IHSA Nationals 2014 - Day 5

We had an early start to our last day at the Farm Show Complex. The first draw was scheduled for 7:15. We left the hotel at 6:30 but were still behind Carla, Lindsey and Kara who had horses to school even earlier.

With the hunter seat competition complete the focus was on western. Our day started with the NRHA High Point Reining with the 26 riders being split into two sections. Kara’s lovely horse Vinnie ran the pattern a total of 3 times, the last time with Michelle Hustad which helped Michelle earn her overall 3rd place in that competition. Up next were Mark Mowbray for the team Advanced, Erin Hudson in Individual Intermediate, Dugan McDermott in Team Intermediate and Vicki Weise in Individual Beginner. All of the riders followed the team’s motto of, “practice like you've never won and ride like you've won everything,” putting in solid rides to earn good placings (see below).

The horses that travelled with us represented St. Andrews very well. Zoey was voted Western Horsemanship horse of the show (Carla was interviewed by the AQHA Journal for an article on Zoey), Reggie helped several riders earn good placings and Ziggy was so fabulous the western horse selection committee elevated him to the status of St. Ziggy. Michelle drew Benji for the last class of her collegiate career for the Team Open Flat earning the yellow ribbon and valuable points for the team. Austin was also interviewed for an article on his success in the Team Walk/Trot. The story of how Carla converted lacrosse players to riders starting with Dugan two years ago is likely to go public!

At the end of a very exciting couple of days the western team earned 3rd place with 24 points behind Ohio State (29) and Findlay University (25).

As the last class of the show was going on (we had no horses or riders) we scrambled to get the barn packed up, the horses ready for shipping, the 2 rental cars returned and everyone’s stuff stowed into the bus. Parents and students helped to get the horses loaded and on the road for the long ride back to NC. Following the western team awards the bus was ready to leave at 7:00 p.m. arriving in Laurinburg at 3:30 a.m. The horses took a little longer as the driver was dropping one in VA on the way.


Hunter Seat – 7th
Jessica Story 1st Team Walk, Trot, Canter
Jake Hobson 6th Team Walk, Trot Equitation
Kelsey Kocher 9th Team Open Equitation on the Flat

Western – 3rd
Michelle Hustad  - 3rd Team Reining and 4th Individual Open Horsemanship,  3rd Team Open Flat Horsemanship, 3rd NRHA High Point Rider,
Logan Teeter - 3rd Team Novice Horsemanship
Austin Trockenbrot – Champion Team Walk/Trot
Mark Mowbray – 3rd Team Advanced Horsemanship
Dugan McDermott – 5th Team Intermediate Horsemanship

Erin Hudson – 4th Individual Intermediate Horsemanship
Vicki Weise – 6th Individual Beginner Horsemanship

IHSA Nationals 2014 - Day 4

Our day started with Team Open Over Fences, Kelsey Kocher earned 9th place. After the Cacchione Cup ride off IHSA recognized Eddie Federwisch with the IHSA Lifetime Achievement award for his contribution to IHSA and the collegiate equestrian world. A break in the ring followed for schooling before we rolled into the rest of our day.

Kelsey Kocher started off our day in the Team Open Equitation for the team. She won 9th place. Not bad for a college freshmen competing at her first IHSA Nationals! The hunter seat team ended the competition with a total of 8 points putting them in a tie with Mt. Holyoke for 7th place.

The awards ceremony is an opportunity to recognize the many people that have worked to make IHSA and the National Championships possible. Some awards are voted on my committee others by the membership. One award is the volunteer award for someone that has gone above and beyond. This year the Bob Cacchione was caught by surprise when he was awarded the volunteer award. After tearing up he rose to the occasion saluting the crowd to a standing ovation. With hunter seat over the focus turned to western.

Michelle Hustad rode in the NRHA High Point Rider Horsemanship Flat phase. Tomorrow she will compete in the Reining phase of this competition. Coach Carla Wennberg was very pleased with her rider’s performance. Last up for St. Andrews for today was Austin Trokenbrot riding in Team Walk/Trot. Austin who came to St. Andrews to play Lacrosse marched into the ring like he had done this many times before and walked off with the Champion Trophy and ribbon. “A year ago he had been on a horse but knew absolutely nothing. It has been fun to see him turn into a show rider,” said Carla.

