What's Happenin'

 

By William C. Steinkraus

Helen Ziegler Steinkraus died peacefully at home on the evening of April 11th surrounded by her family, after a brief illness. Born inNew York, the daughter of William Ziegler, Jr. and Helen Murphy Ziegler, the 81-year-old Mrs. Steinkraus grew up in Noroton, CT and New York City. She was educated at Nightingale-Bamford School and attended Columbia University and Hunter College before teaching briefly at Brearley. She then worked as a research assistant on the lung cancer studies of Dr. Ernst Wynder at the Sloan-Kettering Institute, and made several trips abroad collecting medical samples for him.

Throughout her life Mrs. Steinkraus displayed extraordinary courage, individuality, generosity and taste, and was a staunchly loyal friend.

Known to many by her nickname Sis, she was an elegant person and a very accomplished and versatile sportswoman. A member of the New York Yacht Club, she raced in Long Island Sound with her brother, William Ziegler III on their jointly-owned boats, and crewed on races to Bermuda and Hawaii.

She skied for many years both at home and abroad. She hunted wildfowl and upland birds from the East and South to Mexico, rode with many American foxhound packs as well as several Irish hunts, and made two hunting safaris in Africa. She also enjoyed snorkeling and tennis.

After marrying Olympic show-jumper William Steinkraus in 1960 she became interested in equestrian dressage, and with training from Jean Saint-Fort Paillard, Gunnar Andersen, Carol Mikolka and others, commenced a very successful competitive career that took her all the way to the Grand Prix level. With Natu she was USDF horse of the year at 2nd, 3rd and 4th level in three consecutive years and won the Eastern National 4th level finals in 1975. A vice-president of the American Dressage Institute, she became a sought-after national and international senior dressage judge and a strong early advocate of the freestyle to music. As a dressage organizer she was instrumental in developing the Wellington, FL dressage competitions, which she conducted in their early years. In retrospect, she played a valuable role in the development of dressage in America.

Aside from her own participation in sport, Mrs. Steinkraus took special interest in the ballet and figure skating, and with her interest in medicine, became active in Darien Post 53 Ambulance service where she became qualified as an EMT-I. She was also for several years a director of the American Maize-Products Company of Stamford, formerly headed by her brother, a lifelong director of the E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation for the Blind, and managed the family estate at Great Island in Noroton, CT until her death.

Mrs. Steinkraus was a loving wife, mother and grandmother, and especially enjoyed visiting the horses with her grandchildren. She is survived by her husband of 51 years, William C. Steinkraus; three sons, Eric of Sandy Hook, CT; Philip and his wife Stefanie of Rhinebeck, NY; and Edward of Darien, his wife Beth and three grandchildren, Grace, Abigail and Griffin.

Donations in her memory can be made to the US Equestrian Team Foundation, PO Box 355, Gladstone, NJ 07934, and Darien EMS-Post 53, POB 2066, Darien, CT 06820.

A private service was held.

 

Ottawa, ON— Canadians Peter Barry and Jessica Hampf finished in 11th and 19th place respectively in the 2012 edition of the CCI 4* Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, held April 26–29, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, USA.

Barry, of Dunham, QC,  sat in 40th place following dressage with a score of 60.3 riding his own Kilrodan Abbott, 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding. The pair completed Derek Di Grazia’s challenging cross country course with one of the best performances of the day incurring just 3.2 time penalties which moved them up the leaderboard into 14th place. Barry and Kilrodan Abbott added one rail, for four penalties, to their score to finish with a score of 67.5 which was good for 11th place overall.

“This was my second time at Rolex so everything was more relaxed, and I enjoyed the experience more,” said Barry, who horse, Kilrodan Abbott had the second fastest recovery time of all the entries following cross country. “My horse was more confident this year and it was a great course for him. Our goal was to improve on last year’s score and we did it.”

Jessica Hampf, originally of London, ON, also improved on her result from last year. Riding High Society III, 16-year-old Australian Thoroughbred gelding owned by the rider and Carl Hampf, were in 55th spot following dressage with 70.2. The pair added 23.2 time penalties on cross country and 8 jumping penalties to finish in 19th place with a score of 101.4.

