The Bad Blogger

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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.

IHSA Update

Kelsey Moody placed 8th in AQHA Western High Point Rider Phase 1 with 72 points in a class of 22 riders. Megan Stiles placed 3rd in AQHA Novice Western Horsemanship and Kayla Hay was 5th in the AQHA Advanced Western Horsemanship. This gives the SAPC western team 6 points and a tie for third place with Middle TN State behind Findlay with 11 points and Ohio State with 8 points. Still to show for the team Kelsey in the Open Reining, Leah in the Beginner Western Horsemanship (they ride Sat.); Brittany in the Intermediate Western Horsemanship and Kelsey in the Open Rail Horsemanship (showing Sunday).

Good luck to all SAPC IHSA finalists, Coach Carla Wennburg and the Western Team this weekend. We’ll be thinking about you as we graduate the class of 2010!

IHSA & Graduation

Instructors, students and horses are representing SAPC at IHSA Nationals at the Kentucky Horse Park this weekend. Dill, Glenn, Happy, LJ, Tony and Sailor shipped out early this week to participate in the national championships. Heather drove out solo to meet the commercial shipper and Ashley, Peggy, Lindsay, Carla and our riders joined them the next day.

Thursday Audrey Bolte placed 3rd in the Individual Intermediate Equitation on the Flat and Jenn Callahan was 8th in the Individual Walk-Trot-Canter Equitation. Today Kelsey Moody, Megan Stiles and Kayla Hay compete in the AQHA High Point Rider Rail Phase, the AQHA Novice Western Horsemanship and the AQHA Advanced Western Horsemanship respectively. Over the weekend Kelsey will be competing in the NRHA Individual Open Reining and the AQHA Open Reining. Leah Davidson will ride in the AQHA Beginner Western Horsemanship, Brittany Powell competes in the AQHA Intermediate Western Horsemanship, Megan rides in the Individual Intermediate Western Horsemanship and Shannon Leggett will show in the Individual Novice Western Horsemanship.

Meanwhile at home we are getting ready for graduation and the end of the semester. Horses that are going home with students are shipping out, the boarders are leaving and the barn staff is down to the bare bones – barn managers and any willing volunteers that they can find! Tonight is baccalaureate and tomorrow’s graduation will be followed by a lunch for graduates involved in the equestrian program in the party palace. (One last chance to enjoy Pebble’s brownies and the staff’s cooking!)

Graduation is always bitter sweet – we are excited to celebrate our student’s success as they go out into the world, but sad to see our friends leave as they move onto the next phase of their life’s journey.

IDA Nationals Wrap Up

St. Andrews hosted the Intercollegiate Dressage Association National Championships this weekend at the Equestrian Center. Please congratulate Greta Friesen on her 5th place in First Level Test Four. Greta worked hard to qualify for Nationals at the highest level offered and she rode to the best of her ability today. Riders must qualify for these championships. IDA has 54 member schools and over 600 members. 20 schools and 70 individuals were represented at the championships with competitors traveling from all over the country from as far away as California and even two riders from Canada.


Carla says that “it takes a village” and organizing a show of this caliber certainly falls into that category. Members of the IDA team and event management interns worked tirelessly to prepare the horses and the facility. IHSA team members and the TH club supported their fellow equestrians at workdays, during the Highland Games on Friday and throughout the weekend. Our students raised nearly $1,000 in sponsorships for the show. They assisted in program design and preparation, provided entertainment, served as liaisons for vendors and competitors and worked with the caterers, the photographer, IDA officials and served as scribes for the judges. In short our students rose to the occasion and served as leaders and team players.


Thank you to everyone who helped with this weekend’s national championships. Everything ran smoothly even when the weather threatened to “rain on our parade” early this morning.


Our students were great ambassadors for SAPC this weekend, please congratulate them when you see them.


To see pictures of this weekend's events go to

http://www.fairfieldphoto.com/photocart/index.php?do=photocart&viewGallery= 21780

Individual Results - Introductory Level Test B

1. Averi Frederiksen, Virginia Intermont – 69.25
2. Lauren Sweezey, Otterbein College – 67.75
3. Jennifer Durden, Johnson and Wales – 64.25
4. Katie Lopresti, Averett University – 64.0
5. Allison McGee, University of New Hampshire – 63.75 – tb win
6. Sarah Pizzie, Delaware Valley- 63.75
7. Amanda Ross, Mt. Holyoke- 62.5
8. Megan Marcinkewicz, Lake Erie College – 62.0
9. Rachel Yeo, Michigan State – 59.5
10. Emily Shannon, University of Florida – 58.25
11. Diane Susdorf, University of Findlay- 57.5
12. Michelle Berry, Stanford University- 56.75

Individual Results - Training Level Test Two

1. Claire Almon, Virginia Intermont – 70.36
2. Patty Muench, University of New Hampshire – 69.11
3. Abby Zezeski, Virginia Tech – 68.21
4. Mary Applegate, Albion College – 66.43
5. Kim van Der Weijde, University of Florida – 66.25
6. Julie McNellis, Johnson and Wales – 66.07
7. Chelsea Killiner, Delaware Valley – 65.18
8. Brianna Stonick, University of Massachusetts – 64.64
9. Kaitlin Allen, University of Findlay – 63.04
10. Sarah Roney, University of Guelph – 60.36
11. Colleen Grant, Otterbein – 59.29
12. Lauren Quincy, California Polytechnic - 59.11

Individual Results - Training Level Test 4

1. Kaitlin Young, Michigan State – 72.60
2. Dylan Handy, University of Findlay - 72
3. Laura Thompson, Averett – 69.2
4. Nick Blieler, Delaware Valley - 68
5. Sarah Singleton, Central Michigan - 67
6. Casey Hoatson, University of New Hampshire – 66.6
7. Kayla Burroughs, Johnson and Wales - 65.4
8. Taylor Ruth, University of Florida – 63.4
9. Shoshana Lucich, Mt. Holyoke – 62.8
10. Emma Heald, Otterbein – 61.20
11. Brianna Husby, California Polytechnic – 60.60
12. Gigi Good, Virginia Intermont - 60.60

Individual Results - First Level Test 4

1. Jessica Forend, Johnson and Wales - 66.71
2. Lindsey Carmack, University of Findlay – 65.66
3. Eliz Mirson, Virginia Intermont – 65.26
4. Mary Evert, Otterbein – 65.13
5. Greta Friesan, St. Andrews - 64.87
6. Johanna McKeen, University of Guelph - 64.61
7. Nichole Garder, Delaware Valley – 64.34
8. Alavia Rizzi, University of Florida - 62.89
9. Choloe Cosonove, Johnson and Wales – 62.63
10. Caroline Fowler, Oberlin - 61.97
11. Meredith Baker, Mt. Holyoke -57.89
12. Katrina Faris, California Polytechnic – 57.76

IDA Nationals Pictures

You can view pictures of IDA Nationals at Fairfield Photography.

