2012 IDA National Championships

The dressage team returned from Centenary College in New Jersey late last night from the IDA National Championships. The team arrived in New Jersey Thursday evening after a day of driving. Delaware Valley and Cazenovia College also contributed to the horse pool and on Friday morning the team observed all the horses being ridden for the horse selection committee who designate the groupings of horses. Videos were taken of all the horses for scrutiny after the horse draw. Friday afternoon was an opportunity  to visit the Beval tack store to shop for some bargains.

The IDA annual meeting and horse draw took place at the host hotel that evening and the team was excited to draw horse group C. After business and dinner everyone was entertained by a hypnotist who very tastefully provided an excellent distraction from the gradually building tension of the competition.

Saturday was an early start with the parade of horses at 7:30 followed by the Opening Ceremonies. First level rider Lindsey Agaliotis had the third ride on her horse and had the opportunity of observing his first two tests before mounting. Lindsey rode a solid test ending with an average score from the two judges of 69.05%.

Next up was Lauren Parker for St. Andrews who had the second ride on her horse. Lauren rode more conservatively than Lindsey for an average score of 66.6%. Paige Tillison drew the first ride on her horse turning in an average score of 63.85%. Last to ride for St. Andrews was Jenna Marten who was also the last ride of the day. Jenna rode beautifully to earn a score of 72.81%.

The competition is followed by a parade of teams for the presentation of prizes. Lindsey, Lauren and Paige all knew their placings within their divisions but Jenna’s division was not posted prior to the awards ceremony so the tension built. The individual placings were awarded with Lindsey placing 7^th, Lauren 12^th and Paige 10^th. The introductory level division started with the lower placings and the St. Andrews group became more and more excited as they were counted down. Finally Jenna’s name was called for 2^nd place! We found out later that she was reserve high point champion for team day which earned her another ribbon and additional prizes! There is no drop score at Nationals so at the end of the day St. Andrews had 21 points earning them 7^th place. “Mission accomplished,” said Coach Dwelle, “our goal was 7^th or better!”

Sunday’s individual competition started early and the only rider that qualified as an individual was Lindsey Agaliotis riding at first level. Lindsey drew an F.E.I level horse which was 17.2 hands and massive. She was also the first ride on the horse. Her warm up went well but Lindsey who is just 5’2” and had never ridden a horse trained to this level had a difficult time with the large horse in the competitive arena when he became distracted and spooky. Lindsey kept her composure through what was a very frustrating ride.  The experience was another reminder of how humbling horses can be. “I was very disappointed for Lindsey,” said Coach Dwelle, “she has never ridden a horse trained to that level and in the 10 minutes of warm up it is very difficult to learn how to do that. Lindsey handled the situation with exceptional grace and I am very proud of how she represented us in what was an extremely trying situation. Had she drawn any of the other horses she would have had a much stronger ride, but that is horses for you, they can be very humbling and you have to be prepared to be dealt that card once in a while. Lindsey showed yesterday how well she can ride, I am very proud of her and all the team members they were wonderful ambassadors for St.Andrews.”

Coach Jackie Dwelle, Lauren Parker, Paige Tillison, Lindsey Agaliotis and Jenna Marten.

Such an exciting time to be at St. Andrews!

The ANRC team placed 4th at Centenary College in New Jersey competing in the American National Riding Commission National Championships. The team of four riders traveled with their horses and Coach Ashley Duda to compete against approximately 15 other colleges. The competition consists of four phases; a written test of riding theory and equine science, a USEF hunter equitation test, a hunter seat equitation medal course and a Derby style equitation course similar to a hunter trials course.

The weather caused changes in the schedule, delays at the airport, and a loss of sleep for the riders, however at the end of the weekend all riders were very pleased with the final result.

The dressage team will be driving to New Jersey on Thursday to compete in their own Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) National Championships at Centenary College. St. Andrews has not qualified a team for IDA nationals since 2002 although individuals have represented the college in most years. The team is led by Lindsey Agaliotis at first level who qualified as an individual at upper training last year. Lindsey qualified this year as an individual as well as riding for the team. Her team mates are Lauren Parker in upper training, Paige Tillison in lower training and Jenna Marten at the Introductory level. Interestingly, Jenna is the only equine business major of the group. Lindsey is an interdisciplinary major, Lauren is an education major and Paige is a psychology major, showing that dressage is a sport for everyone!

Beginning this weekend the St. Andrews Equestrian Program begins the move to Raleigh. As the host school of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championships St. Andrews is providing many of the volunteers, approximately 23 horses and many hours of Director Peggy McElveen’s time and organizational expertise. More on that shortly!

