Western Team Qualifies for Nationals!

This post was written by social media intern Andrea Tito who traveled with the team this weekend.

Day 1- Travel Day


The St. Andrews western team traveled all the way to Herrington, Delaware for IHSA Semi-finals this weekend and took five horses with them. It was a weekend of good attitudes, good teamwork, and good rides!

The riders who competed in semi-finals were:

Dugan McDermott – Walk/Jog for team

Amber Powell – Individual Walk/Jog qualifier

Katie Mosca – Intermediate for team

Kimmy Simonsen – Individual Novice qualifier

Brittany Powell – Novice for team

Kali Cram – Advanced for team

Michelle Hustad – Open Horsemanship for team

Shannon Leggett – Individual Reining qualifier as well as Reiner for the team

SAU’s barn manager Kellie Garrabrant and students Jake Nix and Andrea Tito came along as well to help haul and take care of the horses. The horses that were chosen were Lark, Russell, Sailor, Will, and Gracie. It was a surprise to the team and Coach Carla that the two more inexperienced horses, Russell and Gracie, acted like they had been showing for years and ended up being two of the favorites of the weekend! Not only by the team’s standards, but other competitors as well!

While the haul up was a long 8 hours and to pass the time most everyone decided to sleep. They arrived safely and immediately went to work on making the horses as comfortable as possible. Some team members unloaded the horses and took them out grazing while others unloaded feed, tack, and supplies for the weekend. Stalls were bleached, water filled, and shavings put into stalls while the horses were tacked up and ridden by team members. After night check everyone was excited to go to the hotel and call it a night.

Day 2- It’s Showtime!

The night passed quickly and the morning came early for the team. Kellie, Jake, and Andrea went at 6:30 to feed the horses and do warm-up rides; meanwhile the team arrived at 8 for the coaches meeting and start getting ready to show.

Quiet conversations about horses and riding strategies hovered over the grandstands as competitors got ready for the first class. SAU’s rider Amber Powell was up first for her walk/jog class. She was competing as an individual and her ride would determine whether or not she was called back to compete in the finals on Sunday. After putting in her rail work and a solid pattern Amber felt good about her ride, but she had to wait until the middle of the day to find out if she was called back.

Next to ride was Michelle Hustad in Open Horsemanship as an individual as well. Since there were two heats of her class she would also have to wait until later in the afternoon to find out if she was called back. After she dismounted she was happy with her ride, but from then on it was a waiting game for both her and Amber.

Dugan McDermott was the first rider on the team to ride for points. He had good rail work, an accurate pattern, and the team was waiting anxiously as the placings were announced. 8th passed, then 7th and 6th, and soon Dugan was standing with the top 3 in his walk/jog class. They called his name for second place and the team erupted with cheering and clapping since this gave them a very good start with points.

The tractor rumbled in to drag the arena before the individual reining started and Shannon Leggett was studying the arena to prepare for her pattern. She was the 5th rider in her class and was lucky to be able to watch the horse she drew go with another rider before her. As she left her pattern her score was announced as 140 and divided between two judges that put her at a score of 70 as well as in first place. Other competitors came very close to topping her score, but after the last ride was announced Shannon lined up to receive her blue ribbon and belt buckle that meant she was on her way to nationals!

Michelle rode again after that only this time it was for team points instead of as an individual. Happy with her ride she lined up to wait for the placings and the team all waited anxiously to see how they would do in points. Shock fell over the team when Michelle’s name was called for 8th place. This meant that on Sunday the team would have to work hard and place well in order to rally back.

Last to ride was Kimmy Simonsen in individual intermediate. After putting in good rail work and a good pattern, the riders were excused and that was it for the day. Callbacks would be posted soon and the team would find out if Michelle and Kimmy continued on to the finals the next day. When the announcer’s voice came over the speaker system everyone stopped what they were doing to listen. As he read down the list of numbers tension built higher and higher as they waited to hear Kimmy’s and Michelle’s number.

Once the announcer was finished with the list everyone got back to work taking care of the horses. Kimmy and Michelle had not been called back to compete the next day and although they were disappointed, they stayed positive and started talking about how they would help and support the team on Sunday.

It was dark by the time everyone cleared out of the barn and went back to the hotel. Another early morning was on the schedule so the team called it a night.

Day 3 – The Final Tally

Another early morning started off with horses being fed, warmed up, and riders getting ready to compete in their classes. First up was Shannon Leggett in Team Open Reining. She drew a little bit of a difficult horse for her class but she made the most of it. The team was excited to see her receive fourth place in the lineup and help her team along with points.

