Equestrian Program Reviews - Alumni in 2013

Taylor Carroll and Mary Thomson tracked down some St. Andrews Equestrian Alumni to see where their careers had taken them.

Click here to catch up with Allie McGraw 2012, Kate McAlinn 2008, Christina Kalinski 2007, Heather Jackson Merrell, and Sami Cram 2013.

Life after St. Andrews?

We have been doing some advanced planning with the slightly quieter time in May (especially now that the horses are starting to leave for their summer homes and the numbers at the Equestrian Center are going down). One of the projects I have been involved in concerns helping our students with possible careers early on in college life so they can take the appropriate classes and maximize their St. Andrews education. Discussions for this project led us in several directions one of them being what our graduates are doing now. Renee Jones, Director of Career Services, complies data on what graduates are doing six months after graduation. She has done an incredible job with this the last few years.

2013 – 100% of grads are either working full or part time, furthering their education, doing an internship or serving our country in the military or in organizations such as Peace Corps. Data for previous years are equally impressive 2012 – 96% and 2011 – 94%.

Renee does something that most schools fail to do, she gets in touch with every graduate at the six month mark to find out what they are doing. Most schools poll 20 – 30% and draw conclusions from that and so their results are not quite as accurate as the SAU figures. Renee was kind enough to share the 2013 breakdown with me and it was pretty remarkable. Remember this is 100% of the graduating class reporting not a small sample!

Continuing Education – 14.5%

Internships – 1.3%

Full-Time Employment – 63.2%

Part-Time Employment – 21.1%

St. Andrews maybe small but these figures speak loud and clear for the value of the education provided.

Thanks for sharing Renee!

Alumni Review by Taylor Carroll & Mary Thomson

St. Andrews Equestrian Program has developed a superior learning environment for the those interested in expanding their equestrian knowledge both on and off the horse.  The program offers valuable experience about the many facets if the equestrian industry.  St. Andrews prepares its graduates to go out into the industry as knowledgeable horsemen  pursuing their desired careers  and is very influential in job placement after graduation.

After graduating in 2012,  Allie McGraw became Assistant Barn Manager of Cottonwood Farm in Vanceborro, NC and the Assistant Coach for the East Carolina University Equestrian Team. In 2013 McGraw became the head coach of the team. Along with being the Assistant Barn Manager at Cottonwood, McGraw is also an assistant for Laura Underhill Norment who owns Graham Place that is run out of Cottonwood Farm.  When asked about how St. Andrews was helpful in her job search McGraw answered, “St. Andrews creates lots of ties and networks with students and those in the horse industry. I rode in a clinic with Laura and did my summer internship at Cottonwood before graduating."  

Kate McAlinn graduated in 2008 with a B.A. in Business Administration with a Concentration in Equine Business Management.  Part of this program included a summer internship at Cornell Cooperative Extension for the Chemung County 4H program. Job duties included planning and running horse shows and overseeing the youth knowledge programs, horse bowl and hippology. She says that after graduation the St. Andrews network introduced her to Canadian Team rider, Harold Chopping. Kate worked at Harold’s Solo Show Stables for two years learning more about the horse industry. She says, "If it hadn't been for the stable management class and all the hands on experience, I would not have been able to be head groom and help keep the barn organized and running smoothly."  Currently McAlinn has her own business in Smithfield, NC called Sunchaser Equestrian LLC. "I am grateful for all the experience that St. Andrews has given to me leading me to where I am today" claims McAlinn.

After graduating in 2007 with a B.A. in Communications, Christina Kalinski talks about her journey since leaving St. Andrews. "Life after St. Andrews has been a marvelous adventure. Many of the doors I have walked through have been opened in some way, shape, or form by my experience, contacts, and techniques I developed at St. Andrews. After graduating I landed a dream job working and riding at a private "A" show/ sales barn. I rode all day long and learned a tremendous amount about all aspects of the business. I spent my summers in New York and my winters in the heart of the horse show world in Wellington, FL. The job continuously changed as I learned and experienced more. I was able to refine and define the skills I wanted to use in making myself the best professional I can possibly be. I have experienced several other wonderful job opportunities since St. Andrews and am currently working on the "A" circuit riding, teaching, and perusing my passion."

Heather Jackson Merrell is a recent St. Andrews graduate who has used the knowledge she gained at school to open her own private boarding facility. While at St. Andrews, Merrell majored in Therapeutic Horsemanship. She graduated in 2010, and in March of 2012 she opened Lone Tree Farm where she offers boarding, lessons, and sales. Merrell says that a degree from St. Andrews has helped her most with the business and legal aspects of running a barn. When asked what she missed most about St. Andrews she said, “I really miss the small community we had. It was so nice to be at a small campus where you knew everyone.”

Sami Cram graduated from St. Andrews in May of 2013 with a B.S. in Biology. Shortly after graduating she went to work for Kent Farrington, LLC. About working for Kent she said, “The job has given me the opportunity to work with the best horses, the best riders and to travel the world. The job has truly been a dream come true. I’ve been able to groom, ride and most importantly learn from the best.” Most recently Cram has been put in charge of marketing and sales which she thought might be a challenge as a Biology major. However, she said that other classes such as Sage and Senior Seminar helped her to be calm when presenting information to clients. Cram said, “St. Andrews is a major factor to the success I have had after graduating.”

While at St. Andrews, Cram was highly involved at the barn organizing horse shows, teaching some lessons, and being an ambassador for the team. She said that the staff is the best part about St. Andrews. “The people I met, the life lessons I learned, and the incredible support of my peers and the staff is something I will always have” she said. When asked what she missed most about St. Andrews Cram replied, “There are so many things I miss about St. Andrews. The staff, I would say, is the part I miss most... there are always smiling faces to be there for you whether it is school related or not. You gain a "family" when you attend St. Andrews.” Cram had some great advice for current and future students saying, “This world is a lot about who you meet and the impressions you make.”

