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 .

Spring Stuff!

With the end of the semester looming we are busy wrapping up classes, practicing our teams for Nationals and enjoying the traditional end of semester activities. Yesterday the RLAK club held their spring picnic. Everyone enjoyed great food, fun games and an opportunity to let loose before the start of a busy academic week.


Riders on all of the intercollegiate teams are busy with practices. The ANRC team leaves on Wednesday for the drive to Baltimore for their National Championships. Coach Kelsi Peterson will be traveling with five riders. Kim Graves, Katie Hansen, Abigail Skillman, Alexandra Fullerton and Keli van den Heuvel will be representing St. Andrews at this four phase equitation competition. They will be competing in the written test, program ride, cross country course and medal course all phases are judged on equitation apart from the written test of course which is judged on knowledge of horse care including basic veterinary care. Good luck to these riders, their horses and Coach Peterson.

We are still busy with fund raising. Our Queensboro store sends a commission on every item of clothing sold and this Friday from 4 – 9 p.m. Jersey Mikes in Laurinburg will be contributing 15% of all proceeds to the Equestrian Team. Please support these stores if you can.

TH Seniors & Ice-Cream!

Saturday the St. Andrews Hunter Seat Team won the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Zone 4 Championship for the first time in school history!

by Equestrian Program Director Peggy McElveen

Having clinched the Regional Championship in March, St. Andrews moved forward in post-season competition to the IHSA Zone Finals which were hosted today at the SAU Equestrian Center. The top riders from Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina as well as the Regional Champion Teams from each of the four regions in Zone 4 competed today for the right to move forward to the National Championship in May.


The St. Andrews team competed against Goucher College from Region 1, the University of Virginia from Region 2, and Drexel University from Region 4 (St. Andrews was the representative of the Region 3 conference). These four teams were the teams that won each of their Regional Championships. Our team riders - Katie Hansen, Sami Cram, Kali Cram, Cami Glaff, Madison Edwards, and Jake Hobson won a total of 46 points to best second place Goucher College (42 points); third place University of Virginia (40 points) and fourth place Drexel University (21 points). The top three teams battled throughout the day with the lead changing several times. It all came down to the final class of the day which had veteran team rider Kali Cram representing St. Andrews. When Kali was announced as the winner, the rafters of the arena shook with the excitement. St. Andrews had won their first Zone Championship!

Senior Kim Graves who already had secured her place at IHSA Nationals by winning the Regional Cacchione Cup punched her ticket today for two more classes. Kim will be competing in Open Flat and Open Fences as well as in the multi-phase Cacchione Cup.

Junior Shiloh Kozlowski and Senior Sami Cram will be repeat competitors at Nationals for the third year in a row. Shiloh qualified in the Walk, Trot class and Sami in Novice Fences.

IHSA Hunter Seat Zones on Saturday!

Look who is coming to our house this weekend to compete for slots for the IHSA National Championships!

Goucher College
University of Richmond
Hollins University
St. Andrews University
University of Pennsylvania
Drexel University
Christopher Newport University
Bridgewater College
Lynchburg College
University of North Carolina
University of Pennsylvania
University of Delaware
North Carolina State University
Washington College
Temple University
George Washington University
Sweet Briar College
Duke University
Salisbury University
Randolph College
University of Virginia
East Carolina University
Towson University
University of Mary Washington

Sarah Lawrence College - Alumni
Longwood University - Alumni
Burlington County College - Alumni
Virginia Tech - Alumni

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!

Western IHSA Team Qualifies for National Championships!

Congratulations to the IHSA Western team qualifying for the National Championships by winning at Semi-Finals. The following report was written by Peggy McElveen, Equestrian Program Director

The 27 teams from across the country who won their regional championships were split among three National Semi-Finals sites to compete this weekend. The top six teams are seeded according to their finish in IHSA Nationals the prior year. Our team was seeded second in our bracket in Kentucky behind Berry College. Only nine teams advance from the Semi-Finals - top three from each Semi-Finals site - to the National Championship.

The final team placings from the Kentucky National Semi-Finals were:

1st St. Andrews University with 27 points
Team riders are Ella Brave, Michelle Hustad, Brittany Powell, Sami Cram, Logan Teeter, and Vickie Wiese
2nd Middle Tennessee State University with 22 points
3rd University of Kentucky with 18 points
4th North Dakota State University with 16 points
5th Berry College with 15 points
6th West Virginia University with 10 points
7th College of the Sequoias with 9 points
8th Utah State University with 8 points
9th Delaware Valley with 7 points

Individual St. Andrews students advancing to Nationals were:
Michelle Hustad in Open Horsemanship
Ella Brave in Reining
Kali Cram in Advanced Horsemanship
Brittany Powell in Novice Horsemanship
Katie Mosca in Intermediate Horsemanship
Dugan McDermott in Beginner Horsemanship

Congratulations to all these students and Coach Carla Wennberg for bringing this Championship to St. Andrews.

The 2013 Semi-Finals Championship Team!

