audrey Hayden - 3rd Place

Open Over Fences - Kim Graves - 2nd Place
Katie Hansen - 4th Place
Rob Jacobs - 4th Place

Successful Weekend for IDA Team!

2010-11-01T09:49:00.002-04:00

Intercollegiate dressage is about showing off the horse you draw to the best of his/her ability. Some horses move better than others, some are tense or nervous, some are a little lazy and some are just plain hard to figure out! The IDA team demonstrated true horsemanship at this weekend’s NCSU IDA show with every horse they drew. Each rider brought out the best in the horse they drew showing off the horse’s gaits, riding accurately and demonstrating their own solid foundation.

We were blessed with a beautiful fall day and also enjoyed the company of many parents and non-competing team members. The NCSU dressage team hosted the show at Bridgette MacNair’s Buckhorn Farm in Apex, NC. All of the horses were loaned by either Bridgett or her customers and we are truly grateful for their generosity.

At the end of the day the two SAPC teams were first and second with SAPC riders also winning each of the four divisions. Senior Jenna Rash beat out Paige Tillison for High Point rider for the day with a score of 71% to Paige’s 70.896%.

Results of NCSU IDA Oct 31st.

Team Results
1st SAPC Team A,Team Average 68.978%
2nd SAPC Team B, Team Average 67.133%
3rd Averett Team A Team Average 65.877%
4th NCSU Team B, Team Average 65.094%
5th Averett Team B, Team Average 63.795%
6th NCSU Team A, Team Average 62.92%
7th Furman Team A, Team Average 61.736%

Regional Standings
SAPC 7 pts.
Averett 5 pts.
NCSU 4 pts.
Furman 3 pts.

Individual Competition
First Level Test 1
1st Erin Hudson, SAPC 67.666%, 7 pts.
2nd Charlotte Holt, NCSU 66.000%*, 5 pts.
3rd Donna Fowble, SAPC 66.000%* 4 pts.
4th Emily Henderson, Averett, 63.666%, 3 pts.
5th Ellen Shaw, NCAU, 63.000%, 2 pts.
6th Laura Thompson, 61.333%, 1 pt.

Training Level Test 3
1st Lindsey Agaliotis, SAPC 68.4%, 7 pts.
2nd Andrea Tito, SAPC 64.4%*, 5 pts.
3rd Shannon Stone, Averett 64.4%*, 4 pts.
4th Krytynna Hunsinger, Averett 64.4%*, 3 pts.
5th Andrea Massa, NCSU 58.8%, 2 pts.
6th Elizabeth Kenelly, Furman 57.6% 1 pt.

Training Level Test 1
1st Paige Tillison, SAPC 70.869% 7 pts. Reserve High Point Rider
2nd Christina Fiebeck, Averett, 69.565%, 5 pts.
3rd Lane Daley, NCSU 66.956%, 4 pts.
4th Valerie Harr, Averett 65.652%, 3 pts.
5th Cassie Uricchio, NCSU 64.782%, 2 pts.
6th Katie Coleman, Furman 62.608%, 1 pt.

Introductory Level B
1st Jenna Rash, SAPC 71.000%, 7 pts. High Point Rider
2nd Ashley Farmer, Furman 65.000%*, 5 pts.
3rd Hannah Firth, SAPC 65.000%* 4 pts.
4th Jennifer Cooke, NCSU 64.5% 3pts.
5th Cat Rock, Averett 60.500% 2 pts.
6th Wendeline Shea 60.000% 1 pt.

* Tie broken by rider coefficient or if that was tied by the judge.

Results of IHSA Hunter Seat Show at Duke 10/24

2010-10-26T13:58:00.000-04:00

IHSA Hunter seat attended the show at Duke University. It was a long day for everyone with our team ending up in fifth place. There was only an 8 point difference between the top 5 teams.

