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

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

 

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

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

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

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

The Power of Support

Guest Post by Jessica Story for Equine Business Management Class

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

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

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