Delhi to Agra on the Bhopal Shatabdi Express

In a country that appears to thrive on chaos the railway system is amazingly efficient and organized. Trains run on time, tickets can be purchased ahead of time online with reserved seats. Chai, snacks and meals are served on longer trips courtesy of the “Meals on Wheels” service. Commuter trains are a different story. They are packed with less than “standing room only”. Indians are crammed into these trains and just when you think no one else will fit in another person will hop on and literally be hanging on to a hand rail while his body is dangling out of the train.

The Bhopal Shatabdi Express runs from Delhi to Agra in less than three hours and was our first experience of Indian Railways. Our train to Agra was scheduled to depart at 6:00 a.m. The Cabana is a 15 minute walk or a short rickshaw ride to the Main Delhi train station. In small groups we made our way through the quiet streets. At the station it was a different story. People coming and going; sleeping on the platform and bringing supplies to the train on large hand carts. The train heads out of Delhi through areas of extreme poverty. Slums, huge festering garbage piles, small children playing in the filth of the trash that they also use as toilets. Among all of this poverty many of the houses have satellite dishes for TVs. Having read Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katharine Boo while in India I have a better understanding of slum culture, the lack of hope that so many people have, and the structure within the slums. However this does not make what we saw from the train and the continuing pressures of over-population any easier to accept.

Leaving the slums behind the train goes out into flat country. There are very few trees; man has literally taken them out of the landscape. Rice fields predominate and in other areas cattle and water buffalo graze in fields with rough grass and small shrubs. Arrival in Agra threw us back into the crush of humanity as we tried to make our way out of the train station while being bombarded with requests for taxi and rickshaw. We all had luggage to deal with so paired up to ride rickshaws to the Siddhartha Hotel.

After checking into our rooms Professor Bushoven with a glimmer in his eye said, “follow me,” which of course we did. He led us up to the roof top where we got our first glimpse of the world famous Taj Mahal. It is indeed breathtaking and incredible that we were so close to it. Later that evening on the roof at sunset we watched how the color of the marble changed as the light faded. Around 9:00 p.m. the Muslim call to prayer began starting over to our left. In the course of the next 30 minutes or so the call echoed from different parts of the city seemingly surrounding us with the call. Difficult to describe the atmosphere on the roof with the Taj as our back drop – very memorable evening. 

 

The Taj Mahal as viewed from the roof top of the Siddhartha Hotel

A closer look

+ 

This home is across the Yamuna river from the Taj Mahal. The wealth/poverty contrast is stark.

Pigs and feral dogs feeding on a small trash pile

Laundry on the banks of the Yamuna just down the river from the Taj.

Beating saris clean

Rain and a Bonus Day!

There is nothing like the smell of wet dog with morning Chai! This morning as I do most mornings I waited for the first glimmer of daylight to appear, put on my sneakers and headed out the door with Abby my large yellow dog for our morning walk. It was drizzling a little so I did take a second to grab a light jacket. We usually walk for an hour around the lake so Abby can run and chase squirrels and I get some exercise and also use the time to let my subconscious work on projects and problems. This morning it was warm and the rain did not bother us until we got to the dam and the drizzle became a downpour. We continued and had a great walk, but it reminded me of the last time I saw heavy rain which was in India on one of our bonus days in Delhi.

Our plane home was cancelled so the group had two bonus days in Delhi. On the last day which happened to be Indian Independence day a group of us gathered on the rooftop of Sams to drink chai and pass the time until our late evening flight.  All around the city Indians were celebrating. Indians fly small kites and there were probably 200 kites flying over Delhi from our vantage point. The rain came and went but did not discourage the residents from enjoying their day. With each torrential downpour Indians embraced the water standing out on the rooftops and relishing the refreshing water. At the beginning of the day I had witnessed a young man who literally took a shower in his shorts in the rain – right there on the rooftop across from the hotel’s rooftop restaurant. We shun the rain but in India it is embraced as a blessing.

Rooftop Showers!

Typical Delhi Rooftops

Flying Kites on Independence Day

A common rooftop scene in the rain

Kites flying on Independence Day over Delhi

Lodi Gardens

Lodi Gardens are located in residential Delhi and a favorite location for joggers, yoga enthusiasts, families and couples looking for some green space within the confines of this crazy city. Architecturally, the tombs and mosque in the gardens are a wonderful representation of India itself.