St. Andrews leads the competition with 15 points followed closely by Findlay and Ohio State with 14 and 13 points. “My strategy will be the same that it has been at every competition. I want my riders continue to ride their personal best, make as few mistakes as possible, and be very confident. If they stay consistent that way, more times than not we stay in the hunt. Always proud of how well they work together, taking care of the horses and looking after each other,” said Carla.

After the show ended we had our graduation ceremony for the 4 Seniors who are competing on the western team. This has become a St. Andrews tradition at IHSA Nationals which almost always falls on graduation weekend. Peggy has developed the ceremony over the years to include bagpipe music over the PA system. The graduates process in with an escort that they have chosen. Peggy introduced the ceremony and read a beautiful post from last year’s graduate Kali Cram. Carla had asked Katie Mosca to write her speech which was perfect moving all of us to tears. We made the ceremony official with their diplomas and Peggy pronounced them college graduates. This was followed by lots of hugs, congratulations and photos.

Tomorrow is our last day in PA, wishing good luck to the Western Team. We will be packing up our stuff and loading the 5 wonderful western horses to make the long drive back to NC.

IHSA Nationals 2014 - Day 2.5

Peggy, Liz, myself and our helper April from Delaware Valley  felt very accomplished as we plinkoled 38 riders for the Cacchione Cup this morning in a relatively short time! Kelsey Kocher was the St. Andrews representative drawing a mare named Lucy and scoring a 74.5 on her jumping round. Currently waiting to see if she makes the cut for the top 24 to go forwards to the flat phase of that competition. Cami Glaff competed in Intermediate Team Over Fences having a beautiful round apart from one short distance.

This afternoon we have 9 classes starting with Team Reining and then alternating between hunter seat flat classes and western horsemanship. The horses are currently schooling for these classes and we hope to get back to competition fairly soon. 

The parade of teams at lunchtime today

IHSA Nationals 2014 - Day Two

Today started with jumping classes. My day started and continued with plinko. My job is to attend to stray pucks and help them if they get stuck, Liz types everything into Google Docs so all the officials know who has drawn which horse. Peggy instructs the students on the rules of plinko and organizes every draw. There are of course the usual difficulties with technology that so far have been overcome by some very smart people.

Kelsey Kocher was our first rider of the day having a great ride in Individual Open Equitation over Fences She missed one flying change putting her in the lower end of the class. Caitlyn Woychik was our next rider with the last ride in Novice Equitation Over Fences. Caitlyn was thrilled with her ride earning 7th place. Emilee Wilson and Madison Edwards represented St. Andrews in the Team Novice Hunter Seat and Individual Walk, Trot, Canter Equitation classes and Cami Glaff ended the day for hunter seat with a 7th place in the Intermediate Equitation. The hunter seat team members headed to dinner in small groups with the many parents that had arrived while Liz and I had command of the charter bus to take us to dinner.

As the hunter seat classes ended for the day the western horses started their schooling and horse selection. Carla met with the horse selection committee while Lindsey and the western team schooled the horses and took care of them for the night. Around 9:00 the bus took us back to the horse show to pick up the western team who where by this time very hungry. Tomorrow will be another early start for the teams and volunteers.

The plinko demonstration prior to every draw

Cami Glaff

IHSA National Championships 2014 - Day One

The five western horse arrived this morning having traveled all night from NC. They were happy to settle into their stalls and rest after the long ride. While the western team was caring for the horses the hunter seat team watched the schooling of the hunter seat horses and made notes on each ride. Liz and I helped Peggy and Carla with whatever they needed and learned that we would be playing plinko all weekend at the draw table. A Dad of one of the St. Lawrence students has built a giant plinko board that 4 riders at a time will drop discs down to determine which horse they ride. We are looking forward to this new twist on the draw table!

Late afternoon the western horses were happy to school a little in the warm up arena and when the hunter seat schooling had finished were happy to experience the atmosphere in the arena. They took everything in their stride and marched around like the pros they are. Carla, Lindsey and Kara stayed to school Vinnie with some of the other reiners while the rest of us went to dinner.

Tomorrow the first class starts at 8:30 so will be an early start for everyone. Go Knights! 

Western Reserve Champions in 2013

Peggy, Liz and I enjoyed picking up a few home comforts for the barn. Carla was ready for a comfy chair!

Logan and Benji and Erin and Zoey checking out the competition arena

IHSA National Championships 2014

A total of 21 students and staff left from campus at 11:00 a.m. for the IHSA National Championships in Harrisburg, PA. The hunter seat and western IHSA teams and coaches, individual riders, warm up riders, draw table crew and of course Peggy. We arrived at the Hampton Inn in rain and cooler weather about the same time the commercial shipper was picking up the 5 western horses in the Burg. They should be here early tomorrow morning. Carla and the western team will be at the barn early to prepare the horse’s stalls and get them settled in. Schooling and horse selection starts tomorrow.

