MayAppts

A monthly publication of The Tryon Daily Bulletin

The Hoofbeats of the Carolina Foothills

F R E E

May 2011

Volume 5 Issue 8

Spotlight on local equestrians: Lauren

Allen, Mike Scott and Randi Thompson

'Where are we going,'

by Gerald Pack

View results from recent Western Hunter Pace rides and catch a

glimpse of Steeplechase

'A croak to spring'

by Catherine Macaulay

Appointments

by Kelly Murphy

The weather was picture perfect, the track condition was good, and, as sometimes happens in horse racing, the results of the featured Block house Steeplechase hinged on an unexpected turn of

events.In spi te of an awkward

f i r s t jump, Lead Us Not , running for owner William Pape, whose horses have won the last two renewals of this race, set off in the lead and remained there for the first

two circuits of the course. H o w e v e r , a p p a r e n t l y

thinking that he had complet-ed the final lap, jockey Brian Crowley steered his highly regarded mount around the next jump, and was off course with one lap to go. Northern

Bay then passed Fantast ic Foe, who had inherited the lead, and was able to hold off his remaining three rivals in spi te of a la te ral ly by Canardly.

The winner was trained by

Northern Bay reigns at Steeplechase

Jockey Brian Crowley races to the finish on Northern Bay after passing Lead Us Not and Fantastic Foe. (photo by Erik Olsen)

Continued on p. 3

Appointments • May 2011 • p. 2

Appointments

Samantha Hurst, editor 828-859-2737 x 110

Nick Holmberg, marketing consultant 828-859-2737 x 114

9151.Appointments is distributed on the fourth Thursday of every month (subject to change) in every home-delivered and newsstand copy of The Tryon Daily Bulletin. You can also find them for free each month, as long as they last, in tourism and equestrian businesses throughout the area. Appointments is a monthly publication of The Tryon Daily Bulletin Inc., 16 N. Trade Street, Tryon, N.C. 28782.

Make your “Appointments!”

To reach us regarding:• News items, contact Samantha Hurst, (828) 859-2737 ext. 110, e-mail [email protected]; or Barbara Childs, [email protected]; FAX to (828) 859-5575.• Advertising, billing or distribution inquiries, please call Nick Holmberg at the Tryon Daily Bulletin, (828) 859-

May-June 20115/7: Foothills Riding Club Horse

Trials at FENCE. Info: Margo Savage, 828-863-4924 or www.foothillsridingclub.com.

5/7: Fourth-annual Big Brothers Big Sisters Hunter Pace at Caroland Farms For more information, contact Karen Darcey at [email protected].

5/14-15: Foothills Equestrian Events Dressage Show at FENCE. Info: Alicia Henderson 828-674-1885.

5/14: FRC Cross Country Schooling at FENCE. Info: Margo Savage, 828-863-4924 or www.foothillsridingclub.com.

5/18-19: Henk van Bergen clinic at Cross Creek Farm May18-19. A successful trainer in Holland, van Bergen has coached of the Dutch National Team. He has twice presented at the USDF National Symposium.

5/20-22: Progressive Show Jumping at FENCE. Info: Rick Cram, 803-649-3505 or psjshows.com.

5/26-29: Tryon Summer Premier Horse Show, A rated, at Harmon Field. Info: Laura Weicker 828-859-6109 or www.trhcevents.com.

5/28-29: Carriage Club Show at FENCE. Info: Sandy Donovan, 901-

218-0613 or [email protected].

6/2: The Foothills Riding Club continues its support for TROT by offering a demonstration of natural horsemanship techniques by Lynn Brown. The event will be held at Red Gate Farm’s in Green Creek June 2 at 7 p.m. A minimum donation will benefit TROT. Info: 828-863-4924.

6/2-5: Tryon Summer Classic at FENCE. Info: JP Godard, 803-643-5698 or www.equusevents.com.

6/2-5: Tryon Ridging and Hunt Club $5,000 Charity Jumper. Info: Laura Weicker 828-859-6109 or visit www.trhcevents.com.

6/7-10: Robert Zanvoort clinic June 7-10. Info: Dr. Joy Baker at 828-817-0315.

6/8-12: Tryon Riding & Hunt Club Charity Horse Show, A rated, at FENCE. Info: Laura Weicker 828-859-6109 or www.trhcevents.com.