http://www.fairfieldphoto.com/photocart/index.php?do=photocart&viewGallery= 21780

Team Results

1. Virginia Intermont - 37
2. University of Florida – 33 * tb winner 65.37%
3. Virginia Tech. – 33 – * tb 65.26%
4. University of Findlay – 33 – 64.70%
5. Mt. Holyoke - 31
6. Johnson and Wales - 29
7. Delaware Valley - 25
8. California Polytechnic - 24
9. Otterbein - 22
10. University of New Hampshire - 21
11. Albion- 17
12. Michigan State University - 11

Team Competition - Results of Introductory Level Test B

1. Amanda Ross, Mt. Holyoke-71.5
2. Daine Susdorf, University of Findlay – 67.25
3. Kelly London,Cal Polytechnic -66.25
4. Ariel Smith, University of Florida – 65.5
5. Carra Barskey, Virginia Tech - 64.25
6. Sarah Pizzie, Delaware Valley- 64.0
7. Lauren Sweezy, Otterbein – 63.5
8. Allison McGee, University of New Hampshire – 63.00
9. Chelsea Dressler, Virginia Intermont – 62.75
10. Megan Sharalier, Michigan State – 61.5
11. Allyson Olson, Albion – 58.5
12. Jennifer Durden, Johnson and Wales – 57.0

Team Competition - Results of Training Level Test One

1. Patty Muench, University of New Hampshire – 69.78
2. Claire Almon, Virginia Intermont – 68.48
3. Kim Van Der Weigle, University of Florida – 68.04
4. Julie McNeils, Johnson and Wales – 66.09 tb winner
5. Macy Drinkhause, Otterbein – 66.09
6. Rachel Knopf, California Polytechnic-65.65
7. Mignon Johnston, Mt. Holyoke – 65.43
8. Mary Applegate, Albion - 64.35
9. Christy Jones, Virginia Tech – 63.48
10. Chelsea Killinger, Delaware Valley – 63.04
11. Kaitlin Allen, University of Findlay – 60.43
12. Jayne Bailey, Michigan State University – 58.48

Team Competition - Results of First Level Test Three

1. Dylan Handy, University of Findlay – 70.4
2. Gigi Good, Virginia Intermont – 69.0
3. Caroline Johansen, University of Florida – 68.8
4. Heather Ryan, Johnson and Wales – 67.2
5. Anna Graves, Virginia Tech – 67.0
6. Nick Bleiler, Delaware Valley – 66.2
7. Kaitlin Young, Michigan State University – 63.8
8. Allison Robins, Albion – 63.2 tb winner
9. Kaitlin Spak, Cal Poly – 63.2
10. Shoshana Lucich, Mount Holyoke – 61.0
11. Emma Heald, Otterbein – 59.4
12. Casey Hoatson, University of New Hampshire - 59.2

Team Competition - First Level Test Three Results

1 Erin Bullard, VA Tech, Benji, 66.29
2 Elizabeth Mirson, VA Intermont, Benji, 66.14
3 Jessica Forend, Johnson & Wakes, Tate, 66
4 Merideth Baker, Mt. Holyoke, Abraxis, 64.71
5 Nichole Gardner, Delaware Valley, Abraxis, 64.14
6 Lindsey Carmack, Findlay, Leggs, 60.71
7 Mary Evert, Otterbein, Tate, 59.57
8 Brittany White, Albion, Abraxis, 59.43
9 Leah Guidry, Florida, Benji, 59.14
10 Adrienne Klamt, Cal. Poly. Leggs, 58.86
11 Adriana Lafave, New Hampshire, Leggs, 55.14
12 Alex Adrian, Michigan State, Tate, 50.86

Horse Selection etc.

Horse selection went well for the team competition. We have 4 strong groups of well matched horses and several equally as strong alternates ready to go for tomorrow’s team competition!

After lunch, the teams participated in the Highland Games. Kilts, plaid shirts and sashes faced off in soccer, tug of war, sheep dog trials, caber tossing, hay throwing and designing and building their own version of the Loch Ness Monster!

After registration for the teams, folks went back to their hotels to clean up for dinner in the Party Palace. (The indoor belonging to our Ride-Like-A-Knight therapeutic horsemanship program.) Matching plaid shirts, berets, and creative outfits sat down to a variation of the Scottish staple Shepherd’s pie (a fabulous vege and cheese concoction), and traditional Carolina barbeque.

The annual meeting followed with updates on rule changes and the required election of officers. With business completed, the teams stepped out into the court yard for the team draw. A toned down duck pond (we are using the big one for the individual draw tomorrow) on the picnic table served us well.

Region I returned to the Party Palace for our Regional Awards. As well as the regional winners, we awarded the Regional Team Sportsmanship Award to East Carolina University and the regional horse of the year to Dan from Averett. Regional art contest winners were Liz Mirson from Virginia Intermont for her T – shirt design and Donna Fowble from St. Andrews for her program cover and poster design.

At 7:30 everyone met in Avinger Auditorium for Dawn Jensen’s presentation on Reining in Runaway Nerves: Understanding and Coping with Performance Anxiety.". What a great primer for the weekend!

Tomorrow the parade of horses starts at 7:30. The actual competition starts at 9:30.

IDA Nationals - Starts Today

IDA Nationals starts today with the horse selection at 9:00 a.m. This will be followed by the Highland Games at 1:00 p.m. which includes a caber toss, Gaelic dancing, and opportunities to play with Nessie the Lock Ness Monster. Registration for competitors starts at 3:00 p.m. Dinner is at 5:30 p.m. followed by the annual meeting and then everyone moves to Avinger auditorium for Dawn Jensen’s presentation "Reining in Runaway Nerves: Understanding and Coping with Performance Anxiety."

Tomorrow things get started early with the parade of team horses at 7:30, opening ceremonies, and competition beginning at 9:30 with First Level Test Three.

Results will be posted in this space during the weekend.

First Ride - LIke - A - Knight Horse Show

This Saturday, April 17th, Ride - Like - A - Knight hosted its first horse show. The show was kicked off by a demonstration including jumping by Betsy Kaplan and her horse Tucker, Barrels by Kellie Garrabrant and her horse JJ, Vaulting with Big John and Heather Jackson and Kendall Fout as well as dressage with Greta Friesan and Leggs. Bailey also had a retirement ceremony, after 30 years service to the college and 14 years of service to the TH program he deserves it:) All riders performed a rail class and a trail class for judge Kellie Garrabrant with the guidance of announcer Mike Kryzsak (an alum working in the local school system). All the horses were the vision of perfection, receiving blue ribbons and metals for all riders they helped. Many families that had never been to the equestrian center where able to watch their children ride and enjoy the facility. Many thanks to all the volunteers and Megan Ellis who organized the event!

The ANRC team is at Sweet Briar College competing at the National Championships and those of us left at home are gearing up for IDA Nationals next week end.

SAPC Western IHSA Team Advances to Nationals in May!