Amber Powell followed in the Individual Walk/Jog Finals. Competition was tough and the crowd was quiet as the announcer began with 8th place. Once fourth place was announced, the teams that still had riders standing in the lineup, which included SAU, started cheering because their teammate was going to nationals. They called Amber’s name for third place and the team started cheering even louder.

Brittany Powell was next in Team Novice Horsemanship and there was nothing more to her ride other than precision and confidence. After being excused to dismount and return on foot the crowd around the riders whispered, “Great job” or “It’s all you” as they walked by. Soon Brittany was standing in the top three and her teammates were all excited not only for the points she was going to earn, but also because two more placings went by and Brittany ended up standing alone in the ring to receive Semi-Finals Novice Champion.

A few more classes went by and it was common knowledge that scores between teams were close. Close enough that when Kali Cram mounted up for her ride, she knew that the points she earned in her class would decide if the team went to nationals or not. It seemed to take forever for the rail work and patterns to be completed and for the riders to line up in the ring to get placed. Every time a placing was called the excitement was building up because Kali was still in the running. “6th place… 5th place… 4th place goes to Kali Cram riding for St. Andrews University.” The team exploded with cheering as Kali received her ribbon and ran to hug Coach Carla. No one could stop saying, “We’re going to nationals!”

St. Andrews placed 3rd overall for the weekend, 2nd went to Ohio State and the champion team was University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All the different teams came together and congratulated each other on their hard work and dedication throughout the year. The award ceremony came to an end and then it was time to get everything packed up to go home the next day.

Day 4 – Home

The trailer pulled out of the show grounds at 6am sharp and the team was on their way back to North Carolina. The 8 hours were passed by sleeping, doing homework, and the occasional singing along to a song on the radio. Conversations about movies, music and the rest of the school year were constant as well as excited talk about going to nationals.

Pulling into the driveway at school the team was greeted by applause and balloons. A banner read “Congrats western team. Going to nationals!”

Busy Day at IHSA Hunter Seat Regionals!

All of the St. Andrews riders represented their school very well with beautiful rides. At the end of the day the following riders qualified as individuals to ride at IHSA zones at Goucher College, Easter weekend.

Katie Hansen – Open Flat & Open Fences
Kim Graves – Open Fences
Kayla McBath – Intermediate Flat
Alie McGraw – Novice Fences

Congratulations to all our regional qualifiers; Hillary Todd, Caitlin Karolak, Katie Mentzel and Chandalyn Chrzanowski.

Chartwells catered lunch which was followed by the year end awards. Equestrian Director Peggy McElveen conducted the awards ceremony which included the team results, Cacchione Cup placings, Horse of the Year, Team Leadership, Sportsmanship, Coach of the Year and then two special awards to recognize St. Andrews’ hardworking Event Manager Heather Wile, and a Horse Care award recognizing the many hours students spend preparing and caring for horses used in IHSA. The recipient of this award was Sami Cram.

St. Andrews’ horse Pepi la Pew, better known as Skunk, was voted horse of the year and Ashley Duda received the Coach of the Year Award for not only winning the region but also for the many hours she spends preparing the horses and students for IHSA shows. St. Andrews hosted four regular IHSA hunter seat shows this year, regionals and will play an enormous role in hosting IHSA Nationals in Raleigh in May.

The team results were decided at the last regular show of the year with St. Andrews winning the region ahead of UNC Chapel Hill and East Carolina University. St. Andrews’ students represented the school well in the Regional Cacchione Cup with Katie Hansen as the champion, Kim Graves reserve and freshman Regina Barasch placing 7th. Katie Hansen will ride at Nationals in the Cacchione Cup.

Go Knights!

Social Media Intern at Work!

Social media intern Andrea Tito has put together several short videos documenting the competitive season for all of our intercollegiate teams. Check them out on our YouTube channel.

The Secret Squirrel Squad Gets It Done!

Our region is small but competitive. Averett University has dominated and before the regional split a couple of years ago Virginia Intermont was a power house that no one could beat. St. Andrews has not qualified a team for IDA Nationals since 2002, we have taken individuals most years but not a team.

This time last year Averett University beat St. Andrews by a small margin to win the region and earn the slot at Nationals. At that point I created the Secret Squirrel Training Squad. Team members had to apply to join the squad and state why they deserved to be a member; I limited it to 8 riders plus two seniors who served as instructors and mentors. The squad members were Andrea Tito, Olivia Taylor, Paige Tillison, Casey Curtis, Lauren Parker, Madison Webb, Lindsey Agaliotis and Katelee Johnson. We trained at least once a week sometimes twice a week. Our sessions consisted of bareback lessons, lunging lessons and riding in halters often bareback to improve their balance and feel. The squad also participated in a clinic, a schooling show and Showing Under The Stars. This intense training laid the foundation for this year’s IDA show season.

