Equestrian March Madness

by Jackie Dwelle

This article appeared in The Laurinburg Exchange March 31.

While Carolina and Duke and the other 62 teams are fighting for the Division I NCAA Basketball Championships riders in the St. Andrews Equestrian program are experiencing much the same process as they vie for a slot at the IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Show Association) National Championships in Lexington, KY May 5 – 8, 2011. IHSA offers competition in hunter seat and western for both teams and individuals. Many parallels exist between the road to the Elite 8 and the Final Four and the path equestrians must ride to reach Semi Finals and Nationals. St. Andrews IHSA Western team has been riding down that path with tenacity and determination this semester.

Intercollegiate basketball is contested within one of the 30 NCAA conferences. IHSA competition is divided geographically into 9 zones and 36 regions. St. Andrews Western Team competes in Zone 4.5, Region 3. (Zones with a fraction are a combination of two zones.)

Basketball teams must participate in 33 - 34 games, conference and non-conference and either win their conference or finish strongly to stand a chance of competing in the NCAA Championships. Equestrian teams must accrue points within their region with only the top team in each region advancing to Semi Finals. This year the St. Andrews Western Team showed at 9 shows both home and away with each show offering six qualifying divisions contributing to the team score.

The road to the Final Four begins with the selection of the 64 teams that will compete in the tournament. The 30 conference winners receive an automatic slot as does the winner of the Ivy League Championship. The remaining “at large teams” are awarded subjectively by the selection committee. Members of basketball’s top conferences The ACC, the Big 10 and so on do not know if they will be selected until the announcement is made on Selection Sunday. There is no subjectivity for Equestrians either you make it to Semi Finals or you don’t. During the regular season the St. Andrews Western Team accumulated a total of 275 points (beating their nearest rival NCSU by three points) to win the championship in Zone 4.5 Region 3.

For basketball teams moving into the NCAA Tourney it is a process of advance or be eliminated. For Equestrians the same is true. The regional (conference) winner goes to one of three Semi Finals and the top three teams from each Semi Final progresses to the National Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.




How Far Did The Western Team Go?
The Western Team was beaten at Semi Finals. Coach Wennburg commented, “We are proud to have the opportunity to go and compete at the Semi Finals. It is a test which we accomplished by riding properly. When you go to Semi Finals you are up against riders who are as good as you and strong competitors. Our riders rode smart and correctly with good pattern and rail work, there were a few glitches which can make a huge difference at this level. The three schools that advanced all brought horses to the competition which is an advantage, there is always an element of luck involved which you cannot prepare for. We learned a lot and will put that to good use for next year.”

Individual March Madness
In addition to the team competition students may compete as individuals in one of six IHSA divisions. For Western these Horsemanship divisions are Reining, Open, Advanced, Novice, Intermediate, and Beginner. Each division is contested at the National Championships, however the qualifying road is long and arduous. Individual riders must earn 35 points to qualify for the Regional Championship (28 for Reining and Open). This can sometimes take multiple years to accomplish. To qualify for Semi Finals riders must be first or second in their division at the Regional Championships. To progress to Nationals riders at Semi Finals must be in the top 4 of the 16 riders in their division.

One Rider’s IHSA Journey
Senior Alex Meyers has been an active participant on the IHSA Western Team throughout her college career. As an individual it took Alex three years to point out of her starting division and just one year to point out for the next division. “All together I have ridden at 20 shows I think, give or take. I know this year was my second year going to regionals and first year qualifying for Semi-Finals. I began in Intermediate and pointed out last year to Novice. Now I have successfully pointed out of Novice.”

Alex views qualifying for Semi Finals as a great honor, “It means a huge accomplishment for me. It's like the light bulb clicked on and everything Carla (Wennburg) has worked on with me has come together. I am so very excited to have this opportunity.” Being part of the Western Team has been a highlight for Alex, “I think it is amazing. We all are able to come together and have a great time. I think it was hard for me at first because I was so shy and all my team mates had much more show experience than I. However I have discovered that none of that matters. We all may not spend every single moment around each other as a team, but we are all there to help each other out when needed.”