Congratulations to Carla Wennburg and the IHSA Western team for placing second at this weekend’s semi finals hosted at SAPC and advancing to the National Championships, May 6 – 9 in Lexington, KY. Boy did we have a big weekend! Two full days of competition, a Pig Pickin Saturday evening and a nail biting finish placing us closely behind the current National Champions from the University of Findlay.

We also had three individuals advance to the National Championship, Kelsey Moody in both Open Horsemanship and Reining, Shannon Leggett in Novice Horsemanship and Megan Stiles in Intermediate Horsemanship. The complete results are posted on the SAPC Equestrian website.

The semi finals are held in three locations on the same weekend (the other two being in NY and CA). We had 100 riders from 22 schools competing for the opportunity to advance to Nationals. The show ran smoothly, our horses were wonderful, the students worked long hours to prepare the facility and the horses. (Two mornings with 6:00 a.m. or earlier starts makes for a long weekend!) NCSU, NC A & T, VA Tech, Jessica Rhymer Paige, and several other individuals loaned us a total of 18 horses – thank you all for your generosity with your horses. The individual classes were big with 14 riders in each class. Each rider performed a pattern as well as rail work and so these classes lasted a good hour. The team classes were smaller with one rider from each of the seven qualifying colleges representing their school.

The SAPC Equestrian team and staff really pulled together to put on a first class show. All the western team worked incredibly long hours to prepare the horses and the hunt seat and dressage teams rose to the occasion to help with clean up and horse holding. This weekend was a great example of the teamwork and peer support that SAPC is known for. As Carla likes to say, “It takes a village…”

Last big event at the Equestrian Center this semester is IDA Nationals, April 24 – 25.

March Update

Time flies in the spring! Spring break was a great catch up time for everyone involved with the Equestrian Program. March 8th the semester resumed with the Awards Convocation on Friday the 12th. Rachel Buckler was recognized by the Equine Studies department for her outstanding contributions to the equestrian program and Philip Ratchford was recognized for his leadership in the therapeutic riding program. Both these students have high GPAs and demonstrate in their daily lives what it means to be “in college”. Congratulations to our student leaders.

Scot Evans spent three days with hunt seat students and staff that weekend helping to prepare riders for IHSA Regionals and ANRC. He is always a breath of fresh air and inspires everyone to do their best. It was also parents weekend and we were delighted to host a reception at the Equestrian Center on Saturday evening. Greta Friesen’s Mom gets the award for the biggest surprise by flying in from Hawaii to be with Greta for the weekend. She arrived as the choir was preparing to sing at the Awards Convocation leaving her daughter almost speechless!

This weekend we were going in multiple directions again. Liz, Pebbles and 8 students travelled to West Virginia for the NARHA regional conference. The conference was hosted by Stonewall Resort provided excellent meals and hospitality for the participants. Speakers from all over the country including California and the Midwest presented on various subjects including recent research on human behavior and human mechanics in a therapeutic riding setting.

The dressage team went to a dressage show in Pinehurst and had a fun relaxing day, riding well and working on their Farmer’s tans! Hannah Soloway and Gordon and Jessica Cusaac and Nikkita earned good scores and ribbons at training level, Donna Fowble and Winston placed in 4th in First Level Test Two and Greta Friesen and Leggs placed 2nd in the upper level mixed division earning 65% in Fourth level Test One.

Meanwhile…back at the ranch Peggy, Ashley, Lindsay, Heather and Marsha had IHSA Hunt Seat Regionals. All the horses were superstars, the hunt seat and western teams did a fabulous job of preparing the facility and the horses; the show ran very smoothly with several riders qualifying for IHSA Zones in April. Congratulations to the following riders who will go to Virginia Tech April 11th to compete at the Zone finals to earn a spot at IHSA Nationals.

Leah Davison - 1st Place - Walk Trot
Jenn Callahan - 1st Place - Walk Trot Canter
Andrew Michael - 2nd Place - Novice over Fences
Audrey Bolte - 1st Place - Intermediate Flat
Rob Jacobs - 2nd Place - Intermediate Flat

This weekend we are hosting IHSA Western Semi Finals. This show runs for three days and is the qualifying event for IHSA Nationals in May. Carla and Torre and the western team are busily preparing the horses and Dale is getting the ring fixed for the reining horses. We also have an open house on Saturday so it should be anther busy weekend!

Spring Break is Here!

Thursday’s IDA show ran very smoothly, most of the horses behaved although Winston, Nikita and Clyde wanted to remind us that the older horses can spook with the best of them! SAPC riders had a great day and our Team B were the champions for the day!

SAPC Team B
Casey Curtis - 5th at First Level - 61.11%
Donna Fowble - 3rd Upper Training - 66.4%
Lindsay Agaliotis - 2nd Lower Training - 61.79%
Jessica Cusaac - 2nd Intro 70% and......Reserve High Point Rider!!!!!!!!!

Individual Results
Madison Webb - 3rd Lower Training - 61.43%
Lauren Parker - 6th Lower Training - 53.93%
Olivia Taylor - 5th Intro - 66%

Being the final IDA show of the regular season there was lot of pressure for those in contention for slots at Nationals. Greta Frisen from SAPC qualified for Nationals in the first level division. Virginia Intermont and Virginia Tech will represent region I in April at SAPC.

This weekend the ANRC squad is schooling at the Carolina Horse Park and the dressage team is showing in Pinehurst on Sunday. Next week is spring break which everyone is ready for! Looking forward March 13 – 14 we will be hosting a NARHA instructor workshop, a Scot Evans clinic and it is also parents weekend. The last two weekends in March will be filled with IHSA Regionals and Western Semi-Finals at SAPC.

February is Crazy!

So postings in February have not happened because we have been extremely busy! There has been at least one horse show every weekend sometimes two or three! The weather has caused shows to be postponed and times changed. In spite of that we have had a ton of competition and a lot of fun.

The IHSA hunt seat team hosted on Feb 6th, travelled to Elon on Feb 14th, and just returned from Virginia Intermont. SAPC was reserve champion at Virginia Intermont and 8 students qualified for regional finals which will be hosted at SAPC on March 20th

The IDA team travelled to Virginia Tech on Feb 8th, Averett on Feb 13th, are preparing to leave for Virginia Intermont tomorrow and are hosting on Thursday Feb 25th! The high point so far was Andrea Tito’s high point score of 74% in training level test 3 at Virginia Tech! Before leaving for Bristol tomorrow team members will ride in a clinic with Kris Hamilton in the morning. (The weather is finally going to be a tiny bit warmer – yeah!)