The Semester is Almost Over

The last week of classes flew by! Friday evening we had a pizza party for everyone that worked so hard at Western Semi-Finals. That event certainly required a lot of extra effort from everyone and the weather was not at all cooperative – Many thanks to all how made that huge weekend possible. Exams started Saturday and last night was the annual Rider’s Roast sponsored by Riding Council. This is a fun event that which gives everyone a break from studying. Exams continue all this week with the baccalaureate service on Friday at 4:00 and graduation on Saturday.

Kelsi and the ANRC team spent the weekend at Sweet Briar at the American National Riding Commission National Championships. This competition is very competitive and requires excellence in all areas. Neither the National or Novice team placed this year but both teams had good placings in the written phase which is part of this multi phase competition. Sophomore Kirsten Farley had this to say about the competition. "ANRC was definitely an intensely competitive show. There were 36 riders in Novice and 30 riders for the National teams. All of them brought their A game and it was a fun and new experience to go through. We rode our hearts out and had fun in the process."

Regi Barasch 8th in the National Team Medal Individually
Katy Hutchings 10th in the Written Phase Individually
Novice Team 4th in the Written Phase
National Team 6th in the Written Phase

Looking Forward to This Week
Tuesday the Hunter Seat and Western teams travel to Harrisburg, VA to compete in the IHSA National Championships. Liz Dulski and I are traveling with the teams to work the draw table so will be reporting on these events at the end of this week and over the week end.

Good luck to all our students with exams and to all competitors at IHSA.

Novice Team - Amy Wrozek, Katy Hutchings and Kirsten Farley

Written Phase Ribbons

Regi Barasch and Kemosabi

Tentative Spring 2014 Equestrian Calendar

As always there will be changes to the St. Andrews Equestrian schedule!

January

10                          Lessons begin (Monday lessons held this Friday – no boarder lessons)

11                          ANRC Team Tryouts

17                          IHSA Team Tryouts for new students

17                          RLAK Volunteer Training 3:00-5:00 PM

17-19                    Triangle Farm Indoor C Show in Raleigh, NC

19                          RLAK Volunteer Training 12:00 – 2:00 PM

20                          Martin Luther King Day of Service (no lessons)

24-25                    Tournament of Champions in Fredericksburg, VA

27                          RLAK lessons begin

February

1-2                         IHSA Western Shows in Willow Springs, NC

2                            Showing Under The Stars

3-7                         RLAK Instructor Workshop and Clinic with Lori Renker

6                            Barn Clean Up Lesson and Western Barns

8                            IHSA Hunter Seat Show at St. Andrews

14                          Barn Clean Up Boarder and TH Barns

15                          IDA Dressage Show at St. Andrews

20                          Barn Clean Up Lesson and Western Barns

22                          IHSA Hunter Seat Show at St. Andrews

22                          IDA Dressage Show in Danville, VA

28-3/2                   Scot Evans Hunter Seat Clinic

March

1                            IHSA Western Show in Williamston, NC

2                            IHSA Western Regional Finals in Williamston, NC

2                            Showing Under The Stars

7-9                        Triangle Farm Indoor C Show in Raleigh, NC (Required of all ANRC Team Members)

8-16                      Spring Break

17-21                    RLAK Instructor Workshop and Clinic with Lori Renker

20                         Barn Clean Up for Lesson and Western Barns

22                         IHSA Hunter Seat Regional Finals at St. Andrews

23                         Hunter Seat Clinic with Shelby French

27                         Barn Clean Up for Lesson and Western Barns

28-30                    IHSA Western Semi-Finals at St. Andrews

April

1-2                        Hunter Seat Clinic with Scot Evans

5                           RLAK Horse Show

5-6                        IHSA Hunter Seat Zone Finals in Roanoke, VA

11-13                    IDA Nationals in Chatham, VA

12-14                    Vaulting Workshop at St. Andrews

18-20                    Easter Break

23-27                    ANRC Nationals in Sweet Briar, VA

26-5/1                   Exams

29-5/4                   IHSA Nationals in Harrisburg, PA

May

3                            Graduation

7-11                       CHA Instructor Certification Clinic

The Semester is off to a running start!