Designs from the Lodi and Sayyid dynasties (15^th century) can still be seen along with a mosque built in 1494. Arabic script resides next to lotus flowers and elephants which are Hindu symbols. Intricate detail is the hallmark of the Lodi and Sayyid dynasties including the original mosaic blue tile from the 15^th century that can still be seen today.

The gardens are well cared for by multiple workers who use push mowers and manual labor to mow, plough, prune, plant and weed the gardens. As in other tropical countries ficus is trained into hedge rows and banyan trees grow throughout. Parrots, parakeets and other exotic birds call the garden home and in true Hindu tradition are fed along with the crows and pigeons – all living things being considered sacred. 

Bara Gumbad (big dome) and Sheesh Gumbad (glazed dome) are the tombs of unknown Lodi Emperors 

Arabic script is just part of the hand carved detail

This photo shows the sandstone detail of the Lodi tomb

The octagonal tomb of Sikandar Lodi (1489-1517)

Another view of Sikandar Lodi's tomb.

Butters and Vinnie playing on some of the exercise equipment that is provided in Lodi Gardens

We passed India Gate on our way to lunch after the Lodi Gardens. India gate is a memorial to the British and Indian soldiers who died in WW I and for those killed in the third Afghan war. 

New SAUEquestrian Website

Since this blog is now my personal blog and point of view of all things related to SAU, we have developed a new site for the Equestrian blog and our own website! We have our own domain sauequestrian.com and will be posting regular updates. Check out the new site at http://sauequestrian.com/ Click Here and enjoy!

Lakshmi "Birla" Mandir

On our first full day in Delhi we took “the plunge”, ate our first Indian meals, (will write about food later) and walked through the streets of Old Delhi. Old Delhi’s streets are even narrow than the ones in the Main Bazaar. A couple of us newbies followed the trip pros through the streets dodging rickshaws and motorbikes all the while bumping and jostling with the many pedestrians. Stores sell spices, clothes, cloth, jewelry, cookware, dishes, street food and numerous other necessities. (In the entire 36 days in India I visited a total of two small grocery stores – big box does not exist!) The streets were decorated with what look liked Christmas garland strung from store to store to create a tunnel channeling the mass of humanity. Initial observations reminded me of a colony of ants each with their individual agendas designed to serve the good of the group.

The next day we split into smaller groups to visit the various tourist sights. My destination was the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir Hindu temple. Built by Industrialist GD Birla in 1938 it was one of the first temples to have no restrictions on caste. Hindu scripture is posted on the wall with English translations. The temple is typical of contemporary Indian architecture and is surrounded by a park with theme park type amusements designed for children.

Hinduism is based on four “Vedas” and “Upanishads” which are sacred scripts dating back 5,000 years to the Aryans. Some of the better known Gods (there are many of them) are Vishnu the Preserver and his consort Lakshmi goddess of wealth. Ganesha with his elephant head is invoked at the beginning of any new task and Hanuman the monkey god who is called on for courage and fortitude.

We were surprised to see reverse swastikas decorating many areas of the buildings. We learned that long before it was a symbol of Nazi dominance in the 20^th century (the pattern was reversed by the Germans) the swastika dates back 8,000 years as a symbol of Aryan civilization and culture. The Aryan’s swastika is a symbol of implied prayer for success, accomplishment and perfection guided by the almighty. Languages such as Japanese, Chinese, Greek and Latin are thought to have derived from the swastika base.

The visit to the Lakshmi temple was the first time I experienced cultural differences of men and women. An Indian was handing out leaflets explaining Hinduism. The guys I was with were each handed one and I was bypassed. This happened several times in India in different settings. A huge culture shock to my western sensibilities, which I chose to accept without becoming the ugly tourist!

Lakshmi Narayan Mandir. Gandhi attended the first puja (ritual prayer). Celebrating the temple's lack of caste restrictions.

A building within the complex, Note the Aryan swastika on the columns.

The gardens behind the temple.

Vinnie & Butters in the "theme park" area of the garden

A colorful mosaic in the temple garden. 