This next part was written by Equine Event Management Intern Karen Gruninger

Last weekend the St. Andrews Equestrian center hosted 2 regular season Western Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) shows on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday they hosted the Western Regional Finals. At all three horse shows the St. Andrews team was the High Point Team. The riders did very well and had many who qualified for Regionals and many who went on to qualify for Semi- Finals which will also be held at the St. Andrews Equestrian Center on March 26- 28. Kelsey Moody qualified in Open Horsemanship and Reining, and will represent St. Andrews in Kentucky at the National Championships for the High Point Rider Competition. Others who qualified for the Semi-Nationals by winning their classes are Shannon Leggett in Novice Horsemanship, Megan Stiles in Intermediate Horsemanship, and Kimmie Simonsen in Beginner Horsemanship.
Other highlights from the weekend include Alex Myers winning Intermediate Horsemanship II on Friday, Kimmie Simonsen winning the Intermediate Horsemanship I both Friday and Saturday, Tony Fernandez winning the Advanced Horsemanship on Friday and Megan Stiles winning the Novice Horsemanship on Friday. Also on Friday, Erica Hill won the Open Horsemanship and Kelsey Moody took third. On Saturday Kelsey Moody won both the Reining and the Open Horsemanship. In the Walk Jog class Leah Davidson took the class by storm. Many other riders from SAPC placed high as well throughout the weekend. The St. Andrews Equestrian center is proud to be able to host these events and thanks everyone who worked to make it run or came out to support and cheer on the riders.

Finally, spring break is just over a week away, I think everyone is more than ready for a breather before the craziness resumes!

Spring 2010

The first couple of weeks of spring classes have flown by. Ashley, Lindsay and six students returned from Florida on the 20th having had an educational and fun trip to Florida. The temperatures were cold and all riders except one were partnering with new horses . SAPCs Glen was champion both weeks with Audrey Bolte week one and Jodi Brinn in week two. Betsy Kaplan and her new horse Tucker were reserve in the same division. Rob Jacobs and his new ride Frankie won the 3’3” Adult Classic.

Also on that Monday many SAPC equestrians participated in the Martin Luther King day of service. This is a new event for the school and approx. 140 staff, faculty and students volunteered their time at local charities or for campus clean up. Service sites included the Red Cross, The Haven and Helping Hands Store. Students that were not involved in the day of service gave their time to their work study jobs.

The Laurinburg Exchange ran a great article summing up the long road to recovery for Focus the USERL rescue horse that was so badly hurt in a storm last May. Dr. Kellam spent many hours caring for this horse (including sleeping at the barn for many days), many other individuals have assisted in his care, area businesses donated supplies for his dressings and the best part of the story is that he has now been officially adopted by Jen Bruner. You can read the whole story at http://www.laurinburgexchange.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Horse+injured+in+storm+receives+community+support%20&id=5561562

This weekend we are hosting the first ever head-to-head competition with Duke. This is an unofficial competition for IHSA hunt seat riders and takes place on Sunday. Next weekend is the first IHSA western shows for this year. Two shows back to back on Saturday and Sunday.

2009 Retrospective

The equestrian staff took a moment to reflect on some of the memorable events in 2009.

• New enthusiastic and energetic staff members joined the equestrian staff in 2009.
• Showing Under the Stars seems to be a staff favorite especially the Halloween edition where many of the staff join with students for the costume parade.
• Rob Jacob’s win at the IHSA National Championships in the Novice Over Fences division was a moment to remember.
• Every IHSA western team rider placed in their class at the National Championships.
• IDA team qualified two riders (Greta Friesen and Lauren Parker) for the National Championships.
• Restructuring saw the creation of the Equine Studies Department, chaired by Pebbles.
• The successful creation and delivery of online classes in both Equine Business and Therapeutic Riding.

Horse wise we said goodbye to Gunsmoke (GQ), Jester, Kampari, and Tuffin. Satchmo retired to Shelby French’s farm in Sweet Briar and Wheels found a child locally in Laurinburg. (He actually lives with Mike Kryszak). Bobby Lou went to live at Ann Neal Thompson’s farm and Lucky found himself a family in the Hope Mills area and competes in dressage and jumping at local shows with his teenage owner.

End of the Semester

Its exam week and things are winding down at the Equestrian Center. Monday evening several of us joined Carla’s Form to Function class for a presentation by Rob Jacobs. Rob recently did an internship with the Washington International Horse Show. He had a busy week in Washington updating the show’s webpage, facebook and twitter pages, taking video footage of the first horse arriving in the city, assisting with the organization of hospitality for sponsors, and even appearing on ABC News Channel 8 – live!

Tuesday evening a group spent a couple of hours packing about 200 boxes to be shipped overseas to soldiers. This tradition started 4 years ago and has become a highlight of the Christmas season. Carla’s Mom sponsors the project and collects tons of boxes. SAPC equestrians purchase useful items for the boxes – things like toiletries, snacks, cards and games. This year we ran out of stuff before we ran out of boxes. Peggy came to the rescue making two trips into town to purchase more stuff. Everything was loaded into Carla’s horse trailer to be delivered to the VFW Post in Southern Pines. Thursday lunchtime Jake Nix, Shannon Leggett, Rachel Buckler & Anne Neal Thompson accompanied Carla to drop off the stuff. Thank you to Nancy Wennberg, Peggy, Carla and everyone who helped with this project. As Carla says, “This is Christmas!”

Wednesday evening Riding Council hosted their annual Christmas party at the farm house. The barn staff decorated the farm house (including inflatables on the front lawn). Rank testing certificates were handed out and Lindsay, Heather and Ashley cooked for the hordes.

Next week things will be quieter as students finish up exams and head home for Christmas break. Those of us with academic classes will be scrambling to get grades turned in and all equestrian staff members will be pitching in with horse care.

IDA Update

IDA has had a slow start in Region I this semester with several shows being cancelled for one reason or another. Saturday Dec 5th was wet and cold but that did not dampen the enthusiasm of the teams that gathered at Buckhorn Farm in Apex, NC. Bridget and the Wolf Pack Dressage team put an a first rate show with a tent for the horses to stand in between rides and horse trailers for coaches and riders to shelter in. I personally want to thank all the owners (and there were many) who so kindly allowed their horses to be used for the show. Your generosity made the show possible.

Competition was intense in every division with Virginia Tech winning 3 or the 4 divisions and ending up with 21 points (the max. possible at a show). St. Andrews riders had a good showing with Greta Friesen placing 2nd at first level and Jessica Cusaac placing 3rd in the intro division. For Lenior Rhyne and East Carolina University this was their first IDA show. Beth Bengala the coach for ECU summed up the atmosphere that we all enjoy at IDA shows, “I personally enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and look forward to upcoming shows!”

The IDA team is preparing for dressage month (Feb) when we have 4 shows!

IHSA Hunter Seat Update

From Ashley Duda IHSA Coach.

On November 16th, members of the IHSA Hunter Seat Team traveled north to compete at Virginia Intermont. Heading into this competition, the team was tied for the lead in the region with Virginia Intermont and was one point in front of Virginia Tech. Competing against Virginia Intermont at home is always difficult because the school has a very talented team. However, the Knights were ready to compete when they traveled to the farm in Bristol, Virginia on November 17th.