Congratulations to the Zone 4, Region 3 IHSA Zone Qualifiers

Our regional IHSA hunter seat show ran smoothly today with representatives from nearly all of the 12 membership colleges present. Regionals is similar to a playoff game in a ball sport with the purpose of recognizing qualified riders and to determine who moves onto the Zones which is the final stepping stone before the National Championships. Team qualification is determined from cumulative points at the regular season shows with St. Andrews as Regional Champions for 2013 and already preparing for Zones in a couple of weeks. Today is all about individual qualifiers and St. Andrews students came through showing off their equitation skills and advancing to the next round. Congratulations to everyone who qualified for regionals!

Sami Cram - Intermediate Flat & Novice Fences

Kim Graves - Open Over Fences & Open Flat
Katie Hansen – Open Over Fences
Alexandra Fullerton - Novice Flat & Novice Fences
Shiloh Kozlowski – Walk Trot
Cami Glaff – Walk, Trot, Canter

Cacchione Cup

1^st Kim Graves
2^nd Katie Hansen

 

Showing today but not advancing to Zones
Catherine McDowell – Honorable Mention in Novice Flat
Park Hoey – 3^rd in Novice Flat
Kali Cram – 3^rd Intermediate Fences and 3^rd Novice Flat
Tori Burkey – Honorable Mention Walk, Trot, Canter

During the awards lunch Equestrian Program Director Peggy McElveen recognized her staff for their help with the 14 intercollegiate shows hosted at the equestrian center in 2012-2013. The Zone Chair awards selected by the Zone Chair (Peggy) went to Jenny Rollins from Duke for all her help and support during the year, and the Coach of the Year was Laura Underhill Norment from ECU, who previously coached and taught at St. Andrews.

 Awards voted on by the coaches in the region.

Horse of the Year

Reagan belonging to St. Andrews who participates in hunter seat, western and dressage intercollegiate shows.

Student Leadership

Senior Kathryn Hall of ECU who has above and beyond as a student leader.

Team Placings 2012 – 2013

1.      St. Andrews
2.      UNC – Chapel Hill
3.      East Carolina
4.      North Carolina State
5.      UNC – Charlotte
6.      UNC – Wilmington
7.      Duke
8.      Virginia Commonwealth
9.      Coastal Carolina University
10.   Campbell University

The Seniors on the IHSA Hunter Seat Team accepting the Regional Trophy!

 

Spring Break is Over!

Spring break is over and we are ready to take on the remainder of the semester. This Friday we have IHSA Hunter Seat Regionals at home. Thursday Carla and the IHSA Western team leave for Semi-Finals in Kentucky this weekend and Scot Evans will be doing a clinic Saturday and Sunday.


Over break I connected with Kate McAlinn from Sun Chaser Farm in Raleigh and she now has Marcus and Nikitta at her barn for her lesson program. These horses have worked hard for us and will now be great teachers for the kids that ride with Kate. We are still looking to place some of our horses who have served us so well, but are now ready for an easier life. If you are interested in any of these drop me an email.

Please contact Jackie Dwelle dwellejm@sapc.edu 910-277-5217 for more information and pictures.

Smudge - 1987 FB Grey TB Gelding 16.2h. Used in the St. Andrews and the CCCC lesson programs.

Robbie - Dk Bay gelding 15.3 h. Used in St. Andrews dressage program and therapeutic riding program and summer camp in Brevard, NC. Great at camp, loves small children and TH, not sure how old this one is.

Ben - 1989 Bay WB/xx Gelding 16.3h. Can be mean in stall but fine on crossties. Must be ridden in a hackamore or halter because he has TMJ. Would make a good trail/weekend horse.

Happy - 1988 Bay Swedish WB Mare 16.2h. Worked in the St. Andrews hunter seat program and been to camp several summers. This special lady deserves an excellent retirement home.

***Several others that cannot be ridden are also available as companions or pasture ornaments!***

New Baby for Jeremy and Jennifer!

Congratulations to Jennifer and Jeremy Sansbury on the birth of their son Greer who arrived on Friday.

Freshman Wins USEF Equestrians in Action Award!

Congratulations to Alexis Conover for winning the USEF Equestrians in Action Award with more than 1,800 volunteer hours. This award tracks youth volunteer hours in areas that improve horse welfare or positively promote equestrian sports. Some of Alexis' volunteer time was spent in our own Ride-Like-A-Knight Therapeutic Horsemanship Program.

For the full report click here.

Path International Region 3 Conference

Pebbles, Liz and ten students from St. Andrews attended the Region 3 conference in Hilton Head, SC this weekend. They were joined by 10 alumni who work in different areas of the therapeutic horsemanship industry. Sessions included information on managing not for profit businesses and creative lesson plans as well as lots of opportunities for networking. “I learned a lot,” said Megan White, “can’t wait to try some of this out with my lessons. It was also a lot of fun!”



Current students and Alumni at Region 3 conference

ANRC Warm Up Competition & Logo Wear For Sale!

The ANRC team travelled to Cottonwood Farm in Vanceboro to compete in the 3^rd annual Horsemanship Competition sanctioned by the USHJA and ANRC. Click here for a full report.