6/9: FETA new member welcome picnic June 9 at FENCE at 6:30 p.m. This will be a potluck dinner. Info:

6/17-19: FENCE Schooling Horse Trials at FENCE. Info: FENCE 828-859-9021 or email [email protected].

6/25-26: NCDCTA Dressage Show at FENCE. Info: Sandy Donovan, 901-218-0613 or email [email protected].

7/6-10: Tryon Riding & Hunt Club Charity Horse Show II, A rated, at FENCE. Info: 828-859-6109 or www.trhcevents.com.

7/14-17: Tryon Riding & Hunt Club Charity Horse Show III, A rated, at FENCE. Info: 828-859-6109 or visit www.trhcevents.com.

7/17: FENCE Cross Country School-ing at FENCE. Info: FENCE 828-859-9021 or [email protected].

7/23-24: FRC Schooling Dressage & Stadium at FENCE. Info: Margo Savage, 828-863-4924.

7/23-24: Tryon Riding and Hunt Club Junior Amateur Horse Show, A rated, at Harmon Field. Info: 828-859-6109 or www.trhcevents.com.

7/29 – 8/1: Rick Quinn Horsemanship Clinic at FENCE. Info: Dottie Davis, 828-891-4372 or email [email protected].

8/5-8/7: Progressive Show Jumping at FENCE. Info: Rick Cram, 803-649-3505 or www.psjshows.com.


Todd J. Wyatt for the Estate of Cary W. Jackson, and was ridden to victory by Roddy MacKensie.

In the first race, run over two and three-eighth miles, f o r ma idens (ho r se s who have not won a race), Class Launch set off in the lead, pressed by Solar Panel. In the final turn the Uruguay-an-bred Inti, who had been stalking the pace, gained the lead, only to be overhauled in the stretch by Last Man Standing. Inti’s rider claimed a foul against the winner for bumping at the last fence, but it was disallowed by the stewards.

The winner was ridden by

STEEPLECHASEContinued from page 1

Above: Foxhunter's Cup winner Libbie Arnold (Center) receives her award. (photo by Erik Olsen)Continued on p. 4

65th Block House Steeplechase finishesRace 11. Last Man Standing2. Inti3. Class Launch4. Queen Maddie

Race 21. Flying Friskie2. Bag Of Hammers3. Hot Rize4. Sergeant Karakorum

Race 31. Class Tie2. Better Be Ready3. Silence4. Reveillon

Race 41. Northern Bay2. Canardly3. Spy In The Sky4. Fantastic Foe

Race 5: Thoroughbred 1. Rush To Market2. My Pick

Non-thoroughbred 1. Betsy’s Special Lace2. Maniac3. Shorty’s Sugar Baby4. Roudy Outrageous

Above: Carolina first winning jockey Brian Crowley after the race. (photos by Erik Olsen)


Brian Crowley and is trained by Hall of Fame trainer Jona-than Sheppard for The Elk-stone Group LLC.

The second race was also a maiden race over the same distance. Flying Friskie led for the first two circuits of the course but was overtaken by Bag of Hammers , who looked like a winner until he made an awkward jump at the last obstacle, allowing Flying Friskie to resume command and win easily.

The winner is trained by Li l i th Boucher for owner Marilyn S. Ketts, and was rid-den to victory by her husband, Richard Boucher.

The third race, for horses who have not won two races, was contested over the same distance as the first two.

At the start the Irish horse So Amazing swept away to a commanding lead, but tired by the halfway point, relin-quishing the lead to Rev-eillon. However, Better Be Ready took over going down the backstretch on the final circuit, pressed by Class Tie.

These two battled to the wire with the latter prevailing narrowly. The combination of trainer Lilith and rider Rich-ard Boucher was again victo-rious, winning this time for owner Mede Cahaba Stable.

The final race of the day was about three quarters of a mile on the flat for amateur riders who have not ridden in a sanctioned race.

It was divided into thor-oughbred and non-thorough-bred divisions, but run as one race.

At the s tar t the quarter horse Betsy’s Special lace, ridden by Robert Arnold of Union, SC, set off at a blister-ing pace.

However, r each ing the final turn, he was overtaken by his wife Libby, riding the

STEEPLECHASEContinued from page 3

Hundreds of spectators look on as jockeys and horses complete the first lap during the first race of the day Saturday, April 23. (photos by Samantha Hurst)

As the day went on races continued to keep crowds on their feet. (photos by Samantha Hurst)

thoroughbred Rush To Mar-ket, who went on to win.