The Titanic Sportsmanship Challenge

St. Andrews hosted the Dressage Sportsmanship challenge today. The show was an invitational and run along the lines of a conventional IDA show with a few differences. Riders rode on the usual teams of four, but the teams were scrambled so that a team consisted of riders from different schools. Elon and Virginia Tech were the invited schools and with the St. Andrews students made up 6 mixed teams. The day was also very educational with time for each rider to speak with head judge Kris Hamilton after their ride. Kris went over the tests box by box and for some riders educated them on how the collective marks are awarded so they could understand what they needed to improve upon from a positive perspective.


We were incredibly fortunate as Carla Wennberg agreed to be the second judge at E. So riders received two judged tests, plus a conversation with Kris Hamilton immediately after their ride. None of the horses were designated to a level so the teams had to decide which level the horses in their group would compete in. With each horse going twice we had 4 to 6 horses in each division. It was great fun to see Windsong and Corky placing 1st and 4th at first level, and then placing 2nd and 1st at Intro! Socke won upper training and Chico was the winner at lower training.

Given that today is the 100th anniversary of the Titanic going under, the show had a Titanic theme. The horse groups were The Unsinkables, The Luxury Liners and The Icebergers. Teams selected their own names and placed in the following order.

1. Tight as Ice

2. The Leonardos

3. Theres Room for Two

4. Artic Crash

5. I’d Hit That!

6. The Iceberg

Individually, SAU riders placed well and there was an immense amount of excitement about the direct feedback from Kris Hamilton. There were a couple of riders who at the last minute did not attend so two riders got to ride two different tests on two different teams. From a coaching perspective it was an invaluable experience for all my riders from the ones whose interest in dressage is just beginning to the riders going to Nationals who are looking for every bit of feedback they can find. As Carla said at one point during the day, “it is both educational and fun!”

First Level Test 2

1. Lindsay Agaliotis SAU (Reserve High Point 75.81, 70.27, avg. 73.04%)

2. Anna Graves VT

3. Erin Hudson SAU

4. Cody Armstrong VT

5. Andrea Tito SAU

6. Helen Wright Elon

Training Level Test 3

1. Jenna Marten SAU

2. Lauren Parker SAU

3. Cara Barskey VT

4. Kea Kiser VT

5. Sarah Jones SAU

6. Abigail Skillman SAU

Training Level Test 1

1. Paige Tillison SAU

2. Cara Barskey VT

3. Caitlin Cleaver VT

4. Danielle Dombrowse VT

5. Bridget Newman SAU

6. Claire Pollard SAU

Introductory Level Test B

1. Andrea Oliver VT (High Point Rider 71.56, 78.75, Avg. 75.155%)

2. Jenna Marten SAU

3. Danielle Dombrowse VT

4. Danielle Chambers VT

5. Masha Peckham SAU

6. Sarah Hathaway VT

It is a Great Time to be a Knight!

This has been a very exciting (slightly overwhelming) semester. Starting with the dressage team qualifying for their National Championships mid-March, followed by the western team a week later and then the hunter seat team over Easter weekend. The words trifecta and hat trick have been heard in the barns lately. St. Andrews is the only school in the nation to have all three of its teams qualify for their national championships in this year. It is also a first for St. Andrews to have all three teams going to their respective National Championships. Ashley, Carla and I were interviewed for the Laurinburg Exchange on Monday and Jason Chisari. You can read his story here.


Needless to say, we are continuing to work our team riders as hard as we can. Alie McGraw was so excited to qualify for IHSA Hunter Seat Nationals. When I saw her after she returned from Goucher College the first words out of her mouth were, “Jackie – all those lessons paid off!” Fitting in practice around school work and keeping grades up is required at St. Andrews so the students have become masters of time management and prioritizing.

The dressage team is hosting a fun show this Sunday called the Sportsmanship Challenge where the entire team will be competing against invited riders from Elon and Virginia Tech. Each team of 4 riders will have representatives from each of the three schools and the riders select which horses they ride and coach themselves. I am very excited to have Kris Hamilton judging at C and our own Carla Wennberg has agreed to judge at E to give everyone the opportunity to ride for two judges. Next week the western team will be hosting Debra Jones Wright for a day long clinic to get them tuned and ready. The hunter seat team has already had several clinics this year so they will be working hard with Ashley for their final preparation in the run up to Nationals.

On top of all this excitement The Ride-Like-A-Knight Therapeutic Horsemanship program was just recognized by the “North Carolina Association of Community Based Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded & Community Alternatives Programs Service Providers” better known as “The Providers Association” with the 2012 Group Achievement Award. RLAK was nominated for this award by the Monarch Group who participate in the RLAK program.

A student posted on our facebook page last week, “it is a great time to be a Knight!” I have to agree!