Alex placed in the top ten at Semi Finals. Three of her team mates placed in the top four in their divisions to qualify for the slot at Nationals.
Kelsey Moody – Reining
Brittany Powell – Intermediate Horsemanship
Leah Davison – Beginner Walk/Jog

Western Semi - Finals

The Western Team had a great weekend in Springfield Missouri. I talked to Coach Carla Wennburg about the experience.

What makes Semi Finals special? ”Semi Finals in the western is a chance to compete with many colleges we have never seen and some that we have and know will make us STEP UP!”

As a coach what do you see as the benefit of IHSA competition? “To learn how to win and lose, I am fiercely competitive and HATE to lose, but I have built ALOT of character and grace, some days better than others, but ultimately, try to be a leader to our students and show many aspects of competition and results of all things working!! Happens once in awhile! MOST of all it is about our horses!”

How would you describe the experience of being a part of an IHSA team? “Team is what life is about, simply! Learning to get along and help each other in EVERYTHING we do, on the road is really a great time to bond and enjoy each other! Best experience for me working with people!”

Tell us about the experience of going to Semi Finals “We are proud to have the opportunity to go and compete at the Semi Finals. It is a test which we accomplished by riding properly. When you go to Semi Finals you are up against riders who are as good as you and strong competitors. Our riders rode smart and correctly with good pattern and rail work, there were a few glitches which can make a huge difference at this level. My team were great competitors, they take the most out of the experience and are very gracious. I am also extremely grateful to Peggy for sending Pebbles and Kellie with us. They are great travelers, and supporters. 17 hours each way is a test in itself”

The team did not qualify for the National Championships in KY, however 3 riders did advance as individuals, Kelsey Moody in Reining, Brittany Powell in Intermediate and Leah Davison in Beginner Walk/Jog.


Results from Semi Finals

1. Black Hawk College 2. Murray State 3. University of Nebraska 4. Alfred University 5. St. Andrews Presbyterian College 6. West Virginia University 7. Mt. Holyoke College 8. Perdue University

Top 3 schools advance to the National Championships at the Lexington Horse Park in KY, May 6th.

Individual Results

Reining – Kelsey Moody 4th***
Open Horsemanship – Kelsey Moody 5th
Advanced Horsemanship – Shannon Leggett 6th
Novice Horsemanship – Alex Meyers in the top 10.
Intermediate Horsemanship - Brittany Powell 3rd***
Beginner Walk/Jog - Leah Davison 4th***

***The top 4 riders in each division advance to Nationals.

The Team Entering for the Parade of Teams Team with Banner Carla with Seniors Anne Neal Thompson and Kelsey Moody on the horse. Carla and Anne Neal

Equestrians Honored at Awards Convocation

Friday evening students from the equestrian program were honored at the Academic Awards Convocation. Many of the equestrians were unable to attend due to participation in program events. The western team is in Missouri competing at the Western Semi Finals and many of the hunter seat riders were attending the Scot Evans clinic at the Equestrian Center.

Congratulations to everyone who has worked so hard to maintain a strong GPA while being a contributing member of the SAPC community. Below are the awards given by the Equine Studies Department.

Therapeutic Horsemanship Academic Award - Alexandria Scholten
The Therapeutic Horsemanship Academic Award is presented to a Therapeutic Horsemanship Major with a grade point average of 3.5 and higher. This year’s recipient is Alexandria Scholten. Alex consistently puts time and effort into teaching creative therapeutic riding lessons, while maintaining a strong academic focus. This has allowed her to excel in all of her courses and to achieve certification in TH instruction.

Therapeutic Horsemanship Excellence in Instruction Award - Olivia Taylor
This student teaches safe, creative, and challenging lessons with enthusiasm. This year’s recipient is Olivia Taylor. Olivia teaches riders of all ages and skill levels in the Ride-Like-A-Knight program, and she designs thoughtful lessons that cater to each of their goals. She never misses a "teachable moment," and her riders show progress in every lesson.

Therapeutic Horsemanship Service Leadership Award - Elizabeth Dulski
This student also shows outstanding leadership service qualities and involvement in all aspects of the Ride Like A Knight Program as well as the St. Andrews Equestrian Program as a whole. This year’s recipient is Elizabeth Dulski. Liz spends countless hours at the barn, teaches riding almost every day of the week, and regularly takes the initiative on projects that benefit not only her riders, but the program as a whole.

