Neigh (NAEAA) Part Two

Friday evening after the conference wrapped up our group travelled by bus to Churchill Downs for evening racing they have dubbed Downs After Dark. We had learned from one of our speakers that the race course needed to attract more patrons and one of its ideas was to market itself as a destination. Downs After Dark of course included racing and betting but it was also themed with a Rockin’ in the USA theme the night we visited. Red, white and blue was the standard for dress along with live music. Folks were out for the evening dressed in their finest patriotic colors.

Early Saturday morning we were back in the bus and headed back to Lexington to visit more farms. The first stop was The Thoroughbred Training Center including The North American Racing Academy. The training center caters to trainers who have one or two horses. Trainers rent stalls in the numerous barns and have access to the training track as well as the services of professional outriders which from the sounds of things are life savers in many ways. Exercise riders and jockeys start around 10:00 after they are done with their larger barns and ride for a couple of hours. We learned about track protocols, the work of the out riders and some of the entrepreneurial businesses that support the training center.

The North American Racing Academy is the brain child of Chris McCarron and Remi Bellocq in partnership with Bluegrass Community & Technical College. The two year program is comparable to the schools in Europe that prepare students for the racing industry. Two tracks are offered one for jockeys and exercise riders and a second for horse care and training. We were lucky enough to meet Chris and Remi and listen to them talk about the academy, the challenges they face and the success of their graduates.

The next stop on our tour was Dixiana Farm – wow what a change of pace! This is a large breeding farm with beautiful barns, rolling pastures, white fences and very happy horses. We toured the brood mare barn and the yearling barn and learned more about the preparation of the horses for the sales. We enjoyed listening to the Irish Farm Manager as he talked about the various ways he cares for the mares and foals and the techniques he uses to prepare the yearlings for the sales. All the yearlings are called by their dams name so the owner can have the pleasure of selecting an appropriate race name.

Next up was Margeaux Farms which is another breeding farm again run by an Irish manager. This is a “for profit” barn that provides boarding and training for mares and young stock. The facility itself is not as fancy as Dixiana Farm but the care given to the horses was equally as impressive. All the horses were turned out as much as possible and allowed to run and play in the large fields.

Gainsway Farm was the next stop on the tour. Gainsway stands such stallions as Tapit, who commands a stud fee of $150,000 due to the success of his get. Afleet Alex who won the Preakness and the Belmont and Birdstone also live in one of the specially built stallion barns. Their lives as breeding stallions include turnout in lush green pastures and a busy schedule in the breeding shed.

The final stop of the day was Pin Oak Stud owned by Mrs. Abercrombie and managed by another Irishman.  Brood mares and foals as well as a very spacious stallion barn make up this beautifully appointed farm. New born foals and their mothers are introduced to the herd through the use of temporary pens set up in the pastures to allow everyone to safely become acquainted. The walls of the office are lined with pictures of racing victories from horses bred on the farm.

This tour and the pre-conference tour were exceptional opportunities to see the horse industry at work. The level of horsemanship and care that goes into raising and training thoroughbreds for the racetrack is extraordinary.  I did not know much about the racing industry before this, but I now have a great level of respect for the people that work in this industry. I  hope down the road to be able to take our students on a similar tour so they can appreciate that the industry they are interested in is much greater than just their own little pocket of experience. 

Churchill Downs

Thoroughbred Training Center

Husband Len with Chris McCarron

One of the barns at Dixiana Farm

The breeding shed at Gainsway

One view at Margeaux Farm

A Stallion at Pin Oak Stud

St. Andrews MBA Program Graduates its First Class

This May St. Andrews graduated its first class of students from the MBA program. I talked to Heather Lee who was a member of the graduating class and Rob Jacobs who is currently enrolled in the program. Heather serves as a Hunter Seat Riding Instructor and Event Manager for the St.Andrews Equestrian Program. I asked Heather about the skills she had learned or developed during her time in the program.

“The skills that I have been challenged to develop throughout the MBA program are those that aid in professional development and in critical thinking. Many classes, from beginning to end, use a case based method of study that took the theories and principles from the text books and applied them to real life. Each class gave a different area of focus that, in the end, allowed me to see the whole picture and how those pieces fit together. The final practicum classes gave me the opportunity to put those pieces together and to be able to apply the concepts covered in previous classes, in a professional, real life situation.”

Rob has spent two years at St. Andrews working as a Hunter Seat Coach, Assistant IHSA Coach and Education Coordinator, he had this to say about the program. “The MBA program that St. Andrews offers is unique and growing daily; the program has given me knowledge and practical experience which has already fostered my growth and career advancement.” When asked about the skills that he has developed he had this to say. “The most important skill I have taken away from the courses thus far is how to understand and work better with different personality types. Communication is a struggle for everyone but working to keep our lines of communication open and clear is vital to the success of any organization.”

