Happenings at the barn since school started.

Staff Changes
Kellie Garrabrant has been promoted to Barn Manager for the entire facility. Kellie’s office is now in the Boarder barn, but she will be supervising horse care on both sides of the property.

Rachel Buckler SAPC 2010 has joined us as assistant barn manager working at the lesson barn. Since graduation Rachel has worked in Wisconsin with SAPC Alum Alison Koenig and at a teaching barn in Maryland. Rachel’s responsibilities include supervising the work study program.

Liz Dulski SAPC 2011 joins the staff as Barn Fellow. Liz works with Rachel at the lesson barn and also covers the Boarder/TH barns on Kellie’s day off. Liz will also be responsible for the community lesson program.

New Trailer
Exciting news Peggy and Dale picked up our brand new trailer yesterday. It is made by Gore in Whiteville, NC, six horse slant load with dressing room and it still has that new trailer smell!

Using Technology in the Classroom

Summer is winding down and the new school year right around the corner! Yippee! We get to meet lots of new people, reconnect with those that have been gone for the summer and start educating both in and out of the classroom.


For this fall I am going to experiment with technology in some of my classes. The goal is to help students use the ever evolving read/write web to further their education. I remember the days of coding “by hand” in HTML and navigating complicated FTP programs to publish to the web. Oh how things have changed!

Stable Management class will be interacting through a closed facebook group. The History and Theory of Modern Riding class will be making web videos of important theoretical concepts and Basic Riding Instructor Lab will be sharing information in a Wiki (History and Theory might end up there also.) I have some other ideas I am playing with which need a little more thought before sharing!

This is a really exciting time to be involved in education with so many free or low cost resources available to educators and students. The resources are really limited to your imagination!

Equestrian Program is now Twittering!

The Equestrian Program is now on Twitter! Follow us @StAndrewsEq

Horses Looking for Forever Homes

We are looking for homes for some of our horses. Some are retired, others are still working but are ready for a less hectic schedule and some are just not a good fit for our program but could be very useful in another setting. We are very selective about where our horses go when they leave SAPC and carefully screen anyone that is interested in giving a horse a forever home. If you are interested in learning more please send details of the type of horse you are looking for and the level of care you can provide to Jackie at dwellejm@sapc.edu.

Follow this link to see a listing of the horses.  Horses Looking for Forever Homes

Sarah Marsh's Therapeutic Horsemanship Story

by Sarah Marsh

I was first introduced to Therapeutic Riding as a freshman at St. Andrews when Liz walked up and said “You need to volunteer with the Therapeutic Riding Program.”


“Okay…what’s that?” Prior to coming to St. Andrews I had never been exposed to the world of Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies, but I was quickly hooked. There is something that happens in a therapeutic riding lesson that is just magic. There is no other way to explain it.

I continued to volunteer in the therapeutic riding program throughout my time at St Andrews, graduated with a degree in business, and headed off into the working world. Five years later I was burned out. Though I had the opportunity to work for a couple great companies and learned a lot professionally during this time, I also learned about myself personally. We spend so much time and energy at our jobs that for me, a paycheck wasn’t enough. I needed to work somewhere that fed my soul, not just my bank account.

A wise friend who is a professor at the University of New Hampshire gave me the advice to figure out when I was happiest, and see how I could make that work. I realized that when I was happiest was when I was volunteering, specifically when I was volunteering with Therapeutic Riding Programs. So I began to pursue certification, and after that things began happening quickly.

Once I committed to making this change, I jumped in with both feet. Four months after enrolling in the certification class at UNH, I had passed my registered instructors exam. I sent out a resume on a whim, more to gauge what areas I needed to improve to be an attractive candidate to future employers than with any expectation that I would be hired. Two weeks later I accepted a job offer from Sagebrush Equine Training Center for the Handicapped in Hailey, ID. Two weeks after that I was driving across country to a job and a state I’d never seen. A week after that I was teaching full-time, 28 lessons a week! My head still spins thinking about that.

The next two years were some of the richest of my life. I worked as an instructor, the Volunteer Coordinator, and Assistant Program Director for Sagebrush. We operated four days a week and had about 130 riders per session. I learned so much being fully submersed in working full-time at a therapeutic riding program, but the most important lessons I learned were from my students.

I could share countless stories of perseverance, determination, and overcoming overwhelming odds to succeed. I was blessed to cross paths with some truly amazing people and for a few short years, I got to be a part of their stories. I learned to appreciate every moment, because you never know when your life can completely change in the blink of an eye. I learned that no matter what happens you can always find something to be grateful for, no matter how small. I had never experienced anything so humbling in my life.

I was eager to give back to these participants for all that they had taught me, and how better to do so than by becoming the best instructor I could be. I began preparing for Advanced Certification. I sought out any educational experience I could to learn more about the disabilities I most commonly encountered, about general teaching and learning principles, and anything I felt would enrich the services I was able to provide to my students. But something was still missing.