William Fox-Pitt of Great Britain claimed first place riding Parklane Hawk with a score of 45.3 – keeping him in contention for The Rolex Eventing Grand Slam of Eventing having won CCI 4* Burghley in 2011. Americans Allison Springer with Arthur placed second with 47.0 and Boyd Martin third with Otis Barbotiere, scoring 51.0.

 

About Canadian Eventing 
Canadian Eventing is a committee of Equine Canada responsible for the sport of eventing in Canada from the domestic to the international level. The Canadian Eventing Committee is comprised of 12 members, including two rider representatives elected by the Elite Riders Association. Directed by the strategic plan for eventing, all eventing activities are administered by this committee via six technical sub-committees with the support of eventing department staff based at the Equine Canada office in Ottawa. The national team athletes and program, led by International Technical Advisor David O’Connor, are monitored by the High Performance Committee. For more information about Canadian Eventing, visit www.equinecanada.ca/eventing.

 

Wellington, FL (May 3, 2012) – Mary-Cameron Rollins, Lauren Knopp and Rebecca Cohen are three confident young riders and stars on their way up in the dressage world. Thanks to a new mentoring program by the dressage boutique ShowChic, formerly known as Sho Clothes, all three young ladies will have help as they travel the road to success within the horse industry.

“I have a strong desire to help young riders get started and find success,” said Michele Hundt, owner of ShowChic. “Our ShowChic Mentoring Program will give our riders an opportunity to head in the right direction while being ambassadors for us at the same time. I am excited to launch the mentoring program and look forward to watching these three young ladies blossom.”

As part of the ShowChic mentoring program, Rollins, Knopp and Cohen will attend and assist with the boutique’s monthly “Shop Talk” program, present ShowChic sponsored awards at dressage shows and assist Hundt with fashion shows and educational events ShowChic takes part in. “The girls will also post on our Facebook page and act as spokespersons for ShowChic,” Hundt said.

In addition to the rewards of learning more about the equestrian industry, each rider in the mentoring program receives a minimum of $500 a year in store credit. This will enable each rider to successfully dress and compete at the upper levels. “I am very excited to have Mary-Cameron, Lauren and Rebecca on board. They all are doing extremely well in the show world and ShowChic is proud to have them as part of our team,” Hundt said.

Rollins, 24, began her dressage career at the tender age of 13 when she rode her first Prix St. Georges on a horse named Vesper. She said it wasn’t an “exceptional” ride but it helped her realize that dressage is what she wanted to do with her life. She is a bronze and silver medalist and has her silver freestyle bar. In 2009, Rollins competed at NAJYRC on the Region 3 team, earning a bronze team medal and an individual gold. Her goal for 2012 is to compete at the USEF National Championships inGladstonein the Brentina Cup on her horse Rose Noir 2.

Knopp is a 2009 National Junior Reserve Champion at Gladstone. She also won the team and individual silver medal at NAJRYC in 2009 and she won the Silver Stirrup Award Reserve Champion. She continues to progress and this year she is competing in the Young Riders division and scored a combined score of 70.757% at the Welcome Back to White Fences II and III shows. Knopp also found great success competing at the Global Dressage Festival inWellingtonduring the winter.

Cohen, 16, is thrilled to be part of the ShowChic mentoring program. She also found great success at the Global Dressage Festival during the winter circuit, riding away with scores in the 70’s on her 17.2 hand Westphalen gelding Downtown. Cohen was the Region 3 Junior Rider Champion in 2010 at 3^rd and 4^th level. In 2009 she was the Junior Rider Reserve Champion in Region 3 at 1^st and 2^nd Levels. She has also competed at Gladstone and NAJRYC.

“They are a very talented group of young ladies and we are going to have a great time together,” Hundt said. “I am looking forward to everyone meeting them and if you attend our next ‘Shop Talk’ it will be the perfect chance to learn more about them.”