We are very excited to report that after many requests we have an online store where you can purchase St. Andrews Equestrian logo wear. There is a large selection of polo shirts, T-shirts, button downs, fleeces, and hats etc. Currently the only logo available at the online store is with a jumping horse, but we hope to open new stores with logos for western, dressage and Ride-Like-A-Knight in the future. The neat part of this program is that with every purchase a portion comes back to the Equestrian program. A win-win for everyone that has been asking about where to buy logo wear and for the program! Happy Shopping click here.

 

Fabulous Weekend for All Equestrian Team Members!

“Intense” is one word to describe our weekend in the Equestrian Program with all three disciplines competing at their final regular season shows. There are many individual successes and stories to share but for this post I’ll focus on the results. My team (dressage) fought hard at a double header hosted by Averett University. Lindsey Agaliotis and Kristen Parker qualified for Nationals in First Level and Intro respectively. After a lot of ties were broken Averett beat us by 4 points.


At home on Friday the western team led by Coach Carla Wennberg won the IHSA Regional Championship advancing them to Semi-Finals in Kentucky in March. Ella Brave earned the title of Reserve Champion AQHA High Point Rider. On Saturday Ella Brave, Michelle Hustad, Dugan McDermott, Brittany Powell, Jake Nix, Kali Cram and Katie Mosca all qualified as individuals for Semi-Finals.

On to Hunter Seat! Sunday this team travelled to ECU. This team placed third overall but held onto their regional lead with 248 points to UNC-Chapel Hill’s 213 points. Individually Senior Kim Graves won the Cacchione Cup (high point rider) for the region and advances to Nationals. The team will compete at Zones hosted by St. Andrews in early April. Individual riders who qualified for Regionals at this show were Tori Burkey and Kim Graves who join several St. Andrews students already qualified.

Reserve Regional Champion IDA Team

Regional Champion Western IHSA Team

Snow Last Weekend; This Weekend Rain

After last weekend’s snow we are looking forward to a wet weekend coming up and once again it is busy! Friday the western team hosts the last regular show of their competitive season at the equestrian center. They are looking to hold on to their lead 18 point lead over NCSU and qualify for Semi-Finals in Kentucky in March. Saturday is IHSA Western Regionals which qualifies individuals for Semi-Finals. Friday evening the team is holding a dinner on campus for the region. The year-end awards for western will be given out at this event.


Saturday the dressage team heads to Danville, VA for a double header show at Averett University to decide the regional winners in intercollegiate competition. The dressage team trails Averett by one point. With riders in contention in three of the four IDA divisions, this weekend’s shows should be intense.

Sunday the IHSA hunter seat team will travel to Eastern Carolina for the last regular show of their season. The hunter seat team has a 29 point lead over UNC-Chapel Hill with ECU just a few points back. This weekend will decide who takes the title of Regional Champion for all three disciplines and advances to the next level.

At home Saturday is Admitted Students Open House. We are looking forward to welcoming many future students and their families to the campus and the equestrian center.

Riding in a Snow Globe!

The St. Andrews Equestrian Program hosted our spring semester dressage show Saturday.  Being in the covered with the snow coming down we felt like we were in a snow globe! The snow did not stop the almost military precision of the show organization and certainly enhanced the atmosphere of the show! (Have you ever watched snow fall to Rhapsody in Blue? Thanks to Eq. staff member Andrew Michael we had a superb movie sound track all day long.) Riders from all disciplines worked together to prepare the horses, time warm up rides and run tests between the judge and the scoring office. If you have never attended an event at the equestrian center you have not witnessed the “events management machine” in action; our students rise to the occasion magnificently. Sophomore Claire Pollard served as Horse Show Chair to organize and coordinate the workforce.

The St. Andrews dressage team ended the day in third place. Senior Lindsey Agaliotis (who drew the first ride of the day) had an outstanding ride earning 78.108% and the high point rider award for the day. Although a 78% in academia earns a grade of a “C”; in dressage this is considered an outstanding score. (Dressage riders are usually very happy with scores around 65%.) Lindsey had several scores of 9 out of 10 for various movements on her test which was also the most advanced test that was offered in today’s competition. The dressage team travels to Averett University next weekend for a double header to end the 12/13 competitive season.

Dressage Seat Equitation has been added successfully in other IDA regions so we decided to try it out. It is currently not a recognized class but we hope to have a national championship division in the near future. The format is the same as any equitation class where riders are judged on their position and effectiveness. (The horse is not judged just the rider.)

 

First Level Lindsey Agaliotis stands in second place with 18 points one point behind the regional leader with 4 riders chasing them with 13 points. At Upper Training Brianna Carter is tied for second place with 12 points trailing a 20 point lead. At Lower Training Sarah Jones leads the region with a one point lead of 16 points. At Intro Kristen Parker maintains her commanding lead of 21 points with the closest challenger at 12 points. Our last two shows are next weekend and will decide who goes to Nationals at Mount Holyoke College in April.
 

Regional Points

Averett 23
St. Andrews 22
NCSU 18
Elon 10
Longwood 2

Results Feb. 16th
First Level Test 2
1^st Lindsey Agaliotis 78.108% High Point Rider – her best score ever!
5^th Abigail Skillman 62.837%

Training Level Test 3

3^rd Hannah Firth 66.2%
6^th Brianna Carter 61.4%

Training Level Test 1

3^rd Sarah Jones 72.291%
4^th Megan Pustarfi 68.541%
6^th Bridget Newman 63.958%

Introductory Level Test B

5^th Logan Teeter
 

Dressage Seat Equitation

Class 1.