Both Heather and Rob agreed that Human Behavior was their favorite class. Heather said, “My favorite class throughout the MBA program was the Human Behavior class. I think this is something that is over-looked in many companies, whether they are successful or unsuccessful. Learning more about the way different people think and interact is a crucial piece in being a manager, no matter the industry. This class put an emphasis on understanding the way different personality types are driven. I think this class has helped me to understand more about myself and the people I work with both in the classroom as a student and in the arena as an instructor.” Rob agreed, “This class taught me the most about myself and how I can better work with other personalities. Working in the equestrian field naturally lends itself to working with people who are strong willed and working with others requires skill and a tactful approach in order to be effective.”

I asked Rob what he felt was the value of the MBA program. “Besides coaching equine lessons, I enjoy teaching equine lectures to college students in an academic setting and having my Masters would make that possible in the future,” he said. “The greatest benefit of St. Andrews' MBA program is the practical knowledge that I receive which can and will be used immediately.”

Equestrian Program Reviews - Dressage

Claire Pollard shared the adventures of the dressage team in her Equestrian Program Review as well as reporting on new horses for the program in 2013. Click here to learn more about the challenges of riding on the dressage team.

NAEAA Conference June 2014 - (Neigh!)

The National Association of Equine Affiliated Academics (NAEAA – “neigh”) conference was in Louisville, KY this year and boy was it worth the trip! The conference itself always provides lots of ideas to bring home and share with colleagues as well as learning from speakers from the equine industry. This year the conference included 2 days of tours visiting some of Lexington’s beautiful horse farms.

My husband Len made the 9 hour drive with me leaving early on Tues. so I could attend the pre-conference workshop on tenure and promotion. Early Wed. morning we headed out in the bus to back track a little to Lexington which is 70 miles east of Louisville. Our day started at Midway College’s Equestrian center with their converted tobacco barn and riding facilities. One of the things that I really liked were the horse anatomy diagrams on the inside walls of the barn. This included internal organs, muscles and even one showing acupuncture points. Our next stop was Kentucky Equine Sports and Medicine Rehabilitation Center (KESMARC) which has state of the art pools, in ground treadmills, a salt water spa, hyperbaric chamber and a vibrating platform which promotes circulation and hoof growth this piece of equipment is the result of work done by NASA to help astronauts maintain muscle mass in space. I was really excited to hear about the KESMARC internship opportunities which sound like a great fit for our Biology and Equine students. Click here to visit the KESMARC site.

Our third stop of the day was Keeneland Race Course and Sale Facility. This was the equivalent of two stops as we learned about how the sales work, (how much money changes hands at the sales – scary!) and toured that facility. We then walked out to the race course to learn about their challenges of switching from dirt footing to PolyTrack and now back to dirt and how much has been done to improve the safety of the track for horses and in my opinion fairness of the track for bettors. We ate lunch in the beautiful grounds surrounding the track and then loaded back into the bus to head to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. Our tour guide was the son of Dr. Rood and did a wonderful job of guiding us through the expansive equine hospital. We were particularly impressed with the podiatry unit where farriers design and create all kinds of amazing shoes to address multiple equine problems.

Central Kentucky Riding for Hope located in the KY Horse Park welcomed us into their new building and expansive indoor arena. We learned about their program through the National Guard for their members who are at risk. They also have an alternative school that meets at their center and incorporates the TH program into the curriculum. Their volunteer coordinator shared that they regularly work with 600 volunteers plus another couple of hundred that work special events throughout the year. Our final stop for the day was Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement which came about because of one man’s dream to provide retired racehorses with a life after the track. Michael Blowen retired as a film critic for the Boston Globe and made his dream a reality. The farm houses 120 horses many of which are stallions and is funded solely through donations. He is an engaging person to listen to as he feeds the horses carrots and tells their stories.

Will write more about the conference and the second day of farm tours in a later post. 

Midway College uses the barn walls to educate!

KESMARC Equine Swimming Pool

Building where the horses are prepared right before they are presented for sale at Keeneland

Keeneland racetrack and grandstand

Central KY Riding for Hope indoor arena

Rood & Riddle Podiatry Center

Old Friends Farm residents

Equestrian Program Reviews - Hunter Seat

Jessica Story and Ellen Tobin reported on the first ever win at the IHSA Zone Finals for the Hunter Seat team. They included a brief bio of new coach Matt Arrigon. Read about the team's successes here.

Equestrian Program Reviews - Western Team

Alyssa Lemme reported on the great success of the IHSA Western team for the 2012 - 2013 academic year. Regional and Zone Champions and Reserve Champions at the IHSA National Championships!
Click here to read Alyssa's report.

Equestrian Program Reviews - Ride-Like-A-Knight Therapeutic Horsemanship Program

Brooke Ellington and Hallie Myers reported on the Ride-Like-A-Knight Therapeutic Horsemanship program from 2012 - 2013. Their report included Special Olympics, horse updates, instructor mentoring and the benefits of volunteering in the RLAK program. Click here to read the report.

Tentative Fall 2014 Schedule

Subject to additions and changes, this what we have so far.