“Shop Talk” is a monthly gathering for the equestrian community and it takes place the second Tuesday of each month. ShowChic is located at 3220 Fairlane Farms Road inWellington. “We offer the finest in dressage apparel and we stock the following name brands: Arista, Cavallo, Kentucky, Pikeur, Samshield, GPA and Charles Owen. We also offer beautiful handmade stock ties, BrowBands with Bling stock pins, Carol Ehrlich jewelry and more,” Hundt said.

For more information on ShowChic, visit their website at www.shoclothes.com or call them at 561-319-2121.

 

Purina Makes Feed Contribution and Asks Horse Owners, Retailers to Help

 

(ST. LOUIS, Mo. – May 1, 2012) – During the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Purina Mills, LLC announced its pledge to donate $125,000 in feed to American Horse Council’s Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC). The donation will support A Home for Every Horse, a program dedicated to finding homes for horses in need of adoption or fostering.

Purina’s goal is to donate a half ton of Purina® Strategy® horse feeds to 400 rescue shelters. Purina® Strategy® horse feeds are a high-performance feed that have provided more than one billion feedings to horses of all ages and lifestyles. A portion of every bag sold will help fuel the contribution, giving horse owners the opportunity to help.

A Home for Every Horse was initiated by Equine Network and gives rescue shelters an effective, online method to place horses with loving families interested in adoption or fostering. A Home for Every Horse works under the Unwanted Horse Coalition, an organization that promotes responsible equine ownership and awareness of the options, services and assistance available to guarantee horses receive care and humane support throughout their lives.

Through a broad alliance of 30 equine organizations, including the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), Purina and others, a collective effort works to ensure everything possible is done so that no horse becomes unwanted.

“The UHC is so honored to be a part of A Home for Every Horse. With so many unwanted horses in our nation, we must really stress the importance of rescuing and adopting,” said Ericka Caslin, director with Unwanted Horse Coalition. “Not only are there so many talented and wonderful horses waiting for homes, but the adoption of a horse will free up a space for another horse to be rescued and saved.”

“Helping to find homes for horses in need is an ambitious undertaking, and we at Purina believe it’s critical for organizations across the equine industry to come together in a united effort to help address this growing issue,” said Dave Hoogmoed, president of Purina Mills. “With thousands of horses across the country in need of shelter and nutrition, we must increase education and awareness about horse ownership, care, and adoption. This mission is at the core of the Unwanted Horse Coalition and one that Purina® supports through the partnership of A Home For Every Horse.”

 

Purina® Retailers Help Local Rescue Organization

The plight of the rescue horse is one familiar to horse lovers. The burden of care often falls on rescue shelters that take in these horses. That’s why some Purina® dealers are realizing opportunities to make a difference in their own communities.

In spirit of A Home for Every Horse, three Purina® dealers in northernCaliforniaunited to support an area rescue organization, Sonoma Action for Equine Rescue (SAFER). Friendly Feed and Supply, Frizelle Enos Feeds and Rainbow Agriculture each donated a half ton of Purina® horse feed to SAFER for rescue horses in Sonoma County and the surrounding area. In addition, Purina matched the generous donations with an additional half ton of feed.

“SAFER has done so much for members of this community, and these partnerships allow us to create awareness and help solve some of the challenges that horses and horse owners face during tough economic times,” said Jim Mayfield, president of Rainbow Agriculture. “We’ve been a Purina® product dealer for close to thirty years and it means a lot to be associated with a brand that truly cares about the welfare of horses and horse owners.”

 

“This donation translates directly into how many horses we can afford to take in and help find homes for in the community. We’ve been working so hard that we haven’t had the opportunity to do much fundraising and we just hoped that if we did the work, the support would come,” said Kate Sullivan, president of SAFER. “Our foster shelters will see a lot more success stories because we’ll be able to provide a lot more feed assistance.”

Horse lovers interested in adopting an animal in need can visit www.ahomeforeveryhorse.com to search for available horses in their area. A Home for Every Horse is hosted and promoted by Equine.com, the industry’s largest website for buying and selling horses, with a network of more than 1.5 million horse owners.