Usually the weather is cold, icy, and windy when St. Andrews travels to VI. Fortunately, the weather for this IHSA show was warm and delightful. Even the riders from Laurinburg stayed warm throughout the day! The morning started off with strong performances over fences. Audrey Hayden debuted in Open Equitation Over Fences and placed third. Rob Jacobs and Alie McGraw had strong performances and both earned second place ribbons in Intermediate Equitation Over Fences and Novice Equitation Over Fences, respectively.

As the flat classes began, the riding stayed strong. Katie Hansen, Rob Jacobs, Brittany Calderwood, and Blake Liljestrand all won flat classes. Rob and Blake remained undefeated on the flat for the 2009-2010 season. One highlight of the day was Brittany’s ride. VI was Brittany’s first riding competition. She drew Prima, one of Ashley’s favorite IHSA horses, and rode her beautifully! The entire team was very proud of Brittany’s great ride.

The team rode very well against tough competition and ended up Reserve Champion for the day. The team did lose a little of their lead to VI. The IHSA Hunter Seat Team now is ten points behind VI but three points ahead of Virginia Tech. Peggy and Ashley are making plans to help riders prepare for an intense IHSA spring show schedule. The next show IHSA Hunter Seat Show will be held on February 6th at St. Andrews. Go KNIGHTS!

Horse Shows and Equitrial

Its been a busy couple of weeks at SAPC! Lindsay contributed the Raleigh results and Peggy the Equitrial report.

Triangle Raleigh Oct 30th-Nov 1st
Allie McGraw rode Glenn to Res Champion in the Pre-Ch/Ad Hunter Division

Sara Warren rode Dill to several top ribbons (2nds, 3rds) in the Pre-Ch/Ad Hunter and Eq Divisions

Kali Cram rode Busy to 4th out of 47 in the TRiangle Farms Eq Cup and two 1sts in Pre-Ch/Ad Eq over fences

Karen Gruninger rode Quincey to Res Champion in Long Stirrup and won both under saddle classes both days

Katherine Laughlin rode Spike to Champion in Long stirrup winning all over fences classes on Sunday

Both Sami and Katy H showed in NCHJA Adult Medal Finals which they had to qualify for over the previous season

Sami Cram rode Happy to 7th in the NCHJA Adult Medal Finals and Res Ch in the Adult Hunter Divisions Happy thought she was back doing grand prix...)

Katy Hutchings rode Easy to 4th place in the NCHJA Adult Medal Finals
Duke AA Raleigh Nov 4th-8th

Katelyn Lang rode Ava to good ribbonns in the LG Jr Hunters against top hunters from around the country

Rob Jacobs rode Glenn to top ribbons out of over 15 in the Pre-Adult Hunters against tough competition

Tricia James rode Nick at her first AA show and won her first Pre-Childrens Hunter over fences and other top ribbons out of 19 top horse/rider combos


American National Riding Commission

St. Andrews hosted an ANRC Equitrial on Sunday, November 8, 2009. Ten students participated in the Equitrial and received a National Rider Rating. The testing for the ratings included a hunter seat equitation flat test that included movements from the USEF equitation tests and a hunter seat equitation medal course over fences. Riders tested for either Level 1 (the introductory level) or Level 2 (the intermediate level). The testing was judged by Laura Norment from New Bern, NC an ANRC and USEF judge.

Congratulations to these St. Andrews riders!

Level One

Audrey Bolte
Jenn Callahan
Karen Gruninger
Katy Hutchings
Betsy Kaplan
Katherine Laughlin – High Point Rider Level One

Level Two

Kim Graves
Katie Hansen – High Point Rider Level Two
Audrey Hayden
Caroline Taylor

Horse shows etc...

Pictures "borrowed" from Shannon Legget's facebook page

Showing Under the Stars last Friday was spectacular! We started off with freestyle reining followed by dressage musical freestyles and the annual costume parade. Must have been 20+ entries for the costume parade everyone of them was fabulous. After that craziness the evening settled down to western pleasure and hunt seat classes. Some students were showing at their first ever horse show – what a great way to start your show career!

Saturday was open house where we met a ton of people and the hunt seat seniors rode for Heather and Lindsay. Open house is always fun and we had lots of interest in the equestrian program from enthusiastic students and parents. Peggy and Lindsay travelled to Duke for a hunt seat IHSA show on Sunday and the rest of us had an easy day gearing up for the next week.

This weekend the western team is hosting IHSA shows on Saturday and Sunday. Lindsay is taking a group to Raleigh for a NCHJA show, I believe Ashley is meeting her there as soon as she lands at the airport on her way back from Australia! I am headed to Michelle Hargreaves Hidden K stables for an IDA show hosted by WFU – a new venue for us! Just a normal weekend for the equestrian program!

SAPC Student at Washington International Horse Show

Contributed by Kim Graves

Last weekend while the IHSA Hunt Seat team was making their way up to the chilly weather of Blacksburg, Virginia, another St. Andrews Equestrian was feeling the 30 degree weather and constant rain in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. SAPC Sophomore Kimberly Graves of Monroe, NC and her mount “Hand It Over”, lovingly known as “Bubba” accepted their letter of invitation to compete in the 2009 USEF Zone 3 Finals, held at the Washington International Horse show Local weekend. Approximately the top 20 horses in each division of the Zone, based on total USEF points, were invited. Kimberly and her horse were ranked 12th in the USEF Adult Amateur Hunter 18-35 standings. But that’s not going to last long. After a late night warm –up class, a 4:00 wakeup call, and a last place spot in the order of go it was finally the moment Kimberly had been waiting for. As soon as she stepped out of the ring to finish her second over fences class, Kimberly and Hand It Over were trotting right back into the ring for the top call in the jog. With a blue ribbon in the first class and a reserve call for the second, it all came down to the under saddle class to determine the Champion for the younger Adults. But Hand It Over stepped out of the line up where he lived up to his name and was once again handed over the blue rosette. With an accumulated total of 20 points Kimberly Graves and Hand It Over were once again invited back in to the ring to claim the Champion title. Not only were they crowned champion but they were now given the title of the 2009 Adult Amateur 18-35 USEF Zone 3 Finals Champion. “I could not have done it without the help of my wonderful professors who were willing to take time out to allow me to complete my tests and assignments early so that I could compete in this prestigious event. And to the Equestrian staff and Center for allowing me to stay in the saddle and keep my composure enough to where I can still be able to compete in such prominent events” commented Kimberly. A Tri color ribbon was not the only thing Kimberly brought back to St. Andrews, but a Champion Cooler to show her newly acquired accomplishment.

IHSA Hunt Seat Team at VA Tech

From Peggy:

Fifteen St. Andrews riders, Peggy, and Heather boarded a bus Sunday morning at 3:45 a.m. for the trip to Blacksburg, VA to compete in the Virginia Tech IHSA Hunter Seat Show. It was 53 degrees when we left Laurinburg and 37 degrees when we arrived in Blacksburg. Quite a shock to our “Southern thin blood”!