Remembering Oscar Allen

The St. Andrews Equestrian Program lost a true friend this week. Oscar Allen who was 80 years young died after a short illness. Until a few weeks ago, Oscar was still working mowing, weed eating, raking and watering the plants as needed. He would help out with stall cleaning and worked alongside the maintenance crew. Oscar knew everyone and everyone knew Oscar and loved and respected him. He loved to joke and kid around and would be quick to tell you a story which was often totally unrelated to the topic of conversation. As he got to the punch line he would start giggling and laughing and you just had to join in whether you “got it” or not! Oscar was never one to say anything negative and was always happy and upbeat. Oscar did not have a cell phone and several times a day he would say, “got a call my sweetie” and would go to the nearest land line to call his wife Irene. Over the years Oscar had a variety of vehicles which he would drive around the equestrian center often with tools and the weed eater balanced on the hood or roof. The tools were never in danger of falling off as he was super respectful of the 15 mph speed limit. So much so that as he headed down the drive way just ahead of the runners participating in the 1 mile run for a recent fitness test, organizer Heather Wile was heard to say, “That is not the pace car, you may pass it” and everyone knew what she was talking about!


Oscar’s wife Irene worked for Shelby and Tom French in the late 70s and early 80s. She was nanny to their daughter Diana and kept house for the Frenchs’s. Oscar worked for McCarter Electric and also helped out with maintenance around Singing Wood Farm which was where the equestrian program started. In the early years he was the sole stall cleaner, did all the maintenance and mowing and anything else that was needed. One of Diana’s horses was named after Oscar and with a show name of Namesake. Many years later Cathy and Daniel Geitner (both SAU alum) named a race horse after Irene, her show name was Oscar’s Wife!

Oscar remained connected with St. Andrews as the equestrian program grew, Shelby moved to Sweet Briar College and Peggy McElveen took the helm. He continued to work on the maintenance crew and also worked for various staff members mowing and cleaning up the yards at their homes. He was a one of a kind individual who was friends with everyone he met. Staff and students who knew him (and over the years there were many) recall his infectious laughter and sunny outlook on life. Oscar you will be missed at St. Andrews but never forgotten.

Western Team Qualifies for Nationals!

This post was written by social media intern Andrea Tito who traveled with the team this weekend.

Day 1- Travel Day


The St. Andrews western team traveled all the way to Herrington, Delaware for IHSA Semi-finals this weekend and took five horses with them. It was a weekend of good attitudes, good teamwork, and good rides!

The riders who competed in semi-finals were:

Dugan McDermott – Walk/Jog for team

Amber Powell – Individual Walk/Jog qualifier

Katie Mosca – Intermediate for team

Kimmy Simonsen – Individual Novice qualifier

Brittany Powell – Novice for team

Kali Cram – Advanced for team

Michelle Hustad – Open Horsemanship for team

Shannon Leggett – Individual Reining qualifier as well as Reiner for the team

SAU’s barn manager Kellie Garrabrant and students Jake Nix and Andrea Tito came along as well to help haul and take care of the horses. The horses that were chosen were Lark, Russell, Sailor, Will, and Gracie. It was a surprise to the team and Coach Carla that the two more inexperienced horses, Russell and Gracie, acted like they had been showing for years and ended up being two of the favorites of the weekend! Not only by the team’s standards, but other competitors as well!

While the haul up was a long 8 hours and to pass the time most everyone decided to sleep. They arrived safely and immediately went to work on making the horses as comfortable as possible. Some team members unloaded the horses and took them out grazing while others unloaded feed, tack, and supplies for the weekend. Stalls were bleached, water filled, and shavings put into stalls while the horses were tacked up and ridden by team members. After night check everyone was excited to go to the hotel and call it a night.

Day 2- It’s Showtime!

The night passed quickly and the morning came early for the team. Kellie, Jake, and Andrea went at 6:30 to feed the horses and do warm-up rides; meanwhile the team arrived at 8 for the coaches meeting and start getting ready to show.

Quiet conversations about horses and riding strategies hovered over the grandstands as competitors got ready for the first class. SAU’s rider Amber Powell was up first for her walk/jog class. She was competing as an individual and her ride would determine whether or not she was called back to compete in the finals on Sunday. After putting in her rail work and a solid pattern Amber felt good about her ride, but she had to wait until the middle of the day to find out if she was called back.

Next to ride was Michelle Hustad in Open Horsemanship as an individual as well. Since there were two heats of her class she would also have to wait until later in the afternoon to find out if she was called back. After she dismounted she was happy with her ride, but from then on it was a waiting game for both her and Amber.

Dugan McDermott was the first rider on the team to ride for points. He had good rail work, an accurate pattern, and the team was waiting anxiously as the placings were announced. 8th passed, then 7th and 6th, and soon Dugan was standing with the top 3 in his walk/jog class. They called his name for second place and the team erupted with cheering and clapping since this gave them a very good start with points.

The tractor rumbled in to drag the arena before the individual reining started and Shannon Leggett was studying the arena to prepare for her pattern. She was the 5th rider in her class and was lucky to be able to watch the horse she drew go with another rider before her. As she left her pattern her score was announced as 140 and divided between two judges that put her at a score of 70 as well as in first place. Other competitors came very close to topping her score, but after the last ride was announced Shannon lined up to receive her blue ribbon and belt buckle that meant she was on her way to nationals!