For more information on the American Horse Council’s Unwanted Horse Coalition, visitwww.unwantedhorsecoalition.org. And to learn more about the partnership between the Unwanted Horse Coalition and Purina® Horse Feed, visit www.feedyourstrategy.com.

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About Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC

Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC (www.horse.purinamills.com) is a national organization serving producers and their families through 4,700 local cooperatives and independent dealerships throughout theUnited States. The company, in combination with its wholly owned subsidiary Purina Mills, LLC, is North America’s leading feed company, providing producers, cooperatives and dealers with an extensive line of animal feed, ingredients and services designed to help agricultural producers, dealers and cooperatives compete in the global marketplace.

 

 

Wellington, Florida– David Marcus of Campbellville, ON, made the most of his new Canadian citizenship, putting himself in contention for Olympic consideration following a strong winter competition season in Florida.  Several weeks of international dressage competition are held in the Wellington, West Palm Beach and Loxahatchee areas, making south Florida     a top destination for dressage athletes from around the world.

Marcus, 31, received his Canadian citizenship on December 28, 2011, and promptly began representing his new country successfully, scoring over 70% with Chrevi’s Capital in the national grand prix held at the Wellington Classic Dressage Premier from January 12 to 15 in Loxahatchee, Florida.

Even more impressively, the national competition in Loxahatchee marked the first grand prix test for Marcus’s mount, Chrevi’s Capital owned by Deborah Kinzinger.  In just four short months competing at the sport’s highest level together, Marcus and the 12-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding have formed a solid partnership that has seen them achieve an average score of 67.251% for Olympic consideration.  As of May 1, Marcus is ranked fifth overall in a hotly contested race for a spot on the 2012 Canadian Olympic Dressage Team.

“At every competition this winter, Chrevi’s Capital steadily increased his scores by one or two percent, culminating in the CDI5* at the Global Dressage Festival where we placed second in the Grand Prix Special,” said Marcus of the CDI5* Global Dressage Festival held March 28 to April 1 in Wellington, Florida.  “I am thrilled with the progress he has made; he has exceeded my expectations.  I had hoped that he would do this well, but he progressed so quickly, going from having never done a grand prix to now being so consistent in the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special that we are in the running for a place on the Olympic team.”

 

By Kim MacMillen

Looking through Comanche’s ears as we jigged up to the Rolex Head of the Lake water complex the jumps looked even more daunting from the saddle than from the ground, if that’s possible. Comanche, a red roan Appaloosa gelding, was my trusty, albeit enthusiastic, mount on the 2012 “Rolex Ride The Course” media trail ride around cross-country at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Thanks to Rolex Watch and Merrick Haydon of Revolution Sports, a small group of lucky journalists had the chance to tour the course on horseback to see the obstacles and galloping track from the perspective of the horse and rider.  Our tour guides were Olympic silver medalist and veteran of numerous U.S. eventing teams Gina Miles and USEF President and Olympic gold medalist David O’Connor. We also had a visit with Derek di Grazia, the course designer, at one of the obstacles.

 

UVA polo dominated the USPA Intercollegiate National Tournaments this past weekend in Ithaca, N.Y., taking home titles in both the men’s and women’s events.  The Cavalier squads faced strong competition throughout the tournaments, which featured top college programs and some of the best young players in the United States.

The UVA men’s team defeated Cornell in the semifinal and went on to win the championship with a 23-17 victory against Westmont in the final.

 

In the women’s tournament, UVA took down a solid Texas A&M team before meeting rival Cornell in the final and winning in a close 17-13 contest

The National Intercollegiate Championship is part of the USPA’s Intercollegiate/Interscholastic polo program, which is committed to growing the sport of polo with players and fans.  Several players from the winning UVA teams are part of the premier Team USPA development program as well, which is also highly involved in training and teaching young polo players. With the help of programs like these, polo is experiencing a resurgence in the U.S.as depicted in the recent in-depth feature on “60 Minutes” surrounding the sport.