2^nd Claire Pollard
4^th Elizabethe Weeks

Class 2.

1^st Kristen Parker
2^nd Logan Teeter

Dressage Home Show Sat.

This Saturday’s dressage show is an important one for the St. Andrews dressage team. We currently have a 2 point lead over Averett. The Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) scores each team’s win with 7 points while 5 points goes to the second placed team. Unlike the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) which accumulates points earned at each show throughout the competitive season. Mathematically it is easy to see that our two point lead is easily lost. After this weekend’s home show we travel to Averett the following weekend for a double header Saturday and Sunday. These last two shows of the year gives them a significant home team advantage. We are practicing hard and trying to be smart about who rides at which shows.


Also at Saturday’s show we will be hosting a couple of Dressage Seat Equitation classes. This will be a first for our region. Other IDA regions have hosted them and they have been well received. Our show on Saturday is a relatively small one, so we decided to give dressage seat eq. a go and offer more opportunities to compete to our member teams. The team is ready to compete and we hope to host a well organized show. Good luck to all the IDA team members and many thanks to the hunter seat and western teams who are helping with horse holding and show organization.

Success for Dressage and Western Teams !

The Equestrian program had a busy weekend hosting western shows at home and sending the dressage team to NCSU on Saturday. Students and coaches enjoyed much success at both shows. At NCSU the dressage team won first place honors with Sarah Jones winning high point rider in lower training and Kristen Parker continuing her winning streak in Intro B to accumulate 21 division points, almost certainly guaranteeing her an individual slot at Nationals. “Assistant Coach Lindsey and I are struggling with our strategy for the last three shows,” said Coach Jackie Dwelle. “We host next Saturday and Averett has significant home team advantage Feb. 23 & 24 with a double header to close out the regular season. Kristen will point out with one more win and then it will be up to our other riders to step in and earn the points. It is going to be a couple of busy and exciting weeks!”

Junior Sarah Jones who scored 67.5% for the Reserve High Point Rider for the day said, “Hard work really does pay off! And having a great team to help and support me throughout the day makes everything a lot easier.”

Regional Standings after 3 shows

St. Andrews 18pts.
Averett University 16 pts
NCSU 13 pts.
Elon 10 pts.
Longwood University 2 pts.

First Level 1
4th Lindsey Agaliotis 62.4%

Training Level 2
2nd Brianna Carter 66.057

Intro Level C
2nd Sarah Jones 67.5% - Reserve High Point Rider

Intro Level B
1st Kristen Parker 64.375%
4th Claire Pollard 61.250%

For a complete report of the western team success click here.

Lindsey Agaliotis, Jackie Dwelle, Claire Pollard, Sarah Jones, Brianna Carter, Kristen Parker

Sarah Jones on her way to earning the Reserve High Point title.

Just Another Weekend at the Barn!

February is going to be one of those busy months with shows and events happening at home and away. Take this weekend for example. We are hosting back to back western shows Saturday and Sunday at the Equestrian Center to help out our friends from NCSU who were planning to host but ran into difficulties. The Ride-Like-A-Knight Therapeutic Horsemanship program is hosting a PATH Int. Mentor Training Workshop led by Pebbles Turbeville and Sandy Webster. As if that was not enough for one weekend, the dressage team travel to Buckhorn Farm in Apex, NC to compete in an IDA show hosted by the NCSU dressage team. Social Media Kim Graves and myself will be working hard to report results from the two shows and share the experiences of the students participating in the TH workshop.

IHSA Hunter Seat 2-2-2013

Saturday was cold as is the norm in early February, however it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the St. Andrews Equestrian Team as they pulled together to host our first IHSA show on the new footing in the Dansby Arena. The addition of tons of sand and the recycled sneaker footing made the arena visually lighter as well as springier for the horses. Several of the older equines showed their delight with the shock absorbing surface with very forward gaits!


Coach Arrigon led the team to a clear victory earning 43 points to UNC – Chapel Hill’s 37. Matt’s comment, “Yes, we had a good day…” summed up the event for all concerned. For Seniors Sami and Kali Cram this was the last IHSA home show and they ended it in style with a three way tie with Junior Abi Skillman for high point rider. The ride off was bareback on western horses and Sami came out ahead of Kali and Abi.