In the summer of 2010, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Marty Clements, a PT who was preparing to get certified in hippotherapy. She was assisting in a lesson with an adult rider with Multiple Sclerosis I had been working with for two years. It was one of those lessons that while it was enjoyable and while we were achieving measurable goals and objectives, it still left me feeling like I wasn’t doing enough, like I was letting her down because I couldn’t do more. The first time I worked with Marty it clicked – this was what was missing! Though she had not been utilizing horses in a therapy setting for very long, Marty was able to draw upon her knowledge and experiences to quickly evaluate where some of the participants main challenges lay and come up with exercises incorporating the horse and horse’s movements to help her address some of these areas. This was what I needed to give back more, to give back better than I was. I realized with a better understanding of the human body, how it ideally works, and how to address issues that may arise when it’s not functioning in the ideal state, I could help not only physically involved riders, but also have better tools to assist able-bodied riders as well.

So here I am a year later. I have left behind a job, riders, and a place I loved to keep pursuing this dream of doing more, of giving back better. I have moved to Bozeman, MT in preparation to get my doctorate in Physical Therapy. I am a volunteer instructor at Eagle Mount here in Bozeman and have been accepted at Montana State in the pre-physical therapy program so I can complete the needed pre-requisites. My goal is to be accepted into the Physical Therapy program at the University of Montana for the fall of 2014. It will not be a short road or an easy one. I am working two jobs to save to go back to school for an education I hope to have completed six years from now. Had you asked me three years ago before I started this journey if this is where I would be, I would have laughed. But I it’s not about me. I am doing this for the Anns, the Lilis, the Zacs, the Reannas, and all those I haven’t met yet. I am doing this because I have a responsibility and a need to give back to those who have taught me so much, those who have made my life better.

It always amazes me to look back and see where this journey started. I had the opportunity recently to experience that journey come full circle when I traveled to High Hopes in Connecticut for Advanced Instructor Certification. It was very special to me to get to see Liz again now that she is the Program Director at High Hopes. She started it all ten years ago by recruiting me to volunteer in the program at St. Andrews. Adding to the uniqueness of that moment was the fact that one of my evaluators was Lorrie Renker, the founder of the Therapeutic Horsemanship program at St Andrews. So in a long and round-about way, I owe this all to the Equine Program at St Andrews. You never know where donating an hour a week will lead…

Equine Business Internships

Laurinburg, N.C. – The Equine Business Management program at St. Andrews offers students hands-on experiences in both the equestrian and business aspects.


The ideal scenario of hands-on training was obtained this past spring when six Equine Business Majors tackled seven local internships.

Amber Powell, Erica Hill and Karen Gruninger did equine specific internships off campus in three diverse areas of the industry.

"I got to do a little bit of everything and they were very good about getting me involved,” said Powell of her internship with Gene Parker Farms, LLC, a breeding and showing facility in Orrum. “The value of this internship was that getting up at 5 a.m. is exhausting and it is a long day with hard work but the experience was priceless."

Powell felt so prepared by the experience that she has no doubt that she could move to another facility and step in.

"I learned how to do each of the processes and I feel like I could go to any breeding farm and step in right away,” she said. “This is how a business should be run. I also learned how crucial it is to get prepared and try to stay a step ahead. I would love to find a job somewhere like that."

Hill had a similarly successful at The T3 Ranch in Laurinburg.

"It was a great environment for me,” Hill said. “I thrived in the family atmosphere. It allowed for the refining of my skills and to refocus my steps for progression. It was not what I expected, and I had to do a 180 on my thinking.

“The learning here at St. Andrews forced me to partner with the horse and I took that to this internship,” she added. “I got the ranch on the track of education that moved them from a raw material location to a show level facility."

Gruninger worked with Carolina Horse Park in Raeford as well as doing an internship with the St. Andrews Equestrian Center as well.

"On schooling days at the Carolina Horse Park, I was in charge of theses events and collected paperwork and money, raised jumps in the ring and designing courses for some of the show,” Gruninger said. “I helped with the Southern Pines Horse Trials I and II. The first was for 300 local riders and the second is the first stop for the pro-rider tour with Olympic riders.”

Gruninger was able to network with those Olympic riders and others knowledgeable of the ins and outs of equestrian events.

"I did the administrative work that I hadn't ever experienced before,” she said. “I realized the value of teamwork. It was different knowing that no matter what, if something needed to get done, whether it was your normal skill set or not, we had to get it done. Organizing events I realized how important it was to do things but you hold on until the end. There is only so much you can do once the day arrives."

This helped Gruninger in her work with the St. Andrews Equestrian ANRC program.

“It included event entry, cleaning out the trailer, packing, and going down early for the ANRC to set up the barn so the horses could come straight off the trailer and go into the barn,” Gruninger said. "I learned the importance of effective communication before, during and after the events. I also learned about event entries. I have done my own entries before, but getting an entire barn together was definitely a learning experience."

