Riding in a Snow Globe!

The St. Andrews Equestrian Program hosted our spring semester dressage show Saturday.  Being in the covered with the snow coming down we felt like we were in a snow globe! The snow did not stop the almost military precision of the show organization and certainly enhanced the atmosphere of the show! (Have you ever watched snow fall to Rhapsody in Blue? Thanks to Eq. staff member Andrew Michael we had a superb movie sound track all day long.) Riders from all disciplines worked together to prepare the horses, time warm up rides and run tests between the judge and the scoring office. If you have never attended an event at the equestrian center you have not witnessed the “events management machine” in action; our students rise to the occasion magnificently. Sophomore Claire Pollard served as Horse Show Chair to organize and coordinate the workforce.

The St. Andrews dressage team ended the day in third place. Senior Lindsey Agaliotis (who drew the first ride of the day) had an outstanding ride earning 78.108% and the high point rider award for the day. Although a 78% in academia earns a grade of a “C”; in dressage this is considered an outstanding score. (Dressage riders are usually very happy with scores around 65%.) Lindsey had several scores of 9 out of 10 for various movements on her test which was also the most advanced test that was offered in today’s competition. The dressage team travels to Averett University next weekend for a double header to end the 12/13 competitive season.

Dressage Seat Equitation has been added successfully in other IDA regions so we decided to try it out. It is currently not a recognized class but we hope to have a national championship division in the near future. The format is the same as any equitation class where riders are judged on their position and effectiveness. (The horse is not judged just the rider.)

 

First Level Lindsey Agaliotis stands in second place with 18 points one point behind the regional leader with 4 riders chasing them with 13 points. At Upper Training Brianna Carter is tied for second place with 12 points trailing a 20 point lead. At Lower Training Sarah Jones leads the region with a one point lead of 16 points. At Intro Kristen Parker maintains her commanding lead of 21 points with the closest challenger at 12 points. Our last two shows are next weekend and will decide who goes to Nationals at Mount Holyoke College in April.
 

Regional Points

Averett 23
St. Andrews 22
NCSU 18
Elon 10
Longwood 2

Results Feb. 16th
First Level Test 2
1^st Lindsey Agaliotis 78.108% High Point Rider – her best score ever!
5^th Abigail Skillman 62.837%

Training Level Test 3

3^rd Hannah Firth 66.2%
6^th Brianna Carter 61.4%

Training Level Test 1

3^rd Sarah Jones 72.291%
4^th Megan Pustarfi 68.541%
6^th Bridget Newman 63.958%

Introductory Level Test B

5^th Logan Teeter
 

Dressage Seat Equitation

Class 1.

2^nd Claire Pollard
4^th Elizabethe Weeks

Class 2.

1^st Kristen Parker
2^nd Logan Teeter

Dressage Home Show Sat.

This Saturday’s dressage show is an important one for the St. Andrews dressage team. We currently have a 2 point lead over Averett. The Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) scores each team’s win with 7 points while 5 points goes to the second placed team. Unlike the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) which accumulates points earned at each show throughout the competitive season. Mathematically it is easy to see that our two point lead is easily lost. After this weekend’s home show we travel to Averett the following weekend for a double header Saturday and Sunday. These last two shows of the year gives them a significant home team advantage. We are practicing hard and trying to be smart about who rides at which shows.


Also at Saturday’s show we will be hosting a couple of Dressage Seat Equitation classes. This will be a first for our region. Other IDA regions have hosted them and they have been well received. Our show on Saturday is a relatively small one, so we decided to give dressage seat eq. a go and offer more opportunities to compete to our member teams. The team is ready to compete and we hope to host a well organized show. Good luck to all the IDA team members and many thanks to the hunter seat and western teams who are helping with horse holding and show organization.

Success for Dressage and Western Teams !

The Equestrian program had a busy weekend hosting western shows at home and sending the dressage team to NCSU on Saturday. Students and coaches enjoyed much success at both shows. At NCSU the dressage team won first place honors with Sarah Jones winning high point rider in lower training and Kristen Parker continuing her winning streak in Intro B to accumulate 21 division points, almost certainly guaranteeing her an individual slot at Nationals. “Assistant Coach Lindsey and I are struggling with our strategy for the last three shows,” said Coach Jackie Dwelle. “We host next Saturday and Averett has significant home team advantage Feb. 23 & 24 with a double header to close out the regular season. Kristen will point out with one more win and then it will be up to our other riders to step in and earn the points. It is going to be a couple of busy and exciting weeks!”

Junior Sarah Jones who scored 67.5% for the Reserve High Point Rider for the day said, “Hard work really does pay off! And having a great team to help and support me throughout the day makes everything a lot easier.”

Regional Standings after 3 shows

St. Andrews 18pts.
Averett University 16 pts
NCSU 13 pts.
Elon 10 pts.
Longwood University 2 pts.

First Level 1
4th Lindsey Agaliotis 62.4%

Training Level 2
2nd Brianna Carter 66.057

Intro Level C
2nd Sarah Jones 67.5% - Reserve High Point Rider

Intro Level B
1st Kristen Parker 64.375%
4th Claire Pollard 61.250%

For a complete report of the western team success click here.

Lindsey Agaliotis, Jackie Dwelle, Claire Pollard, Sarah Jones, Brianna Carter, Kristen Parker

Sarah Jones on her way to earning the Reserve High Point title.

Just Another Weekend at the Barn!

February is going to be one of those busy months with shows and events happening at home and away. Take this weekend for example. We are hosting back to back western shows Saturday and Sunday at the Equestrian Center to help out our friends from NCSU who were planning to host but ran into difficulties. The Ride-Like-A-Knight Therapeutic Horsemanship program is hosting a PATH Int. Mentor Training Workshop led by Pebbles Turbeville and Sandy Webster. As if that was not enough for one weekend, the dressage team travel to Buckhorn Farm in Apex, NC to compete in an IDA show hosted by the NCSU dressage team. Social Media Kim Graves and myself will be working hard to report results from the two shows and share the experiences of the students participating in the TH workshop.

