A Christmas Story...

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

Away in a Manger…

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

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


1. Clement Clarke Moore (1779 - 1863)

The semester is coming to an end...

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

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

Intercollegiate Horse Show Scoring

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

Hunter Seat 200
Western 144
Dressage 16

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Regional Standing for All St. Andrews' Intercollegiate Teams

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

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

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

Show teams, Alums etc.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good weekend for western and show teams!

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

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

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

November 19th, 2011 - Riding Open House

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

Questions? Drop me an email dwellejm@sapc.edu

Dressage Team Fight for Regional Lead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Training Level Test 3
5th Casey Curtis 66.40%

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

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

IHSA Hunter Seat Team Increases Their Regional Lead!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Coming Up Next Weekend!

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

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

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

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

IHSA Hunter Seat Strong Win at Duke!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

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

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

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

Results for individual riders and for team riders were:

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



Team Results for Duke University Show:

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

Overall Team Standings after three competitions:

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

St. Andrews IDA Show Oct 22

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Busy Weekend Showing!

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

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

Showing Under the Stars Oct 14th SAU Equestrian Center

Results:

Walk Trot Canter Equitation Section A

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

Dressage Equitation Section A

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

Dressage Equitation Section B

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

Open Equitation Over Fences

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

Western Horsemanship Section A

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

Walk Trot Canter Equitation Section B

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

Novice Equitation Over Fences

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

Western Horsemanship Section B

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

Walk Trot Canter Equitation Section C

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

Western Horsemanship Section C

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

Intermediate Equitation Over Fences

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

Western Trail

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

Western Horsemanship Section D

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



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

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

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

Reserve High Point Champion:
Katie Hansen

St. Andrews University Individual Results:

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

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

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

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

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

Walk Trot:
Shiloh Kozlowski - 5th

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

Novice Fences:
Alie McGraw - 5th

Bob Derby:
Katie Hansen - 2nd

Horse Shows and Open House the Weekend!

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

Introducing the Pony Up Campaign!

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


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

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

Benefits of Therapeutic Horsemanship

 

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

  

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

 

 

 

Huge Weekend for the Equestrian Program!

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

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

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

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

Other show results:

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

 

Busy weekend for the St. Andrews Equestrian program!

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


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

Results of the NCSU IDA Show Sept. 25th

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

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

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

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

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

Great Weekend for St. Andrews University!

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


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

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

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

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

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

Individual Results

Open Flat A - 1st Kim Graves

Novice Flat A - 5th Catherine McDowell

Open Flat B - 1st Katie Hansen

Novice Flat B - 4th Tara Algeri

Open Fences A - 3rd Katie Hansen

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

Walk, Trot, Canter A - 5th Brittany Powell

Novice Flat C - 6th Katie Mentzel

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

Walk Trot A - 1st Shiloh Kozlowski

Intermediate Fences A - 2nd Kali Cram

Novice flat D - 4th Michelle Eld

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

Intermediate Fences B - 2nd Nikki Napoleone

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

Novice Flat E – 2nd Park Hoey

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

Novice Flat E - 1st Ali McGraw

Walk Trot B - 3rd Morgan Potts

Novice Fences A - 1st Ali McGraw

Walk Trot Canter D - 5th Paula Kramer

Novice Fences B - 1st Alexandra Fullerton

Walk Trot Canter E - 1st Cami Glaff

First IHSA Show for 2011 - 2012

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

Go Knights!

The Coaches are Preparing!

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

2011 - 2012 Team Rosters

IHSA HUNTER SEAT ROSTER 2011-2012

Tara Algieri

Regina Barasch

Vanessa Bradley

Lacy Burke

Tori Burkey

Chandalyn Chrzanowski

Chelsea Clasper

Dara Corbett

Angie Cormack

Kali Cram

Sami Cram

Jameson Crandall

Mia DiPillo

Madison Edwards

Michelle Eld

Alexandra Fullerton

Cami Glaff

Kim Graves

Julie Griffin

Sara Hackney

Katie Hansen

Hanna Hinsrichmeyer

Park Hoey

Caitlin Karolak

Shiloh Kozlowski

Paula Kramer

Sarah Lishen

Kayla McBath

Catherine McDowell

Alie McGraw

Katie Mentzel

Nikki Napoleone

Bridget Newman

Courtney Nix

KP Poole

Morgan Potts

Valerie Robey

Hannah Platt

Brittany Powell

Jackie Rigsbee

Abi Skillman

Cat Stumberg

Hillary Todd

Keli Van Den Heuvel

Sarah Williams

Miranda Wright

IDA Roster 2011 - 2012

Lindsey Agaliotis

Brianne Carter

Casey Curtis

Hannah Firth

Erin Hudson

Sarah Jones

Katelee Johnson

Katherine Kaltenbach

Jenna Marten

Lauren Parker

Masha Peckham

Claire Pollard

Olivia Taylor

Paige Tillison

Andrea Tito

Callian Trujillo

IHSA Western Team Roster 2011 - 2012

Kali Cram

Tyler Gritzuk

Michelle Hustad

Kelsey Jones

Shannon Leggett

Erica LeSeur

Dugan McDermott

Rachel McGarvey

Katie Mosca

Jake Nix

Amber Powell

Brittany Powell

Kimmy Simonsen

Logan Teeter

Andrea Valez

Keli Van Der Heuval

Madison Webb

Liana White

Shelley Whittemore

Megan White

Vicki Wiese

Miranda Wright

2011-2012 Show Team Members!

Nicole Napoleone

Chandalyn Chrazanowski

Bridget Newman

Lacy Burke

Dara Corbett

Michelle Eld

Keli Van Den Heuvel

Kali Cram

Sami Cram

Alexandra Fullerton

Regina Barasch

Julie Griffin

Katie Hansen

Allie McGraw

Kayla McBath

Abi Skillman

Kim Graves

Paula Kramer

Catherine McDowell

Team Tryouts This Weekend!

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


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

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

Good luck to everyone trying out this weekend!

Happenings at the barn since school started.

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

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

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

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

Using Technology in the Classroom

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


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

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

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

Equestrian Program is now Twittering!

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

Horses Looking for Forever Homes

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

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

Sarah Marsh's Therapeutic Horsemanship Story

by Sarah Marsh

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Equine Business Internships

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Light Bulb Moments For Me!

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


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

Relative Elevation!

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


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

Follow up blood and urinalysis for Max

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


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

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

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

Summer is my time to ride!

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


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

Max continues to improve

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


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

Max is brighter today

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

Max Update

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


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

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

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

Max is spending a few days at the vet school

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


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

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

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

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

Faculty Development by Jackie Dwelle

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


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

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

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

NCDCTA Dressage Symposium

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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

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

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

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

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

Expanding our Capabilities

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

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

Where Did They Go?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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