Michelle rode again after that only this time it was for team points instead of as an individual. Happy with her ride she lined up to wait for the placings and the team all waited anxiously to see how they would do in points. Shock fell over the team when Michelle’s name was called for 8th place. This meant that on Sunday the team would have to work hard and place well in order to rally back.

Last to ride was Kimmy Simonsen in individual intermediate. After putting in good rail work and a good pattern, the riders were excused and that was it for the day. Callbacks would be posted soon and the team would find out if Michelle and Kimmy continued on to the finals the next day. When the announcer’s voice came over the speaker system everyone stopped what they were doing to listen. As he read down the list of numbers tension built higher and higher as they waited to hear Kimmy’s and Michelle’s number.

Once the announcer was finished with the list everyone got back to work taking care of the horses. Kimmy and Michelle had not been called back to compete the next day and although they were disappointed, they stayed positive and started talking about how they would help and support the team on Sunday.

It was dark by the time everyone cleared out of the barn and went back to the hotel. Another early morning was on the schedule so the team called it a night.

Day 3 – The Final Tally

Another early morning started off with horses being fed, warmed up, and riders getting ready to compete in their classes. First up was Shannon Leggett in Team Open Reining. She drew a little bit of a difficult horse for her class but she made the most of it. The team was excited to see her receive fourth place in the lineup and help her team along with points.

Amber Powell followed in the Individual Walk/Jog Finals. Competition was tough and the crowd was quiet as the announcer began with 8th place. Once fourth place was announced, the teams that still had riders standing in the lineup, which included SAU, started cheering because their teammate was going to nationals. They called Amber’s name for third place and the team started cheering even louder.

Brittany Powell was next in Team Novice Horsemanship and there was nothing more to her ride other than precision and confidence. After being excused to dismount and return on foot the crowd around the riders whispered, “Great job” or “It’s all you” as they walked by. Soon Brittany was standing in the top three and her teammates were all excited not only for the points she was going to earn, but also because two more placings went by and Brittany ended up standing alone in the ring to receive Semi-Finals Novice Champion.

A few more classes went by and it was common knowledge that scores between teams were close. Close enough that when Kali Cram mounted up for her ride, she knew that the points she earned in her class would decide if the team went to nationals or not. It seemed to take forever for the rail work and patterns to be completed and for the riders to line up in the ring to get placed. Every time a placing was called the excitement was building up because Kali was still in the running. “6th place… 5th place… 4th place goes to Kali Cram riding for St. Andrews University.” The team exploded with cheering as Kali received her ribbon and ran to hug Coach Carla. No one could stop saying, “We’re going to nationals!”

St. Andrews placed 3rd overall for the weekend, 2nd went to Ohio State and the champion team was University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All the different teams came together and congratulated each other on their hard work and dedication throughout the year. The award ceremony came to an end and then it was time to get everything packed up to go home the next day.

Day 4 – Home

The trailer pulled out of the show grounds at 6am sharp and the team was on their way back to North Carolina. The 8 hours were passed by sleeping, doing homework, and the occasional singing along to a song on the radio. Conversations about movies, music and the rest of the school year were constant as well as excited talk about going to nationals.

Pulling into the driveway at school the team was greeted by applause and balloons. A banner read “Congrats western team. Going to nationals!”

Busy Day at IHSA Hunter Seat Regionals!

All of the St. Andrews riders represented their school very well with beautiful rides. At the end of the day the following riders qualified as individuals to ride at IHSA zones at Goucher College, Easter weekend.

Katie Hansen – Open Flat & Open Fences
Kim Graves – Open Fences
Kayla McBath – Intermediate Flat
Alie McGraw – Novice Fences

Congratulations to all our regional qualifiers; Hillary Todd, Caitlin Karolak, Katie Mentzel and Chandalyn Chrzanowski.

Chartwells catered lunch which was followed by the year end awards. Equestrian Director Peggy McElveen conducted the awards ceremony which included the team results, Cacchione Cup placings, Horse of the Year, Team Leadership, Sportsmanship, Coach of the Year and then two special awards to recognize St. Andrews’ hardworking Event Manager Heather Wile, and a Horse Care award recognizing the many hours students spend preparing and caring for horses used in IHSA. The recipient of this award was Sami Cram.

St. Andrews’ horse Pepi la Pew, better known as Skunk, was voted horse of the year and Ashley Duda received the Coach of the Year Award for not only winning the region but also for the many hours she spends preparing the horses and students for IHSA shows. St. Andrews hosted four regular IHSA hunter seat shows this year, regionals and will play an enormous role in hosting IHSA Nationals in Raleigh in May.