Our riders continued to dominate the Intermediate Division. Rob Jacobs and Audrey Bolte each won their Intermediate Equitation on the Flat classes and Rob won the Intermediate Equitation over Fences. Additionally, Sarah Rafferty won the Advanced Walk, Trot, Canter Equitation on the Flat and Blake Liljestrand won the Walk, Trot Equitation on the Flat class. Way to go Knight Riders!

One of the best parts of our day in the mountains was having so many parents of our riders come to the show. Katie Hansen’s parents won the award for the farthest distance travelled (dad had come from Wisconsin!). Rob Jacob’s mom and dad were there and Rob left with them to return to Maryland for his week long internship at the Washington International Horse Show. Audrey Hayden’s (Northern Virginia) and Audrey Bolte’s (Ohio) parents were there to cheer us on.

It is always fun to go to Virginia Tech and to ride in their lovely indoor arena and to get to spend time with Teresa McDonald who is their Director and a great friend of all the St. Andrews family. The leaves were changing colors – something we have not even seen a hint of yet in Laurinburg – so we know that Fall is on its way even though it is still in the high 70’s here.

Our next trip is Sunday, October 25 to Ginny Rollins’ farm, Echo Creek, in Hillsborough, NC for a show hosted by Duke University.

Its not all bad – finally some stability at SAPC

The Elephant in the room finally got noticed a week ago last Thursday when we learned that the judge in GA ruled in favor of the Southern Association (SACS) in the long standing lawsuit between us and the accrediting agency. Not a great start to fall break for students, staff or faculty. By the time fall break was over we learned that our programmatic accreditation with the American Academy of Liberal Education (AALE) had been upgraded to institutional preaccreditation effective for the 09-10 academic year with a site visit planned for Spring 2010 for admission to AALE for ten years. Meaning no matter what happens with the appeal process we are fully accredited and will not lose financial aid and other privileges that come with accreditation.

These announcements have created waves of tsunami size throughout the SAPC community. Rumors have been flying and although changes of this sort bring about uncertainty, rumors do not help what is already a stressful situation. Rumors that are unfounded help even less. President Baldasare is addressing the SGA and all students on Monday evening to give students a direct opportunity to ask questions and understand the real implications of the situation. If there was ever a time for the SAPC community to pull together and embrace a new era I would say that it is now!

The legal details and some thought provoking comments are available at http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/10/12/accreditation#

Western Team Wins Double Header!

The western team pulled off two wins at the double header IHSA show this weekend. Saturday the show seemed to go on forever and Sunday the final result hinged on a ride off between Kelsey Moody from SAPC and Kody Zaagman from NCSU (Kody transferred to NCSU this semester after spending his freshmen year at SAPC.) The ride off was to break the tie for high point rider. Both competitors rode their best but at the end of the day Kelsey’s performance tipped the scale and SAPC was champion. Three riders qualified for western regionals at this weekend’s shows. Full results at http://www.sapc.edu/Equest/comp_ops/competitionresults.php

The dressage team had a fun trip to Virginia Intermont. We stopped at the Highland Games in Laurinburg on the way out of town to research some ideas for the National competition in April for which we want a Scottish theme. The competition at VI was very stiff. Greta Friesen placed 5th in the first level division, Rob Jacobs was 6th in upper training and Jessica Cusaac was 6th in the Introductory division. The team ended up 8th overall. Greta coached all day and did a fabulous job of setting everyone up for a consistent accurate test. Everyone rode to the best of their ability and I feel that we are close to being very competitive in a region that fields riders that regularly ride in USDF recognized shows at 2nd level and above.


Lindsay and Ashley had a good weekend at the NC State Fair Show. For freshmen Tricia James this was her first experience riding at an “A” rated show. Tricia and her horse Freedom Way (Nick) showed in the Pre Childrens/Adult Equitation and Hunter divisions and earned several 5th and 6th placings in stiff competition. Both Lindsay and Ashley reported that Tricia was very excited with her first outing at an “A” rated show. Katelyn Lang rode her horse Octavian in the Junior Jumpers and although she did not place had a great learning experience. Ashley had Ozzie, who is a recent donation to the program, at the show and had a good first outing. Ashley said it was great to catch up with many old friends at the horse show that she had not seen since returning to the east coast.

Pictures: Donna Fowble at VI & Kelsey and Carla with Popsicle and ribbons!

Oct 2 - 4

This weekend’s activities include the first in the SAPC Dressage Show Series at 3:00 p.m. today. Marsha Bryant from Southern Pines is coming to judge. Every rider will ride their test and then have 15 minutes with Marsha to work on some aspect of the test. Should be fun - show and clinic in one! Sat. we are practicing in the morning, taking a team trip to the Highland Games at the John Blue House and then heading out to Bristol for an IDA show at Virginia Intermont on Sunday.

Lindsay and Ashley are in Raleigh with several students showing for the weekend. Carla and the western team have their first western IHSA shows at SAPC and I don’t think Liz and Pebbles have anything scheduled this weekend other than helping out with the western show!

IHSA etc.

My weekend started really early and amazingly the Fayetteville News and Observer arrived before I headed out to the barn. The cover of the weekend section had a great picture in silhouette of one or our hunt seat riders leading a horse into the lesson barn. Inside in “A day in the life of Laurinburg” was a great piece about the riding program including quotes from Ashley Duda. Later in the article the pipe band was also featured.

Hunt Seat IHSA Show – Wow! This is Peggy’s report to the SAPC community.

St. Andrews Riders Score Big Win in Season Opener

The St. Andrews Hunter Seat Team bested all 17 teams in Zone 4, Region 3 in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association season opener on Saturday, September 26. With a record crowd in attendance, the St. Andrews riders dominated the competition throughout the day. Led by junior Rob Jacobs, the riding Knights had secured the Champion Team title before the last six classes of the thirty one classes were contested. Rob Jacobs was Champion High Point Rider and freshman Katie Hansen was Reserve Champion High Point Rider. The final team results were:

St. Andrews Presbyterian College - 47 points
Virginia Tech - 37 points
Virginia Intermont College - 31 points
Duke University - 30 points
Elon University - 27 points
NC State University - 26 points
UNC- Chapel Hill - 25 points
UNC- Greensboro - 22 points
Appalachian State University - 17 points
East Carolina University - 16 points
UNC - Charlotte - 13 points
Wake Forest University - 12 points
Davidson College - 10 points
NC A& T State University - 6 points
Western Carolina University - 5
Averett University - audited
UNC - Wilmington - audited

Special thank you to Mike Morton who served as the announcer for the show!

The next Hunter Seat Team competition is October 18 at Virginia Tech.

The St. Andrews Western Team begins its season at home this Saturday, October 3. The Western Team is currently ranked 4th in the nation.