IHSA Hunter Seat 2-2-2013

Saturday was cold as is the norm in early February, however it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the St. Andrews Equestrian Team as they pulled together to host our first IHSA show on the new footing in the Dansby Arena. The addition of tons of sand and the recycled sneaker footing made the arena visually lighter as well as springier for the horses. Several of the older equines showed their delight with the shock absorbing surface with very forward gaits!


Coach Arrigon led the team to a clear victory earning 43 points to UNC – Chapel Hill’s 37. Matt’s comment, “Yes, we had a good day…” summed up the event for all concerned. For Seniors Sami and Kali Cram this was the last IHSA home show and they ended it in style with a three way tie with Junior Abi Skillman for high point rider. The ride off was bareback on western horses and Sami came out ahead of Kali and Abi.

RESULTS
Open Flat Section A
2nd Kim Graves

Novice Flat Section A
3rd Nikki Napoleone

Novice Flat B
1st Caitlin Karolak
2nd Tara Algieri

Open Flat C
4th Katie Hansen

Novice Flat C
2nd Anastasia MacNaught

Novice Flat D
6th Chandalyn Chrzanowski

Open Fences
A 1st Katie Hansen

Open Fences B
2nd Kim Graves

Novice Flat E
1st Cami Glaff

Intermediate Flat A
1st Kali Cram
3rd Keli Van Den Heuvel


Novice Flat F
1st Rachaell Dockery

Beginning WTC
2nd Lacy Burke

Intermediate Flat
4th Alexandra Fullerton

Novice Flat G
4th Michelle Eld

Beginning WTC – C
1st Shiloh Kozlowski

Intermediate Flat C
1st Sami Cram

Novice Flat H
1st Abi Skillman

Intermediate Flat D
5th Park Hoey

Intermediate Fences A
1st Sami Cram

Intermediate Fences B
1st Nikki Napoleone

Intermediate Fences C
1st Kali Cram

Novice Fences B
2nd Cami Glaff

Novice Fences C
1st Abi Skillman

Novice Fences D
1st Alexandra Fullerton

Walk Trot A
2nd Amanda Rucker

Advanced WTC A
1st Madison Edwards

Walk Trot B
1st Jake Hobson

Advanced WTC B
4th Heather Moch

Advanced WTC C
1st Tori Burkey

Advanced WTC D
3rd Sam Taylor

Advanced WTC F
1st Julie Griffin
3rd Kirsten Farley

Year to Date IHSA Standings

St. Andrews University          208

UNC-Chapel Hill                    179

East Carolina University           171

North Carolina State                 155

UNC-Charlotte                         154

UNC-Wilmington                      139

Duke University                       127

Virginia Commonwealth           122

Coastal Carolina University     92

Martin Community College       28

Campbell University                  23

Davidson College                      0

Scrimmage with USC

This weekend’s scrimmage with the University of South Carolina Gamecocks was an excellent opportunity for both schools to practice their teams against different opponents and add to their competitive arsenals. The hunter seat team competed in the covered arena and the western riders were in the outdoor ring. Members of the dressage team and the Therapeutic Horsemanship club assisted with horse holding and preparation. Coach Wennberg videotaped all her riders and the USC riders and plans to get together with her team this week to go over the tapes to further their understanding of competitive strategy and showmanship. Riders won brushes, ball caps and M&Ms instead of ribbons which added to the fun of the day. In the spirit of the day no points were tallied. St. Andrews won 7 classes and USC 6, making for a very fair and even competition. Results for the St. Andrews competitors are below.

Hunter Seat Team

Equitation on the Flat I:
1st Alexandra Fullerton
5th Madison Edwards
6th Chandalyn Chrzanowski

Equitation on the Flat II:
1st Dara Corbett
2nd Julie Griffin
4th Shiloh Kozlowski

Equitation on the Flat III:
3rd Katie Hansen
4th Cami Glaff
5th Regi Barasch

Equitation on the Flat IV:
4th Mia DiPillo
5th Anastasia MacNaught
6th Tara Algieri

Equitation over Fences I:
3rd Katie Hansen

Equitation over Fences II:
1st Alexandra Fullerton
4th Kirsten Farley

Western Team

Horsemanship I:
1st Michelle Hustad
3rd Brittany Powell

Horsemanship II:
2nd Erin Hudson
3rd Tyler Gritzuk

Horsemanship III:
1st Sami Cram
5th Ella Brave

Horsemanship IV:
1st Logan Teeter
3rd Katie Mosca

Horsemanship V:
3rd Kali Cram
4th Lindsey Agaliotis

Horsemanship VI:
4th Erica LeSeur
5th Jake Nix

Reining:
1st Ella Brave

Busy Cold Weekend

The weather is bitterly cold today with sleet forecast for this afternoon. Matt and a group of IHSA Hunter Seat riders left early this morning for Bridgewater College in Virginia for the Invitational Tournament of Champions IHSA show tomorrow. After the arctic blast today and tonight the temperatures warm up again and we should in for a reasonable weekend. Sunday we are hosting a new competition for us; a head to head or scrimmage with the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. The IHSA Hunter Seat and Western teams will be taking on the USC NCAA teams starting around 1:00, should be a fun event! We will be updating the reults from both of these events on our facebook and twitter feeds. #SAUihsa.

MLK Day of Service

Today is the MLK day of service. This has become such a popular event at St. Andrews that we are able to include campus facilities in the project. We are expecting 50+ volunteers at the equestrian center today to help with projects. These include removing rust spots from the covered arenas, cleaning the stall walls (with 120 stalls that is a huge project in itself), picking up trash on Hasty Road, and cleaning the white fences. Looking forward to getting lots done.

Excellent Weekend in Aiken!

By Kim Graves

Three members of the St. Andrews University “A” show team competed at the Aiken Winter Classic “AA” show in Aiken, South Carolina over the weekend.


Freshman Anastasia MacNaught rode St. Andrews’ owned Eastern Shore (Jojo) to placings of 2nd, 3rd and two 6th in the Pre-Adult Hunter division. “The show team has been a great opportunity! I absolutely love it! Everyone supports and helps one another! I am so glad I have been able to show Jojo. He is a great horse with an awesome personality and loves to show!” said Anastasia. MacNaught also earned a 3rd, 4th, and 6th place in the equitation division of the Pre-Adults.