Getting Around in Delhi

After our morning taking the plunge in the Main Bazaar we were next challenged to take an auto rickshaw and ask for the Delight Cinema where we were to meet as a group for lunch. Finding an auto rickshaw is not a problem. If you are of European descent you are continually bombarded by drivers asking if you need their services. Negotiating the price is the next step. Haggling is part of the culture and expected in most cases. Having agreed on the fee all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride. The first time or two it is terrifying as the vehicle weaves in and out of traffic, horns are honking all around you and what appear to be near misses are par for the course. You quickly realize there are unwritten rules that are followed and cooperation abounds from virtually everyone. Road rage as we know it in the west does not exist and drivers of all vehicles work together to solve congestion problems.

We pretty quickly learnt that there is order to the traffic chaos. As a pedestrian on the streets of Delhi once you figure that out the craziness starts to make a lot more sense. The horn is used to announce your presence, not admonish other drivers as it is used in the U.S. Cooperation makes everything work, stay on the path you selected, don’t change your plan and everyone will work their way around you. It helps that the average speed on most city streets is probably less than 20 m.p.h. A guide that showed me the sights in Jaipur shared his three rules for driving in India. 1. Good brakes, 2. Good horn and 3. Good luck. In the beginning these appear to be the only possible rules of the road but as time goes by you realize that everyone understands that pedestrians, cyclists, rickshaws (both the auto and pedal type), motor cycles and trucks must all get where they are going and it is the responsibility of everyone to make sure that this happens.

Later in the trip on the road through the Spiti Valley. I use the term “road” loosely here – think single lane cart track hugging the edge of a mountain often serving as a river bed also – we observed two Indian cargo trucks passing a pair of tourist jeeps by backing up, pulling forward and waving one another forward and back. On the same road we also watched as the passengers of a local bus worked together to move a large boulder from the road so the bus could continue on its route.

"Tuk-Tuk" the Auto Rickshaw 

A typical road in the Himalayas

Taking The Plunge in New Delhi

The flight to India is long. You have to get to Newark and then the direct flight is somewhere around 15 hours following the great circle route so you are up for somewhere around 36 hours for international travel. We arrived in Delhi late evening and were greeted by Neal and Ben (they had arrived 2 weeks earlier) who had cars waiting to take us to the Cabana Hotel. This was the first of many situations where one must trust that the person doing the driving knew what he was doing! Indians drive on the left which is not too strange to me having grown up in England. What I was not used to was the use of traffic lanes as guide lines only, continual weaving in and out of traffic by bikes, motor cycles, auto-rickshaws, pedestrians, feral dogs and the occasional cow and the constant use of horns to alert other drivers. Strangely, road rage as we know it in the west does not occur. At night given the amount of time we had been up this was a strong dose of culture shock! The Cabana is located off of the Main Bazaar in Delhi which is one of the poorer areas. However the hotel is accustomed to westerners and has most of the modern conveniences that we tend to expect.

The next morning we gathered on the open air roof top restaurant and hoped for some kind of service for chai (tea) and breakfast. As we were to learn during our three stays at the Cabana, service is hit or miss on the roof and by the end of the trip I had begun to compare it to the ancient British comedy Faulty Towers. The employees generally sleep on the roof and simply roll up their bedding when they get up. The set breakfast is masala omelet, potatoes, onions and green peppers cooked in what looked like ketchup and jam and toast. We ate that every morning at the Cabana which was a great way to start the day’s adventure.

Our first task as set by our trip leaders Neal, Ben and Stephen was to be escorted to a point in the Main Bazaar in groups of three and then find our way back to the hotel minus our escort. If we got terribly lost we were to get in an auto rickshaw and ask for the Imperial Cinema which was on the corner of the street near the hotel. Neal has named this first encounter “the plunge” and once again we had to trust that he knew what he was doing sending us off in small groups.

Nolan, Ryan and I stuck close together as we walked down the left side of the street taking in the sights, sounds and smells. We cautiously visited what were obviously stores set up for tourists as well as staring curiously at the tiny stores in the Main Bazaar itself. People bump into you all the time, beggars approach you for money or try to get you to buy into some scheme; urinals are provided which for the most part simply direct the urine back into the street and cows and feral dogs roam freely throughout.  