The team results were decided at the last regular show of the year with St. Andrews winning the region ahead of UNC Chapel Hill and East Carolina University. St. Andrews’ students represented the school well in the Regional Cacchione Cup with Katie Hansen as the champion, Kim Graves reserve and freshman Regina Barasch placing 7th. Katie Hansen will ride at Nationals in the Cacchione Cup.

Go Knights!

Social Media Intern at Work!

Social media intern Andrea Tito has put together several short videos documenting the competitive season for all of our intercollegiate teams. Check them out on our YouTube channel.

The Secret Squirrel Squad Gets It Done!

Our region is small but competitive. Averett University has dominated and before the regional split a couple of years ago Virginia Intermont was a power house that no one could beat. St. Andrews has not qualified a team for IDA Nationals since 2002, we have taken individuals most years but not a team.

This time last year Averett University beat St. Andrews by a small margin to win the region and earn the slot at Nationals. At that point I created the Secret Squirrel Training Squad. Team members had to apply to join the squad and state why they deserved to be a member; I limited it to 8 riders plus two seniors who served as instructors and mentors. The squad members were Andrea Tito, Olivia Taylor, Paige Tillison, Casey Curtis, Lauren Parker, Madison Webb, Lindsey Agaliotis and Katelee Johnson. We trained at least once a week sometimes twice a week. Our sessions consisted of bareback lessons, lunging lessons and riding in halters often bareback to improve their balance and feel. The squad also participated in a clinic, a schooling show and Showing Under The Stars. This intense training laid the foundation for this year’s IDA show season.

With a total of six shows this year St. Andrews and Averett tossed the lead back and forth and at the end of the season the bottom line was that whoever won at the final show would earn the regional title. The team pulled together led by the five seniors who have been active participants during their time at college. Fate played a hand in making the competition as fair as possible; St. Andrews and Averett drew the same groups of horses for their A and B teams.

Lindsey Agaliotis set the tone in the first division with a convincing win and a score of 74.324%. This beat her rival from Averett, Emily Henderson’s 70.00%. Both girls rode Jake and Lindsey’s strong ride resulted in her winning the region and earning a place as an individual at Nationals. In the upper training division Brianna Carter and Casey Curtis placed second and third. Paige Tillison rode a solid test at lower training finishing second and Jenna Marten placed second at the Introductory level to clinch the win for St. Andrews.

I attribute the win to the rider’s dedication to the team and their willingness to work hard at a sport that is not easy to do well. Dressage is challenging because it takes a strong foundation in equitation and also requires a highly tuned sense of how to be the best dance partner for the horse. In IDA we make that even harder by drawing the horse we ride and only having 10 minutes to figure out what how they like to be ridden. To be good at dressage you have to understand horses very well. Dressage riders must read, watch DVDs, attend clinics and take every opportunity to learn more about the sport as well as actually ride! This team has worked for the last four years and I honestly think that the foundation they built combined with the competitive opportunities they have experienced was the reason for their success.

Regional Champions from St. Andrews
Champion Team
First Level – Lindsey Agaliotis, Champion
Lower Training – Lauren Parker, Reserve Champion
Introductory Level – Jenna Marten, Reserve Champion

Team Results March 18th

1. St. Andrews Team A – 17 points
2. Averett Team B – 12 points
3. Averett Team A – 12 points
4. NC State Team B – 9 points
5. St. Andrews Team B – 9 points
6. Mixed Team B – 8 points

First Level Test 2
1st Lindsey Agaliotis SAU - 74.324%
4th Erin Hudson SAU - 65.135
6th Andrea Tito SAU – 58.783%

Training Level Test 3
2nd Brianna Carter SAU – 71.4%
3rd Casey Curtis SAU – 68.8%

Training Level Test 1
2nd Paige Tillison SAU – 70.83%
6th Katelee Johnson SAU – 62.083%

Introductory Test B
2nd Jenna Marten SAU – 69.687%
6th Claire Pollard SAU – 70.00%

We are excited about our win!

Break is Nearly Over...

Spring break is rapidly coming to an end. The horses have enjoyed a well deserved rest and the staff has had a chance to take a breath. Coach Ashley Duda and five students, who spent most of their break in Laurinburg, left today for the Raleigh NCHJA “C” show. They will show Saturday and Sunday and be back for classes on Monday. Meanwhile a few members of the dressage team came back a little early to get a head start on preparations for the dressage show that is March 18th. There is always so much to do to prepare for a show in addition to getting the horses ridden! Routine trimming and mane pulling, laundry, tack cleaning, and tidying up the facility all need to be accomplished for a successful show. Not to mention assigning horse holders for various classes and fitting tack to horses that normally wear jumping saddles etc. It is like putting on a play or other event to have it all run smoothly on the day.


I have been working on the entries and the program and selecting which horses to use. Creating fair and balanced groups is a challenge but is important to make the show as fair as possible. The “luck of the draw” always plays a role, however a good rider should be able to do well with whichever horse they draw. Speaking of luck, the show will have a St. Patrick’s day theme…lets see who ends up with that pot of gold!