All Star Honorees
Men	Women
Felipe Viana – UVA	Julia Steiner – UVA
CB Scherer – UVA	Kailey Eldredge  – Cornell
Patrick Uretz –Westmont	Kylie Sheehan – UVA
Wiley Uretz -Westmont	Isabella Wolf – UVA

 

 

 

 

April 24, 2012 – The Dressage Foundation’s Renee Isler Dressage Support Fund recently provided two scholarships to young riders to support their participation in educational clinics.

Katrina Hiller (WI) was accepted by the United States Dressage Federation to participate in the Junior/Young Rider Clinic with Jeremy Steinberg on March 17-18, 2012.  However, she needed some financial help to make the trip from Wisconsin to Maryland with her horse, Toy Soldier.  Katrina received an $800 scholarship from Renee’s Fund, which enabled her to attend the clinic.

“The clinic with Jeremy Steinberg was an incredible experience,” said Katrina.  “His methods were effective yet respectful to the horse, and overall made Toy much more supple, active, and rideable.  I can’t thank The Dressage Foundation enough for giving me the opportunity to ride for Jeremy!”

 

Renee’s Fund, which also provides support to young riders and professionals who participate in other educational events, awarded a $325 scholarship to Annie Adamczyk (IL).  Annie was selected to participate in the Emerging Dressage Athlete Clinic with Lendon Gray.  The event will be held April 28-29 at Legacy USA Equestrian inBurr Ridge,IL.

 

“Receiving this scholarship to ride with Lendon Gray is such an honor.  I cannot thank Renee Isler and The Dressage Foundation more for giving me this great opportunity. I am so excited to see how well Storm, my new mare owned by Marilyn Black, and I improve because of this clinic,” said Annie.
Since 2008, the Renee Isler Dressage Support Fund has provided nearly $40,000 in grants/scholarships to support young riders, the USDF Jr/YR Clinic Series, and dressage professionals.  For more information about this Fund, go to www.dressagefoundation.org/Renee_Isler_Dressage_Support_Fund.htm or contact Jenny Johnson at (402)434-8585 or jenny@dressagefoundation.org.

 

 

The Dressage Foundation

 

The Dressage Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, tax-exempt, donor-driven organization that is dedicated to supporting and advancing the sport of dressage.  The organization solicits contributions, appropriately allocates the donations, and awards grants and scholarships to dressage riders of all ages and levels.  For more information, please visit www.dressagefoundation.org.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            DEVON, Pa.—Thousands of volunteers work year-round on the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, and each year two of them serve as Chairman.

Each Chairman serves for two years, with the beginning of their service years alternating.

This year’s Country Fair Chairmen are Mrs. Albert F. (Debbie) Martin, who also served last year, and Mrs. John M. (Candy) Guinan, who will serve this year and next.

While each chairman only serves for two years, so that it’s not such an onerous task, often the same people are tapped again for the job a few years after their terms are up.

This is true of Martin, who previously served in 1990-’91, and Guinan, who served in 2001-’02.

Martin, who has volunteered atDevonfor 36 years, was asked by a friend in 1976 to help grill hot dogs in the Hot Dog Booth.

Both her Mother and Father began volunteering shortly after.

Today, her husband, son and daughter all volunteer with her, and her daughter is now Chairman of the Soda and Ice Cream Booth

.           “A friend invited me to a Devon party, and I joined (as a volunteer) immediately when I met the people,” said Guinan, of how she became involved 25 years ago.

“Little kids come here and end up as volunteers,” said Guinan. “For instance, Viola Bement, who was 90 on April 21, has volunteered since she started as an 8-year-old selling lemon sticks.”

Chairmen will often work in different booths to get the full flavor ofDevon.  Martin has worked in the Hot Dog Booth, theDerby, Information, Soda and Ice Cream, and Cafeteria, as well as onDevonpre-events such as Black Tie and Boots Ball and House Tour, while Guinan has served on antiques, souvenirs, hot dogs, midway and concessions.

The Country Fair offers boutiques and rides and delicious foods for every palate, plus there are contests for hats, dresses and dogs, plus special back barn tours, so there are special events for each member of the family.