St. Andrews remains in the lead for the region with a 10 point lead and Katie Hansen remains is 1st place in the Cacchione Cup standings for the region. The team hopes to get back on top at the Hunter Seat show being held at St. Andrews this coming Saturday, October 30.

Complete results for St. Andrews riders are:
Leah Davison - 2nd Place Beginner Walk Trot Canter
Brittany Powell - 4th Beginner Walk Trot Canter
Angela Gaskins - 2nd Advanced Walk Trot Canter
Caitlin Karolak - 2nd Advanced Walk Trot Canter
Amanda Liguori - 4th Advanced Walk Trot Canter
Miranda Wright - 1st Advanced Walk Trot Canter
Jodi Brinn - 1st - Novice Flat
Jennifer Callahan - 2nd - Novice Flat
Karen Gruninger - 1st - Novice Flat
Aurelia Phillips - 2nd - Novice Flat
Kali Cram - 3rd - Novice Over Fences
Alie McGraw - 1st - Novice Over Fences
Kim Graves - 3rd - Intermediate Flat
Kayla McBath - 4th - Intermediate Flat
Andrew Michael - 4th - Intermediate Over Fences
Audrey Bolte - 2nd - Open Flat
Katie Hansen - 2nd - Open Flat
Audrey Hayden - 1st - Open Flat
Rob Jacobs - 4th - Open Flat
Katie Hansen - 3rd - Open Over Fences
Rob Jacobs - 2nd - Open Over Fences

More SUS Pictures

2010-10-25T17:08:00.004-04:00

Another Big Weekend!

2010-10-25T17:04:00.002-04:00

Wow! Did we have a fun weekend! Showing Under the Stars was as much fun as I thought it would be. We had Batman & Joker, Little Bo-Peep, a Knight in Shining Armor, a Medic, a Spaceship, a Hummer, and Max dressed up as Santa. Amazing creativity from all participants! The pictures at the bottom are by Shannon Leggett. In addition to the costume class the community riders did a demonstration (check out the picture of Kate McDavid and Timmy), Andrea Tito did a western themed dressage freestyle, and we had the traditional western pleasure, dressage seat equitation and hunter flat and over fences classes. Thank you to Bridgett Hutchens for judging Friday night and Mike Kryszak for announcing.

On Saturday we welcomed a lot of folks to SAPC for Open House. In addition to the usual activities hunter seat and dressage riders had the opportunity to ride for the coaches. Lots of folks stayed to chat with the instructors, equestrian faculty and some even stayed to watch Ashley’s team practice. We really enjoyed meeting everyone and are looking forward to the next open house Nov 20th which will be a riding open house for western and also the same day as our SAPC IDA show.
Sunday Ashley and Carla accompanied the IHSA hunt seat team to Duke. It was a long day for everyone with our team ending up in fifth place. Complete results will be posted shortly.

Next weekend SAPC hosts IHSA Hunter Seat on Saturday and Sunday the IDA Team travels to NCSU for our first show of the season.

Showing Under the Stars - Halloween Edition!

2010-10-20T07:38:00.002-04:00

Showing Under the Stars - Halloween Edition Friday at 4:00 p.m. (this bloggers favorite horse show of the year!) Come out and see some fabulous costumes, we have a very creative group of students and staff who are planning some wild and crazy costumes. After the parade we will have classes for hunt seat, western and dressage and also a class for our community program riders, its going to be a great evening!

The weekend continues with Riding Open House for Hunt Seat and Dressage on Saturday and the IHSA Hunter Seat team travelling to Duke on Sunday.

