Highlights

$35,000 Spring Classic II Grand Prix

  With technical questions ranging from a tight time allowed to tight lines and rollback turns, the Richard Jeffrey course was a solid horse and rider test. Second to go, Amanda Tallman sailed around the course without a fault, setting the pace. Not until the 17th horse went, Laurus with Sarah Baldwin, did Tallman have a challenge for the jump off. Out of a field of 39, three more women joined this fault-free group - Cantano and Susie Hutchison, Lionell ridden by Erin Duffy and Heather Olson on Latina.

  Congratulations to Susie Hutchison and El Dorado 29's Cantano on a beautiful, clean ride in 48.28 for the win.

  The grass hill, bleachers and VIP Medal Club were filled with exhibitors and spectators who came out to enjoy an afternoon of show jumping plus a Kids' Day which included bounce houses, mini-golf, food & vendor booths.

Oaks Blenheim Spring Classic III

  This week the thrills move back to the Blenheim Covered Arena for the Open Equitation Classic on Friday, April 11th at 7pm. On Saturday, April 12th, enjoy an Exhibitor Party at 6pm followed by the $35,000 Oaks Blenheim Spring III Grand Prix at 7pm.

Exhibitor Party Details

  Who: All Blenheim horse show exhibitors are welcome
  What: Gourmet hot dogs, mini-sliders, fries, beverages
  Where: Blenheim Covered Arena in the VIP area
  When: Starts at 6pm - First come, first served for food & seating
  Note: Be certain to bring your ID. We will need proof of age to serve alcohol
 

The Blenheim EquiSports Team: We're here for you...

Name: Julia Bunge
Position: VIP Medal Club General Manager
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Home City: San Juan Capistrano, CA

Describe your work. I believe that I have the very best job on the property. I get to work outside under a tent looking at beautiful horses go over jumps and visit with some amazing people that have become dear friends! I do my best to make sure that all our members feel at home in a comfortable, attractive atmosphere and that they are well fed and loved every day from 8am till 4pm.

How long have you been with the BES team?
Eight seasons.

BY TAMMY CHIPKO

  Amateurs bring so much to this sport - it would certainly not be where it is today without them. I spoke with some very impressive Amateur riders about how they juggle their personal and professional lives while still making time for horses and competition.

  A large animal vet at Specifically Equine in Buellton, CA, you are sure to see
Dr. Kirste Timm working hard at many of the southern California horse shows. She is known and respected not only for her veterinarian skills but for her love of horses. From an early age she kept horses in her backyard while going to high school in Oregon and then would spend the summers in CA riding as a working student. When Kirste went to college at Pomona then later to Vet School at UC Davis, she rode and showed Dressage horses as well as worked as a vet tech. After completing surgery residency in Colorado she moved back to CA and started full-time at Specifically Equine. Somehow she finds the time to compete in the Adult Amateur division.

  How does she manage it? "I ride at obscene hours and I am fortunate that I can bring my horse to work with me at the horse shows. I am lucky to have a supportive husband and somewhat flexible hours. I am having fun and that is the most important thing to me."

  Anne Frankel rides in the Amateur Jumper divisions and currently owns two horses. Here & Now is her High A/O Jumper and Obe is a young horse that has just started his jumping career. Anne is an active owner, participating in all aspects of the care and well-being of her horses. She hauls, grooms, and prepares her horses for the ring. Not only that, but she is her own farrier!

  Anne explained, "I was an Engineer for 19 years and wanted to change careers. Since riding is what I love, I wanted to do something that involved horses. Noticing how many problems start with the feet, I became very interested in the process of shoeing horses. It made sense for me to go to farrier school in Washington State not only so I could learn how to care for my own horses' feet, but as a creative way for me to offset the horse expenses. After I had a riding accident my knee was not able to hold up to the physical pressures of shoeing too many horses, so I now only shoe my own and maybe a couple of friends' horses. I also work as a sales rep for my husband's toy company that allows me the flexibility to care for my horses and compete. This works well for me because I can spend time with both my husband and my horses."

  Her future plans? "The end of last year and the start of this year have certainly been the most rewarding for me in the show ring. Hero (Here & Now) has been so consistent and it has allowed me to raise the bar for myself. I love starting young horses and would like to continue to do that as well. I like to think I compete against myself and as long as I continue to progress I am happy." Great motto, Anne!

  Another Amateur with a full schedule is Tiffany Sullivan, who competes in the Amateur Owner Jumper division. Her story is also interesting. “I currently own five horses two of which I personally show and the others my trainer Santiago Ricard shows. I own Haley Farms, named after my dog. We have 60 stalls on the property that I manage and oversee. Until recently I worked full time as a child and family therapist for kids with learning disabilities and was only able to compete on the weekends. I decided to take some time off in order to finish my education and to compete in more horse shows. I’m one test away from becoming a licensed clinical social worker. I will then go back to work full-time.”