Senior Kali Cram knew going to the show that there were going to be some challenges ahead when a last minute horse change came up. Kali rode Charmander CF who is a very young horse and has not had a lot of experience at the shows. Kali was happy to take the young horse to help him gain some show experience. Together they placed 5th in the .85 meter jumper class.

“The students rode fabulously and came home with good ribbons and great learning experiences. They progress with each ride and are always eager to understand the techniques involved and the results from their horses” stated Coach Kelsi Peterson.

Sami Cram had a stellar weekend in Aiken aboard CDS Stables owned Lucifer De Flobecq (Archie). At only their third show together the pair brought home the champion ribbon in the Low Child/ Adult 1.00 meter jumper division. With 16 entries in the division a win in the first class and second place in the second class secured Sami the championship. Sami also took home an 8th place prize in the $500 Low Child/Adult jumper classic.

“Aiken was a blast! Great team mates and great weather! We took some young horses and Kali and Kelsi did a great job with them both. Anastasia rode Jojo amazingly and Archie was perfect as always! Overall a fabulous weekend!” commented Sami Cram.

Coach Peterson will travel with the show team next to Raleigh, North Carolina in February.

Tentative Spring 2013 Schedule

St. Andrews Equestrian Program
This schedule is alwasys subject to change and additions (we don't delete very often!)

JANUARY
8 LEAVE FOR AIKEN WINTER CLASSIC
10 CLASSES BEGIN
13 RETURN FROM AIKEN
14 LESSONS BEGIN FOR SPRING 2013
21 MLK DAY OF SERVICE – NO LESSONS
26 TOC AT CHATHAM HALL
31 BARN WORK NIGHT

FEBRUARY
2 IHSA HUNTER SEAT SHOW AT SAU
9 IDA SHOW AT NCSU
9 IHSA UPPERCLASSMEN HUNTER SEAT HEAD TO HEAD AT SAU
9 -10 IHSA WESTERN SHOW AT MCC/NCSU
15-17 RALEIGH WINTER II “A” SHOW
16 IDA SHOW AT SAU
22 IHSA WESTERN HORSE SHOW AT SAU
23 IHSA WESTERN REGIONALS - TENATIVE
23 OPEN HOUSE – ADMITTED STUDENT DAY
23-24 IDA SHOWS AT AVERETT
24 IHSA HUNTER SEAT SHOW AT ECU

MARCH
2 IHSA HUNTER SEAT HEAD TO HEAD AT SAU
8-10 NCHJA “C” SHOW IN RALEIGH
9-17 SPRING BREAK
21 BARN WORK NIGHT
22-24 IHSA WESTERN SEMI-FINALS AT MOREHEAD, KY
23 IHSA HUNTER SEAT REGIONAL FINALS AT SAU
29-31 EASTER BREAK

APRIL
4 BARN WORK NIGHT
6 IHSA ZONE 4 FINALS AT SAU
17-22 ANRC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN BALTIMORE, MD
20 OPEN HOUSE – JUNIORS
25 LAST DAY OF CLASSES
25 RIDERS’ ROAST
26-28 IDA NATIONALS AT MT. HOLYOKE
30 IHSA NATIONALS IN HARRISBURG, PA

MAY
1-6 IHSA NATIONALS IN HARRISBURG, PA
18 STAR - PRE-REGISTRATION AND RIDER PLACEMENT FOR INCOMING FRESHMEN

Hunter Seat Review 2011 - 2012

The fall 2012 History & Theory of Modern Riding class were tasked with following up on last year's publication of The St. Andrews Equestrian Program History 1969 - 2011by documenting the events of 2011 - 2012. I am now in the process of editing and laying out these papers to be shared as PDF files both printed and electronically. The paper below written by Tori Burkey tells a lot about the hunter seat program. I will have to do some serious editing to fit it into the 2 page format for electronic publication but wanted to share the entire paper in this forum.

The Hunter Seat Team
Fall 2011

 I asked St. Andrews University’s IHSA Hunt Seat Coach, Ashley Duda, what her first thoughts were of the new team and she states “I knew that with the combination of returners and freshmen, we would have a strong team.” With this being said, Coach Duda was right. In fall 2011 the St. Andrews Hunter Seat Team won three out of five shows finishing the fall season with a total of 200 points! The next two shows to take on were the Tournament of Champions. To show how dedicated our riders, coaches, and staff members are to the team and program, we went from thirteenth place out of twenty five in the beginning of December to the second show at the end of January with sixth place. That is a huge difference in a month’s period. Rob Jacobs became an instructor in the spring and I asked him what his thoughts were on the team. “I thought we had a very strong team who understood the importance of hard work and dedication it takes to be successful.”

Spring 2012

The spring semester was just as much of a success as the fall. There were two shows held in February, both hosted at St. Andrews. In an interview with Kali and Sami Cram (class of 2013) I asked them what was a high for the year for them. “High of the year was definitely our perfect scores at our last few shows last year. Ashley was amazing! She knew we could do it, believed in us and was an amazing coach!!!!” At both shows in February, we won. This left us with 298 points and first in the team standings. To give an insight on how Coach Duda would train the riders for the shows, she not only had us doing a ton of lunge work, jumping exercises, and no-stirrup work, but also made sure we understood all the feelings of the horse and working with the horse instead of making the horse work for you. Another strategy she taught the riders is to think of the ride as a job, and to break it down step by step. “Thinking, "I must walk in, pick up a canter, go past my rhythm, then settle in the rhythm, count 1-2, and make sure my horse is straight to each fence" is easier than worrying about how you are going to find all 8 jumps” states Coach Duda. At the end of the interview, Sami Cram added a statement, “She [Coach Duda] always told me "Go in there and do your job" She was always so good at getting into our heads and knowing our weaknesses and strengths and knowing that if someone told me it was my JOB I would go in there with no emotions and just ride.” Obviously, Coach Duda’s mental preparation approach worked.