Entering the home stretch the thoroughbred My Pick, ridden by Susie Kocher, also over took Be t sy’s Spec ia l Lace, which prevailed in the

non-thoroughbred division.Lee Ann Harmon of El-

l enboro , N.C. , r id ing the quarter horse Maniac, was second among the non-thor-oughbreds, followed by Kathy Bragg of Moore, S.C. , on

Shor ty ’s Sugar Baby and Jordan Hicks of Tryon on Amanda B i lha rz ’s Roudy Outrageous.

See pages 30 and 31 for more photos from the 65th Block House Steeplechase.


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by Barbara Childs

1. What is the Interscho-lastic Equestrian Associa-tion (IEA) that Clear View Farm is offering?

The IEA program is an opportunity for students ages 11-19 to ride, show and travel wi th o ther team members to both local and national shows.

Students will participate in weekly group lessons as a team and will then begin showing in the fall of 2011.

The IEA program focuses on horsemanship ski l ls as well as sportsmanship and having fun riding and show-ing.

I t i s no t necessa ry fo r

Students from the IEA program at Clear View Farm. (photo submitted)

Q&A with Clear View Farm's Rachael Tessmer

Continued on p. 6



Bramblewood StablesBramblewood

StablesDressage

Hunters/Jumpers

(864) 322-7979

students to own or show their own horses.

Horses as well as equip-ment are provided for both at practice and at the shows.

It offers students unable to own their horses the op-portunity to ride and show and participate in an exciting equine sport with other rid-ers and team members their own age.

2 . What s tudent s can

qualify for this program with their levels of experi-ence and training?

IEAContinued from page 5 Students in both middle

and high school can qualify for the IEA program. Riding exper ience can vary f rom beginner level to experienced in the show ring.

The IEA offers the oppor-tunity for all skill levels with horses for the students.

3. What are the benefits

of this program for students - do they get school credit for part ic ipat ion in th is equine sport?

Students have the oppor-tunity to earn scholarships toward their college educa-

Jeanne Smith teaching a lesson at Clear View Farms.


tions. 4. What kind of horses

are used for the students in riding lessons and at shows?

The horses provided for lessons at Clear View Farm are safe and reliable horses and ponies suitable for all skill levels and ages.

Horses used at the shows are provided by the host team arranging the show.

The horses come from lo-cal horse farms and training centers as well as the equip-ment.

Riders have a short period of time to get to know the horses they will be riding before competing.

This affords the student rider to learn a variety of different kinds of rides on their horse.

5. What is the key to be-

ing a success with riding - is it horses or horsemanship -what counts the most?

Horsemanship is the big key in the IEA program. All classes are judged on horse-manship and how the rider connects with the horse he or she is riding.

The horse is not judged in this sense, but rather how

effectively the rider can com-municate with the horse, and how the rider handles his or her mount in the show ring.

6. What training divi-sions are available to stu-dents for equitation, jump-ing, cross country, eventing and stable management?

Classes consist of jumps and fences no higher than 3 feet. Numerous flat classes are also offered throughout t he p rogram. C las ses fo r stable management and riding cross country are also held.

7. What shows do you

attend in preparation for these students to compete and learn the showing pro-cess?

Weekly lessons as well as group lessons for practice at Clear View Farm are given on the farm’s school horses. This helps the students to un-derstand the techniques and skills necessary for showing in the IEA program.

If students are interested in participating at local shows in the Landrum/Tryon area, they are welcome to do so on weekends at Harmon Field and at FENCE.

“The IEA program focuses on horsemanship skills as well as sportsmanship and having fun riding and showing.”

-- Rachael Tessmer


by Dr. Rich Metcalf of Tryon Equine Hospital

If you own horses, you are likely to be faced with a medical emergency - lacerations, swollen legs, eye injuries, colic, etc…

You must know how to rec-ognize serious problems and respond promptly. Most impor-tantly – stay calm!

Prepare for an emergency:• Post your vet’s phone number

and how to reach them after hours in your barn and trailer.

• Keep your insurance informa-tion readily available, especial-ly when traveling with your horse away from your farm.

• Know in advance the most di-rect route to an equine surgery center, especially when travel-ing away from home.