The semester got off to a busy start. There are so many orientation activities to attend and so much planning to do that the days fly by. This year we had a full day for Rider Placement which meant that we were less rushed than usual and with around 80 people to see ride we were very thankful for that! Convocation and the President’s picnic were on the Thursday of orientation week and on the Friday we hosted the first annual tailgate party at the equestrian center for staff and faculty. We really enjoyed meeting our colleagues and showing them around the equestrian center without the pressure of a horse show or other event.

Barn orientation was Sunday afternoon where we showed the incoming students where to find everything at the barn and we all enjoyed ice cream treats served up by the instructors. Classes started last Tuesday followed by Equestrian Fair on Friday where we started another new tradition with our first annual program picture (see below). Riding lessons started today which is a highlight for everyone. Personally, I really enjoyed my first lesson this morning using some of the ideas I learned this summer from various people.

Our First Annual Easter Egg Hunt!

We hosted the first Annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Equestrian Center yesterday. It all started 3 or 4 years ago when Barn Manager Kellie Garrabrant did a small event for the barn staff and students that stayed to help with horse care over the Easter Break. Equestrian Program Director Peggy McElveen took the event to the next level, inviting all members of the St. Andrews community to participate in the fun. Eggs were hidden all around the courtyard outside of the TH building, in the covered and indoor, in the back schooling field and the dressage arena. Two classes were offered 11 and under and over 11. Kids, college students and adults raced to retrieve their eggs. Eventual winners in both divisions collected over 60 eggs a piece!

Counting the loot!

Winner of the 11 and under division

Lauren Gunther winner of the 11 and over division

Hurry get more eggs Kelsey!

Tentative Spring 2013 Schedule

St. Andrews Equestrian Program
This schedule is alwasys subject to change and additions (we don't delete very often!)

JANUARY
8 LEAVE FOR AIKEN WINTER CLASSIC
10 CLASSES BEGIN
13 RETURN FROM AIKEN
14 LESSONS BEGIN FOR SPRING 2013
21 MLK DAY OF SERVICE – NO LESSONS
26 TOC AT CHATHAM HALL
31 BARN WORK NIGHT

FEBRUARY
2 IHSA HUNTER SEAT SHOW AT SAU
9 IDA SHOW AT NCSU
9 IHSA UPPERCLASSMEN HUNTER SEAT HEAD TO HEAD AT SAU
9 -10 IHSA WESTERN SHOW AT MCC/NCSU
15-17 RALEIGH WINTER II “A” SHOW
16 IDA SHOW AT SAU
22 IHSA WESTERN HORSE SHOW AT SAU
23 IHSA WESTERN REGIONALS - TENATIVE
23 OPEN HOUSE – ADMITTED STUDENT DAY
23-24 IDA SHOWS AT AVERETT
24 IHSA HUNTER SEAT SHOW AT ECU

MARCH
2 IHSA HUNTER SEAT HEAD TO HEAD AT SAU
8-10 NCHJA “C” SHOW IN RALEIGH
9-17 SPRING BREAK
21 BARN WORK NIGHT
22-24 IHSA WESTERN SEMI-FINALS AT MOREHEAD, KY
23 IHSA HUNTER SEAT REGIONAL FINALS AT SAU
29-31 EASTER BREAK

APRIL
4 BARN WORK NIGHT
6 IHSA ZONE 4 FINALS AT SAU
17-22 ANRC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN BALTIMORE, MD
20 OPEN HOUSE – JUNIORS
25 LAST DAY OF CLASSES
25 RIDERS’ ROAST
26-28 IDA NATIONALS AT MT. HOLYOKE
30 IHSA NATIONALS IN HARRISBURG, PA

MAY
1-6 IHSA NATIONALS IN HARRISBURG, PA
18 STAR - PRE-REGISTRATION AND RIDER PLACEMENT FOR INCOMING FRESHMEN

Its the Weekend, we are going to be busy!

Open House this weekend is continuing to grow! We currently have 32 riders for hunter seat, 7 for western and 5 for dressage and the numbers are growing hour by hour! Total number of equestrian interested families visiting is around 70. Tonight we are having barn clean up to have the equestrian center looking its best. The coaches and faculty are looking forward to the dinner and reception tomorrow evening when they will get to meet and chat with future St. Androids and their families.

 

Sunday, Matt and Rob take the IHSA hunter seat team to compete at Duke for the third show this year. St Andrews currently leads the region by 18 points after 2 shows.