RLAK Show, Alumni Weekend, and Open House

The RLAK horse show was a hit for all concerned this Saturday. Four members of the dressage team started off the show with a drill team ride to the theme from Indiana Jones. The horses were great and the riders put on a good display for the audience. The RLAK show followed with all riders winning a blue ribbon for completing the obstacle course set in the covered arena. Kate Sorgenfrei serving as judge and announcer awarded blue ribbons “for sitting in the middle”, “keeping heels down”, “2-point position” and a myriad of other accomplishments demonstrated by the riders. The RLAK community was well represented covering the ages of around 5 to 55.


Alumni weekend was in full swing on campus and many folks came back to celebrate their 10 year anniversary. Pebbles, Peggy and I enjoyed visiting with the class of 2003 (plus a few from 2002). At lunch time ten of them set off on a guided trail ride of the Equestrian Center followed by 3 more on Peggy’s golf cart. With a couple of exceptions many of these folks have not been on a horse in many years so it was really fun to see them warming up in the covered arena before heading out with Carla and Andrew as their escorts.

Once the trail ride had departed the participants of Open House arrived to talk about the program, meet the staff and tour the facility. Lots of great questions were asked and we enjoyed meeting these future students and their families.

In other news our colleague Heather Wile Lee had her baby this weekend. Baby Jase is doing well but Heather suffered complications following delivery and is now in ICU at Moore Regional Hospital. Her husband Philip and both their families are with her at the hospital staying at the Clara McQueen house in Pinehurst. We are keeping Heather, Philip, Jase and the families in our prayers and hoping for a complete recovery.

The ANRC competed for the National Championship this weekend finishing in 6th place. I'll have more information on that in a later post.

Volunteers and Instructors at the RLAK Show

The Drill Team; Bridget on Corky, Kristen on Jake, Elizabethe on Chico and Claire on Windsong

Special and his rider with Morgan, and Spenser



Big John with is rider and Hallie, Megan and Stephanie



Before the Alumni trail rider

Enjoying the facility!

Alumni, ANRC, and RLAK Show

Meg Donahue, Frank Bria, Jennifer James & Howard Morrison were the National Championship team winning riders in 2002. Debbie White and Peggy McElveen coached. The gray horse on the left is Peter and the liver chestnut 3rd from left is JC both of who are retired at the Equestrian Center.

This weekend is Alumni weekend. We are excited to welcome the class of 2003 back to campus. The photo is of the 2002 ANRC National Championship team, many of who will be here this weekend. Click here for the schedule of Alumni events. These events include the annual Ride-Like-A-Knight horse show which starts at 10:30 on Saturday with demonstrations by the equestrain team followed by classes for participants in the program.  

Josh Dazey, Red Ted and Philip Radford at the 2012 RLAK show.

Meanwhile this year's ANRC team is competing in Baltimore at the 2013 National Championships in both the Open and Novice divisions. Good luck to all our riders, coaches and horses.

Don’t forget to support the 2013 Nationals teams by eating at Jersey Mikes in Lbg. tomorrow between 4 & 9 p.m. or shopping at our online store .

Suggestions Needed As We Document Our History

The History and Theory of Modern Riding class has documented the equestrian activities for Fall 2011 - Spring 2012. We plan to produce several PDF files to be printed and for online distribution. Topics covered are Hunter Seat, Western, Dressage, TH, Staff Changes, Internships, ANRC, Alumni News, and IHSA Nationals. This will become a regular annual series. We need a name for these documents! They will join last year's book "The History of the St. Andrews Equestrian Program 1969 - 2011" as part of our written record. Any & all suggestions welcome! Here are a couple of snippets from this year's work. Send ideas to Jackie at dwellejm@sapc.edu.

Hannah Firth researched recent Alums here is a paragraph from her paper.

The graduates from St. Andrews who actively participated in the equestrian program have found themselves highly successful in continuing their equestrian careers beyond graduation. Several students who majored in Therapeutic Horsemanship have moved from Laurinburg to pursue careers as therapeutic riding instructors such as Corey Krutsch, a graduate from 2009, who continues her job as a therapeutic riding instructor at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. Kate Sorgenfri, class of 2011, is currently located in Pittsboro, North Carolina and serves as therapeutic riding instructor and general lessons instructor at Heads Up! Therapeutic Riding Center. Another graduate of 2011, Fi Delfino finds herself as Pony Pals and Instructor Coordinator for HOPE-HOrses Helping PEople, Inc Therapeutic riding program in Archer, Florida. Delfino has also found success as the owner of High Hopes Equestrian Center, a training business.

Rachel McGarvey covered the Ride-Like-A-Knight Therapeutic Horsemanship Program this is the opening paragraph of her report.

The Mechanical Lift

In January 2012, Ride Like A Knight had a lift installed. The lift was purchased and installed through The Elizabeth Fund, a fund that was created to aid in supplying educational benefits to students and riders. The lift was purchased for two reasons. The first being that it allows the instructors in training a chance to be exposed to a lift, be educated on the use of the lift and learn how to train a horse to accept the lift before the students graduate from St. Andrews. The second reason Ride Like A Knight purchased the lift was to open up our program to more riders. Physically lifting people onto a horse can be a lot of strain on the instructors body, where using the lift to place them onto the horse provides a safe and easy way of doing this. The lift has added to the Ride Like A Knight program in education and in expanding the program.