Boutiques offer a vast selection of goods from trendy clothes to men’s and women’s sports wear, often appliquéd with a horse or dog design, handbags, shoes, hats, belts, blankets, Alpaca coats and wraps beautiful gold, silver and turquoise jewelry, fine paintings, prints and sculptures, antiques, designer eyewear, children’s clothes, toys and games, needlework, pottery, home décor, souvenirs and collectibles as well as, of course, tack shops.

At the Country Fair, from the Ferris wheel high above the show grounds, to carousel horses and rides of all description to classic games of shoot the duck and throw the ball, there are rides and games for children of all ages.

Hot dogs and hamburgers vie with pizza and soft drinks and ice cream, while in the Garden Cafe, every afternoon and evening there’s a different selection of gourmet foods, including fine wines, that can be enjoyed in comfort in the pavilion.

Then, of course, there’s the famousDevonfudge and lemon sticks.

The amount of food served annually is huge.

Last year, 1,400 pounds ofDevonfudge was sold, over 12,000 hamburgers, over 9,000 hot dogs and 37,056 scoops of ice cream fed the throngs that attend the show.

 

 

 

When an event ends you think you have so much time before the next year, but for some reason time seems to speed on by. Now we are just weeks away from the 2012 So8ths/Nikon Three Day Event in the “Heart of the Carolinas” to take place at Southern 8ths Farm in Chesterfield, SC, May 3-6.

Just today I was in touch with the title sponsor, Nikon, to get the latest on the prizes the riders will be vying for. I was thrilled when they told me that the Beginner Novice, Novice and Training Three-Day division riders each have a chance to win a Nikon D3100 Outfit with an 18-55 MM VR lens. Nikon will also be giving 2^nd and 3^rd place finishers Nikon Laptop bags. I have one of those and love it. Volunteers will be getting Nikon t-shirts to wear on Cross-Country day. A big thank you to Nikon for helping make this event extra-special for these Amateur riders, to match the classy facility the owner Brad Turley has created on this 300-acre paradise.

In addition to the Nikon cameras, Breyer will also be giving the winners Crystal Horses. And Cavalor is sponsoring the Saturday morning breakfast.

 

So, now I want you to hear from some of the clinicians and competitors.

Susan Beebee will be one of the many clinicians for the educational day, May 3. She will be working with the riders to help them better understand the Steeplechase phase of the Three-Day Event.

Susan is thrilled to be a part of this event and commented, “It’s a privilege to help at the So8ths/Nikon Three-Day Event for their educational training day.  As a young girl growing up I dreamed of competing at Rolex and at the Advanced level of Eventing. I have been able to live my dream, and develop a business doing what I love, because I was afforded opportunities to work with the best in the Eventing community. I hope the riders at this event will leave this fun weekend of great coaching and mentoring and go for their goals!”

 

 

We spoke to some of the approximately 40 competitors who will be headed to this year’s So8ths/Nikon Three-Day Event and learned a bit about what they do and how they are preparing.

Michele Lobsinger, is entered in the Novice 3 day with her horse, Glenlara’s Pride, a 6-year-old Irish Draught/Connemara cross that she has had for a year and a half.  “He has a great personality and puts up with me most of the time,” explained Michele.  “We are getting really close and finally starting to develop a partnership.  It has not happened overnight, but he has turned out to be such a cool horse.”

Michele trains with Lauren O’Brien in Vass, NC and she understands the demands of trying to compete and run a household because she has two young children. Michele lives in Southern Pines, NC with her husband Scott and their two 6-year-old children, Natalie and Angelo.  “They are not twins,” explained Michele, “we adopted them from Guatemala from two different families.”

Before the children arrived, Natalie explained that she “competed in two Long Format one stars and groomed for many others. I have not done a 3 day event in 7 years and I am very excited to be able to participate in one again!  My husband is taking a couple days off from work to help out with the kids and my dear friend, Lindsay Staiano has offered me a room at her home which is close to the venue.  And although the Carolina Horse Park (CHP) is my favorite place ever to compete, I am really looking forward to competing somewhere since I haven’t done so since 2009.”

Right now it’s a balancing act for Michele with a family, work, barn chores and just life in general. “It’s crazy some days, but I know it will be worth it after phase D on Saturday that weekend,” she commented. “I am really psyched and the idea of getting to do steeplechase again is just awesome!