RESULTS
Open Flat Section A
2nd Kim Graves

Novice Flat Section A
3rd Nikki Napoleone

Novice Flat B
1st Caitlin Karolak
2nd Tara Algieri

Open Flat C
4th Katie Hansen

Novice Flat C
2nd Anastasia MacNaught

Novice Flat D
6th Chandalyn Chrzanowski

Open Fences
A 1st Katie Hansen

Open Fences B
2nd Kim Graves

Novice Flat E
1st Cami Glaff

Intermediate Flat A
1st Kali Cram
3rd Keli Van Den Heuvel


Novice Flat F
1st Rachaell Dockery

Beginning WTC
2nd Lacy Burke

Intermediate Flat
4th Alexandra Fullerton

Novice Flat G
4th Michelle Eld

Beginning WTC – C
1st Shiloh Kozlowski

Intermediate Flat C
1st Sami Cram

Novice Flat H
1st Abi Skillman

Intermediate Flat D
5th Park Hoey

Intermediate Fences A
1st Sami Cram

Intermediate Fences B
1st Nikki Napoleone

Intermediate Fences C
1st Kali Cram

Novice Fences B
2nd Cami Glaff

Novice Fences C
1st Abi Skillman

Novice Fences D
1st Alexandra Fullerton

Walk Trot A
2nd Amanda Rucker

Advanced WTC A
1st Madison Edwards

Walk Trot B
1st Jake Hobson

Advanced WTC B
4th Heather Moch

Advanced WTC C
1st Tori Burkey

Advanced WTC D
3rd Sam Taylor

Advanced WTC F
1st Julie Griffin
3rd Kirsten Farley

Year to Date IHSA Standings

St. Andrews University          208

UNC-Chapel Hill                    179

East Carolina University           171

North Carolina State                 155

UNC-Charlotte                         154

UNC-Wilmington                      139

Duke University                       127

Virginia Commonwealth           122

Coastal Carolina University     92

Martin Community College       28

Campbell University                  23

Davidson College                      0

Scrimmage with USC

This weekend’s scrimmage with the University of South Carolina Gamecocks was an excellent opportunity for both schools to practice their teams against different opponents and add to their competitive arsenals. The hunter seat team competed in the covered arena and the western riders were in the outdoor ring. Members of the dressage team and the Therapeutic Horsemanship club assisted with horse holding and preparation. Coach Wennberg videotaped all her riders and the USC riders and plans to get together with her team this week to go over the tapes to further their understanding of competitive strategy and showmanship. Riders won brushes, ball caps and M&Ms instead of ribbons which added to the fun of the day. In the spirit of the day no points were tallied. St. Andrews won 7 classes and USC 6, making for a very fair and even competition. Results for the St. Andrews competitors are below.

Hunter Seat Team

Equitation on the Flat I:
1st Alexandra Fullerton
5th Madison Edwards
6th Chandalyn Chrzanowski

Equitation on the Flat II:
1st Dara Corbett
2nd Julie Griffin
4th Shiloh Kozlowski

Equitation on the Flat III:
3rd Katie Hansen
4th Cami Glaff
5th Regi Barasch

Equitation on the Flat IV:
4th Mia DiPillo
5th Anastasia MacNaught
6th Tara Algieri

Equitation over Fences I:
3rd Katie Hansen

Equitation over Fences II:
1st Alexandra Fullerton
4th Kirsten Farley

Western Team

Horsemanship I:
1st Michelle Hustad
3rd Brittany Powell

Horsemanship II:
2nd Erin Hudson
3rd Tyler Gritzuk

Horsemanship III:
1st Sami Cram
5th Ella Brave

Horsemanship IV:
1st Logan Teeter
3rd Katie Mosca

Horsemanship V:
3rd Kali Cram
4th Lindsey Agaliotis

Horsemanship VI:
4th Erica LeSeur
5th Jake Nix

Reining:
1st Ella Brave

Busy Cold Weekend

The weather is bitterly cold today with sleet forecast for this afternoon. Matt and a group of IHSA Hunter Seat riders left early this morning for Bridgewater College in Virginia for the Invitational Tournament of Champions IHSA show tomorrow. After the arctic blast today and tonight the temperatures warm up again and we should in for a reasonable weekend. Sunday we are hosting a new competition for us; a head to head or scrimmage with the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. The IHSA Hunter Seat and Western teams will be taking on the USC NCAA teams starting around 1:00, should be a fun event! We will be updating the reults from both of these events on our facebook and twitter feeds. #SAUihsa.

MLK Day of Service

Today is the MLK day of service. This has become such a popular event at St. Andrews that we are able to include campus facilities in the project. We are expecting 50+ volunteers at the equestrian center today to help with projects. These include removing rust spots from the covered arenas, cleaning the stall walls (with 120 stalls that is a huge project in itself), picking up trash on Hasty Road, and cleaning the white fences. Looking forward to getting lots done.

Excellent Weekend in Aiken!

By Kim Graves

Three members of the St. Andrews University “A” show team competed at the Aiken Winter Classic “AA” show in Aiken, South Carolina over the weekend.


Freshman Anastasia MacNaught rode St. Andrews’ owned Eastern Shore (Jojo) to placings of 2nd, 3rd and two 6th in the Pre-Adult Hunter division. “The show team has been a great opportunity! I absolutely love it! Everyone supports and helps one another! I am so glad I have been able to show Jojo. He is a great horse with an awesome personality and loves to show!” said Anastasia. MacNaught also earned a 3rd, 4th, and 6th place in the equitation division of the Pre-Adults.

Senior Kali Cram knew going to the show that there were going to be some challenges ahead when a last minute horse change came up. Kali rode Charmander CF who is a very young horse and has not had a lot of experience at the shows. Kali was happy to take the young horse to help him gain some show experience. Together they placed 5th in the .85 meter jumper class.