  She told us a little about her involvement with kids. "Besides working as a therapist, I became very involved with an organization last year called Canyon Acres. I donated all my prize money to this organization. Canyon Acres is a unique, one-of-a-kind place in Southern California with the ability, desire and professional expertise to treat severely abused, neglected and emotionally troubled young children. Canyon Acres represents real hope to children who have been emotionally traumatized, requiring both mental health treatment and physical protection.

  Besides all of this, Tiffany has more on her plate. "I have set up a foundation for people that would like to get involved in charity work through the horse industry and I am hoping that this continues to grow. I am also getting married in June of 2008." Wow!

  Lynn Walsh from Magnolia, TX, splits her time between her family, farm, competitions, and a huge amount of volunteer work. She is Chairman of the USHJA Show Standards Committee, Member of the USHJA Owners Committee and has also been President of the Texas Hunter/Jumper Organization. Lynn currently competes in the Amateur Owner Hunter division. Very involved in many aspects of the Hunter/Jumper industry, she told us about how it happened.

  "After I graduated from college and got married I started competing mainly at local shows. We bought our company so I was able to afford better horses and worked my way up to showing on the A-circuit. I moved to PJP Farms (Peter Pletcher) and have had quite a bit of success through the years. I love to compete in this great sport! It had always mystified me (coming from an advertising and marketing background) why no one was marketing the horse shows. It seemed to me a great opportunity to take my background experience and mesh it with the sport I loved. I started marketing, organizing, and promoting fund raising efforts for the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show. It was fun for me to sell an event to non-horse sponsors. Especially because it helped raise so much money for TX Children's Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House of Houston.

  I became President of the Texas Hunter/Jumper organization and this helped me to learn a great deal about improving show standards. I then felt with my background and experience I could bring a lot to USHJA. It is very exciting to travel around the country and meet so many new people who really want to improve the sport. I would like to continue to promote positive changes."

  Anneliese Kannow competes in the Amateur Owner Hunter division.

  Starting out in the pony division as a successful catch rider, she competed in the Pony Finals and was then successful in the Equitation arena, winning the USET Finals in 2000. Undergrad at UCSD and then to USC for her Law Degree, she passed the bar on her first try, a feat within itself.

  So how does she manage working in a law firm and riding? "That was a problem and I learned quickly that I really missed riding. The amount of hours you have to put in made it impossible for me to ride. I made the decision that I wanted to ride way more than I wanted to be a lawyer." So Annelise started tutoring kids at the shows. "I had a couple of students I was working with and decided I could expand on this and continue to pursue my riding. Most of my kids ride so everyone has the same schedule. It works great because I tutor in the afternoons or evenings, leaving me enough time to help my mom with the horses at the ranch and still compete." She does a lot of the horse work herself. "I help everyday with feeding, grooming, cleaning stalls, etc. I haul my own horse to the shows and groom myself. I like it and it helps make it affordable."

  In her spare time, Annelise is writing a book. "It's a hand book on The College Application Process. It is so confusing and difficult now that parents and kids are a bit at a loss. This handbook covers the application process and how to get into schools, test scores needed, and resumes. It helps the parents to guide their kids."

  We are so impressed with these Amateurs and their accomplishments in and out of our sport, we plan to continue meeting and discovering more of you! Thank you for all you do.

BY LAURA WARE

  One of the many important classes at The Oaks Spring Tournament was the $5,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, also the first North American Young Rider Trial. The North American Young Rider Championships is a competition consisting of two teams: an "A" team with 1.50 meter fences for riders ages 16-21, and a "B" or "junior" team with 1.40 meter fences for riders ages 14-18. Both teams consist of four riders and an alternate from each US Zone, each Canadian Province, Mexico and the Caribbean. This competition includes Eventing and Dressage along with Show Jumping, and is run under F.E.I. rules.

  Making either of the teams is an honor, and is a highly sought after goal for many riders. Southern California rider Mavis Spencer, the winner of the first trial, was kind enough to speak with us.

Laura: When did you start doing the 1.40 meter classes?

Mavis: I started doing the 1.40m with my mare early last year but unfortunately she was off for a bit after. I was only able to ride her at Spruce and at the November LAEC show, in the 1.30m. At Pebble Beach last summer, though, I got to ride Paris Sellon's junior jumper Syndication in the 1.40m and I was also given the ride aboard Francie Steinwedell's horse Naranco. It was very helpful riding those two horses because they were both really experienced in the larger classes and it boosted my confidence a lot. I am so grateful to both those owners for allowing me to ride and show their horses.

Laura: Please tell us a bit about your horse.

Mavis: My horse's name is Winea Van't Vennehof. I bought her almost two years ago. and she had never shown before. We shipped her straight to Spruce, and started her in the 1.20m. As my trainer, Dick Carvin said, she was either going to crack or jump and never look back. I guess she really jumped into it! When I first bought her, she was very skittish and head-shy and also kind of point and shoot. Thanks to all the help I've gotten from my trainers, though, she is now awesome and really ride-able. She is very headstrong and mare-ish but she fights for me and I can always trust her to leave the ground and not have a second thought about it.