At Regionals, the St. Andrews Hunt Seat Team won and moved on to Zones. We also had four individual riders, Katie Hansen, Kim Graves, Kayla McBath, and Allie McGraw, make it and continued on to Zones. Since we hosted the last show, we held the Regionals Award dinner at our facility. At this dinner many awards were given out. Four St. Andrews University members won awards that day. Heather Wile was awarded the Event Manager Award. She was the back bone of all the events that went on at our barn. She worked day in and day out to make sure everyone was informed and everything went as smooth as possible. The next award went to horse of the year. This award is chosen by all the coaches in the region for who they thought was the best and most consistent horse of the year. The Horse of the Year Award went to our very own, Pepi la Pew, also known as, Skunk. Coach of the Year Award also went to our very own, Ashley Duda. And finally, a Horse Care Award was given out. This was decided on who dedicated the most time to the horses and it was Sami Cram (class of 2013).

The next show to tackle, was Zones. When I asked Coach Duda if she thought we would make it to Nationals as a team she replied, “I knew we had the talent to make it… However, Zones is the toughest test throughout the season… we would have to work non-stop to be mentally and physically prepared…” Zones were held at Goucher College this year. For Coach Duda, one high of the year, “Zones! Winning reserve champion at zones (we were second to the host school, Goucher College) and qualifying for nationals was one of the best moments of my life.” St. Andrews University placed second. Allie McGraw placed first in Novice Over Fences. And Kayla McBath placed second in Intermediate Flat. Kim Graves placed fourth in Open Over Fences along with Katie Hansen with sixth in Open Over Fences. Up next, Nationals!

 This year, nationals were going to be a little special, St. Andrews University was going to be hosting it in Raleigh, NC in May. Since we were hosting, we had to bring a lot of horses. Everyone, whether on the team or not, worked hard and helped St. Andrews Hunt Seat Team make it to Nationals. Those that were not on the team helped in more ways than most of them even know. Students are placed in lessons with other students that are close together in skill level. So every lesson, the other members of the group, provided competition for each other to be better. The entire equestrian student body also helped because they rode the horses. They helped keep the horses clean and in shape throughout the year. This was a big deal since we had to provide a lot of the horses at Nationals.

 I asked Coach Duda what her concerns were at Nationals, “I was not concerned about our physical preparedness because we worked non-stop the entire year. However, I always was concerned that we would be mentally relaxed when it came time to walk into the ring. And, as always, the draw is always a concern! I would make many wishes that the draw would be in our favor!”

St. Andrews University Hunt Seat Team placed eight in the Nation.

 

Team
Shiloh Kozlowski -- Walk- Trot Equitation—4th
Miranda Wright – Walk-Trot- Canter Equitation – 6th
Kali Cram – Novice Equitation on the Flat – Honorable Mention
Sami Cram – Novice Equitation Over Fences – 9th
Sami Cram – Intermediate Equitation on the Flat – Honorable Mention
Kali Cram—Intermediate Equitation Over Fences – 4th
Katie Hansen – Open Equitation on the Flat – Honorable Mention
Katie Hansen – Open Equitation Over Fences – Honorable Mention

Individual
Allie McGraw – Novice Equitation Over Fences – Honorable Mention
Kayla McBath – Intermediate Equitation on the Flat – Honorable Mention
Katie Hansen – Open Equitation on the Flat – 7th

Tori (in pink) with the IHSA Team winning at home on the way to Zones & Nationals

Coach Ashley Duda with the Regional Championship Awards

The team with the Regional Championship Awards

The Team at Nationals

Finals Week is Over!

Yesterday was the last day of finals. I have been so impressed with the students in my classes. Stable Mgt. class did great on their final written exam which really tests their knowledge base. Basic Riding Instruction students showed lots of improvement in their teaching skills. Students in Basic Riding Instruction Lab. developed and refined the skills learned in the class with a full semester of teaching. The reviews I received from the students they taught were very positive with comments such as, “I’d love to continue riding with __________ as my instructor.”


The last two exams for my classes were Stable Mgt. Lab and Introduction to the Management of Equine Operations. The Lab is required to present one of the horses they have been caring for all semester in hand; groomed including braids or banding and super clean. This final was on Wednesday which happened to be a cold and miserable day. The poor weather did not stop the students from turning out their horses immaculately. Students who have never braided before did beautiful hunter braids, the bridles were clean and shiny and the horses looked amazing. Some of the retirees that were presented (Peter, Nick and Romo) had a new spring in their step as they were jogged up as part of the evaluation.

My final exam was back in the classroom where the Introduction to the Management of Equine Operations were doing oral presentations to two horse people who are clueless about business. Liz Dulski and I role played and were impressed by the depth of knowledge that the Therapeutic Horsemanship majors showed having only taken this one business class. They were very thorough covering everything from how to set up a business and manage liability to marketing and creative promotional ideas. The students obviously spent a lot of time preparing for their final and their hard work certainly paid off!

Peter clearly enjoying having his hair done by Tabby Russell

Count looking amazing with Amber Nocilo

Will and Kristen Randall banded and ready to go!

Suggestions Needed As We Document Our History

The History and Theory of Modern Riding class has documented the equestrian activities for Fall 2011 - Spring 2012. We plan to produce several PDF files to be printed and for online distribution. Topics covered are Hunter Seat, Western, Dressage, TH, Staff Changes, Internships, ANRC, Alumni News, and IHSA Nationals. This will become a regular annual series. We need a name for these documents! They will join last year's book "The History of the St. Andrews Equestrian Program 1969 - 2011" as part of our written record. Any & all suggestions welcome! Here are a couple of snippets from this year's work. Send ideas to Jackie at dwellejm@sapc.edu.

Hannah Firth researched recent Alums here is a paragraph from her paper.

The graduates from St. Andrews who actively participated in the equestrian program have found themselves highly successful in continuing their equestrian careers beyond graduation. Several students who majored in Therapeutic Horsemanship have moved from Laurinburg to pursue careers as therapeutic riding instructors such as Corey Krutsch, a graduate from 2009, who continues her job as a therapeutic riding instructor at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. Kate Sorgenfri, class of 2011, is currently located in Pittsboro, North Carolina and serves as therapeutic riding instructor and general lessons instructor at Heads Up! Therapeutic Riding Center. Another graduate of 2011, Fi Delfino finds herself as Pony Pals and Instructor Coordinator for HOPE-HOrses Helping PEople, Inc Therapeutic riding program in Archer, Florida. Delfino has also found success as the owner of High Hopes Equestrian Center, a training business.