• If you do not own a trailer, have contacts that can be eas-ily reached in case your horse requires transporting.

• Keep a first aid kit in your barn and trailer at all times.

• If your horse is boarded at a farm or you have other people watch your horses while you are out of town, make sure they have all the information required to admit your horse to the hospital - including but not limited to: extent of treatment (financially and medically- i.e. is colic surgery an option), contact information for you or other party authorized to make decisions and financial information

In order to recognize signs of distress you first need to be a good observer.

Know your horse’s normal vital signs as well as normal behavior patterns.

Also, know the normal color, consistency and volume of feces and urine.

Normal vital sign ranges:

First aid and emergency care for equine friends

Temperature: 99.0 – 100.5 de-grees F; pulse: 28 – 44 beats per minute; respiratory rate: 10 – 20 breaths per minute.

Fevers Temperatures that stay above

101.5 can cause depression, an-orexia, decreased gastrointestinal motility, elevated heart rate and respiratory rate, and sometimes ataxia. It is critical to determine the source of the fever and then determine the best ways to treat the fever.

Wounds and lacerations:Catch and calm your horse to

prevent further injury. Get help before attempting to treat or evaluate a wound. Evaluate the location, depth and severity of the wound.

Colic – abdominal painHorses display many differ-

ent distress signs during colic – anorexia, stretching out, lying down, decreased manure output, rolling, pawing, kicking at the belly, looking at their flanks, etc.

Remove all feed, but provide access to water. Walk your horse to keep it from injuring itself and from rolling.

EyesIf the eye is injured, do not

attempt to treat it yourself. Eye problems and injuries need to be evaluated and treated immedi-ately. Signs of eye pain include squinting, tearing and holding the eye closed. Until a veterinarian arrives, try to keep your horse from rubbing the affected eye.

Choke – esophageal obstruction

Chokes can occur when a horse eats too fast and a large portion of feed becomes lodged in the esophagus. Clinical signs include green frothy (or feed)


First aid kit supplies

*Information to have on hand at all times.

• Insurance information - including emergency/after hours contact.

• Veterinary office phone number and emergency/after hours number

• Directions to clinic.

*Bandage materials• Sterile gauze• Cast padding• Sheet cotton and

rolled cotton• Vet wrap• Elastikon• Standing leg wraps• Duct tape

• Bandage scissors

*Wound care and medical supplies

• Betadine solution or betadine scrub

• Alcohol• Clippers• Hemostats• Latex gloves• Thermometer• It is also a good idea

to have an extra lead rope and halter available in case of an emergency

• Flashlight and extra batteries

• Hoof pick• Shoe puller• Stethoscope

nasal discharge, coughing or gagging.

If you suspect a choke, im-mediately take all food and water away and contact a vet immedi-ately. After the choke is resolved, possible aspiration pneumonia can be addressed.

Acute non-weight-bearing lameness

Most common cause of sud-den severe lameness is a foot abscess. Other possible causes include a fracture, infection of the joint or tendon sheath, and severe soft tissue injury. Lami-nitis (Founder) can also cause severe lameness, but usually affects more than one foot. We recommend having your horse evaluated to determine the cause of the lameness with appropriate diagnostics prior to treatment.

If your horse steps on a nail or other sharp object and it remains embedded in the hoof, call im-

mediately prior to removing the nail. Radiographs, on the farm, are needed to determine depth, direction and structures pen-etrated by the nail.

Regardless of the situation, re-membering the following points is critical:

Keep the horse as calm as possible. Move your horse to a safe area where it is unlikely to be injured should it go down. Get someone to help you and delegate responsibilities – like calling your vet, retrieving the first aid kit, holding the horse, hooking up the trailer, etc.

Many accidents can be pre-vented by taking the time to evaluate your horse’s environ-ment and removing potential hazards.

Developing an emergency plan ahead of time makes the situation easier on you, your horse, and your helpers.

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Continued on p. 16

Blue Moon Farm owner Sophie Pirie Clifton

Sophie Pirie Clifton with Ruby Del Sol in April 2010. (Photo by David Mullinex.)

Editor's note: This article is being run a second time because in its original publishing sev-eral errors were inserted in the proofing process. The Appoint-ment's staff is working diligently to ensure this does not happen again. Thank you.