The Dressage Team is competing today at Averett University in Danville, VA.
Late News:
Greta Friesen won the First Level division!
St. Andrews Team placed 4th overall!

As you can see the dressage team had a good day at Averett. All my riders tried their best and there were some great rides that did not place but were tactfully ridden. The funniest part of the day was when the dog ran through the arena during Olivia Taylor’s intro test. Olivia said she hardly noticed it while the audience was laughing at the high speed canine. Olivia placed sixth in the Intro division and freshman Lindsay Agliotis placed fifth in lower training.

Next weekend SAPC hosts IHSA Western, the dressage team has the first in the SAPC Dressage Shows on Friday and then heads to Virginia Intermont Saturday afternoon for a show on Sunday.

SAPC Hunter Seat IHSA

First intercollegiate show of the season tomorrow! IHSA hunter seat. Our IHSA region-_Zone 4, Region 3 – competes against , ASU, Averett , Duke, Davidson, ECU, NCA&T, Elon, Martin Community College, NCSU, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Wilmington, UNC-Greensboro, VA Tech, Virginia Intermont, WCU and WFU. Laura Norment will be judging, Mike Morton has kindly offered to announce and the TH Club is doing the food booth with help from alum Mike Kryzsak and the IDA team. Horse show chair for Riding Council – Sarah Rafferty – has had an incredibly busy week getting all the horses looking their best and rounding up volunteers to hold horses, work the gate, serve as jump crew, and generally being available to cheer on the SAPC team. The weather is forecasted to cool down a little tomorrow (today’s high is forecasted at 86°) and thunder showers are possible. Should make for an interesting day!

Sunday Laura Norment will be here to do a hunter seat clinic and the IDA team heads to Averett for our first show of the season. Busy, busy, busy! Next weekend its western’s turn for some show fun!

So the teams were announced this week and we had a huge meeting on Monday night to get all the paperwork completed, discuss team expectations, and congratulate everyone who made a team. There were probably 20 people sitting on the floor in LA 102 with standing room only for the coaches! This week Riding Council is hosting a tack up clinic so that all team members know how to tack up for hunt seat, western and dressage. Its great getting to learn about the other disciplines!

Lindsay and Ashley are headed to Greensboro for the Sedgefield horse show today with a group of riders. Good luck this weekend! Our first IHSA show is a week Saturday for hunt seat. It will be a big show requiring everyone to help out. The IDA team is competing at Averett on Sunday the 27th. Laura Norment will do a hunt seat clinic on the 27th at SAPC, and Liz and Pebbles are headed to a workshop in Brevard that same weekend. Just a typical few days in the life of the SAPC Equestrian program!

Team Tryouts

Big weekend at the Equestrian Center with tryouts Friday & Saturday for IHSA, IDA and C Show teams. Nerve wracking for everyone trying out but a great opportunity to ride under pressure and really show what you can do. I think all coaches are treating it like a show class. For hunt seat we have a simulated flat class and over fences, dressage riders are all doing a test at the appropriate level and western riders will be showing off their stuff in the pen. The first shows are coming up at the end of the month with SAPC hosting IHSA Hunt Seat on Sept 26th and the IDA team travelling to Averett on Sept. 27th. The A show team will be headed to NC State Fair starting Sept 30th so it is safe to say the show season is in full swing!

Other news, several of us are attending the American Heroes celebration in Laurinburg this Saturday. Deb Bridges wrote an inspiring story about the benefits of therapeutic riding which won a story telling contest. Mark Mannette Assistant Professor of Theater at SAPC will be telling the story. Deb’s own experiences with TH, and some of the benefits she has seen in other riders are featured in the story. I also here that Max has a mention!

The first week of classes has been very busy for everyone. Those of us that teach in the classroom are meeting and getting to know the freshmen, the barn staff are scrambling to find enough work study to take care of the horses (mornings are not popular work times!), and the instructors are busy trying to get the horses hacked and ready for lessons to which start Monday. Phew! Having said all that, it is wonderful to have the students back at school.

Rider placement went pretty well last Thursday. Quincy was so excited to be jumping again that he unloaded his rider on the back side of a jump with a huge buck. Luckily, she landed on her feet and got right back on. All the other horses were perfect and treated the new class kindly.

The equestrian freshmen class is large and very excited for riding lessons to start. We have students from all over the U.S. as well as from Northern Ireland and Papua, New Guinea! Tonight we have Equestrian Fair where everyone comes out to the barn to sign up for team tryouts, work study, volunteering for therapeutic riding, ordering clothes etc. and generally having our first meeting of all equestrians - oh yes, and we serve pizza too.

Looking forward to Sept. Therapeutic Riding starts on Sept 7th and Liz has a full schedule with returning riders and some new recruits. Team tryouts are scheduled for Sept. 11th & 12th followed shortly by the start of IHSA and IDA shows. That reminds me I need to find a judge for our Nov. IDA show, time to get back to work!

Getting ready for School

All the new folks started on Saturday. Four new staff members with Peggy, the student workers and me to get them oriented. Stephanie Davis (stable manager)and Torrey Edgerly (assistant stable manager) are finding their way around the barn and beginning to learn the horses. Why do we have so many bays with white stars? At least there are only 40 to learn right now. The camp horses do not return for another couple of weeks. We are working out of the lesson barn while the TH and boarders barns are pressured washed and fixed up for the start of the school year.

Ashley Foster (Instructor/Coach) and Heather Wile (Instructor/ Event Manager) have taken over the reins from Elissa and Sam and are riding as many horses as possible a day. (Poor Lindsay is still grounded with her shoulder injury.) We start planning the lesson schedule this week which is always an entertaining exercise. I will no doubt be in the registrars office for a couple of hours pulling academic schedules then we all sit around and try to put the pieces together to fit everyone’s schedule and then comes add/drop… oh well!

This weekend the NCDCTA has leased the western barn and the covered arena for a three day dressage clinic. Harriet Peterson and a Dawn Jensen bio mechanics expert are two of the clinicians. After that it will be time to start picking up the horses from camp and getting ready for rider placement on the 20th. We are getting busy again!

Summer is slow

Summer is a quiet time at the Equestrian Center. The maintenance crew are cleaning the barns, fixing machinery, and building new paddocks at the lesson barn. A lot of the staff who are on 10 month contracts are travelling, resting and spending time with family. I’m riding every day which is great. Lexus, one of our fairly recent donations, is coming along really well. Schooling first level dressage with moments of brilliance! Its fun to have a project horse for a few weeks.

Peggy is working hard to hire new staff to fill the positions that opened up at the end of last year. She has one more person to hire to complete the team.

I have almost finished preparing The History & Theory of Modern Riding for online delivery. One more lecture to finish and a mid term to write. The class starts Aug. 25th. I am also working on our second Riding Instructor’s Retreat & Spa which is scheduled for Labor Day weekend.

A little beach and mountain time and I should be ready for school to start!