Results of IHSA show at UNC - Chapel Hill

2010-10-18T11:47:00.005-04:00

UNC - Chapel Hill IHSA Hunter show 10/16/10 results:
High Point Team
St. Andrews Presbyterian College - 44
Reserve High Point Team
NC State - 39

High Point Rider
Lauren Bongers - UNC - Charlotte
Reserve High Point Rider
Katie Hansen - St. Andrews

St. Andrew rider results:
Blake Liljestrand - Walk Trot - 1st Place
Leah Davison - Beg. Walk Trot Canter - 3rd Place
Miranda Wright - Adv. Walk Trot Canter - 1st Place
Jennifer Callahan - Novice Flat - 2nd Place
Kali Cram - Novice Flat - 2nd Place
Alex Fullerton - Novice Flat - 3rd Place
Audrey Bolte - Novice Over Fences - 2nd Place
Sami Cram - Novice Over Fences - 1st Place
Kim Graves - Intermediate Flat - 4th Place
Andrew Michael - Intermediate Over Fences - 3rd Place
Audrey Bolte - Open Flat - 1st Place
Katie Hansen - Open Flat - 1st Place
Audrey Hayden - Open Flat - 4th Place
Rob Jacobs - Open Flat - 2nd Place
Katie Hansen - Open Over Fences - 1st Place
Rob Jacobs - Oopen Over Fences - 4th Place

Vicki Kelley Clinic

2010-10-17T16:00:00.001-04:00

Vicki Kelley spent Sat. morning with us sharing ideas and drilling riders on lateral suppleness. Every transition had to be balanced and connected resulting in improved performance from all the horses.

In the picture below: Donna Fowble on Astaire, Lindsey Agaliotis on Corky, Megan Ellis on Marcus and Katherine Kaltenbach on Gordon. Photo by Casey Curtis.

IHSA Team wins at UNC - Chapel Hill

2010-10-17T15:34:00.004-04:00

IHSA Zone 4 Region 3’s Hunter Seat Show on October 16, 2010 was hosted by UNC-Chapel Hill at the beautiful and historic Quail Roost Farm in Rougemont, NC. The setting was pastoral, the horses were saintly, the food was delicious, and southern hospitality abounded on a beautiful October day.

The competition was friendly, supportive, and lively. Riders from seven of our eight schools won blue ribbons! The top four schools were within 7 points of each other when the day was done. St. Andrews was the Champion Team with 44 points, NC State University was the Reserve Champion Team with 39 points, Duke University was third with 38 points, and host school UNC-Chapel Hill was fourth with 37 points. The other schools in order of finish were UNC-Charlotte, Coastal Carolina University, UNC-Wilmington, and East Carolina University.

Special thank you to the Hill family for allowing us to visit Quail Roost Farm, Kate Gage for her endless work in managing the show, the entire UNC-Chapel Hill team and the parents of so many team riders who worked at the show.

Our next show is October 24 at Ginny Rollin’s Echo Creek Farm in Hillsborough, NC hosted by the Duke University Equestrian Team.

IHSA Western Team Leads Region After Four Shows!

2010-10-04T18:59:00.003-04:00

Coach Carla and the Western Team travelled to NC State for 2 western shows this weekend. Coach Carla just returned from 10 days as a reining steward at the WEG. (She had a great time and represented SAPC to an international audience) Torre Edgerly stepped in to coach the team in Carla's absence and must be commended for preparing them well for the weekend.

TEAM STANDINGS

St. Andrews 122
North Carolina State 115
Virginia Tech 89
North Carolina A & T 63
Martin Community 24
Western Carolina 6
High Point University 3

AQHA High Point Standings
Kelsey Moody - SAPC 38
Kody Zaagman - NCSU 35
Maggie Gregg - VT 23
Brandon Armwood – NC A&T 16
Brittney Nelson – NC A&T 11
Ethan Hefner - NCSU 9
Blair Childress - NCSU 8
Brittany Spears - NCSU 7

Complete results from the shows this weekend:
http://www.sapc.edu/Equest/comp_ops/competitionresults.php

Results of IHSA Hunter Seat Show Oct 2nd

2010-10-04T10:37:00.005-04:00

IHSA Hunter Seat Team Oct 2nd, 2010

St. Andrews - High Point Team 47; UNC - Chapel Hill - Reserve High Point Team 38

Audrey Bolte - SAPC - High Point Rider - 14; Alex Duffy - NC State - Reserve High Point Rider