Locals assume Sophie Pirie Clifton left beautiful Montana in late 2007 to escape the weather. Rather, her business had grown. She needed her own training center, but good bottomland near Bozeman, Mont. was too expensive. She sought out Try-on, because the Equestrian Land Conservation Resource had identified it as one of few com-munities in this country to have preserved the horse at the center of its culture, economy, land use planning and conservation ef-forts. She values the area’s trail network, diversity of equestrian disciplines and presence of two live fox hunts.

Sophie intentionally chose a small farm to develop into a training center focused on clas-sical dressage but also offering event training, gymnastic jump-ing and rehab.

“The goal at Blue Moon Farm is to give each horse and student highly individualized attention and training,” she said.

Functional anatomy is a par-ticular focus of Sophie’s teach-ing at home and in the clinics she gives in the United States and internationally. She has been certified to teach Gyroton-ic™ and Gyrokinesis™, a yoga-based body work system. She has also studied for more than a decade with Clete Linebarger, “the chiropractor who won’t give you a fix.” Dr. Linebarger and Sophie use functionality based training to enhance per-formance and reduce pain and risk of injury. Sophie’s “How to Teach” instructor workshops also focus on biomechanics and the psychology of learning.

Another hallmark of Sophie’s is her respect for horses as our primary teachers.

“Every horse that comes into our lives is there for a reason,” she said.

So it is with her own horses: “My beloved Paint Quarter

Horse, Canto Gitano, who was my event horse and is now train-ing all of the grand prix dressage movements, came to me as a stallion living with a harem. I had to learn to work with a will even stronger than my own!”

Gitano’s uncle, Spiritoso,

the nephew of a Quarter Horse Sophie rehabbed and won a three-day team gold medal on at Young Riders, is a schoolmaster at Blue Moon Farm.

“Someone may want to learn


CLIFTONContinued from page 11how to ride a half pass, which he does beautifully, but Spirit has an uncanny way of knowing exactly what each person needs to learn and a way of insisting that that is what they do learn,” she said.

Among the other Blue Moon Farm horses are lovely Warm-bloods. The past two years So-phie has competed Wolkenkarat (now for sale) to top national rankings in every category of eligibility.

“It is a privilege to train such a talented horse, but to compete her is something else. Every judge gave Kara 'wow' remarks,” she said.

Sophie has a reputation for success with non-traditional horses. One of these is Ruby Del Sol, a half Lusitano, half Arab bred locally by Erin Ray. She is Sophie’s sportscar: full

of personality, fabulous mover, hard worker and incredibly pre-cocious. Although a diminutive 14.3hh, Della routinely beats the fancy Warmbloods at big shows and expects to debut at Prix St. Georges this year.

Because of Della’s superstar qualities, Sophie leased her dam. The year 2010 saw the ar-rival of Blue Moon Zambra (by Paul Belasik’s Grand Prix An-dalusian, Excelso). Sophie seeks to breed one or two smaller horses each year with excellent movement and conformation, a superior work ethic and talent for real collection.

“But if they are all as lovely as Zambra, I don’t know how I will bear to sell any of them,” she said.

Blue Moon Farm also takes in horses for rehabilitation and conditioning. Sophie’s experi-ence with classic format three-day eventing, conditioning thoroughbred race horses, World

Equestrian Games level Com-bined Driving horses and fox hunters taught her how to get horses fit and keep them sound.

“Rehab is not just rebuild-ing lost muscle,” she said. “You have to re-toughen bones, tendons and ligaments. Often critical to avoiding re-injury are correcting alignment and developing self-carriage, key concerns of dressage.”

Sophie’s success rests on the team that supports Blue Moon Farm.

“I could not do this without the assistance, knowledge and guidance of Dr. Bibi Freer, Dr. Joy Baker and farrier Bill McDaniel, or the patience and support of my husband, Roger,” she said. “Morton Building’s Doug Harmon, builder Bruce Fisher, excavator Jerry Chris-topher and fencer Robert Rob-inson helped develop the farm. Jimmy Jones takes care of the land – and keeps our old tractor

running. Amy Goode grooms for me on the road: My horses all come out of the ring looking for her to get a peppermint! The MVP, though, is my wonderful assistant, Jayne Stewart: Only because of her skill and dedica-tion can I travel to compete and teach.”

When asked who has most influenced her training, Sophie first credits the horses she has ridden. The breeding farm she grew up on had more than 100 head at one point.