“I am amazed at all the local professionals from our area that are going to be helping out with the event that week; that is really impressive. I appreciate their efforts and also volunteer at the CHP whenever I am not riding.  I am grateful to the organizers, officials, volunteers, etc. for all the work I know they are already doing. I am very excited at the idea of participating in this event only a few weeks away.”

The local professionals she is referring to are all the talented clinicians that will be part of the educational phase of the event such as Holly Hudspeth and Charlie Plumb.

 

Carol Ogden, Faraway Farm, Lake Butler, FL, works part-time at Sears and also teaches riding lessons locally.  “My horse is a 14-year old bay Thoroughbred, In Rhythm (aka Brogan), who has shown at Training level consistently,” commented Carol. “This will be my second Training 3-Day (my first was at Ocala Horse Trials a few years ago).  I knew I wanted to do another one someday because it was such a rewarding experience. 

“Working part-time affords me a little more time to prepare for a 3-day, but being from Florida, we have to search out some hills to work on our conditioning.  Fortunately, some friends have a 350-acre farm we ride on, with some gradual hills for galloping/trotting up as well as some steep hills for conditioning. 

“I have an interval training program I use, starting 6-8 weeks out, depending on the starting fitness of my horse.  I condition 2 days/week (Tuesdays and Saturdays), jump at least once a week, and practice Dressage the other days (although I do a lot of trail riding in our lovely state parks, which helps with the fitness program). 

“At the last 3-Day, my horse was one of the fittest ones there, so I know this schedule works for us.  I need him extra fit, since this event will be in the mountains, whereas Ocala was pretty flat!”

Carol understands that both horse and rider must be fit and so for herself she goes to the gym and works with the machines twice a week.  “I also ride my bike a few times a week (my longest ride yet was 14 miles).  By the time May comes, I will feel we are prepared. It’s the getting ready that’s the hard part, but the actual competition is the fun part!  I’m really looking forward to coming up to Southern 8ths!”

Pam Medlin had some comments to say about her 15-year-old daughter Kaylin, who will be competing on Harley.  She commented that the key things about her daughter were and are “Patience and humility pay off. She’s been trying to qualify for her T3D since last August. She and Harley have overcome quite a few obstacles, and finally earned their last qualification run in March, at Southern Pines II.”

Kaylin groomed for Susan Beebee at Rolex in 2011. Susan (as noted at the beginning of this article) just happens to be one of the clinicians. She currently trains with Rebecca Howard (yet another clinician – small world) and is based at The Fork in Norwood,NC.

“Kaylin is a C1 Pony Clubber and is participating in the PRO Junior Training Scholarship. She and Harley spent 6 weeks in Ocala, FL this winter (January 13-February 26) training,” noted Pam.

 

“Kaylin is in 9th grade and is home schooled so that she can concentrate on training and competing. Her goals include: Area II Young Riders, Rolex, WEG, Pan Am Games and the US Olympic Team.”

Like many parents, Pam will be there with her daughter but mostly to cheer her on.  “I don’t know how much I will be helping her. Once she started going Training level, we backed off and let her do it on her own. I act as her driver, her dad acts as her sole sponsor.

“Between now and then, Kaylin and Harley will be doing lots of trot sets and galloping,” continued Pam. “They will continue working on their Dressage and jumping with 2-3 lessons each week. Harley is being seen by the vet next week to make sure he is ready to go, and Kaylin is working on her own endurance by running and doing P90X.

“Kaylin set her sights on the T3D several years ago and is very much looking forward to finally competing.”

 

 

The So8ths/Nikon Three-Day Event is just around the corner.  If you’d like to get a sense of what is in store for this year, take a look back at last year. Go to So8ths YouTube page and take a video tour: http://www.youtube.com/user/So8ths or check out the wide selection of photos showing every facet of the event here: www.tinyurl.com/presslink-so8ths. And make sure to visit the web site: www.so8ths.com and click the “like”  button on Facebook: www.facebook.com/so8ths.