11 St. Andrews Individual Riders:
Walk Trot - Leara Auci - 1st Place

Beg. Walk, Trot, Canter - Leah Davison - 1st Place, Brittany Powell - 2nd Place

Adv. Walk, Trot, Canter - Angela Gaskins - 2nd Place Miranda Wright - 1st Place

Novice Flat - Jodi Brinn - 1st Place, Jennifer Callahan - 2nd Place, Sami Cram - 2nd Place, Katy Hutchings - 2nd Place, Catherine McDowell - 1st Place, Katie Mentzel - 1st Place

Novice Over Fences - Audrey Bolte - 1st Place, Kali Cram - 1st Place

Intermediate Flat - Kim Graves - 1st place

Open Flat - Audrey Bolte - 1st Place, Audrey Hayden - 1st Place

Open Over Fences - Katie Hansen - 1st Place, Rob Jacobs - 1st Place

First IHSA Hunter Seat Show for 2010 - 2011 Year

2010-10-03T08:34:00.002-04:00

Audrey Bolte High Point Rider for SAPC

The IHSA Hunter Seat Team and Coach Ashley Duda cleaned up Saturday earning 47 out of a possible 49 points to win the Championship Ribbon and a substantial lead in our region. Audrey Bolte earned high point rider with two wins in the Open Flat and Novice over Fences divisions.

The show ran very smoothly with comfortable fall temps. and bright sunny weather. Horses who normally participate in western and dressage augmented the hunt seat string and all were impeccably behaved – even Profound! Dale and his crew had the ring prepared to perfection, Heather kept the show running from the announcer’s booth, Lindsey and Katherine had the paddock under control, Jackie and Megan worked at the draw table, Marsha tabulated the scores, Pebbles and the TH club provided concessions, Kellie and Natalie had the barn running efficiently, Riding Council and all its members had the horses beautifully prepared and ready for every class and Peggy of course was everywhere trouble shooting and problem solving.

Meanwhile, Carla and the Western IHSA team held practice and then headed to Raleigh for their own shows.

Complete results soon!

IHSA Shows

2010-10-01T11:43:00.000-04:00

We have a busy weekend planned for our IHSA teams. Saturday is our first IHSA hunter seat show of the year. The coach’s meeting is at 9:00 and the show itself starts at 10:00. Looking forward to welcoming riders and coaches from Duke University, East Carolina University, North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina - Charlotte, North Carolina University – Wilmington.

The IHSA western team travels to NCSU for back to back shows Saturday evening and Sunday.

Go Knights!

The Bad Blogger

2010-09-22T13:27:00.004-04:00

I have been a bad blogger lately. Since school started life has been hectic. Classes, lessons and Showing Under The Stars are just a few of the things that have kept us busy in the first few weeks of the Fall Semester. This past weekend we hosted back to back IHSA Western shows on Saturday and Sunday. Overall, the western team came out ahead and now lead the region with 4 points. The shows could not have gone more smoothly. The students and staff worked hard to put on well organized shows that ran with limited problems, well turned out horses and prepared riders. The SAPC Relay for Life Team provided concessions, Doug Glass’s Entrepreneurship class sold ribbon belts, and Mike Morton helped us out as announcer. A good weekend for everyone!

Next weekend Lindsey is taking riders to Camden to show and I think the rest of us get to take a breather. The following weekend Oct 2nd is our first IHSA Hunter Seat Show.