Staff Changes

We are sad to say goodbye to Kira, Sarah, Elissa and Sam. Kira, Brad and Graham have moved to Baltimore, Sarah is currently working at Camp Seafarer and Elissa and Sam will be with us until the end of July.

They have all been wonderful colleagues and I wish them all the best with the next phase of their life’s journey.

I am happy to welcome two new employees to our team. You can read about them in this announcement sent by Peggy to Equestrian Students.

Ashley Foster will be joining us as a hunter seat instructor and the coach of the IHSA Hunter Seat Team. Ashley will be assisting with the "C" Show Team as well. Ashley has served as the Head Coach for the Kansas State NCAA Equestrian Team for the past 4 years. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech and competed in IHSA Nationals in Open Flat and Fences as an undergraduate student. Ashley and her husband and their two dogs and one cat will be living in Southern Pines.

Stephanie Davis will be joining us as our Barn Manager. Stephanie graduated from St. Andrews with a degree in Equine Business Management several years ago and has worked as a barn manager in Southern Pines and Lexington, KY and as a veterinary technician for the last few years with a large equine veterinary practice in Lexington, KY. Stephanie and her dog and two cats will be living in Laurinburg.

Ashley and Stephanie will start work with us August 1. I know that you will welcome both of them to our St. Andrews family.

The Horses go to Camp!

The horses are headed to their various camps. Last Saturday 8 made the trip to Roaring Gap country club in the NC mountains close to Mt. Airy. Heather Jackson and Gabby Gubric are up there running the riding program. Heather’s horse and Bilbo were already happily enjoying the beautiful setting when Dale and I dropped off the other horses.

Jessica Rhymer bought Onyx back and picked up three horses for Camp Keystone.

This week we made 2 trips to Camp Seafarer in Arapahoe NC and delivered 24 horses to Sarah Rhymer who is in charge of the equestrian program at that camp. Sarah will be a little busy for a few days until her staff arrives on Monday.

The last group of horses are shipping out commercially to Rockbrook to spend the summer in Brevard with Cara Thompson and Bridget Hutchins and their staff at that camp. That leaves somewhere between 30 and 40 horses at the equestrian center for the summer.

Focus Fund

From a recently circulated email

Focus, a 6 year old Thoroughbred, who was rescued in Indiana three years ago from a failed racing career, was severely injured during a storm May 11th while at a foster farm in Laurinburg, NC. The storm produced straight line winds gusting in excess of 125 miles an hour that ripped the roof off the barn, damaged the house and fencing of the foster, flipped the horse trailer and ripped out trees.

The foster family, thankfully, survived without physical harm, but the same can not be said for Focus, who sustained a large open wound that stretched from his sternum almost to his back leg. It took the veterinarian almost 9 hours to clean and stitch the wound back together. While it is unknown what caused the injury, the possibilities are endless as Focus was found two paddocks over from where he was at the start of the storm.

Focus now has a very long road to recovery ahead of him and he needs your help! His medical bills will continue to mount and any donation towards his care is greatly appreciated. Please help this former racehorse to win the race of his life – that to survive!

Donations for Focus's recovery can be mailed to:

USERL

9660 Falls of Neuse RoadSuite 138 Box 300

Raleigh, NC 27615

Checks should be made to USERL, and noted to be allocated to the "Focus Fund".

A donation link for online donations on our store page will be up soon and posted here when available.

USERL wishes to extend sympathy to the foster family, and others in the area, that were struck by this storm. Many prayers are with the family.

USERL also wishes to thank Dr. Kellam of St. Andrews Presbyterian College for her quick response and wonderful care of Focus!

Wilson Farm and Stanton's Badly Hit.

They called is a “microburst” Those that lived through it disagree. They heard the “freight train” coming.

From an email sent by Peggy to our Equestrian Student’s List, Pictures: Pebbles Turbeville

“This morning Laurinburg had a "suspected" tornado. The campus and the equestrian center are fine. However, Wilson Farm and Nancy Staunton's farm on McLeod Road took a direct hit. Everyone and all animals survived! Two of Nancy's horses were injured and Dr. Laura spent all day caring for them - and will be spending a lot more time with them until they are healed. One is a precious mini named Toby and the other is a TB gelding named Focus. They are now living with us at the Boarder Barn. The nine horses at Wilson Farm are now safely living at our Annex Barn on Barnes Bridge Road - thanks to tremendous effort from all of the St. Andrews Equestrian Staff. Natalie and Bridget have moved into the farm house at the Equestrian Center.

Ashley Colvin's horse trailer was flipped over - as were all the horse trailers at Wilson Farm including Natalie's and Erin Cooper Baldouf's. Ashley had been planning to leave today with her three horses for her new job in Wilmington. She had moved everything out of her house and into her horse trailer yesterday. Her truck and trailer were hooked up and somehow during the tornado the trailer was ripped off the truck. The truck was still upright and had minimal damage and started right up. We won't know all the damage to the trailers until they can be righted.

The power companies worked all day getting downed power lines up. McLeod Road really looks like a war zone. If you want to see a few pictures, go to https://navajo.sapc.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=426db07c4b554ab6b592266a2dfd7513&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.laurinburgexchange.com. Three of the barns at Wilson were totally destroyed and the main barn is badly damaged. The houses are in a little better condition but not much.

We just wanted you to know what had happened in case you heard about it on the news or on a website. We feel so blessed that we were spared so that we are able to help others.”

End of the Semester

Time flies when you are busy! Rob Jacobs won the Novice over fences at IHSA Nationals. Congratulations Rob! The western team was fourth at IHSA Nationals and all the western riders placed in their divisions.

The horses that we took to Tennessee were superstars and are glad to be back after a very busy semester. The ride home for both groups of horses was eventful. The truck with the English horses broke down in Bennetsville and Elissa had to go rescue them. Then the rig bringing the western horses home broke down in the mountains. Fortunately Jessica Rhymer was able to pick them up and take them to her barn in Brevard where they stayed for a couple of days. All are home safely now.

Last weekend we hosted the first Instructor’s Retreat and Spa. The two days of brain-storming, demos, teaching and idea exchange were awesome. We had 6 visiting instructor’s from NC & SC and several of our students that are headed to summer camps this year. The equestrian staff presented sessions, cooked and offered advice. The weekend was beneficial not only to the participants but to the staff as well. Saturday evening we watched the KY Derby before dinner and enjoyed chair massages after dinner! My slave (otherwise knows as my intern – Jenna Branson) was awesome producing a fabulous notebook of SAPC exercises, organizing lunch, snacks and logistics as well as helping out with some of the teaching sessions. Pebbles and Liz cooked for us Saturday evening, yummy salads and chicken on the grill. The desserts were great too! Planning another “Spa” for labor day weekend.

Exams were this week so all our schedules are weird right now, graduation is this Saturday. After that we will be in to our May routine (which is tough as all the horses are here with just our summer workers and staff to care for them.) At the end of the month 60 some horses ship off to camp for the summer and we’ll be down to a manageable 30 or so.