Spring Break and Upcoming Events

Spring break is here, although it was pretty chilly today and the wind was intense! The first half of the semester just flew by! The second half is likely to do the same. The weekend after the students return to school is our final IDA show of the regular season, a Bernie Traurig clinic for the hunter seat riders and an Admissions Open House.

There will be more about the IDA show and open house later, but first let’s talk about the clinic. We are so blessed at St. Andrews Equestrian to have the opportunity to learn from horsemen of Bernie’s caliber. Bernie has represented the United States in show jumping, dressage and eventing – an amazing accomplishment! He is an inductee of the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame and in 2010 was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Professional Horsemen’s Association. Bernie currently serves as the associate Chef d’Equip for the West Coast reporting to the USEF Chef d’Equipe George Morris.

Bernie learned from master horsemen all over the world and he now gives back with clinics, coaching and training. He is the founder of Equestriancoach.com which strives to provide higher education for equestrians regardless of their background, ability or location. The site offers instructional videos and training advice from the best riders and trainers in the United States. Best of all he is coming to the Burg in less than two weeks to share his knowledge with our students! Very exciting!

Great Weekend for IHSA Teams

Read about the St. Andrews Equestrian IHSA clean sweep click here!

Weekend of Feb 25 - 26

Pebbles, Liz and four students are traveling to Charleston later today to attend the Path International Educational day hosted by Charleston Area Therapeutic Riding. Sessions include Motor Development, Sensory Integration, Basic Training Principals of the Horse, Leading and Long Lining, Developmental Vaulting and Lunging and Interactive Vaulting. Participants have been asked to share a lesson plan or favorite game which will be copied and share. The educational day sounds like a wonderful opportunity to learn, network and harvest some new ideas for teaching.


Meanwhile, the western team travels to Montrose Farm in Chapel Hill to compete in their last show of the regular season on Saturday. They currently lead the region in points but will need strong rides to maintain that lead and advance to Semi-Finals in Delaware at the end of March. On Sunday they return to Chapel Hill for Regionals which determines which individuals will go to Semi-Finals. The top two in each class qualify.

At home on Saturday we are hosting Open House and Sunday our last regular IHSA hunter seat show. The hunter seat team has a strong lead over their closest rivals UNC - Chapel Hill; Coach Duda will be working hard to try and qualify as many of her riders for Regionals as possible. St. Andrews hosts IHSA hunter seat Regionals March 24th (the same weekend as Semi-Finals for the western team).

So once again we are super busy with preparations for all these events. Spring break is not too far away, we will be ready for a break!

IDA Competition at Averett University February 18 & 19

The dressage team spent the weekend at Averett University in Danville VA, competing in back to back Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) shows. Saturday the weather was beautiful, warm and sunny. Junior Lindsey Agaliotis and sophomore Erin Hudson started out the day with second and third places in first level test 3. Lindsey was beaten by her rival in the division Emily Henderson from Averett by 0.146 of a percentage point. “We are so close,” said Agaliotis, “I had a great ride, Emily just knows the horses better and she rode really well today.” In lower training senior Lauren Parker put in a spectacular ride to win the division. The ride was so good that Averett coach Ginger Henderson was over heard describing what was going on to the horse’s regular rider. Parker earned 68.75% which was way ahead of the second place at 63.75%. St. Andrews teams placed third and fourth on Saturday.


Sunday was as cold and wet as Saturday was beautiful. Show management modified the schedule to ride tests in the short ring to speed things along and provide a warm up space if the weather became too wet. Lindsey Agaliotis drew the same horse on Sunday and improved her score to win the division with a score of 69.828%, Emily Henderson placed second this time with only 0.826 of a percentage point separating them. Senior Andrea Tito who did not place on Saturday put in a beautiful ride on the same horse to improve her score and finish in sixth. In upper training St. Andrews took 3rd, 4th and 5th with strong rides from sophomore Brianna Carter and seniors Casey Curtis and Lauren Parker who pointed out of the lower training division with Saturday’s win.

In lower training senior Paige Tillison drew the same horse she rode on Saturday and put in a beautiful test scoring 71.428% which was more than 10 percentage points ahead of Sarah Jones who was second with a score or 60.208%! At the introductory level Jenna Marten rode strongly to win the division and Hannah Firth placed 4th. These strong rides led St. Andrews teams to first and second place on a very wet and cold day.

“We had a great weekend,” said Coach Jackie Dwelle, “Saturday, the team learned valuable lessons about showing off the horses to the best of their ability whether they were the strongest or the weakest draw in the division. We put those lessons to good use on Sunday. I am very proud of all the riders, they took what they learned and applied it to their riding, a great example of analysis and critical thinking in the sporting arena.”

