Congratulations Lindsey Agaliotis 6th in Nation at Upper Training!

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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”)

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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Hunter Seat Team at Lake Waccamaw

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

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

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!

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

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

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%