The city does not come alive until around 10:00 a.m. and then it seems that people are frantic to get where they are going, but at the same time often have plenty of time to stop and talk to you. Many conversations start with “How long have you been here? How long are you staying? Where are you from? I want to improve my English so I talk to you. ” I met several Indians with these opening lines and had many interesting conversations with these friendly people. Conversations often led to personal questions about age, marital status etc. The cultural differences stood out clearly as did the Indian habit of making eye contact through staring. They are very comfortable staring and we learned to take advantage of this trait staring right back to study their faces and body language.  I actually miss this openness back here in the U.S.A. 

The three of us made it back to the Cabana as did the other groups. One of the fun things about traveling with a group is the sharing of experiences during group meetings – something else I am missing back here at home!

The Main Bazaar

The carts in the foreground will be turned into produce carts later in the day. Typical housing in the Main Bazaar

A street close to the Cabana

Spices for sale in the Main Bazaar

The Post Office is located above these stores

An ox cart in the Main Bazaar

Why go to India?

That was a question several of my friends asked when I told them last spring that I was thinking of joining Professor Neal Bushoven’s 28^th trip to the South Asian country. My answer was “why not?” or “because I can!” Many people were surprised that I was considering such an adventure and when told that the trip was for a whole month they become more incredulous.

Why go to India? I chose to go to India as a milestone trip with the hope that it would help me move on from the loss of my partner, best friend and husband. Lenny and I had been together 25 years and married for 19. I was 25 when I met him; I am now 50. Half my life was growing up the other half was with Lenny, it all neatly seemed to fit together - apart from the question of what to do after Lenny. Lenny died of lung cancer Dec. 31^st, 2014 (New Year’s Eve) after six months of an uphill battle and honestly as we look back two years of declining health. In my grief, I immersed myself at work which is not such a bad thing to do when you work somewhere as supportive as St. Andrews. We are always busy with something and I needed the distraction.

Preparation for the trip is fairly extensive including renewing your childhood shots if you have never done so. Additional shots are required and for me having a reportable reaction to the large battery of shots was part of the preparation. A visa is required for entry into the country which entails working through many web pages with confusing questions and then (assuming you filled out everything correctly) sending your passport to the Indian Embassy for processing. The trip includes a 12 day trek through the Himalayas so equipment must be purchased and packing is a huge consideration! Shopping at REI became one of my favorite pastimes!

As the day to depart drew near, I began to worry about packing the right clothes, forgetting something important, and just exactly was I going to be doing for the next 30 days considering I did not know any of the people traveling other than Neal. I was also worried about leaving Abby, Ziva and Max (my dog, cat and aged horse). Little did I know what an amazing experience I had signed up for!

Chikha campsite second night on the trek at 10,625 feet

The Taj is truly amazing! Seen here from the opposite bank of the Yamuna River

The ponies that carry everything for camp climbing up to the Kunzum Pass 15,000 ft. overlooking the Spiti Valley

New Look for the Blog!

I have just returned from the most amazing travel experience - a month in India with 11 other St. Androids - hence the blog neglect! The blog will still report happenings in the Equestrian Program but I will also be taking the opportunity to document some of my travel experiences this summer. Hope you enjoy.

Namaste!

Pictured below my fellow travelers at a Buddhist Temple at about 15, 500 feet.

Picture 1 - Dorje our guide on the 12 day trek in the Himalayas, Ryan, Nolan, Stuart, Butters (Conner 1), Yakmir (Connor 2), Ben, Hannah and Vinnie

Picture 2 - Ben and Dorje again, Dr. Neal Bushoven (trip leader) Stephen Moody.

Missing from photos Doug Calhoun

Thank you Jojo!

Jojo broke his leg in a pasture accident this weekend. The out pouring of love on facebook for Jojo speaks to the impact a horse can have on the lives of people. Thank you Jojo for what you meant to so many people. 

Jojo (left) with girlfriend Midge

 Lindsey Crowther

I am so heartbroken today, but I am beyond grateful to have been a part of Jojo's life, he was and always will be a huge part of mine. He was my one in a million. I can't say thank you enough to all of those that loved and watched over him after I left, so many of you sent me updates and pictures all the time-each one always lifted my heart. It is so nice to hear all of your happy memories of him too. Thank you.