Rachel McGarvey covered the Ride-Like-A-Knight Therapeutic Horsemanship Program this is the opening paragraph of her report.

The Mechanical Lift

In January 2012, Ride Like A Knight had a lift installed. The lift was purchased and installed through The Elizabeth Fund, a fund that was created to aid in supplying educational benefits to students and riders. The lift was purchased for two reasons. The first being that it allows the instructors in training a chance to be exposed to a lift, be educated on the use of the lift and learn how to train a horse to accept the lift before the students graduate from St. Andrews. The second reason Ride Like A Knight purchased the lift was to open up our program to more riders. Physically lifting people onto a horse can be a lot of strain on the instructors body, where using the lift to place them onto the horse provides a safe and easy way of doing this. The lift has added to the Ride Like A Knight program in education and in expanding the program.

IDA Show - Saturday Dec. 1st 2012

The weather on Saturday Dec, 1st was more than perfect. Carolina blue skies, and temperatures in the 70s. We could not have asked for a better day for our late semester IDA home show. Having struggled for most of the week with putting the horse groups together as fairly as possible, I was very pleased that the groupings we finally selected created as level a playing field as possible (given the fact that horses, are living breathing individuals with opinions of their own.)

The show ran like clockwork thanks to the many hours spent by Dressage Show Chair Claire Pollard and Team Captain and Coach Lindsey Agaliotis in organizing volunteers, tack, horses, practicing the team and troubleshooting problems as they arose. Carla helped with coaching during the day even though she had no voice due to the bug that seems to be making the rounds this fall.

The day started with eight rides at first level. Lindsey drew Corky for her ride and laid down a solid test to finish in second place. Abigail Skillman drew Jake who is easily rattled and had had a rather rough first ride. Abi did a great job of calming the worried horse and helping to restore his confidence.

In the upper training division Brianna Carter and Hannah Firth drew Danny and Beckett respectively who we borrowed from hunter seat. Danny requires tact and confidence while Beckett draws out the rider’s determination and resolve to maintain a forward gait. Brianna placed 3rd and Hannah 5th.

After lunch during which the ring was changed to the small arena, Freshman Megan Pustarfi had a super ride on Chico to finish in second place and Sarah Jones rode another hunter seat horse “Scot” to finish in 4th place.

The final division saw freshman Kristen Parker earn her second win of the year riding Socke, while sophomore Claire Pollard took second place on Gordon followed closely Logan Teeter also riding Gordon. Logan and two other riders were tied with 66.25% and the tie was broken by the judge giving Logan 4th place.

St. Andrews team A came out as the winners for the day with 15 points followed by Averett’s two teams with 12 points each.

This semester has been a true example of team work for the dressage team. I have to thank Carla, Rob and Lindsey for stepping in when I was out at the beginning of the semester. They have taught lessons, run team practice and coached at shows. I was really pleased with the way the team has pulled together to support one another in their riding as well as being on top of organizing the show. Just shows you what can be done when good people come together with a common mission in mind.

First Level Test 1
2nd Lindsey Agaliotis 67.93%

Training Level Test 2
3rd Brianna Carter 65%
5th Hannah Firth 62.85%

Introductory Level Test C
2nd Megan Pustarfi 69.5%
4th Sarah Jones 67.5%

Introductory Level Test B
1st Kristen Parker 68.125%
2nd Claire Pollard 66.875%
4th Logan Teeter 66. 25%

Team Results
1. St. Andrews Team A
2. Averett Team A
3. Averett Team B
4. Elon Team A
5. NCSU Team Red
6. St. Andrews Team B

Points to Date.
Averett 12
SAU 11
NCSU 8
Elon 7

Most of the team, a couple of them were taking care of horses. Thanks to Mrs. Teeter for the photo.

Minutes of Riding Council Meeting 11/27/12

Riding Council met last night. Equestrian Director Peggy McElveen had fun with door prizes and the meeting was well attended. Brittany Powell sent out the following report.

Saturday is our IDA show. Horse holders will be there for the entire division and there are four divisions.
**Keep an eye out for the list coming out sometime this week.

BARN CLEAN-UP--> Come out at sometime on Thursday or Friday and see Lindsey or a Barn Manager and they will tell you what to do.
Make sure to sign off after you have completed something.

Sunday is a head to head between Freshmen and Sophomore riders. Matt will give out more details on that.

FUNDRAISING
Rent-A-Rider in groups of two or three.
Possibly will pair up and upperclassman and an underclassman to work together.
Silent Auction where professors and students can bid on you.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if you are a Freshman or Sophomore that wants to do fundraising in the future let Shiloh and Tara know they need your help!!!!

Good Luck Final Grams!
-50 Cents per gram.
-Selling on Wednesday and they start going out on Monday.

RANK TESTING
-Sign up on board for Hunter Seat Riders.
-Request your horse
-Written can be taken Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of next week.
-Presentation due Friday.
If you have any questions refer to Moodle.
**Western talk with Carla, Dressage talk with Jackie.

Thursday at 7:30 of next week is the riding Holiday Party/ Ugly Sweater Party.

December 7th (Friday) is the Equestrian Stress Buster, like a Showing Under the Stars. An email will come out about it.

This is the last full week of lessons for everyone.

Winter Weather Will Not Stop Us!

The cold wet winter weather is not slowing us down! Kelsi left yesterday with seven horses and various students to head to Raleigh for the RMI Hunter Jumper Show. Students will be going to the show working around their class schedule as much as possible. This weekend Carla and the western IHSA team will be competing in Sanford Saturday and Sunday. They are helping out by bringing horses, so Matt will be going with Carla on Saturday and Pebbles on Sunday to drive the 15 passenger van and horse trailer. At home we have a general open  house which includes several families interested in the equestrian program. We are all busy and hoping the weather gives us a break over the weekend!

Oh yes! Last night our facebook page hit 5,000 “likes” quiet a milestone! We celebrated by awarding the 5,000 person with an SAU saddle pad. Next milestone is 10,000, help us out by spreading the word!

