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!