Laura: How did the course ride in the trial? What was the jump-off like?

Mavis: The course was designed by Leopoldo Palacios so there were some obvious challenges, but I thought it was a very fair. Seven in the jump-off, all good riders. Saer Coulter and Paris Sellon were both coming off of some big wins during the winter circuits, Brenna Riddel I’d seen during Spruce and she is a great rider, as is Alicia Jonsson who I had seen go in the Grand Prix the night before and in the Olympic Trials so I knew she would have experience jumping tougher tracks. Taylor Coe and Katie Gardner are both fast riders so my plan going in was to try for a clean round while leaving out strides in some places. The rounds went so quickly in the jump-off that when I went in to the ring I didn't know what time or how many faults were leading. I saw the long galloping option to the first jump and just went with it. After the last jump I wasn't sure where my round put me but I knew I was clean and fast. Of course, I was thrilled to hear that I was leading! My horse has just been amazing and kept improving all through Florida. We were both really confident together after having some solid rounds in the bigger classes there so it's nice to come home and see our hard work translate here.

Laura: How do you manage riding and school work?

Mavis: My school has been wonderfully supportive of my riding. This year they allowed me to take a two month leave and ride in Florida. I also get out of school at 1:00 every day which gives me have plenty of time to ride.

Laura: What do you do to keep your horse prepared for these big classes?

Mavis: To keep my horse ready I hack her and sometimes lunge her with the Pessoa rig. Dick gets up there sometimes to help make her really work and think hard. Then she also hand walks a few times throughout the day. As many people have noticed, she doesn't have much of a tail, and while we are always trying to make it grow, I guess a certain amount of prep is just keeping her the way she is and happy.

Laura: What are your riding goals and plans for this year?

Mavis: To be honest I haven't thought that much about riding goals. I'd like to make the Young Rider team and I'd like to do well at Spruce, but for right now I'm just concerned with learning, riding consistently and keeping my horse happy and healthy. In my eyes once you have all that, the rest will follow.

Congratulations, Mavis, and good luck at the rest of the Young Rider Trials and Spruce Meadows!

Laura Listens is brought to you by Laura Ware. Winner of the 2007 LAHSA Junior Medal Finals and a recipient of the 2008 WCAR Jumper Rider Grant, Laura rides with First Field Farm and often trains with Archie Cox. She is very successful in the all three disciplines on her own mounts as well as catch riding other horses.

BY CAROL FREUNDLICH

  The Grand Prix audience at Oaks Blenheim on March 28th was privileged to share in an inspiring demonstration by participants at the Shea Center, the internationally known non-profit therapeutic riding facility in San Juan Capistrano. The two proud children who were riding, Brianna and Alex, along with their mounts, the staff and the volunteers gave a wonderful presentation, including an explanation over the audio system.

  The Shea Center has grown impressively since its founding in 1978. Founder Fran Joswick began her therapy project with only one client, one horse and two volunteers. The Center is currently able to serve well over 200 riders ranging in age from two to more than seventy. Shea has recently completed important parts of its ongoing construction program. They have added two all-weather covered arenas, one large and one small, and also an up-to-the-minute outdoor arena. The spacious new barn can house 40 horses, double the number of horse stalls previously available. With these additions, plus other renovations in the planning and building stages, Shea will eventually be able to provide therapy for more than 400 riders per week. This is especially good news for those on the 6-month waiting list!

  Stating its mission as "dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities through therapeutic horse-related programs", the Shea Center has earned the highest possible rating as a "premier center" from the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA). The Center offers one of only four fully-accredited instructor training and certification courses available in the U.S. Besides providing full-time hippotherapy and therapeutic sport riding programs for its clients, Shea attracts instructor trainees from all over the U.S. and from several other countries.
 

Janelle, Frosty, Sandy, Brianna   and Trish (l-r)	Alex and Brianna with the Shea Center   volunteers and staff at Oaks Blenheim.

  In their presentation at Oaks Blenheim, Brianna and Alex illustrated how horseback riding therapy is unique in the benefits it offers its clients. The children and one instructor wore clothing with strategically placed large colored dots so that the spectators could see how the horses' walk transferred three-dimensionally to the riders' and instructor's bodies. The movement of horses at the walk enabled the riders (from the pelvis up) to use the very same muscles, forward to back, side to side, and rotating, that they need for walking on the ground. The children also showed their progress through other exercises such as sitting sideways and backwards, picking up the reins and, finally, standing on horseback.

  With invaluable input from the staff, volunteers and, of course, the horses, the courageous riders at the Shea Center are continually developing muscle memory, trunk and core strength, coordination, flexibility and trust, as well as that most important element, self-esteem.

  For more information, including opportunities to volunteer and contribute, visit www.sheacenter.org.