Equestrian Program Director Peggy McElveen was highly impressed with Gruninger’s work.

“She has worked 12 – 14 hour days and done a fantastic job,” McElveen said. “She was the backbone of the team, planning horse feedings around competitive ride times, getting all the barn management done on time and knowing the rules of the competition to make sure everyone was in compliance. She was fabulous.”

Despite the success, Gruninger already knew that it is not the full-time direction for her future.

"I enjoy going to shows but it is not a full-time career choice for me,” she said. “I always knew what I wanted to do but one of the things I like about this program is getting to see all the facets of barn management."

Jenn Callahan also spent the semester working with the St. Andrews Equestrian Center events coordination, with hers specifically focusing on hunter seat clinics.

“I worked with the Scot Evans clinic with the ANRC team and the Sarah Good clinic helped prepare for the IHSA Zones," Callahan said. "I learned about the importance of organizing, scheduling, researching and promotion."

Through working with the other students and the staff with the events, Callahan saw an added value of the experience.

"I realized that you are never done learning,” she said. “A clinician can change one thing and the light bulb goes off."

Allison Brewer and Marissa Romaniello had parallel internships focused on publicizing the St. Andrews Equestrian Program to the world through web and social media outlets.

"My internship was to work around the equestrian website in the St. Andrews Communications Office,” said Brewer. "I learned the importance of strong communication, especially when you are working with someone. I did a lot of research and had to determine the most reliable sources because there are so many ideas out there. Time management was another key lesson and I realized this is something I need to improve on."

While Brewer was focused specifically on the website and video, Romaniello worked on the social media promotions more directly attached to the Equestrian center.

"I worked in marketing with a specific focus on social media,” Romaniello said. “We had a blank slate as this position was created for me. We started with a survey to determine where we should focus. "We created a schedule to provide our fans to get a taste of what we do here and we hope to get more participation in the future,” she continued.

Reposted from http://www.sapc.edu/PDF/2011/062011tebusinesinterns.php

Light Bulb Moments For Me!

I had two interesting rides today. I decided to ride Holly western to work on position. Carla has been riding her and she is a little more tuned up. Steering seems to be my greatest challenge as you really have to ride off of your seat and leg and not rely on your hands which I obviously do too much! So I spent most of my time practicing riding circles, squares and straight lines trying really hard to get Holly to go where I wanted without using the rein. A good self taught lesson for me, boring for Holly.


Astaire was my next teacher. He has had a couple of days off so I was excited to try out what Kris helped me with on Tuesday. Wow! What a difference! When I expected that every step be supple, balanced and connected and when I rode in self-carriage, I was able to sit the trot and perform balanced transitions. I realized that I had been allowing Astaire to be lazy with his work. Raising the bar really helped as I was able to ride him in a more connected frame which helped him balance more on his hind legs and not tip onto his forehand. Light bulb day for me! Looking forward to practicing my skills on Jake and Astaire tomorrow.

Relative Elevation!

Carla, Megan and I had a great lesson with Kris Hamilton today. Kris started out talking about relative elevation meaning putting the horse in a suitable frame for its training, conformation and age. We had a mixed group of horses Wind Song, (new dressage horse schooled to 4th level) Big John and Jake which really illustrated varying degrees of contact and frame for the small audience of barn workers and staff. Kris talked about suppleness and balance EVERY step. We were not allowed to accept poor quality, rushed, tense, not forward or tripping steps at any gait. This required us to be in self carriage ourselves, engaging our core muscles and using the lightest aids possible. Nagging was not permitted the softest touch was required and the cliché that Carla and I have been talking about for the last few days “less is more” again seemed so true!


All the horses were great. Carla and Wind Song did some lovely shoulder in, haunches in and half pass. Kris had Megan canter John around 3 or 4 times counting her strides and only using her leg on the 4th step. This was a great exercise for both of them and Megan soon had John cantering without his little bucky hop that he likes to do. Kris focused on my position which was exactly what I needed reminding about the importance of connection, keeping my hands connected to the horse’s mouth and showing me when my hip was not following enough causing my body to rock or twist. Very helpful, I am sitting up better since I started seriously riding again so the next step for me is to improve my balance so I can follow the horse at any gait, and not ride with reins that are too long and a dropped contact!

Follow up blood and urinalysis for Max

I am happy to report that Max’s kidney enzymes are back in the normal range indicating that his kidneys are functioning well. The previous levels were most likely due to the insult from the bladder stone. Urinalysis indicated that the inflammation was greatly reduced and cystitis resolved at least for the time being. After talking with Max’s Doctors and reading about the suggested procedure in veterinary texts I am going to hold off on having the second stone removed at least for now. It is encysted in the bladder wall so the greatest risk is from it getting larger. The last urine sample contained a lot of calcium carbonate crystals which are the building blocks of Max’s particular stone. Max will start on Vitamin C (30 grams) which may make his urine more acidic. Equine urine is alkali and contains a lot of calcium. The pH and the high calcium content set up conditions for crystal and therefore stone formation. Lowering the pH should help reduce the growth of the existing stone or the formation of additional stones.