Results of the Western Show
SATURDAY, 09/18/10High Point School - North Carolina State Univ. - 33 Points Reserve High Point School - St. Andrews - 31 Points
High Point Rider - Kody Zaagman - NC State
Reserve High Point Rider - Kelsey Moody - St. Andrews

First Place Riders for SAPC:
Shannon Leggett - Advanced Horsemanship
Audrey Bolte - Advanced Horsemanship

Second Place Riders for SAPC:
Jake Nix - Intermediate I Horsemanship
Andrea Tito - Novice Horsemanship

SUNDAY, 09/19/10
High Point School - St. Andrews - 35
Reserve High Point - NC State - 30
High Point Rider - Kody Zaagman - NC State
Reserve High Point - Maggie Gregg - Va. Tech

First Place Riders for SAPC:
Shelley Whittemore - Beginner Horsemanship (also now qualified for Regional Show)
Amber Powell - Beginner Horsemanship (on her birthday too)
Andrea Velez - Intermediate Horsemanship I
Brittany Powell - Intermediate Horsemanship II
Andrea Tito - Novice Horsemanship
Kelsey Moody - Open Horsemanship

Second Place riders for SAPC:
Alex Meyer - Novice Horsemanship

Jake Nix on Coosa & Kelsey Moody in Reining

FALL 2010

2010-08-05T08:51:00.003-04:00

Today the forecast is for temperatures of 100 plus depending on where you get your weather from. I have seen as high as 106 and that is without the heat index. Needless to say it is toasty in the Burg! With temps like that Carla and Dale left at 2:00 a.m. for Camp Seafarer to bring home the first load of camp horses. Tomorrow Dale and I go to Roaring Gap to pick up the lucky ones that spent the summer in the mountains, are they in for temperature shock! The horses from Camp Rockbrook start returning this weekend and then we have one more trip to Seafarer around the 15th and the Camp Keystone horses to return.

The barns have been pressure washed and cleaned and the staff is busy getting ready for the fall semester. We are looking forward to meeting the freshmen class as well as having the upperclassmen back.

Over the summer we had some staff changes. Stephanie relocated to Raleigh to work at the NCSU Veterinary School. She took Celtic with her and we wish her all the best with her new job. Torre has also moved on although she will be coming back to help Carla with the western team. We will miss both Stephanie and Torre.

Moving forward we have reorganized a little. Lindsay has accepted additional responsibilities (in addition to serving as the show team coach, boarder liaison and instructor) she now also serves as the Barn Coordinator. This role involves ordering feed, supplies etc, scheduling the assistant barn managers, and keeping records. I will be helping her in a mentoring role. Kellie will serve as Assistant Barn Manager for the lesson barn and also oversee work study for the entire facility. We are thrilled to have hired Natalie Norwood as Assistant Barn Manager for the Boarders/TH barn. Natalie will also serve as the medical liaison and assist Dr. Kellam with horse health care. Finally, Katherine Laughlin has accepted a Riding Fellow position. She will be working closely with the Assistant Barn Managers.

As previously mentioned Liz Harris Adams has moved to Old Lyme, CT to work at High Hopes Therapeutic Riding Inc. and Megan Ellis has taken over the role of the Ride-Like-A-Knight Therapeutic Riding Director.

We are all looking forward to having the students back and getting started with the fall semester.

Kelsey Moody competes in the NCAA/IHSA Reining Championship NRHA Derby

2010-06-28T18:28:00.001-04:00

Kelsey Moody placed 9th in the NCAA/IHSA Reining Championship NRHA Derby sponsored by the National Reining Horse Association. The competition was held June 19 – 26 in Oklahoma City and coaches Carla Wennburg and Ashley Duda were onsite to support Kelsey. Carla is an FEI steward for reining and was working the event in an official capacity. Ashley took time out from her summer of studying in Kansas to attend the show. Kelsey qualified for the Derby at IHSA Nationals held this May in Lexington, Kentucky. This head to head competition is unique in that it brings students from IHSA and NCAA schools into direct competition. Western is currently the only discipline to offer this type of intercollegiate competition. “Kelsey rose to the occasion and rode great,” said Carla, “the mare was very sensitive and her stops were not the greatest, but Kelsey gave her a first class ride.”