There is one show left in the IDA season. Under IDA rules the winning team earns 7 points the second placed team 5 points. Only the top four shows count towards qualifying for the National Championships. Averett leads the region with 24 points to St. Andrews 23. Whoever wins at St. Andrews on March 18th will qualify for the trip to Centenary College at the end of April. On the individual level juniors Lindsey Agaliotis in first level and Jenna Marten in the introductory level could qualify for Nationals – it all comes down to the last show!

Pictures of the weekend our on our facebook page taken by Pebbles Turbeville - thanks Pebbles!

Results

Saturday

First Level Test 3
2nd Lindsey Agaliotis 67.919%
3rd Erin Hudson 62.581%

Training Level Test 3
6th Brianna Carter 60%

Training Level Test One
1st Lauren Parker 68.75%
6th Paige Tillison 60.416%

Introductory Test B
3rd Hannah Firth 67.5%
6th Jenna Marten 63.75%

Team placings
SAU A 3rd
SAU B 4th

Sunday
First Level Test One
1st Lindsey Agaliotis 69.828%
6th Andrea Tito 60%

Training Level Test 2
3rd Brianna Carter 68.75%
4th Casey Curtis 66.607%
5th Lauren Parker 66.25%

Training Level Test 1
1st Paige Tillison 71.428% - High Point Rider!
2nd Sarah Jones 60.208%

Introductory Level Test B
1st Jenna Marten 68.125%
4th Hannah Firth 65.313%

Team Results
SAU A 1st
SAU B 2nd

Coaching Challenges

Great rides from many of our riders Saturday. Lindsey Agaliotis rode her best on the fancy buck skin Captain to earn a score of 67.919%. She was beaten by a little more than 0.1% by Emily Henderson from Averett riding Francie. Lindsey rode her best; Emily has the advantage of riding the Averett horses on a regular basis. The upper training riders rode well but were again bested by riders from Averett and NCSU’s team captain Andrea Massa. At lower training Lauren Parker riding as an individual had a beautiful ride on the impressive black horse George scoring 68.74% to win the division and point out of lower training. Good ride for a well-deserved score, which sadly did not help the team points. In the introductory division Hannah Firth rode a well-balanced and accurate test on Boo to place third with a score of 67.5% behind a horse which was considerably stronger in first and second.


Moving forward I have moved some riders around on the two teams and within the individual divisions. Having ridden the horses yesterday, we have some insights into what makes them tick. I’m excited to push the team to do better today and show off their horsemanship skills.

Crazy Weekend!

This coming weekend is looking a little bit crazy! Today Ashley Duda and four student boarders leave for Raleigh Indoors. Safe travels ya’ll! Saturday we are hosting an IHSA western show at the equestrian center the action starts at high noon! And if that was not enough Jackie will be travelling with the dressage team to Averett University in Danville, VA for back to back dressage shows on Saturday and Sunday. Pebbles is travelling with us to help drive the team and keep us organized! We have eleven riders riding each day. We will do our best to post results etc. on this page so check back often!

In House Interns

Classes are in full swing and several students are pursuing internships with various staff members this semester. Dr. Kellam has six students participating in a Veterinary internship . Their duties include treating horses at the equestrian center as well as learning about the duties of a Veterinary Technician. Cases this semester have included eye injuries, wounds, skin diseases as well as routine health maintenance including vaccinations. The interns have been busy administering daily meds. as well as keeping records of all treatments.

At the barn Angie Cormack and Andrea Tito are doing barn management internships with barn manager Kellie Garrabrant. They are responsible for assisting with the supervision of the work study students and making sure that all horse care is completed correctly. Their big project has been to photograph and inventory all of the tack in all areas of the barn which is a huge task.

Andrea Tito is also serving as the social media intern this spring. She has reported on horse shows, developed videos for YouTube and posted numerous photographs on our facebook page. Obviously, she cannot attend every event that our teams travel to so part of her duties include working with staff and students to get results sent in to be posted on our facebook wall. Thank goodness for texting and smart phones!

The final group of in house interns will do the bulk of their internship with Peggy McElveen, Equestrian Program Director, and the equestrian staff at IHSA Nationals in Raleigh, April 29 – May 6th. Their duties will revolve around horse show management and organization and they are in for an incredibly busy time.

Internships are an important part of the St. Andrews experience; students have been placed in many settings for their internships. In house internships are common too although we usually do not have such a large group benefitting from this experiential learning opportunity.

IHSA Hunter Seat & Western Teams Work Hard to Maintain their Regional Leads

Big weekend for the equestrian team. Saturday we hosted the first IHSA hunter seat show of the spring semester. The weather was cool (having been in the 70s for most of the week) and the horses were not as well behaved as they might have been. Several classes were stopped (one more than once) when our equine partners decided they just had to show off how good they were feeling. With safety being foremost in our minds horse substitutions were made and the classes restarted. All this took additional time and the show ran until after 5:00 making it a long day for all involved. Our students worked tirelessly, with good humor and great attitudes all day demonstrating the “can do” philosophy that is part of being involved in our equestrian team.