Stone formation in horses is not all that common, researchers believe that the mucus produced by the kidneys protects against crystal formation. One article which really helped my understanding of the condition, symptoms and treatments came from Compendium Equine: Continuing Education for Veterinarians® it also has a couple of great pictures of a bladder stone both inside and outside of the body.

At this point I feel good about taking a conservative approach, Max’s Doctor at the vet school felt that body condition, appetite and overall condition would be good indicators of increased cystitis or movement of the stone. I may choose to do a follow up urinalysis in a month to see if the Vitamin C changed to pH, but if all goes well we will follow up every 6 months with blood and urine analysis.

So Max is hanging out with his friends at the Equestrian Center for the summer which makes us both happy!

Summer is my time to ride!

Max seems to be doing well, pretty much demanding attention at every opportunity. So today he was very happy that I needed to collect a urine sample which caused me to hang out with him for quite a while. He was not so keen on the blood sample being taken! These samples will be evaluated prior to him coming off the antibiotics and analgesic drugs in a day or two.


I am having a good time riding this summer. I usually have a project horse to play with over the summer break which I thoroughly enjoy spending the time doing ground work, earning their trust and usually spending a lot of time on elementary control and communication under saddle. This year I have two really nice, well trained horses to ride - Jake and Astaire. This is allowing me to work on myself for a change. Both of these horses give great feedback when you don’t do things right. I tend to tip forward and this just puts them on their forehand. I am finding that it takes quite a bit of core strength to maintain a good position with an open hip angle. Astaire really challenges riders as his trot is very bouncy even when he lifts and softens his back. Jake’s challenges are different, he looks to his rider for confidence and does his best work when he is ridden forward and confidently. Both these horses make you want to ride well to show them off which is a real treat for me! We are still spending a lot of time on the basics, relaxation, rhythm, suppleness etc. It is really fun to feel the partnership that is possible with a horse that has been well trained and knows his job when the slightest cue from your seat can create a balanced canter or a smooth leg yield.

Max continues to improve

Max continues to do well, he was very “tucked up” when he returned from the vet school but now looks like his round self again. He still drips a little urine when he exerts himself (like today when he decided he was tired of standing on three legs while Chad worked on the other one) but the amount is minimal and I did not need to wash his legs down this morning which is the first time since I bought him home.


So I had thought until now that Max had a low pain tolerance and was basically a wimp. This was based on his strong reactions to needles in any form for shots or to stitch up injuries. He has been known to strike with his front legs at the thought of a needle and has in the past tried to squish people against walls if they were trying to do anything that was the least bit uncomfortable. After the way he put up with the pain of a bladder stone and how he was so patient with the vets in Raleigh I have to change my opinion! I think that perhaps he has a high pain tolerance (no pain symptoms at all when he was passing the stone!) and that his behavior was learnt at some point in his life due to the way he was treated. He has a disfigured nostril which must have been quite dramatic when it occurred and would have required some kind of medical attention. So this incident has been enlightening and once again affirms the need to educate people how to handle horses so that a horse like Max, who only wants to please, does not develop dangerous behaviors because he was misunderstood and most likely mistreated at some point in his life.

Max is brighter today

Max is doing better today. NCSU called yesterday to check on him and wanted to make sure he was urinating OK. Well that can be pretty hard to monitor unless you actually just hang out with him for a few hours. So of course that is what I did today until he decided he was ready to pee. In the meantime he was pretty convinced that I should be grooming, grazing or otherwise entertaining him. Even putting a fresh bag of shavings in his stall had little effect. He really is much brighter today and was very interested in everything and everyone which is his normal behavior. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he will continue to improve.

Max Update

Tuesday’s blood work still showed signs of possible kidney failure and an ultra sound of the right kidney showed an increase in accumulated fluid. I believe the left kidney is was still too deep in the body cavity to be assessed. Given this news and after discussion with Max’s Doctor, we decided the best plan was to bring Max home and monitor his progress to see if this is a chronic condition (which is a possibility), Max’s norm or something that will improve or worsen over time.


I left early Wed morning to get to the Vet school by nine so that Max could travel when it was relatively cool (of course it was super hot yesterday). Discharge was pretty quick and his student and Doctor were very helpful answering my multiple questions and making sure I understood the care he needed when he got home. Rising sophomore Alexandra Fullerton was also at the Vet school doing an externship which was great as she kept Max supplied with apples during his stay.