“The students rode fabulously and came home with good ribbons and great learning experiences. They progress with each ride and are always eager to understand the techniques involved and the results from their horses” stated Coach Kelsi Peterson.

Sami Cram had a stellar weekend in Aiken aboard CDS Stables owned Lucifer De Flobecq (Archie). At only their third show together the pair brought home the champion ribbon in the Low Child/ Adult 1.00 meter jumper division. With 16 entries in the division a win in the first class and second place in the second class secured Sami the championship. Sami also took home an 8th place prize in the $500 Low Child/Adult jumper classic.

“Aiken was a blast! Great team mates and great weather! We took some young horses and Kali and Kelsi did a great job with them both. Anastasia rode Jojo amazingly and Archie was perfect as always! Overall a fabulous weekend!” commented Sami Cram.

Coach Peterson will travel with the show team next to Raleigh, North Carolina in February.

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

Hunter Seat Review 2011 - 2012

The fall 2012 History & Theory of Modern Riding class were tasked with following up on last year's publication of The St. Andrews Equestrian Program History 1969 - 2011by documenting the events of 2011 - 2012. I am now in the process of editing and laying out these papers to be shared as PDF files both printed and electronically. The paper below written by Tori Burkey tells a lot about the hunter seat program. I will have to do some serious editing to fit it into the 2 page format for electronic publication but wanted to share the entire paper in this forum.

The Hunter Seat Team
Fall 2011

 I asked St. Andrews University’s IHSA Hunt Seat Coach, Ashley Duda, what her first thoughts were of the new team and she states “I knew that with the combination of returners and freshmen, we would have a strong team.” With this being said, Coach Duda was right. In fall 2011 the St. Andrews Hunter Seat Team won three out of five shows finishing the fall season with a total of 200 points! The next two shows to take on were the Tournament of Champions. To show how dedicated our riders, coaches, and staff members are to the team and program, we went from thirteenth place out of twenty five in the beginning of December to the second show at the end of January with sixth place. That is a huge difference in a month’s period. Rob Jacobs became an instructor in the spring and I asked him what his thoughts were on the team. “I thought we had a very strong team who understood the importance of hard work and dedication it takes to be successful.”

Spring 2012

The spring semester was just as much of a success as the fall. There were two shows held in February, both hosted at St. Andrews. In an interview with Kali and Sami Cram (class of 2013) I asked them what was a high for the year for them. “High of the year was definitely our perfect scores at our last few shows last year. Ashley was amazing! She knew we could do it, believed in us and was an amazing coach!!!!” At both shows in February, we won. This left us with 298 points and first in the team standings. To give an insight on how Coach Duda would train the riders for the shows, she not only had us doing a ton of lunge work, jumping exercises, and no-stirrup work, but also made sure we understood all the feelings of the horse and working with the horse instead of making the horse work for you. Another strategy she taught the riders is to think of the ride as a job, and to break it down step by step. “Thinking, "I must walk in, pick up a canter, go past my rhythm, then settle in the rhythm, count 1-2, and make sure my horse is straight to each fence" is easier than worrying about how you are going to find all 8 jumps” states Coach Duda. At the end of the interview, Sami Cram added a statement, “She [Coach Duda] always told me "Go in there and do your job" She was always so good at getting into our heads and knowing our weaknesses and strengths and knowing that if someone told me it was my JOB I would go in there with no emotions and just ride.” Obviously, Coach Duda’s mental preparation approach worked.

At Regionals, the St. Andrews Hunt Seat Team won and moved on to Zones. We also had four individual riders, Katie Hansen, Kim Graves, Kayla McBath, and Allie McGraw, make it and continued on to Zones. Since we hosted the last show, we held the Regionals Award dinner at our facility. At this dinner many awards were given out. Four St. Andrews University members won awards that day. Heather Wile was awarded the Event Manager Award. She was the back bone of all the events that went on at our barn. She worked day in and day out to make sure everyone was informed and everything went as smooth as possible. The next award went to horse of the year. This award is chosen by all the coaches in the region for who they thought was the best and most consistent horse of the year. The Horse of the Year Award went to our very own, Pepi la Pew, also known as, Skunk. Coach of the Year Award also went to our very own, Ashley Duda. And finally, a Horse Care Award was given out. This was decided on who dedicated the most time to the horses and it was Sami Cram (class of 2013).

The next show to tackle, was Zones. When I asked Coach Duda if she thought we would make it to Nationals as a team she replied, “I knew we had the talent to make it… However, Zones is the toughest test throughout the season… we would have to work non-stop to be mentally and physically prepared…” Zones were held at Goucher College this year. For Coach Duda, one high of the year, “Zones! Winning reserve champion at zones (we were second to the host school, Goucher College) and qualifying for nationals was one of the best moments of my life.” St. Andrews University placed second. Allie McGraw placed first in Novice Over Fences. And Kayla McBath placed second in Intermediate Flat. Kim Graves placed fourth in Open Over Fences along with Katie Hansen with sixth in Open Over Fences. Up next, Nationals!