Fall 2014

Tentative Schedule of Events

August

20           Rider Placement for new students

24           Barn Orientation for new students

25-29     Team practices for returning team members

29           Equine Fair – All students

September

1              Lesson begin

8              RALK lessons begin

12           Team tryouts

18-21     Special Olympics in Raleigh

26-28     Triangle Farm Show for boarders

26-27     Tournament of Champions

October

4              IHSA Hunter Seat at St. Andrews

8-12       CHA Instructor Certification Clinic at SAU

9-12       Fall Break

17-18     Riding Open House for High School Seniors

19           IHSA Hunter Seat UNC-Wilmington

25           IHSA Hunter Seat UNC-CH/Duke

25-26     IHSA Western at St. Andrews

26           Showing Under the Stars

29-Nov. 2 Path Conference

November

1-2          Triangle Farms Medal Finals Show

1-2          Hunter Seat Clinic with Bernie Traurig

4-9          Duke Classic AA Show

7-9          Equestrian Talent Search

8              Chamber of Commerce Oyster Roast

8-9          IHSA Western Martin Community College

15           IHSA Hunter Seat at St. Andrews

15           Open House

21           RLAK lessons end

22           IDA at St. Andrews

22           IHSA Hunter Seat at ECU

23           Showing Under the Stars – Holiday Edition

26-30     Thanksgiving break

December

5              Classes end

5              Riders Christmas Party

8-12       Exams

Equestrian Program Reviews - Alumni in 2013

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

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

Readers - I need your help!

I am preparing a presentation for the National Association of Equine Affiliated Academics (NAEAA - "neigh") titled The Role of Social Media in Higher Education Equestrian Programs.  We started our social media presence in Jan. 2009 with this blog and it has grown from there.

My presentation starts with the blog and I would love to talk about the audience. I know a few parents follow the Equestrian Program through the blog but who else is out there? Can you drop me a quick email saying who you are? i.e. parent, current/future/past student, friend of the program etc. School email is dwellejm@sapc.edu

Thanks for your help!
Jackie

Equestrian Program Review - Non Traditional Students

Kacie Carter who is herself a non traditional student tackled the topic in her History & Theory of Modern Riding class review of the 2012 - 2013 school year.

Read Kacie's report here.

Equestrian Program Reviews

Each year the History and Theory of Modern Riding class puts together reviews of our program to document the  highlights of the previous year. Summer is a great time to share these student projects.

Katie Ballard interviewed the barn managers last fall to see what it is like to work at the St. Andrews barn. Click here to find out what she discovered.

Since this was written Andrew has accepted a job with a fox hunting family in Louisiana. He recently moved south and is enjoying living in a rustic cabin and galloping through the woods.

South African Wildlife Veterinary Experience

Dr. Kellam is leading a trip of six students on the Shimongwe Limpopo Veterinary Experience. They are working with the local wildlife veterinarians to assist sick and injured wildlife, learn about game capture and immobilization in the field, assist with translocation of various species, conduct blood sampling to ensure disease free buffalo breeding populations, and to learn the safety procedures related to the use of drugs used to sedate large game animals such as elephants and rhinos. There is lots more information on the organizations website or follow them on the African Wildlife Vets facebook page. 

Keli van den Heuvel giving a buffalo cow her reversal after a pregnancy exam 

Waking up the impressive Eland bull after his transport to a new enclosure 

Mia DiPillo administering a reversal injection to a young and excited sable bull after his examination 

Life after St. Andrews?

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

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

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

Continuing Education – 14.5%

Internships – 1.3%

Full-Time Employment – 63.2%

Part-Time Employment – 21.1%

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

Thanks for sharing Renee!

IHSA Nationals 2014 - Day 5

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

IHSA Nationals 2014 - Day 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IHSA Nationals 2014 - Day 3

As predicted the afternoon was super busy. Before we knew what had happened it was 7:15 p.m. and the last class of the day had just finished. After a few phone calls Liz found an Applebees willing to take our party of about 35 people which included many parents.

Kelsey Kocher made the cut for the Cacchione Cup and came back to ride in the flat section of that class. Team wise we had a great afternoon of showing. Michelle Hustad kicked it off with a 3rd place in Team Reining and followed that up with a 4th place in the Individual Open Horsemanship. Up next was Jake Hobson who turned in a very respectable 6th place in the Team Walk, Trot Equitation. Jessica Story rocked the St. Andrew’s bench with a beautiful ride to earn the Champion ribbon in Team Walk, Trot, Canter Equitation. To end the day Logan Teeter rode beautifully in the Novice Horsemanship to 4 more points for the Western Team.

Both teams end the day with 8 points. Tomorrow the first bus load heads to the Farm Show Complex at 6:45 a.m. The first class of the day is the Team Open Equitation Over Fences, Kelsey Kocher riding for St. Andrews.

Jessica Story Team Walk/Trot/Canter Champion!

Logan Teeter waiting for her pattern in Team Novice Horsemanship

Michelle Hustad waiting for her Open Horsemanship pattern

IHSA Nationals 2014 - Day 2.5

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

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

The parade of teams at lunchtime today

IHSA Nationals 2014 - Day Two

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

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

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

The plinko demonstration prior to every draw

Cami Glaff

IHSA National Championships 2014 - Day One

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

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

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

Western Reserve Champions in 2013

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

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