We made it back to the Burg in time for Max to settle before I was scheduled to present the summary of my trip to the NAEAA conference to the equestrian staff, administrators and business faculty. After our brown bag lunch I was able to clean Max up and observe that he was pretty much back to normal. He came home on SMZs for the urinary tract infection, and Phenazopyridine which is an analgesic drug to help him feel more comfortable. One side effect of this drug is that it turns the urine bright yellow and everything the medication touches turn yellow including Kellie’s hands and Max’s teeth and tongue. Max’s student from the Vet school called me today to let me know the urinary culture came back and the SMZ’s should take care of the infection.

So Max is home, eating, begging for treats and acting pretty normal. The plan is to reassess his blood and urine before he comes off of his meds in a couple of weeks. The elevated kidney enzymes in his blood are an indication of kidney failure which maybe chronic and progressive and which has a poor prognosis. In the meantime the barn staff will be extra vigilant for any changes and Max will enjoy being spoiled more than normal – if that is possible.

Max is spending a few days at the vet school

My dear partner Max is currently at the NCSU Veterinary School recovering from a painful condition. Over the weekend we noticed that he was dribbling a little urine just a drip, drip, drip type of thing but all the same not normal. Monday morning his urethra was swollen and extended. Veterinary investigation revealed a stone the size of a grape which had travelled down his urethra and was blocking the normal flow of urine. Once this was extracted (poor Max he was a superstar throughout this whole episode) they were able to drain his bladder with a stallion catheter.


Max was referred to the Vet school for further diagnostics to establish if this stone was the lone ranger or if there were others. The Vets and students at NCSU were fabulous and very efficient. They scoped his urethra and bladder using a color camera which was pretty cool to see. The procedure took quite a long time as they wanted to flush some of the accumulated “sludge” out of his bladder as well as evaluate if the flow of urine into the bladder was normal. Although there was significant swelling and trauma the general consensus was that things were relatively normal. They did however find a second stone which looks pretty sizable on the scope. They said it was difficult to attain an accurate measurement of its size.

The Vets followed up with kidney ultrasounds and blood work looking for abnormalities. Although, there were a few abnormal indicators they felt that these were likely caused by the stress of the day. Having listened to the options I decided that Max should remain at the Vet school and provided today’s blood work comes back normal (they are primarily concerned with kidney damage) he will have a standing procedure on Friday to remove that second stone and clean/flush his bladder. The Doctor assured me that the surgery is pretty easy on horses with of course the usual risks associated with this type of medical procedure. At 27 years of age I wanted to be sure that Max does not have to endure too much to fix the problem.

He was on fluids last night and was urinating during the night, which is a good sign. His appetite is good and he appears to be in good shape considering what he has been through.

So keep Max in your thoughts, although he is 27 years old he is in great physical shape and my hope is that he will be able to return to a normal horse life once he recovers.

Faculty Development by Jackie Dwelle

Faculty development comes in many formats. Continuing education is certainly one of them! This morning Pebbles and I had the privilege of riding western with our colleague Carla Wennburg. For me it was a great experience for many reasons. First I am from England and never had the opportunity to ride western growing up, second as the dressage coach I have seen how riding western has helped my team riders and I wanted to experience it for myself and finally I love learning new things and finding out how they work. Of course as with anything new there is a learning curve from how to secure the cinch, to correct leading procedures to the fact that the horses are a lot shorter and you just mount from the ground. (Yes, I led little Holly, up to the giant TH mounting block causing much hilarity from my colleagues.)


So where did we start? With elementary control of course! Two hands, ask the horse to go to the bridle and then ask it to carry itself. (This is how I started with Holly with Carla saying, “just ride like you ride dressage.” Pebbles rode Harley with less contact.) Once I figured out not to hurry the jog (dressage makes you want to ride forward) then I was able to stop and steer very easily. Holly was very responsive to the voice when it came to stopping! Loping was the next thing and I had to really concentrate on being tall through my upper body. Canter to halt easy! We have to get better at those downward transitions in dressage. Carla showed us how to spin the horses and then had us finish up riding squares. It was fabulous!

So I had to try out some of this on the dressage horses and it was Jake’s turn today. We have been working on transitions within the gaits and he was amazing, going softly into the bridle and seeking contact which he has been a little tentative about lately. His canter was relaxed and adjustable and his halts improved as I remembered that when you train the voice is a VERY useful aid. It probably did not hurt that I rode with a more open hip angle and focused on using my outside aids to turn.

Looking forward to riding more western this summer - Thank you Carla!

NCDCTA Dressage Symposium

I drove to North Start Training Center in Chapel Hill on Saturday, stopped the car, got out and wondered what that noise was. The 13 year cicadas are in full voice in that part of the state and they spent the day dive bombing us and landing on everything. The sound they make is incredible!

Henk van Bergen did a magnificent job both talking over the cicadas and sharing his training concepts. The symposium’s title was “Achieving Throughness” which as Henk explained is not one concept but a combination of many. Henk also shared many insights and much wisdom with a very appreciative audience. For me it was another opportunity to affirm that the training scale is the correct approach to progressing dressage horses through the levels.