 This year, nationals were going to be a little special, St. Andrews University was going to be hosting it in Raleigh, NC in May. Since we were hosting, we had to bring a lot of horses. Everyone, whether on the team or not, worked hard and helped St. Andrews Hunt Seat Team make it to Nationals. Those that were not on the team helped in more ways than most of them even know. Students are placed in lessons with other students that are close together in skill level. So every lesson, the other members of the group, provided competition for each other to be better. The entire equestrian student body also helped because they rode the horses. They helped keep the horses clean and in shape throughout the year. This was a big deal since we had to provide a lot of the horses at Nationals.

 I asked Coach Duda what her concerns were at Nationals, “I was not concerned about our physical preparedness because we worked non-stop the entire year. However, I always was concerned that we would be mentally relaxed when it came time to walk into the ring. And, as always, the draw is always a concern! I would make many wishes that the draw would be in our favor!”

St. Andrews University Hunt Seat Team placed eight in the Nation.

 

Team
Shiloh Kozlowski -- Walk- Trot Equitation—4th
Miranda Wright – Walk-Trot- Canter Equitation – 6th
Kali Cram – Novice Equitation on the Flat – Honorable Mention
Sami Cram – Novice Equitation Over Fences – 9th
Sami Cram – Intermediate Equitation on the Flat – Honorable Mention
Kali Cram—Intermediate Equitation Over Fences – 4th
Katie Hansen – Open Equitation on the Flat – Honorable Mention
Katie Hansen – Open Equitation Over Fences – Honorable Mention

Individual
Allie McGraw – Novice Equitation Over Fences – Honorable Mention
Kayla McBath – Intermediate Equitation on the Flat – Honorable Mention
Katie Hansen – Open Equitation on the Flat – 7th

Tori (in pink) with the IHSA Team winning at home on the way to Zones & Nationals

Coach Ashley Duda with the Regional Championship Awards

The team with the Regional Championship Awards

The Team at Nationals

Finals Week is Over!

Yesterday was the last day of finals. I have been so impressed with the students in my classes. Stable Mgt. class did great on their final written exam which really tests their knowledge base. Basic Riding Instruction students showed lots of improvement in their teaching skills. Students in Basic Riding Instruction Lab. developed and refined the skills learned in the class with a full semester of teaching. The reviews I received from the students they taught were very positive with comments such as, “I’d love to continue riding with __________ as my instructor.”


The last two exams for my classes were Stable Mgt. Lab and Introduction to the Management of Equine Operations. The Lab is required to present one of the horses they have been caring for all semester in hand; groomed including braids or banding and super clean. This final was on Wednesday which happened to be a cold and miserable day. The poor weather did not stop the students from turning out their horses immaculately. Students who have never braided before did beautiful hunter braids, the bridles were clean and shiny and the horses looked amazing. Some of the retirees that were presented (Peter, Nick and Romo) had a new spring in their step as they were jogged up as part of the evaluation.

My final exam was back in the classroom where the Introduction to the Management of Equine Operations were doing oral presentations to two horse people who are clueless about business. Liz Dulski and I role played and were impressed by the depth of knowledge that the Therapeutic Horsemanship majors showed having only taken this one business class. They were very thorough covering everything from how to set up a business and manage liability to marketing and creative promotional ideas. The students obviously spent a lot of time preparing for their final and their hard work certainly paid off!

Peter clearly enjoying having his hair done by Tabby Russell

Count looking amazing with Amber Nocilo

Will and Kristen Randall banded and ready to go!

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.

IDA Show - Saturday Dec. 1st 2012

The weather on Saturday Dec, 1st was more than perfect. Carolina blue skies, and temperatures in the 70s. We could not have asked for a better day for our late semester IDA home show. Having struggled for most of the week with putting the horse groups together as fairly as possible, I was very pleased that the groupings we finally selected created as level a playing field as possible (given the fact that horses, are living breathing individuals with opinions of their own.)

The show ran like clockwork thanks to the many hours spent by Dressage Show Chair Claire Pollard and Team Captain and Coach Lindsey Agaliotis in organizing volunteers, tack, horses, practicing the team and troubleshooting problems as they arose. Carla helped with coaching during the day even though she had no voice due to the bug that seems to be making the rounds this fall.

The day started with eight rides at first level. Lindsey drew Corky for her ride and laid down a solid test to finish in second place. Abigail Skillman drew Jake who is easily rattled and had had a rather rough first ride. Abi did a great job of calming the worried horse and helping to restore his confidence.

In the upper training division Brianna Carter and Hannah Firth drew Danny and Beckett respectively who we borrowed from hunter seat. Danny requires tact and confidence while Beckett draws out the rider’s determination and resolve to maintain a forward gait. Brianna placed 3rd and Hannah 5th.

After lunch during which the ring was changed to the small arena, Freshman Megan Pustarfi had a super ride on Chico to finish in second place and Sarah Jones rode another hunter seat horse “Scot” to finish in 4th place.

The final division saw freshman Kristen Parker earn her second win of the year riding Socke, while sophomore Claire Pollard took second place on Gordon followed closely Logan Teeter also riding Gordon. Logan and two other riders were tied with 66.25% and the tie was broken by the judge giving Logan 4th place.

St. Andrews team A came out as the winners for the day with 15 points followed by Averett’s two teams with 12 points each.