Cami Glaff
It is with the heaviest heart that I learn of Jojo's passing. You were, by far, one of the kindest, hardest working horses i have ever had the privilege of riding and being around. You were 100% heart and gave everything to every person who worked with you. May the pastures be forever green up there sweet boy; you deserve everything and more.

Photo by Kim Graves

 Kim Graves
 I was lucky enough to have JoJo as my fill in horse my freshman year when my horse got hurt and could not come to school with me. He was the absolute best! So many good memories with him winning blue ribbons and helping a lot of us to qualify for regionals, zones and Nationals! He was the best partner to have for any flat class with his smooth sitting trot. He was also the number one go to for ANRC with Janelle Harcus Jennifer Callahan and Caroline Taylor Jackson . I'll never forget that cute little face.

I'm sure he is up there now with many of the other special horses that we have lost frolicking in rich green pastures.

Jennifer Callahan
Rest in peace sweet JoJo. I feel incredibly blessed to have been a part of your life. Most of my St. Andrews memories and biggest riding accomplishments include you. You were IHSA extroadinair, I qualified for IHSA Zones and Nationals on you. Wore my first shadbelly on you at ANRC and confirmed my love of hunters. I basically compare every horse I sit on to you, and those are big shoes to fill! Hope you're eating peppermints by the handful up there and if anyone tells you to walk faster remind them that "you can't rush perfection"!


Caitlyn Woychik
It was hard to hear that you're no longer here with us. Jojo you were a great horse. I will miss you and I know everyone at St. Andrews Equestrian will too.

A Day in the Life of Jackie Dwelle - St. Andrews Faculty & Dressage Coach

For the summer I thought it would be fun to do a "Day in the Life of..." series. I am kicking it off with my "average" day with the hopes that I can inspire the Equestrian staff to share what an average day  (if there is such a thing) is like for them.

 

My days during the academic year start with a large cup of English style tea and exercises for my back. Since having back surgery 2 years ago for a ruptured disk, I have been dedicated to stretching and strengthening every morning. My 60 pound yellow, German Shepherd/mutt (Abby) and I take a walk, the length of which varies with what time I need to be on campus to teach. Having fed Abby, my sweet little black cat Ziva and myself I make the 20 minute drive to campus.

Mornings are usually spent teaching academic classes. Every semester I teach Stable Management, Basic Riding Instructor class and Lab and spring and fall I alternate between Equine Business, The History & Theory of Modern Riding, Introduction to the Management of Equine Operations and Natural Horsemanship. Lunch is a quick sandwich at my desk and the afternoons are spent at the barn teaching dressage lessons.

Tuesdays are my really busy day with classes starting at 8:00 a.m. while other days I have time for class preparation, planning for events, special projects and working on the social media campaign. Friday afternoon is dedicated to dressage practice. Weekends are flexible depending on whether or not we are hosting a horse show, event or clinic, traveling to a horse show or once in a while a free weekend from work related responsibilities. On those occasions Abby and I head out for some long forest hikes.

At the end of the day a stop at the grocery store is a common occurrence to pick up things from my ongoing shopping list. Abby is always pleased to see me when I get home, I like to think Ziva is too she just won’t admit it. Abby and I take a quick walk to the community mailbox to pick up the mail followed by doggy dinner time, a glass of wine for me, dinner and emailing. I record Cramer’s Mad Money on weeknights and try to catch some of the show to see what the stock market did that day and pick up a hint or two on how to become a better investor. Bedtime comes early although I usually fall asleep in front of the TV.

The Power of Support

Guest Post by Jessica Story for Equine Business Management Class

      When entering the arena on a horses back, there is always a chance that something unexpected can happen. You can prepare for months and months but you never know what is going to happen the day you walk into the arena. Horses have a mind of their own which is what makes this sport so exciting because riders have to find a unity with their horse in order to perform. Amy Wrozek, a returning competitor for the St. Andrews American National Riding Commission (ANRC) team, had a rough start to the show this year but showed perseverance and pushed through the remainder of the show.

      The first phase of the show that was on horseback was the program ride. This is an equitation test that includes a series of movements on the flat and includes two jumps within the test. Amy entered the ring confident about the test that she had practiced over and over but when she went to extend the trot across the diagonal, one of the first few movements required in the test, the horse she was riding threw a very large and unexpected buck. Not only did she fall off and not get a score for that phase, but she broke one her fingers.