Great Weekend at Triangle Farms Horse Show

Report by Show Team Coach Kelsi Peterson.

The Triangle Farms 'C' show this weekend went really well! All the students rode very well against some of North Carolina's top horses and riders. I think it was a wonderful learning experience for all, and each student was rewarded for their efforts with great ribbons in competitive company. We took 6 horses to the show and 7 students: Kayla McBath, Catherine McDowell, Alexandra Fullerton, Keli Van Den Heuvel, Anastasia MacNaught, Kirsten Farley, and Rachaell Dockery.


Kirsten Farley was champion in two divisions, the Carolina Hunter and the Pre-child/adult Hunter, which had 25 competitors. She earned 3 first place ribbons, and many other top ribbons on St. Andrews' horse "Indigo Night".

Anastatsia MacNaught was reserve champion in the Carolina Hunter aboard St. Andrews' "Eastern Shore", and she and Rachaell (riding St. Andrews' "Dilkara") both earned top ribbons in the Pre-child/adult Hunter with 25-30 entries both days.

Keli aboard St. Andrews' "Onyx" and Kayla riding her own horse "Chancellor" both received excellent ribbons in the Adult Hunter with close to 30 competitors.

Catherine aboard her own "Ladies Man" received several ribbons in the Junior/Amateur Hunter in good company.

Alexandra rode St. Andrews' "Onyx" in the NCHJA Adult Medal Finals on Saturday night. She had one bobble in the course through a challenging rollback turn, but rode beautifully otherwise and came out of the ring with a big smile on her face, shining her consistently positive attitude. Qualifying for the Medal Finals takes a lot of work throughout the year, and Alexandra put a lot of effort into her riding to qualify and prepare for the class.

I look forward to continuing my work with the students in the equestrian program and helping them progress in their riding and overall horse knowledge, whether it's for pleasure or so they can be prepared when they graduate and go into the industry to find work.

A lot of horse shows!

This past weekend, was super busy. IHSA hunter seat show on Saturday at home, IDA show at Averett University on Sunday and Showing Under the Stars Sunday afternoon.

The IHSA team tied with UNC Chapel Hill for first place increasing their regional lead to 22 points. The IDA team placed third in Danville at the first show of their season. Full report and results from these two shows - click here.

Showing Under the Stars was small but lots of fun. The annual costume class caused creativity from participants and those that participated enjoyed a jumper division, trail classes and ride-a-buck.

Sami Cram on Archie in the jumper division

Heather, Simon & Katy McDavid

Manly and Sarah

Anastasia

We Are Busy!

Open House last weekend was amazing! The new format allowed us to chat with students and their families on Friday and then spend time with them on Saturday helping them with their riding. I think our visitors appreciated our time together based on the emails and phone calls we have received.

Sunday’s IHSA show at Duke went well. ECU bested SAU by 3 points, increasing SAU’s lead as ECU was in 4^th place prior to this show! For results and report click here.  Pumpkin carving with the TH club was a major hit on Sunday and Liz reports it will become an annual event.

This weekend we have an IHSA hunter seat show at home on Saturday and it is a huge show with 37 maybe 38 classes. Sunday the dressage team travels to Averett University for their first show of the academic year. Also on Sunday Showing Under the Stars Halloween Edition which includes the annual costume class – one of my favorite events of the entire year!

Its the Weekend, we are going to be busy!

Open House this weekend is continuing to grow! We currently have 32 riders for hunter seat, 7 for western and 5 for dressage and the numbers are growing hour by hour! Total number of equestrian interested families visiting is around 70. Tonight we are having barn clean up to have the equestrian center looking its best. The coaches and faculty are looking forward to the dinner and reception tomorrow evening when they will get to meet and chat with future St. Androids and their families.

 

Sunday, Matt and Rob take the IHSA hunter seat team to compete at Duke for the third show this year. St Andrews currently leads the region by 18 points after 2 shows.

 

Regional Standings

1. St. Andrews University 86 
2. UNC-Chapel Hill 68
3. North Carolina State 64 
4. East Carolina University 62
5.  UNC-Charlotte 54
6.  UNC-Wilmington 45
7. Virginia Commonwealth 43 
8. Duke University 42
9. Coastal Carolina University 32

Sunday afternoon Liz and the TH club are holding a pumpkin carving party at the TH Barn. Should be lots of fun, looking forward to the pictures.

IHSA Hunter Seat Doing Well!

For a full report and last weekend's IHSA hunter seat show and the current regional standings click here. Sunday the team travels to Duke. the following students will be representing St. Andrews.

Open Fences

Katie Hansen
Kim Graves

Open Flat
Katie Hansen
Kim Graves

Intermediate Fences
Sami Cram

Intermediate Flat
Kali Cram
Regi Barasch

Novice Fences
Alexandra Fullerton
Abi Skillman

Novice Flat
Cami Glaff
Park Hoey
Laura Allen

Advanced WTC
Jameson Crandall
Brandon Hill

Walk Trot
Rae Rucker

The winning team at UNC - Chapel Hill Oct. 13th

IHSA Western Starts Season Strong!

St. Andrews wins the first IHSA Western show of the season with 36 points beating NCSU by one point! Ella Brave from Sweden tied for reserve high point rider with Jasmine Fowler from Western Carolina.

At the second show of the double header, St. Andrews increased their lead to 9 points

Prior to the weekend Coach Carla Wennberg said, “We are ready, but we have some stiff competition and there are experienced riders on the visiting teams. Freshman Ella Brave is riding against Blaire Childress from NCSU who has been doing this for four years.”

With two wins under their belt and a lead of 9 points Wennberg reflected, “The first show is all about figuring out where we are, identifying the strong competitors, and seeing how everyone is riding. I was so pleased that everyone rallied on the second day in everything; precision, correctness, just more of everything which showed in their riding. It is great to see everyone out here having fun and enjoying being a part of the team.”