This semester has been a true example of team work for the dressage team. I have to thank Carla, Rob and Lindsey for stepping in when I was out at the beginning of the semester. They have taught lessons, run team practice and coached at shows. I was really pleased with the way the team has pulled together to support one another in their riding as well as being on top of organizing the show. Just shows you what can be done when good people come together with a common mission in mind.

First Level Test 1
2nd Lindsey Agaliotis 67.93%

Training Level Test 2
3rd Brianna Carter 65%
5th Hannah Firth 62.85%

Introductory Level Test C
2nd Megan Pustarfi 69.5%
4th Sarah Jones 67.5%

Introductory Level Test B
1st Kristen Parker 68.125%
2nd Claire Pollard 66.875%
4th Logan Teeter 66. 25%

Team Results
1. St. Andrews Team A
2. Averett Team A
3. Averett Team B
4. Elon Team A
5. NCSU Team Red
6. St. Andrews Team B

Points to Date.
Averett 12
SAU 11
NCSU 8
Elon 7

Most of the team, a couple of them were taking care of horses. Thanks to Mrs. Teeter for the photo.

Minutes of Riding Council Meeting 11/27/12

Riding Council met last night. Equestrian Director Peggy McElveen had fun with door prizes and the meeting was well attended. Brittany Powell sent out the following report.

Saturday is our IDA show. Horse holders will be there for the entire division and there are four divisions.
**Keep an eye out for the list coming out sometime this week.

BARN CLEAN-UP--> Come out at sometime on Thursday or Friday and see Lindsey or a Barn Manager and they will tell you what to do.
Make sure to sign off after you have completed something.

Sunday is a head to head between Freshmen and Sophomore riders. Matt will give out more details on that.

FUNDRAISING
Rent-A-Rider in groups of two or three.
Possibly will pair up and upperclassman and an underclassman to work together.
Silent Auction where professors and students can bid on you.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if you are a Freshman or Sophomore that wants to do fundraising in the future let Shiloh and Tara know they need your help!!!!

Good Luck Final Grams!
-50 Cents per gram.
-Selling on Wednesday and they start going out on Monday.

RANK TESTING
-Sign up on board for Hunter Seat Riders.
-Request your horse
-Written can be taken Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of next week.
-Presentation due Friday.
If you have any questions refer to Moodle.
**Western talk with Carla, Dressage talk with Jackie.

Thursday at 7:30 of next week is the riding Holiday Party/ Ugly Sweater Party.

December 7th (Friday) is the Equestrian Stress Buster, like a Showing Under the Stars. An email will come out about it.

This is the last full week of lessons for everyone.

Winter Weather Will Not Stop Us!

The cold wet winter weather is not slowing us down! Kelsi left yesterday with seven horses and various students to head to Raleigh for the RMI Hunter Jumper Show. Students will be going to the show working around their class schedule as much as possible. This weekend Carla and the western IHSA team will be competing in Sanford Saturday and Sunday. They are helping out by bringing horses, so Matt will be going with Carla on Saturday and Pebbles on Sunday to drive the 15 passenger van and horse trailer. At home we have a general open  house which includes several families interested in the equestrian program. We are all busy and hoping the weather gives us a break over the weekend!

Oh yes! Last night our facebook page hit 5,000 “likes” quiet a milestone! We celebrated by awarding the 5,000 person with an SAU saddle pad. Next milestone is 10,000, help us out by spreading the word!

Great Weekend at Triangle Farms Horse Show

Report by Show Team Coach Kelsi Peterson.

The Triangle Farms 'C' show this weekend went really well! All the students rode very well against some of North Carolina's top horses and riders. I think it was a wonderful learning experience for all, and each student was rewarded for their efforts with great ribbons in competitive company. We took 6 horses to the show and 7 students: Kayla McBath, Catherine McDowell, Alexandra Fullerton, Keli Van Den Heuvel, Anastasia MacNaught, Kirsten Farley, and Rachaell Dockery.


Kirsten Farley was champion in two divisions, the Carolina Hunter and the Pre-child/adult Hunter, which had 25 competitors. She earned 3 first place ribbons, and many other top ribbons on St. Andrews' horse "Indigo Night".

Anastatsia MacNaught was reserve champion in the Carolina Hunter aboard St. Andrews' "Eastern Shore", and she and Rachaell (riding St. Andrews' "Dilkara") both earned top ribbons in the Pre-child/adult Hunter with 25-30 entries both days.

Keli aboard St. Andrews' "Onyx" and Kayla riding her own horse "Chancellor" both received excellent ribbons in the Adult Hunter with close to 30 competitors.

Catherine aboard her own "Ladies Man" received several ribbons in the Junior/Amateur Hunter in good company.

Alexandra rode St. Andrews' "Onyx" in the NCHJA Adult Medal Finals on Saturday night. She had one bobble in the course through a challenging rollback turn, but rode beautifully otherwise and came out of the ring with a big smile on her face, shining her consistently positive attitude. Qualifying for the Medal Finals takes a lot of work throughout the year, and Alexandra put a lot of effort into her riding to qualify and prepare for the class.

I look forward to continuing my work with the students in the equestrian program and helping them progress in their riding and overall horse knowledge, whether it's for pleasure or so they can be prepared when they graduate and go into the industry to find work.