Horseketeers Pony Club

Kudos to all the Horseketeers who rallied this past weekend! The "Horse Bay" team of Megan M., Rachel M., Aviles C., Elizabeth M. and scramble Horse Manager Anna H. from Bay Leaf Pony Club placed third in its division!      Alaila C. scrambled onto the "Sunny Horses" team of Danielle C., Brianna J., and Emily Z. from Suncoast Pony Club, and they finished first in their division!  They also finished second overall in Horse Management!  And this was Alaila's first rally ever.  Aviles C. achieved the highest score of the rally at Intro level, even though this was her very first rally, too!  Not to be outdone, equine Horseketeer Dillon came to the rescue of Madison S. of the "Bay River Express" team.  When Madison's mount refused to load on Friday afternoon, Mr. Sean and Ms. Trish volunteered Dillon.  Even though she'd never been on him before, Madiso...

Check out lots more photos on the Horseketeers photostream .

We are delighted to welcome two new members, Megan M. and Caelan M., to the Horseketeers!   Megan M. is a long-time Pony Club member who comes to us from Laurel Oaks Pony Club down south (where her mom Ms. Melissa helps run the club). After taking some time off for college, Megan is concentrating on riding again. Caelan M. is brand new to Pony Club.  She is looking forward to introducing her pony to us and to getting rated.  Caelan and her parents Mr. Brian and Ms. Alicia can hardly wait to get started!

When was the last time you took a lesson from someone who rode in the World Equestrian Games?  Or were coached by someone who is presently competing at the Advanced level? If you rode with the Horseketeers at the Jim Graham and David Adamo clinic, your answer would be "Last weekend!" Beautiful weather, a gorgeous facility, enthusiastic riders of various ages, and phenomenal clinicians combined on September 17th and 18th to create a successful clinic for everyone who attended, including auditors.       Jim and David worked with four groups of riders, using teaching exercises suitable for horses and riders at the Pre-Beginner Novice, Beginner Novice, Novice, and Training & Above levels.  They emphasized directing the flow of energy from the horse's hindquarters via correct body position, while the riders schooled on dressage for jumping and over bending lines, uphill and downhill fences,...

Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Aviles C. D3 Elizabeth M. D3 Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!

The summer heat has done nothing to dissuade the Horseketeers from their riding and learning. In addition to the regular mounted meetings, the Horseketeers hosted two very special guests during their recent unmounted meetings. On May 28, accomplished dressage rider and trainer Betsy Labelle gave a fascinating dressage talk about the biomechanics of the horse and rider. Her charts and explanations gave the Horseketeers a new understanding of the basics of dressage. When you understand how the muscle groups and bone structures connect, riding takes on a whole new dimension, as the Horseketeers discovered! Besides being a veteran FEI level rider, Ms. Labelle is a Pony Club B graduate. She inspired the Horseketeers with stories of how her involvement in Pony Club as a youngster led to a lifetime of enjoyment and success with horses. On June 18, Samantha Keeran (who is going for her B rating this fall!) gave the Horseketeers the inside scoop on special tips...