 

Individual Results – October 6th

Beginner Horsemanship - Vicky Wiese 2nd
Reining - Ella Brave 2nd
Novice Horsemanship - 1st Brittany Powell & 4th Erica Leseur
Open Horsemanship Section A – 2nd Ella Brave
Intermediate II Horsemanship A – 1st Erin Hudson
Open Horsemanship Section B – 1st Michelle Hustad
Intermediate II Horsemanship B – 1st Katie Mosca
Intermediate I Horsemanship - 1^st Tyler Gritzuk

October 7^th

Open Horsemanship A - 1st Michelle Hustad
Intermediate II A - 1st Erin Hudson
Open Horsemanship B - 3rd Ella Brave
Intermediate II B - 5th Logan Teeter
Novice Horsemanship A - 1st Sami Cram
Beginner Horsemanship A - 1st Vicky Wiese
Advanced Horsemanship - 1st Brittany Powell
Novice Horsemanship B - 1st Jake Nix
Reining - 2nd Ella Brave
Intermediate Horsemanship I - 1st Tyler Gritzuk

Points After 2 shows

SAU - 36+40=76
NCSU – 35+32=67
VT – 22+31=53
NC A&T- 21+17=38
WCU – 14+12=26

Ella Brave sliding to a stop on LJ

Katie Mosca receiving her ribbon

Tyler Gritzuk on Saturday riding to the win. Tyler worked all weekend organzing the show as well as riding.

Graduate Working for Donald Trump!

This post is from an email sent to the St. Andrews community by Director of Career Services, Renee Jones, who attended the IHSA Hunter Seat show Sept. 29th.

While enjoying the competition at our equestrian center this weekend, I had an opportunity to catch up with alumnae Audrey Bolte ’11. You may remember her as a student, an equestrian, a friend, or as the alum who holds the current title of Miss Ohio as well as Second Runner Up in the Miss USA pageant back in June.

Audrey is getting ready to start a new career track and put to use her BA in BusinessAdministration. In November, after she crowns the new Miss Ohio, she plans to move to New York City where she will be working for Donald Trump at International Boutique Real Estate Agency. She will also be doing some modeling for his agency and appearing on a TV show or two.

To St. Andrews she says, “This college is what made me! This includes the professors, coaches, and my friends.” In regard to being back at the SAU barn she said, “It feels a little weird. But this is what I eat, breath, and sleep every day. That will never change!”

She had a lot to say about networking and making connections and wanted to share her thoughts with current students. “It is not necessarily who you know. It is all about what you do with the people you are introduced to.”

The picture below was taken immediately after the crowning of Miss USA. Mr. Trump approached Audrey while she was still on stage and told her that he had a job for her. She was back in NYC a couple weeks ago for New York Fashion Week and met with him and his inner circle and “sealed the deal.”

Audrey is seen here with Coach Carla Wennberg and IHSA CEO Bob Cacchione at the Sept. 29th IHSA horse show

 

What do you do at St. Andrews?

I wrote this as a response to a question from a high school sophomore earlier in the week on our facebook page regarding our hunter seat program and the Biology with a Specialization in Equine Science major. As tomorrow is the first IHSA hunter seat show of the 2012-2013 season, this seems like a fitting introduction to one of the many things we do at St. Andrews.

Thank you for your interest in our program. We have had many several students graduate with a Biology major with a Specialization in Equine Science and most of them have gone to Vet school. The first graduates from the program are in their last years at Vet school, others are still studying. We currently have at least three students studying at Ross in the Caribbean and another who just graduated from Vet school in Missouri and has started practicing Veterinary Medicine. Students in this major have the option to do a year long internship with our resident Vet, which includes caring for the St. Andrews horses and being on call when something happens. With over 100 horses there is always something new to learn!

Although we offer western and dressage our hunter seat program is by far the largest program. We host Intercollegiate Horse Show Association shows (IHSA) regularly and compete against schools in North Carolina and Virginia. The shows are a great way to show case your riding and learn the art of catch riding. There is no warm up allowed; you mount the horse you drew at random, adjust your stirrups and go! Really tests your horsemanship. When we host, team members from all three disciplines work together to make the show happen, it is a lot of work but lots of fun too!

Dedication of the Suzanne Mott Dansby Arena

Sept 25, 2012 saw the dedication of the large covered arena at the lesson barn. This post is from the press release sent from the St. Andrews University Communications Office.

 

"We are dedicating the arena to express our appreciation to Stewart Dansby, an alumnus who has generously supported his alma mater for more than 35 years," said President Paul Baldasare, "and, at Stewart’s request, we are honoring his sister, Suzanne, an internationally known and highly competitive Grand Prix dressage rider and instructor."

 

Formerly competing as Suzanne Mott Dansby, the arena's namesake has been listed for the USET dressage team since 2000 and served as the 2006 USET team alternate in Germany for the World Equestrian Games. Owner of Dancing Horse Farm in Atlanta, Ga., she began riding dressage in 1984, when she returned to riding after several years away. She began a practice several years ago of donating all of her winnings to local charities while being generous in her support of the U.S. Dressage Federation Building Fund and the USEF National Grand Prix and Intermediate Championships.

 

"My mother's side of the family has always been philanthropic, involved in giving back to the community," she said. "I have served on foundation or non-profit boards all of my adult life, contributed either as a volunteer or monetarily." This generosity and commitment to service are shared by her brother.

 

"Throughout his adult life, Stewart has devoted much of his time to volunteer and charitable work," Baldasare said. "He has remained faithful to St. Andrews. He served on our board of trustees from 1982 to 1990 and then again from 2005 to 2007. He has contributed generously to everything from scholarship support to renovations to endowed funds to general operations. He always gives in honor of others and with great humility."

 

In addition to his charitable work, Dansby is the co-founder, owner and director of American Cadastre, Inc. He has also spent several years in his home town of Birmingham, Ala., promoting economic development and tourism for the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce.

 







Ella Brave on LJ





Lindsey Agaliotis riding Windsong

 

Pebbles Turbeville and Manly

Matt and Rob reveal the banner!

President Baldasare, Suzanne Dansby-Bollman, Stewart Dansby and Peggy McElveen

 

The Equestrian Program at St. Andrews

The St. Andrews equestrian program began in 1969 with the creation of the Hoofers as an officially recognized campus club. In the fall of 1982, St. Andrews became a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). One year later, the team became a recognized varsity sport. That same year, St. Andrews won the IHSA National Championship Stock Seat title and was the National Reserve Champion in the Hunter Seat Division.