Equestrian Academic Leadership Award
Each discipline gives an award to a student who maintains a grade point average of 3.5 or higher and serves in a leadership role in the Equestrian Program.

Hunter Seat - Jennifer Callahan
Jen has served as Horse Show chair for Riding Council and as an integral part of the barn management liaison program. She is a member of the 2011 ANRC team and helped lead the IHSA hunter seat team to the Regional Championships.

Western - Kelsey Moody
Kelsey serves as the President of Riding Council and is a strong competitor and team leader for the IHSA Western Team. She works closely with coach Carla Wennburg to prepare horses and riders for IHSA Western shows.

Great Presentation!

Adequan representative Allyn Mann gave a great presentation last night. Allyn brought pizza to the meeting for the approximately 70 students present. His PowerPoint included some great graphics and animation showing how healthy joints function and the disease process caused in 95% of cases by work load. Allyn shared that good conformation was important for soundness in the long term but also emphasized that working a horse can lead to stresses that result in degradation of the cartilage. Allyn answered the many questions with great stories, examples, and information on research studies.

Tomorrow the western team leaves for the 16 hour drive to Springfield Missouri to compete in their Semi –Finals. Good luck to all the westerners!

At home it is another busy weekend with Scott Evans here this weekend to give a clinic to the ANRC squad.

Antares Schooling Dressage Show 3/20/2011

While the western team was paving their path to Missouri, the dressage team had a fun trip to Antares Dressage in Pinehurst Sunday. Four horses and five riders competed at training and first level. For a couple of horses it was their first away dressage show since joining the dressage program. Marcus who moved over from the hunter seat program was on his toes but gave Paige Tillison a good ride in Training Level Test One. Jake who came up from Florida last summer showed his nerves a little with senior Donna Fowble but still put in a solid ride in First Level One. School master Astaire tested out freshmen Katherine Kaltenbach in the warm up arena but put in a good performance in First Level Test 3. Moe turned in two solid tests for Lauren Parker Training 1, and Sarah Kee in Training 2. Coach Dwelle commented, “It’s good to get the horses off the farm and ride them in a show setting. They all behaved differently at the show, nerves, a new setting and a spooky ring are all great tests for our riders.”

Training Level Division
Paige Tillison riding Marcus 67.083% 4th
Lauren Parker riding Moe 65.833% 5th
Sarah Kee riding Moe 61.795% 7th

First Level Test 1
Donna Fowble riding Jake 64.482% 3rd

First Level Test 3
Katherine Kaltenbach riding Astaire 63.225% 4th

Katherine and Astaire

Sarah and Moe

Paige and Marcus


Lauren and Moe

Donna and Jake

IHSA Western Regional Qualifers

Shannon & Leah

by Marissa Romaniello

Sunday, March 20, 2011
The Western Team came out ontop today at Regionals, which was hosted at the St. Andrews Equestrian Center.

The Judge, Debra Jones-Wright from Plainville, GA was floored by the quality of the horses, riders and the event. "The facility is exceptional, one of the best I've seen. The horses here are of great quality and are well taken care of. The students and staff were pleasant and helpful and took great care of me. I cannot emphasize enough the wonderful care and presentation of the horses. Big Plus!" She was very pleased with how well the event was run and very much enjoyed her experience here at St. Andrews.

Coach Carla Wennberg could not be prouder of her team! She was very excited and emotional saying, "Today was a result of the Whole Package! The horses were brilliant and the students have been a wonderful team." Team members from all disciplines came out today to help and support the Western Team. "The judge was a professional, with excellent quality. I respected what she said very much. It takes a village! Amazing teamwork from all!"

Results from March, 20, 2011
Class 15- Open Horsemanship
1st- Kelsey Moody

Class 14- Advanced Horsemanship
1st- Shannon Leggett
2nd- Ann Neal Thompson

Class 13- Novice Horsemanship
1st- Alex Myers

Class 12- Intermediate Horsemanship
1st- Brittany Powell
Regional Qualifier- Jake Nix
Regional Qualifier- Kimmy Simmonsen

Class 11- Beginner Horsemanship
1st- Leah Davison
2nd- Shelley Whittemore

Zone Qualifiers from Today
Kelsey Moody
Shannon Leggett
Ann Neal Thompson
Alex Myers
Brittany Powell
Leah Davison
Shelley Whittemore

The team will travel to Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri March 26 – 27 to compete in one of three semi-finals. Qualifiers from this event will go onto the National competition May 5 – 11, 2011 at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Congratulations to all. Everyone did an excellent job today. The entire St. Andrews Community is so proud of you!