After a brief introduction Henk explained the importance of the warm up with horses at all levels. “The horse must be in front of the rider’s leg and there must be contact with the reins. It is the combination of responsiveness to the leg aid and the feeling with the hands that creates balance.” Henk went on to explain the importance of the warm as a diagnostic for the training session. “The warm up should be as short as possible and as long as necessary. The rider must look for that feeling from the horse that he is ready to work. Once you have control of the rhythm and the body position by influencing the neck through the reins you have balance, then you can teach whatever you like.”

Henk is a strong believer in the use of transitions to develop the horse. He calls the gaits the building blocks and the transitions the cement between the blocks. “Transitions increase the strength in the hind leg” he said. He asked each demonstration rider no matter what level they were riding to start with transitions within the gaits before doing transitions between the gaits. “If you practice transitions between the gaits before the horse is supple you create tension. Practicing transitions within the gait also reduces anticipation and loss of balance. You reward by allowing the horse to change gaits when he is balanced and soft.”

For the warm up Henk wanted each horse to demonstrate a relaxed, forward stretch at the trot. The riders were instructed to maintain contact in the stretch and not allow the horse to lower his head much below the point of the shoulder as this tips the horse on the forehand and blocks the shoulder. “Horses that are unwilling to stretch are often scared or not trusting. You cannot have relaxation with tension so using artificial aids to tie their head down just does not work they must be relaxed through their back.” Henk said, “Stretching allows the hind leg to step under the body. When you take a break allow the horse total freedom of his neck but maintain the activity of the walk. When the break is over the only thing you need to reestablish is the contact.” Henk advised not to ask for more energy and power than the horse’s level of relaxation can handle. He observed that horse’s that are fussy in the mouth are showing us that there is a problem behind the saddle often related to the hind leg not being sufficiently active.

Henk had thoughts on sitting the trot. He observed that it is difficult to sit the trot if the horse is not using its back correctly. “It is not good for the horse or the rider” he said. “Once the back is relaxed sitting trot becomes a lot easier, sitting trot without stirrups can be bone jarring for horse and rider unless the horse is using his back correctly.”


Henk cautioned riders to be very aware of what their horses were communicating with them. “You can be firm with a horse if he understands the meaning of the aids. If he does not understand or does not want to his reaction is very similar, but the rider’s reaction would be very different in each case.” Henk used the image of someone typing to illustrate how the aids must be applied one at a time to make sense to the horse. “An accomplished typist appears to be using multiple keys at one time but in reality they are only using one key at a time. That is how it must be when we ride - one aid at a time.”


Development through the levels was illustrated by each demonstration rider being a level higher than the previous one. Henk said that development can be very slow and likened it to grass growing. “You don’t see the grass grow but every Saturday people are out there cutting it” he said. “As the horse develops his balance improves. It is like someone learning to walk a tight rope. Initially, he uses his arms a lot for balance and his body may waiver. The accomplished rope walker can walk the rope with his hands down.” As Henk explained this he demonstrated the concept much to the delight of the crowd. “Transitions improve balance, but there is a fine line between not doing enough and doing too much” Henk said. “There is also a fine line between good training and abuse!”

Throughout the day, Henk shared his ideas on teaching and coaching. He advised instructors to identify what a horse and rider combination can do well. “The horse maybe capable of FEI work but this is only possible if the rider is educated too” he said. “We must find what the pair can do together.” Henk also observed that breeders are producing horses that are built for dressage who can often compensate for the rider’s lack of feel. On the flip side he also noted that these well bred horses often have temperaments that are more difficult to deal with.

Henk noted that it is important for riders to enjoy the level they are at and enjoy the process. He suggested that the teacher is a translator for the horse and helps the student to understand the feedback the horse is giving him. Personally, I really liked this and it makes a strong case for instructors to be active riders whenever possible. “The good teacher does not give too much information at once” said Henk. “The teacher selects which mistakes impede progress and development the most and works on these first. It is not even necessary to mention the other problems that are going on until the student understands the concepts you are trying to teach.”

I was impressed by Henk’s approach to training. He understands horses and is practical pointing out that not every horse is built for dressage and that riders need to recognize this if they plan to work their way up the levels. His training philosophy reflects the training scale and he did a magnificent job of explaining why the training scale works and how to use it in the development of the dressage horse.

Now about those cicadas – they kept up their noise all day, I guess if you only emerge every thirteen years you have a reason to celebrate!

Expanding our Capabilities

With the horses almost ready for summer camp, the tack packed and the decision as to which horse goes to which camp made, we finally have time to develop some new skills or brush up on some old ones! For me this includes making my riding a priority. I am riding every day which is a big change from when school was in session and I was lucky if I got to feed Max an apple each day!