      With the support of her ANRC team, IHSA teammates, coaches, as well as people from other schools she managed to keep her head up and compete the next day in the medal and derby phases. She had beautiful rounds in both phases and took home multiple ribbons. With all of the support she received it gave her to confidence to compete the next day as if nothing had happened the day before. The power of support is a wonderful thing and all of the St. Andrews equestrian teams show each other a tremendous amount of support.

An Unsuspected Danger in Your Barn!

by Logan Teeter for Equine Business Management class

Ever look up at the ceiling of your barn?  What do you see?  Mostly likely you are going to see one of the most dangerous threats to your barn.  Every night while your horses are resting, spiders are busy at work spinning webs.  These webs over time start to collect dust and start to hang downward.   There are some people who believe that these cobwebs are a good thing because they trap insects such as flies.  This could not be further from the truth.  The truth is that cobwebs are very dangerous.  If a cobweb is touching a burning lightbulb without a safety shield, the heat from the lightbulb can cause the cobweb to ignite.  Once the cobweb is ignited a chain reaction starts.  Cobwebs act as a burning passageway from one end of your barn to the other.  It only takes seconds for the fire to travel through the webbing.  As the cobweb burns it will fall to the floor of your barn starting new fires.  If a burning piece of cobwebbing fell into a stall with dry bedding, you would have approximately 90 seconds before the stall would burn completely.  This only gives you about 30 seconds to get your horse out without injury.   This is a horrific reality.  Take the time to knock down cobwebs in your barn.  It is not a glamourous task but one that could possibly save your horse’s life. 

Idea came from:

http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/asc/asc184/asc184.pdf

Related Articles:

            http://www.pennsylvaniaequestrian.com/news/barn-fire-safety.php

            http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/how-to-get-rid-of-cobwebs/

           

Life as an Intern at St. Andrews

By Madison Edwards for Equine Business Management class

Michelle Eld is a senior Business Administration Major and has competed on the hunter seat and western team throughout her time at St. Andrews. She is President of the business club and has participated in the honors program. She is a great team leader and a wonderful asset to the program. Michelle is one of six interns doing a semester long internship to organize the American National Riding Commission National Championships (ANRC) hosted by St. Andrews April 17 – 19, 2015.

I spoke to Michelle about her internship.

Q: How has this experience been beneficial?

A: This experience has provided me with insightful knowledge about event planning in addition to giving me the opportunity to have a truly hands on experience throughout planning ANRC.

Q: Were there any challenges you faced along the planning process?

A: The biggest challenge I faced is organizing my time, especially the week of the event because of how much dedication it takes to put on an event of this caliber.

Q: What were some of the major projects you are involved in?

A: The major projects I was involved in was scheduling food vendors and getting sponsorships from local and corporate venues. However, all of us interns worked together in a variety of ways in media relations, hospitality, and volunteer management.

Q: What are some valuable lessons you will take away from this experience?

A: One of the most important things I have gained from this internship is experience is communicating with business owners and building relationships with them. Additionally, I have gained a healthy respect for people who successfully plan and organize large scale events.

Q: How has your St. Andrews education prepared you for this internship.

A: My St. Andrews education has prepared me for this internship by giving me the communication skills that have prepared me to forge successful business relationships. Additionally, it has allowed me to combine my love and knowledge of horses with my business education.

I look forward to this weekend and I wish the best for luck to all competitors! I also want to thank all of the volunteers who have helped us not only this week but also throughout the past few months. 

Never, Never Give Up

By Claire Pollard for Equine Business Management class.

“Life is like a dressage test. If you are too busy thinking about your last move, the next one won’t be any good either.” – Anonymous

While those words hold very true, sometimes looking back can give good insight. When I first came to St. Andrews as a freshman four years ago, I wanted to try something different.  I had grown up riding saddleseat and had gaited trail horses at home, but was always fascinated by dressage.  I signed up for two dressage lessons my first semester and decided to give it a shot. I had to then make a decision as to whether or not I wanted to try out for the Intercollegiate Dressage Team. I had planned to wait until my sophomore year, but with a little prompting from the team coach, Jackie Dwelle, I thought I could at least try out. With two lessons under my belt, I tried out and made it as an Intro rider.