Congratulations Western Team!

Congratulations to Coach Carla Wennburg and the Western IHSA team for qualifying for IHSA Western Semi Finals. The team will travel to Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri March 26 – 27 to compete in one of three semi-finals. Qualifiers from this event will go onto the National competition May 5 – 11, 2011 at the Kentucky Horse Park.

The team qualified at the last regular show of the season held at St. Andrews Equestrian Center March 19th. Emotions ran high when word came from the scorers that SAPC had beaten NCSU for the team slot. “You can’t imagine how proud I am.” said Coach Wennburg. “Our horses did a brilliant job, my students totally organized everything within two hours this morning, they did everything as horsemen.” NCSU and SAPC have been closely tied throughout the year. SAPC beat NCSU 38 points to 32 giving SAPC a year end total of 275 to NCSU’s 272. Equestrian Program Director Peggy McElveen said, “I am so proud of our students and their coach. It has been an extremely challenging year for the Western Team, they have had their ups and their downs. They have worked very hard to get to this point and today their hard work paid off.”

The Reining division has also been a back and forth competition between SAPC’s Senior Kelsey Moody and NCSU’s Kody Zaagman. Today Kody won the division to beat Kelsey by one point for the year. Kody will go on to Nationals as high point rider for our zone. Both Kelsey and Kody qualified for Western Semi Finals in reining. Interestingly, Kody started his IHSA career at St. Andrews riding for Coach Wennburg before transferring to NCSU for his sophomore year.

Judge Carolyn Johnson from Ringgold, GA was very impressed with the quality of the St. Andrews horses. “Today I saw a very, very nice group of horses. This is the nicest group of horses I have seen at any IHSA show.” After the competition she was very quick to complement Coach Wennburg, “Carla is like a sponge. She takes in everything and then gives it back to her students. She is such a special, dedicated, nice person.”

St. Andrews is certainly proud of our western team and their coach! Get plenty of rest tonight guys and good luck to all the individuals riding for Semi Final slots tomorrow.

Advancing to the Regional Competition March 20th at St. Andrews Equestrian Center

Reining & Open Horsemanship
Kelsey Moody

Advanced Horsemanship
Shannon Leggett, Anne Neal Thompson

Intermediate Horsemanship
Brittany Powell, Kimmie Simonsen, Jake Nix

Novice Horsemanship
Alex Meyer

Walk Jog
Leah Davison, Shelley Whittmore

Results March 19, 2011
High Point Rider
Tied Kelsey Moody, SAPC & Kody Zaagman, NCSU

Open Horsemanship
1st - Kelsey Moody
6th - Anne Neal Thompson

Intermediate II Horsemanship Section A
1st – Madison Webb

Advance Horsemanship Section A
2nd – Lindsey Agaliotis

Intermediate I Horsemanship Section A
1st - Leah Davison
2nd – Shelley Whittemore

Advanced Horsemanship Section B
2nd - Lindsey Agaliotis

Reining
2nd - Kelsey Moody

Intermediate II Horsemanship Section B
1st – Brittany Powell

Walk Jog Section A
2nd – Amber Powell

Novice Horsemanship Section A
1st – Alex Meyer

Walk Jog Section B
1st – Tyler Gritzuk

Novice Horsemanship Section B
2nd – Kali Cram

Alex Meyer

Amber Powell

Kelsey Moody

Leah Davison

Carla Wennburg, Kelsey Moody (mounted left) and Anne Neal Thompson (mounted right) before the first class

Weekend Activities

Coming up this weekend, Western Show on Saturday and Western Regionals on Sunday. Good luck to Coach Carla and all the Western Team!

Pebbles, Megan and several students are travelling to the NARHA Region 3 conference hosted by Misty Meadows Mitey Riders in Charlotte where several of them are presenting!

The dressage team is travelling to Pinehurst on Sunday for a show at Antares.