In the office I am working on integrating our social media to make it work together as much as possible and trying to keep up with this ever changing medium. Don't laugh, but it has taken me quite a while to figure out how to embed YouTube videos into facebook and the blog. I am so proud of the achievement that I'm using this post as a practice. If you  have not seen Max's Guided Tour of the SAPC Equestrian Center take a look now. Max has shot more footage for his future videos and is waiting for his editor to piece it together. Next up Max's Guided Tour of the Ride-Like-A-Knight Therapeutic Horsemanship Program.

Where Did They Go?

Saturday May 7th, we said goodbye to 120 seniors as they take the next step forward in the journey that is their life. They are all special people with strong connections at St. Andrews having survived four years with the cloud of accreditation issues hanging over their heads. Many of them came to St Andrews because of the Equestrian program and have spent four years riding horses, organizing horse shows, participating in horse shows, volunteering for Therapeutic Horsemanship, participating in non equine activities such as choir or theater and fitting in some study time to earn a degree in Business Administration, Biology, Psychology, or Sport and Recreation.

The Therapeutic Horsemanship (TH) majors are headed into a TH or an equine related job. Kathryn Sorgenfrei will be joining December graduate Laura Dyer at Heads Up! Therapeutic Riding Center in Pittsboro NC. Heads up! is a NARHA premier accredited center. Laura and Kate will be working to build the program. Fiona Lindsey Delfino is going to Florida to serve as Director of Horses Helping People (HOPE) in Archer, Florida. “I am so excited,” said Fi “I found this job doing research for my equine business management project. I called them up and it has turned out to be a perfect fit. It is 20 minutes from my Dad’s house and as I turned in the driveway I just had a great feeling about the facility and after I met everyone I felt even better about it.” Liz Dulski is taking her considerable teaching skills to Camp Seafarer in Arapahoe, NC. The campers are lucky to have such a talented teacher on the staff. All these graduates were student leaders in the Ride-Like-A-Knight Therapeutic Riding program as well as participating in other campus activities.

Students in the Business Administration program some doing straight business and some with a Specialization in Equine Business Management are headed in several different directions. Audrey Bolte is serving as Equestrian Director with Rockbrook Camp for Girls in Brevard, NC. St. Andrews sends several horses to this camp which Audrey will be responsible for as well as running the equestrian part of the camp. Audrey’s good friend Audrey Hayden is taking a different path she is going to work for EMO Equine Insurance Agency in Warrenton, VA. “I already sent them a new customer,” said Audrey, “Bri bought a new horse and needed insurance. I was able to refer her to EMO.” Both Audreys contributed a lot to the equestrian program, serving as Riding Council Officers riding on the ANRC and IHSA teams and both are very tall! Amanda Ligouri accepted a position as barn manager at Stepping Stone farm in Andover, NJ. “It is fairly close to my home and is exactly what I was looking for out of college.” said Amanda. “I can't believe that four years have gone by so fast, but they will never be forgotten, that's for sure. “ Amanda was a member of the IHSA hunter seat team and spent many hours at the barn taking care of the horses.

Jesse Elliot and Kate Hollingsworth chose to get “regular” jobs to support their horse habit. Jesse has been offered a job as Marketing Assistant for Atlantic Seaboard Corporation in Wilmington, NC and Kate has accepted a position at Stage Stores as an Executive Trainee in South Hill, VA. After training Kate will become a store manager.

Kelsey Moody who served as Riding Council President and a team leader for the western team studied psychology at St. Andrews. Kelsey came to school with considerable equestrian experience and has been a motivator and supporter of her team mates and fellow equestrians. During her time at school Kelsey rode on the IHSA western and hunter seat teams and would do Reining demonstrations at various events sometimes bridle less! Kelsey has accepted a job with the Children’s Special Services for occupational therapy in Atlanta, GA. Her plans also include going to Brenau University’s graduate school to pursue a masters in occupational therapy.

Marisa Hughes who graduated with honors with a degree in Biology with a Specialization in Equine Science has a job as a veterinary assistant at Crofton Veterinary Center in Maryland. “I need to do the small animal stuff as well as the horses to get into Vet school so this is a great job for me.” Marisa rode on both the hunter seat and western IHSA teams at St. Andrews.

Philip Ratchford is not going anywhere. He graduated with a degree in Sport and Recreation Studies and has been hired by St. Andrews to serve in Sports Information. Phil was an officer of the Therapeutic Horsemanship club, rode western, sang in the choir, performed in college productions, assisted with scoring at college games and just like all the students in this article was active in supporting his peers in all their endeavors both on and off a horse.

The End of the Academic Year

Wow! Have we had a busy weekend with the IHSA hunter seat team and western individuals in Kentucky at Nationals, Baccalaureate Friday and Commencement Saturday. Half the staff travelled to the Kentucky Horse Park to either coach or learn how to run the National Championships that we will be hosting next year for Zone 4 Region 3. (The region is the actual host, but I am pretty sure SAPC is going to do the majority of the work!) At home the rest of us pulled together to take care of the horses, attend the end of year ceremonies and honor our graduates with a lunch in the party palace (also known as the TH indoor arena).