 

Having utilized rental facilities at Singing Wood Farm and Annex since the early 1980s, the equestrian program moved to its current location on Hasty Road in stages, beginning with the Therapeutic Horsemanship in 2001 with the opening of the Singletary Therapeutic Riding Center. The Dressage program moved next with the Hunter Seat team completing the move in 2004. A Western program was added in 2005.

Team Tryouts This Weekend!

Written by Heather Wile for the SAPC Equestrian Alumni Facebook Page

We are getting ready for fall here at the equestrian center. Lessons are in full swing, horses are back to work, and before we know it we'll be hosting the first IHSA Hunter Seat show on September 29th. New head coach Matt Arrigon and assistant coach Rob Jacobs are holding tryouts this weekend for the Hunter Seat IHSA team. C Team coach Kelsi Peterson also holding her tryouts as well! Dressage and Western are both holding tryouts on Saturday as well! Good Luck to coaches and riders!!

Freshman Orientation Has Begun!

Today is the start of freshman orientation. Their first stop is at the barn to do their placement ride to determine where they need to be placed in the lesson program. Their next stop is check in on campus, finding their room and unpacking. This afternoon there are several orientation activities planned which culminate with the Opening Convocation and a picnic with President Baldasare by the lake.

Tomorrow the Drew Crew leads orientation, students have their IDs made, the honor students have their first official meeting with Dr. Neal Bushoven, and the day ends with karaoke and an ice-cream social. Saturday academic advising begins and is also a time for students to get to know their suite mates. Sunday there are a few fun events planned including barn orientation for all new equestrians. Monday is reserved for more advising and classes start Monday evening.

Welcome to the newest St. Androids!

Matt Arrigon Hired as IHSA Hunter Seat Coach

Welcome Matt Arrigon from Lynchburg, Virginia is our new head coach for the IHSA Hunter SeatTeam. Matt graduated from Miami of Ohio University with a degree in Management and Business. Matt grew up in his parents’ horse business at Beckett Run Farm in Hamilton, Ohio. After graduation he worked professionally in the horse industry in Ohio until accepting the Head Coach position at Lynchburg College in 2008. During his four years at Lynchburg he coached many riders to Zone IV championships and IHSA nationals individual reserve champions. Additionally he operated his own Ashmont Stables, LLC. with his partner Ashley Lovegrove and coached clients to numerous championships at USEF shows. Matt brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to St. Andrews and is ready to help our riders advance and continue our winning way.

Kelsi Peterson Returns to SAU as Show Team Coach

Kelsi Peterson returns to SAU as Show Team Coach. She is a St. Andrews graduate who majored in Psychology with a minor in Equine Studies and competed on the IHSA Hunter Seat Team, the ANRC Team, and the Show Team and served as Riding Council President during her four years at St. Andrews. Since graduation, Kelsi has worked for Troy Hendricks at Kimber-View Farm in Pennsylvania as a manager, trainer, and instructor. In the fall of 2010 she had the opportunity to start her own business operating out of Black Gable Farm in Maryland. She has a broad and talented client base, training in both hunters and jumpers, and taking them to shows in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Additionally she starts and brings along young horses and has recently been active in the Breeding Divisions at such major shows as Upperville and Devon. We are excited to have Kelsi back home with us and know that she will be a great addition to our equestrian family.

Kelsi can be reached at: petersonk@sapc.edu

Meet the Sansburys!

Meet Jennifer and Jeremy Sansbury from Taylors, SC. They are joining the equestrian staff beginning in the fall of 2012. Jennifer will be serving as the Associate Barn Manager working at the lesson and western barns and Jeremy will be serving as the Assistant Facility Manager working closely with Dale and Bobby.

Jennifer graduated from Lander University with a degree in Early Childhood Education and taught first grade before working as a barn manager and coaching the Coastal Carolina University Equestrian Team. She recently served as the volunteer barn coordinator at IHSA Nationals in Raleigh this May.

Jeremy graduated from Francis Marion University with a degree in Criminal Justice. He served in the United States Marine Corps and has worked as a Production Manager for Pro-Fab Inc. and as the Technical Manager for Anderson Farms. Jeremy brings a tremendous amount of mechanical and technical training as well as leadership skills to the equestrian program. We are excited to have both Jennifer and Jeremy as part of the equestrian family.

Marsha Retires

Marsha Toyne Retires After 10 Years of Service to the Equestrian Program

 Marsha has been the organizer who has kept the Equestrian Center running smoothly as well as the first St. Andrews “voice” many equestrians and their families have heard. Her ability to coordinate all aspects of the program and to always know where each person is and what they are doing has been astounding. She did the travel arrangements for all the team travel as well as recruiting and conference travel arrangements. Her spreadsheets of who was going where, how they were getting there, where they were staying and when they were leaving and returning was mind boggling. Handling all the bills and invoices for the entire equestrian program was a daunting job which she handled beautifully. Additionally, Marsha served as the IHSA Regional Points secretary for all the years that St. Andrews has been the President College for IHSA Zone 4—that in itself is several file cabinets full of paperwork! Marsha consistently went above and beyond expectations for the good of the program and the students. For years she was here for every event hosted at the Equestrian Center and she travelled with the teams to countless away events. She has been a friend of the students, the staff, and many parents who have had questions or concerns about their children as well as Peggy’s right hand and advisor. She will be greatly missed! Marsha is at home and would love to hear from you.

Her mailing address is Marsha Toyne, 12421 Richardson Road, Laurinburg, NC 28352 and her email is:

toynemar@sapc.edu

 Audrey Hayden from Montclair, Virginia will be taking over the reins as the Equestrian Program Operations Manager. Audrey is a St. Andrews graduate with a degree in Business Management. Since graduation she has been working for the EMO Agency, Inc. in Warrenton, Virginia as a Licensed Property and Casualty Insurance Agent. Audrey’s organization skills, attention to detail, knowledge of the equestrian program and IHSA, and excellent communication skills are attributes which make her a great fit for this position.

Audrey can be reached at her office email address: haydenac@sapc.edu.