Show Team Results Triangle Farms “C” Show Raleigh, NC March 10-13

Rob Jacobs/Royal Palm
Saturday: Reserve Champion Adult Hunter Division
Sunday: Champion Adult Hunter Division

Katie Hansen/My Lucky Charm
Saturday & Sunday: Reserve Champion Jr/Am Hunter Division
Saturday & Sunday: NCHJA Adult Equitation Medal Winner

Kimberly Graves/Iliaque
Saturday: 6th Place Amateur Hunter Derby
Excellent showings Sat & Sun in the Jr/Am Hunter Division

Audrey Bolte/Onyx
Saturday: 2nd Place Amateur Hunter Derby
5th Place NCHJA Adult Equitation

Audrey Hayden/Classical
Excellent showings Sat & Sun in the Adult Hunter Divisions

Keli Van Den Heuvel/Kilfinnae
Excellent showings Sat & Sun in the Pre-Ch/Adult Hunter Divisions, Sunday: 4th Place Pre-Ch/Adult Hunter o/f (out of 25!)

Karen Gruninger/Dilkara
Saturday: 5th Place Pre-Ch/Adult Hunter Derby
Reserve Champion Pre-Ch/Adult Hunter Division

Jennifer Callahan/Eastern Shore
Saturday: 2nd Place Pre-Ch/Adult Eq o/f
1st Place Pre-Ch/Adult Eq Flat
2nd Place Pre-Ch Adult Hunter u/s
4th Place Pre-Ch/Adult Hunter Derby
Sunday: 1st Place Pre-Ch/Adult Eq Flat
1st Place Pre-Ch Adult Hunter u/s

Alexandra Fullerton/Glenfiddich
Saturday: Winner Pre-Ch/Adult Hunter Derby
Reserve Champion Pre-Ch Adult Hunter Division
Sunday: Champion Pre-Ch Adult Hunter Division

Alexandra McGraw/Rhodin
Saturday: 6th Place Pre-Ch/Adult Hunter Derby
Champion Pre-Ch Adult Hunter Division
Sunday: Excellent showing in the Pre-Ch Adult Hunter Division

Leah Davison/Show Business
Saturday: 5th in Long stirrup o/f and the Flat
1st Hunter Show ever!! Great Job!!

Blake Liljestrand/Show Business
Sunday: 1st Long Stirrup Eq Flat
2nd Long Stirrup Eq o/f
1st Long Stirrup Hunter o/f
1st Hunter Show ever!! Great Job!!

Sami Cram/Allegro
Saturday: 1st Adult Hunter o/f
Sunday: Excellent showing in the Adult Hunter Division

Catherine McDowell/The Ladies Man
Saturday: Excellent Showing in the Adult Hunter Division
Sunday: 3rd in both Adult Hunter o/f

TH Visitor and Raleigh Indoors

Sandy Webster is here teaching classes and mentoring instructors in the Ride-Like-A-knight program. Sandy arrived late Wednesday evening and wraps up her visit Saturday with a morning clinic for dressage riders and some one on one time with NARHA Advanced Level candidates. Sandy’s achievements are very impressive!

Sandy Webster is a NARHA Master Instructor, CanTRA Coach, Canadian Equestrian Federation Level 2 Eventing and Dressage Coach. She is a NARHA Lead Faculty Evaluator for the Registered and Advanced levels of Instructor Certification and also an Accreditation Site visitor.
Sandy has attended 2 Paralympics and 3 World Championships as coach for the riders with disabilities. Of late, Sandy has been involved with several pilot projects involving the teaching and curriculum development for the Wounded Warriors and Veteran programs. She has a diverse background in many disciplines related to training horses, including racing, 3-day eventing, dressage, carriage driving and therapeutic riding. Sandy was the program director and executive director of CARD, a very large program in Toronto for 19 years. Sandy set out on a mission to help start up and growing programs the last 5 years as the Program Consultant of MANE, in Alabama, Shea Center in San Juan Capistrano and now at Giant Steps in Northern California. Sandy recently hosted and presented at multiple Region Conferences across the country on various topics related to therapeutic riding from horse training techniques, to volunteer management to developing program growth. Sandy is now consulting and conducting workshops full time in all aspects of therapeutic riding through her company “Gaits of Change”.

Also, this weekend we may have a record number of horses and riders attending the Raleigh Indoor “C” Show. Lindsey and Ashley with Dale’s help are shipping 16 horses to the show. Good luck to everyone attending!