New Leadership for RLAK program

2010-06-04T18:11:00.001-04:00

The end of May and all the horses are safely delivered to their summer homes. The ones that remain have been consolidated to the Boarder’s Barn side and the maintenance crew has begun the task of cleaning the lesson barn. The western barn will have to wait for a few more days as we have horses and riders staying in that barn for a four day clinic. Lindsay is doing the majority of the teaching, but I was excited to teach 2 flat lessons this morning. The group is from Tally Ho Equestrian Center in Timmonsville, SC led by SAPC alum Katrina Brown Hutto.

The end of May brings a change to the TH program. Liz Harris Adams, who has been at SAPC for 13 years, first as a student and then as the Director of the Ride-Like-A-Knight TH program has accepted a position with High Hopes Therapeutic Riding Inc. in Old Lyme CT. We are sad to see Liz move on but wish her every success in her new position.

Megan Ellis will be taking over the reins of the RLAK program. Megan has served as an assistant barn manager for the last two years as well as assisting Liz with the RLAK program.

Time for Camp!

2010-05-26T12:03:00.000-04:00

May is always a challenge with virtually all the students gone (Amber – thank you for staying!) and all the horses still in residence. This week we started shipping horses out to the various summer camps. Monday Peggy, Dale and I hauled 8 up to Roaring Gap Country Club near to Mt. Airy. Heather and Betsy are spending the summer with the horses running the riding program and staying cool in the Mountains.

Yesterday Carla and Ashley made the first of two trips to Camp Seafarer in Arapahoe, NC. They hauled 12 horses and tomorrow Lindsay and I will take another 12. Katie Lavery is heading up that program. Sarah Rhymer also works for Camp Seafarer so they will be in good hands. Jessica from Camp Keystone in Brevard NC picked up five horses on Monday and another 20 or so will shipping commercially to Camp Rockbrook in Brevard over the weekend. Cara Thompson is running the Rockbrook program as she has done for the past several summers. That should bring the numbers down to a manageable amount for the barn managers during June and July. Next project…pressure washing the barns!

IHSA Western Final Results

2010-05-09T19:14:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Coach Carla Wennburg and the IHSA Western Team on their third place at IHSA Nationals. On the final day Brittany Powell placed 2nd in Intermediate Western Horsemanship and Kelsey Moody was 3rd in the Open Rail Horsemanship resulting in 18 points for SAPC and a tie for third place with Middle Tennessee State.

Individuals Megan Stiles placed second in Intermediate Western Horsemanship and Shannon Leggett placed 6th in Novice Western Horsemanship. Yesterday Kelsey placed 2nd in individual Open Western Horsemanship. Congratulations to all SAPC IHSA riders on a job well done – Go Knights!

IHSA Western Team Update

2010-05-09T06:37:00.000-04:00

SAPC western team lies in 4th place going into the final day at IHSA Nationals. Leah Davidson placed 4th in the Team Beginner Western Horsemanship and Kelsey Moody was 9th in the open reining. This gives the Knights 9 points right behind Berry College with 10 points. Ohio State has 20 points and Findlay 22 points.

There are 3 more classes to be decided today. Good luck to Kelsey and Brittany riding for the team and Megan and Shannon riding as individuals today! Go Knights!

Graduation

2010-05-08T17:31:00.000-04:00

The weather was kind for graduation, although it was hot there was a good breeze which helped keep things cool. Many alums, current students as well as family and friends were on site to share the joy of graduation. Pebbles was recognized as distinguished faculty for this year during the ceremony. This is an honor that is reserved for faculty members that have made a difference not only in the lives of their students, but have served as mentors and leaders for their colleagues as well as serving the college in multiple capacities. Pebbles is in good company, the other professor recognized this year was Dick Prust for his 40+ years of service and leadership.

Kelsey Moody placed 3rd in NRHA Individual Open Reining at IHSA nationals today, waiting on IHSA updates for team placings from today.