 

Regional Standings

1. St. Andrews University 86 
2. UNC-Chapel Hill 68
3. North Carolina State 64 
4. East Carolina University 62
5.  UNC-Charlotte 54
6.  UNC-Wilmington 45
7. Virginia Commonwealth 43 
8. Duke University 42
9. Coastal Carolina University 32

Sunday afternoon Liz and the TH club are holding a pumpkin carving party at the TH Barn. Should be lots of fun, looking forward to the pictures.

Dedication of the Suzanne Mott Dansby Arena

Sept 25, 2012 saw the dedication of the large covered arena at the lesson barn. This post is from the press release sent from the St. Andrews University Communications Office.

 

"We are dedicating the arena to express our appreciation to Stewart Dansby, an alumnus who has generously supported his alma mater for more than 35 years," said President Paul Baldasare, "and, at Stewart’s request, we are honoring his sister, Suzanne, an internationally known and highly competitive Grand Prix dressage rider and instructor."

 

Formerly competing as Suzanne Mott Dansby, the arena's namesake has been listed for the USET dressage team since 2000 and served as the 2006 USET team alternate in Germany for the World Equestrian Games. Owner of Dancing Horse Farm in Atlanta, Ga., she began riding dressage in 1984, when she returned to riding after several years away. She began a practice several years ago of donating all of her winnings to local charities while being generous in her support of the U.S. Dressage Federation Building Fund and the USEF National Grand Prix and Intermediate Championships.

 

"My mother's side of the family has always been philanthropic, involved in giving back to the community," she said. "I have served on foundation or non-profit boards all of my adult life, contributed either as a volunteer or monetarily." This generosity and commitment to service are shared by her brother.

 

"Throughout his adult life, Stewart has devoted much of his time to volunteer and charitable work," Baldasare said. "He has remained faithful to St. Andrews. He served on our board of trustees from 1982 to 1990 and then again from 2005 to 2007. He has contributed generously to everything from scholarship support to renovations to endowed funds to general operations. He always gives in honor of others and with great humility."

 

In addition to his charitable work, Dansby is the co-founder, owner and director of American Cadastre, Inc. He has also spent several years in his home town of Birmingham, Ala., promoting economic development and tourism for the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce.

 







Ella Brave on LJ





Lindsey Agaliotis riding Windsong

 

Pebbles Turbeville and Manly

Matt and Rob reveal the banner!

President Baldasare, Suzanne Dansby-Bollman, Stewart Dansby and Peggy McElveen

 

The Equestrian Program at St. Andrews

The St. Andrews equestrian program began in 1969 with the creation of the Hoofers as an officially recognized campus club. In the fall of 1982, St. Andrews became a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). One year later, the team became a recognized varsity sport. That same year, St. Andrews won the IHSA National Championship Stock Seat title and was the National Reserve Champion in the Hunter Seat Division.

 

Having utilized rental facilities at Singing Wood Farm and Annex since the early 1980s, the equestrian program moved to its current location on Hasty Road in stages, beginning with the Therapeutic Horsemanship in 2001 with the opening of the Singletary Therapeutic Riding Center. The Dressage program moved next with the Hunter Seat team completing the move in 2004. A Western program was added in 2005.

Team Tryouts This Weekend!

Written by Heather Wile for the SAPC Equestrian Alumni Facebook Page

We are getting ready for fall here at the equestrian center. Lessons are in full swing, horses are back to work, and before we know it we'll be hosting the first IHSA Hunter Seat show on September 29th. New head coach Matt Arrigon and assistant coach Rob Jacobs are holding tryouts this weekend for the Hunter Seat IHSA team. C Team coach Kelsi Peterson also holding her tryouts as well! Dressage and Western are both holding tryouts on Saturday as well! Good Luck to coaches and riders!!

Freshman Orientation Has Begun!

Today is the start of freshman orientation. Their first stop is at the barn to do their placement ride to determine where they need to be placed in the lesson program. Their next stop is check in on campus, finding their room and unpacking. This afternoon there are several orientation activities planned which culminate with the Opening Convocation and a picnic with President Baldasare by the lake.

Tomorrow the Drew Crew leads orientation, students have their IDs made, the honor students have their first official meeting with Dr. Neal Bushoven, and the day ends with karaoke and an ice-cream social. Saturday academic advising begins and is also a time for students to get to know their suite mates. Sunday there are a few fun events planned including barn orientation for all new equestrians. Monday is reserved for more advising and classes start Monday evening.

Welcome to the newest St. Androids!