I quickly learned just how challenging dressage is as I was taught that “dressage is not a speed event”, circles should never be “pancaked shaped” and that suddenly high school geometry became important again. I learned that sitting the trot requires ab muscles and that getting a horse on the bit was not nearly as easy as people made it look. I did not do well showing my freshman year at the Intro level, but I was completely hooked. I watched my senior teammates make it to Nationals as a team and vowed silently to myself that I, too, would get to go before I graduated. I also calculated if I worked hard enough, I could possibly ride at First Level by the time I was a senior…

I did slightly better showing my sophomore year at Intro, but not by much. Dressage was very frustrating, especially when you have ten minutes to figure out a horse and ride a perfectly executed test. I grew as a rider thanks to Jackie despite my lack of success in the show ring and became even more addicted to the sport. To my dismay, my intro eligibility expired after two years and my junior year, I moved up to Lower Training. I was dismayed. I had hardly succeeded at Intro and now was expected to ride a harder test?! I experienced my share of frustrations and highs and lows. I learned to lose and lose gracefully. I learned that even if you did not get a ribbon, you still gained something and that was what to fix for next time. I learned that attitude is everything and that experience is more valuable than that coveted blue ribbon.

Time was running out. I was now a senior in college and had one year left if my Nationals dream was to become a reality. I spent part of the summer interning with Vicki Kelley at Antares Dressage in Pinehurst and she helped greatly improving both my knowledge and riding abilities. I moved up yet another level in IDA to Upper Training. Then, it finally paid off. The first show of the season I won my first blue ribbon for dressage and was high point rider for the day at the show NC State hosted. I continued to be competitive throughout the season, placing well and finally seeing some success. Through the season, I remained close in points for the lead for the Upper Training Division. It finally came down to where I could not beat her to win the division, but could finish Reserve Champion with a shot at a wild card slot for Nationals and I did. After a lengthy wait, I found out that I do indeed get to travel to Ohio for IDA Nationals to represent St. Andrews as an individual, achieving that silent promise I made to myself freshman year.

There is no way I could have done it without the help from coaches at St. Andrews who pushed me to be my best. Jackie Dwelle, Lindsey Agaliotis, and Carla Wennberg all taught me valuable lessons about the sport of dressage. St. Andrews gave me the opportunity to take something I had no knowledge of and really run with it. And as for my First Level promise made freshman year? While I did not compete First Level for IDA, I rode my first First Level test at a schooling show in Pinehurst, checking off that goal as well. It has truly been an awesome experience and I would not trade it for anything.

The next goal on my list to accomplish? Finally teaching my grandmother how to pronounce “dressage.”

What can you do with an Equine Business Management Degree?

by Mary Thomson for Equine Business Management Class

When I first started looking for colleges, I knew I wanted to find a college where I could combine my love for riding horses and get a degree that I could use later in life. St. Andrews University offers a unique Equine Business Management degree that has allowed me to do just that. When people first hear me say that I am getting my bachelor’s degree in “Equine Business Management” they tend to look at me funny, but this is always a great conversation starter. I am able to then explain what all I have learned as a part of this degree.

            Unlike an Equine Studies degree, Equine Business Management is a business degree. We take classes like Accounting, Economics, Finance, Communications, and Marketing to name a few. What makes this degree special is that in addition to these business classes, we also get hands-on learning with the horses at the equestrian center. We take classes like Stable Management, Equitation, and Horse Science. We learn about horses inside and out and everywhere in between. Combining these two elements in this special degree makes for dynamic equine professionals entering the workplace.

            Many people ask me what you can do with a B.A. in Equine Business Management. My answer would be almost anything! Many students who graduate with this degree go on to become barn managers, trainers, professional riders, sales representatives for equine companies, and much more. The great thing about this degree, is that it does not limit students to only working in the equestrian field. Because it is also a business degree, it opens up the possibility to go into many other fields as well. If you are interested in furthering your education past a bachelor’s, there is now the opportunity to receive your master’s in Business Administration at St. Andrews. If you love riding or just being around horses and want to make them a part of your future career, consider checking out the Equine Business Management degree at St. Andrews University!