So IHSA first, a great weekend for Coach Duda and the hunter seat team. Early results had the team in 2nd place. After three days of competition the team placed 7th overall. A great achievement for the first time SAPC has sent a hunter seat team to the National Championships. Contributing to team points were Sami Cram in novice over fences in 5th place and intermediate flat 4th place, and Jen Callahan novice on the flat 4th.

Senior Rob Jacobs represented SAPC extremely well in the USEF/Cacchione Cup which is awarded to the National Individual Hunter Seat High Point Rider. After the first over fences phase Rob was in sixth place. During the flat phase he moved up to third place and held onto that placing following a ride off. Only 1.5 points separated the top three riders. What a great way to end a college career!

Saturday afternoon the four seniors dressed in blue gowns and hats participated in their own graduation ceremony conducted by program director Peggy McElveen. Missing graduation at SAPC is a sacrifice and Peggy made sure the seniors were recognized for their academic achievements. During graduation at SAPC Dean Hopkins made special mention of the seniors that were competing at IHSA.

Sunday our two individuals for western took the stage and both ended up as Reserve National Champions in their divisions! Brittany Powell in Intermediate Horsemanship and Leah Davison in Walk/Jog. Leah’s family was on hand to celebrate with her and handed her the keys to a new F150 as a graduation gift!

Speaking of graduation, SAPC does a terrific job with one of the prettiest graduation ceremonies anywhere. The pipe band leads the faculty, trustees and graduates across the cause walk to the library terrace for the ceremony. It is a great photo opportunity for parents and friends. Several times the graduating class was recognized for their courage to stick with SAPC during the tough times with our accrediting agency SACS. This class were freshmen when the dispute began and have stuck with the school for their entire college career. With the partnership with Webber International moving forward the classes’ commitment has paid off for both the graduates and the school.

Alexandra Hartner was remembered by her classmate Dani Buchanan during the ceremony. Alex was tragically killed in a car accident in January of 2008. Alex was at SAPC for a short time but she is greatly missed by all who knew her.

As is our tradition the Equestrian staff hosted lunch for the graduates and their families. About 100 people joined us in the party palace for some home made goodies and an opportunity to wind down after the earlier formalities. Family members also have an opportunity to see the equestrian center as many grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings have never visited. Graduation is always bitter sweet. We don’t want to see our friends move on but at the same time we are proud of their accomplishments and know they will go out into the world as servant leaders to give back to the greater community.

Rob Jacobs, 3rd in the USEF/Cacchione Cup

Seniors Audrey Bolte, Jen Callahan, Leah Davison & Rob Jacobs

Leah with her parents and Reserve Champion Ribbon

Graduation at SAPC, crossing the Cause Walk

Congratulations Lindsey Agaliotis 6th in Nation at Upper Training!

The University of Florida hosted the IDA National Championships at Canterbury Show Place in Newberry, Florida April 30 – May 1.


Lindsey Agaliotis represented St. Andrews in the Upper Training division riding test 3. “Lindsey is a great student and takes her horsemanship very seriously” said coach Jackie Dwelle. “On Saturday, she watched every horse go, recorded all of the scores and talked to as many people as possible to learn as much as she could about the horses she could potentially draw. The individual draw was on Sunday at 7:00 a.m. and right after the draw she was talking to riders that rode the horse the day before and found a local person who knew the horse well. By the time she got on the horse we had a game plan and strategy for our 10 minute warm up.” Dwelle continued, “In my opinion she achieved her goal of showing off the horse to the best of his ability. The horse could be tense and a little stiff. During the warm up Lindsey worked on stretching and transitions to relax and supple him. During her test she said he felt a little less relaxed but I did not see that.”

Lindsey placed 6th overall with a score of 63%, the horse she rode placed 12th with his second rider. “We were all very please with this result” said Dwelle. “Lindsey’s parents were there the entire weekend and could not have been more supportive. They pitched in to help wherever we needed it, putting up banners and organizing the awards presentation on Saturday. They were fantastic, I’m so grateful for their help and support.”

Unlike previous hosts the University of Florida does not have a large equestrian program. The Gators ride with their coach Bridgette Boland at her home in Newberry. Bridgette, nine very dedicated University of Florida students, and some wonderful volunteers planned and organized the show. Bridgette’s clients and friends very kindly lent their horses and served as parade riders and horse handlers. “I was amazed at how organized the show was” said Dwelle “I thought Bridgette was crazy when she offered to host last year, but I was so impressed with the organization of the show and how everyone worked together so well.”

Dwelle coaches the St. Andrews Dressage Team and serves as National Secretary and Treasurer for the IDA and also is filling in as the web liaison.

Lindsey on the Equisense horse

Lindsey and Coach Dwelle

Joanne Agaliotis, Lanier Cordell and Lindsey helping set up the Awards Presentation

Lindsey with parents Bobby and Joanne