With a total of six shows this year St. Andrews and Averett tossed the lead back and forth and at the end of the season the bottom line was that whoever won at the final show would earn the regional title. The team pulled together led by the five seniors who have been active participants during their time at college. Fate played a hand in making the competition as fair as possible; St. Andrews and Averett drew the same groups of horses for their A and B teams.

Lindsey Agaliotis set the tone in the first division with a convincing win and a score of 74.324%. This beat her rival from Averett, Emily Henderson’s 70.00%. Both girls rode Jake and Lindsey’s strong ride resulted in her winning the region and earning a place as an individual at Nationals. In the upper training division Brianna Carter and Casey Curtis placed second and third. Paige Tillison rode a solid test at lower training finishing second and Jenna Marten placed second at the Introductory level to clinch the win for St. Andrews.

I attribute the win to the rider’s dedication to the team and their willingness to work hard at a sport that is not easy to do well. Dressage is challenging because it takes a strong foundation in equitation and also requires a highly tuned sense of how to be the best dance partner for the horse. In IDA we make that even harder by drawing the horse we ride and only having 10 minutes to figure out what how they like to be ridden. To be good at dressage you have to understand horses very well. Dressage riders must read, watch DVDs, attend clinics and take every opportunity to learn more about the sport as well as actually ride! This team has worked for the last four years and I honestly think that the foundation they built combined with the competitive opportunities they have experienced was the reason for their success.

Regional Champions from St. Andrews
Champion Team
First Level – Lindsey Agaliotis, Champion
Lower Training – Lauren Parker, Reserve Champion
Introductory Level – Jenna Marten, Reserve Champion

Team Results March 18th

1. St. Andrews Team A – 17 points
2. Averett Team B – 12 points
3. Averett Team A – 12 points
4. NC State Team B – 9 points
5. St. Andrews Team B – 9 points
6. Mixed Team B – 8 points

First Level Test 2
1st Lindsey Agaliotis SAU - 74.324%
4th Erin Hudson SAU - 65.135
6th Andrea Tito SAU – 58.783%

Training Level Test 3
2nd Brianna Carter SAU – 71.4%
3rd Casey Curtis SAU – 68.8%

Training Level Test 1
2nd Paige Tillison SAU – 70.83%
6th Katelee Johnson SAU – 62.083%

Introductory Test B
2nd Jenna Marten SAU – 69.687%
6th Claire Pollard SAU – 70.00%

We are excited about our win!

Break is Nearly Over...

Spring break is rapidly coming to an end. The horses have enjoyed a well deserved rest and the staff has had a chance to take a breath. Coach Ashley Duda and five students, who spent most of their break in Laurinburg, left today for the Raleigh NCHJA “C” show. They will show Saturday and Sunday and be back for classes on Monday. Meanwhile a few members of the dressage team came back a little early to get a head start on preparations for the dressage show that is March 18th. There is always so much to do to prepare for a show in addition to getting the horses ridden! Routine trimming and mane pulling, laundry, tack cleaning, and tidying up the facility all need to be accomplished for a successful show. Not to mention assigning horse holders for various classes and fitting tack to horses that normally wear jumping saddles etc. It is like putting on a play or other event to have it all run smoothly on the day.


I have been working on the entries and the program and selecting which horses to use. Creating fair and balanced groups is a challenge but is important to make the show as fair as possible. The “luck of the draw” always plays a role, however a good rider should be able to do well with whichever horse they draw. Speaking of luck, the show will have a St. Patrick’s day theme…lets see who ends up with that pot of gold!

Spring Break and Upcoming Events

Spring break is here, although it was pretty chilly today and the wind was intense! The first half of the semester just flew by! The second half is likely to do the same. The weekend after the students return to school is our final IDA show of the regular season, a Bernie Traurig clinic for the hunter seat riders and an Admissions Open House.

There will be more about the IDA show and open house later, but first let’s talk about the clinic. We are so blessed at St. Andrews Equestrian to have the opportunity to learn from horsemen of Bernie’s caliber. Bernie has represented the United States in show jumping, dressage and eventing – an amazing accomplishment! He is an inductee of the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame and in 2010 was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Professional Horsemen’s Association. Bernie currently serves as the associate Chef d’Equip for the West Coast reporting to the USEF Chef d’Equipe George Morris.

Bernie learned from master horsemen all over the world and he now gives back with clinics, coaching and training. He is the founder of Equestriancoach.com which strives to provide higher education for equestrians regardless of their background, ability or location. The site offers instructional videos and training advice from the best riders and trainers in the United States. Best of all he is coming to the Burg in less than two weeks to share his knowledge with our students! Very exciting!