We were rewarded by the hunter seat team that turned in a perfect score of 49 points to win the championship ribbon. Alexandra Fullerton won high point rider with Katie Hansen as reserve. St. Andrews now leads their closest rivals UNC-Chapel Hill by 45 points. (Complete results below)

Meanwhile the IHSA western team traveled to Martin Community College to compete in back to back shows Saturday and Sunday. The temperatures were a few degrees cooler in Williamston but fortunately they were showing indoors which helped a bit. Individual riders did well on both days however the designated point riders faced a few challenges leaving St. Andrews as reserve champion each day. Shannon Leggett was high point rider Saturday and reserve high point rider Sunday. At the end of the weekend St. Andrews still leads North Carolina State by nine points with two shows to go before semi-finals.

IHSA Hunter Seat Team Standings as of 2/4/2012

St. Andrews University 249

UNC-Chapel Hill 204

North Carolina State University 192

East Carolina University 185

Duke University 168

Coastal Carolina University 116

UNC-Wilmington 110

UNC-Charlotte 108

Virginia Commonwealth University 98

Davidson College 37

Martin Community College 14

Individual Results

Open Flat A

2nd Kim Graves

Novice Flat A

5th Tara Algeri

Open Flat B

1st Katie Hansen

Walk, Trot, Canter A

3rd Madison Edwards

4th Julie Griffin

Intermediate Flat A

2nd Alie McGraw

Novice Flat B

1st Katie Mentzel

Open Fences A
2nd Regi Barasch

Open Fences B

1st Katie Hansen

2nd Kim Graves

Walk Trot Canter B

3rd Sarah Lishen

4th Brittany Powell

Novice Flat C

3rd Park Hoey

5th Catherine McDowell

Intermediate Flat B

1st Regina Barasch

Novice Flat D

5th Sarah Williams

Intermediate Fences A

1st Kali Cram

Intermediate Fences B

1st Nikki Napoleone

Walk Trot A

1st Morgan Potts

Intermediate Flat C

4th Kayla McBath

Novice Fences A

1st Alexandra Fullerton

Novice Fences C

1st Abigail Skillman

Novice Flat E

1st Michelle Eld

Walk Trot Canter C

1st Cami Glaff

Novice Flat F

1st Alexandra Fullerton

Beg. Walk Trot A

5th Lacy Burke

Walk Trot Canter D

4th Chandalyn Chranowski

Novice Flat G

3rd Dara Corbett

Walk Trot Canter E

3rd Hillary Todd

6th Paula Kramer

Walk Trot Canter F

1st Mia Dipillo

5th Bridget Newman

Busy Weekend of Competition for the Equestrian Team

This weekend is a tad busy! The western IHSA team is traveling to Martin Community College for back to back shows Saturday and Sunday. Assistant barn manager Rachel Buckler is travelling with the team to assist Carla, keep points and report back so we can keep everyone informed. Meanwhile at home we are  hosting an IHSA hunter seat show on Saturday. Home hunter seat shows require an enormous effort from all team members. Team members groom and tidy the horses, clean the tack and the barn, share horse holding duties, and keep thing running. Work study and the barn staff start early and stay late. Staff serve in various capacities including announcing, running the draw table, working the paddock, posting points and pitching in wherever they are needed. We live by the saying it takes a village… and it SO true! Our village will be spread a little thin this weekend! Go Knights!

Tournament of Champions and Ride-Like-A-Knight Updates

The past week was pretty busy. Ashley Duda and six hunter seat riders made the drive to Mary Washington University in Fredericksburg, VA. The Tournament of Champions is an invitational IHSA style show that pits the strongest teams in the nation against one another. Coach Duda had prepped her team well and improved their previous team placing to sixth. That is sixth in the nation! Not too shabby!

Meanwhile at home the Ride-Like-A-Knight program installed a new lift for mounting riders. This lift was funded by The Elizabeth Fund.

The Elizabeth Fund exists to enrich and enlarge the lives of youth and adults with physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities through the therapeutic horsemanship program at St. Andrews University.

Established in 2010 through the generous $25,000 gift by Joe Junod '69 and Marilyn Greene, it is named in honor of their mothers, Elizabeth Donaldson Junod and Dr. M. Elizabeth Peck.

“We are both committed to programs assisting people with disabilities,” said Greene. “Our mothers were both great humanitarians, and lovers of animals as well. Since I have a special love for horses, we decided to focus on giving to this program and dedicate these efforts to the memories of our mothers.”

The lift will be used to offer services to a wider range of riders in the Ride-Like-A-Knight program. Before that can happen, staff, students and especially the horses need to be trained in its use. This will be a great learning opportunity for the students in the RLAK program.

Looking ahead to next weekend, we are hosting our first IHSA hunter seat show of 2012 on Saturday and the western team travels to Martin Community College for a double header Saturday and Sunday. It is good to be busy!