Aquila Farm raised and trained Welsh show ponies, her parents having imported the original breeding stock from Wales. The farm also raised and raced Thoroughbreds. After her mother introduced Combined Driving to the United States, there were ever more Warm-bloods. Her mother, she says, was one of the finest horsemen she has ever encountered and a tough taskmaster: “She had


Make Your FarmMore Energy Ef� cient!

Sophie Pirie Clifton with Wolkenkarat in April 2010. (Photo by David Mullinex.)

zero tolerance for excuses or wimpiness.”

Another influence was start-ing to teach at a young age.

“I started off charging $12 per hour, because that’s how old I was. It amazes me now that mothers would schlep their children and ponies over to me three times a week for lessons in each of the eventing disciplines! I still learn something from every lesson I teach and from every horse I ride.”

The influence of the military was pervasive when Sophie was growing up.

“I had no idea then how lucky I was that my Pony Club instructor was Maj. Gen. Jack Burton. Another instructor we had for many years was Col. Lewicki from Poland. Those guys all taught position. They emphasized 'independence of the aids,' a term I rarely hear

Continued on p. 14


CLIFTONContinued from page 13anymore."

The USET 3-Day Team, then coached by Jack LeGoff, was Sophie’s next door neighbor.

“Every day the team riders rode by our kitchen window. Horses and tack gleamed. Rid-ers never slouched. The horses marched. I would spy on their workouts and then go practice the same movements and set the same jump combinations. I did everything I could to emu-late their positions and make my horses go like theirs. Later I sought out team members Denny Emerson and Tad Coffin to work for and train with.”

Since then Sophie has stud-ied with a series of dedicated teachers who have each shared their knowledge and mentored her.

Meg Douglas-Hamilton (for-mer USET three-day team rider

and developer of the Equitainer) introduced Sophie to “real dres-sage.”

She also insisted that Sophie go to college, although it meant almost two decades out of the saddle, while she pursued de-grees at Harvard, Stanford and in Germany and then worked in Europe before coming home to teach at Stanford Law School and at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

When Sophie came back to training and teaching full time, Jill Hassler-Scoop (a founder of Hilltop Farm and talented educator) became a close friend and important mentor until she died a few years ago.

Consistent with Sophie’s be-lief that the world will provide you with what you need if you just let it, a woman named Carol called about her arena footing soon after Sophie moved here.

On a hunch, she asked, “Are you THE Carol Lavell?”

And so began a relationship with the Olympic bronze med-alist in dressage that Sophie values highly.

“Not only is Carol incredibly encouraging, she has so much hard earned wisdom and an amazing eye,” she said.

For more than 10 years, So-phie has studied primarily with Paul Belasik, one of the world’s leading truly classical dressage instructors. Among the many things she values in Belasik’s teaching are his systematic ap-proach, his insistence on the primacy of rider position and his commitment to the art of balancing the horse upon the hindquarters. Belasik comes to Blue Moon Farm five times a year.

Many organizations seek Sophie’s counsel, among them Hilltop Farm’s Integrated Ap-proach to Teaching & Learning, Jill Hassler’s Equestrian Educa-tion Studies, Eckart Meyners’

Seat Symposia and the Interna-tional Academy of Equestrian Studies in Warendorf, Germany.

Sophie has served as a gov-ernor of the U.S. Pony Clubs and now sits on the group's advisory committee. She is a USPC graduate A and inau-gural inductee of its Academy of Achievement and remains indebted to Pony Club:

“They were the first to send me out around the world, giving clinics and judging in Asia and Australia,” she said.

Her most intensive non-profit involvement has been with the Equestrian Land Conservation Resource.

ELCR sought her out at its founding, partly because of her familiarity with the varied ways horses are managed throughout the world. In high school in France, she remembers jumping lessons at 9 p.m., 18-20 riders in a 20x40m indoor ring.

“We Americans are so spoiled


CAROLINA

FRESH FARMS • Bermuda • Fescue• Centipede • Zoysia

GRASSES

Air Time: Canto Gitano X-C schooling with Cap't Mark Phillips in Montana. (photo submitted)

with all of our private lessons and personal space,” she said.

In Thailand, she learned about working with Buddhist vets and training in the Bang-kok heat.

Seeing the transformation of the Massachusetts town she grew up in awakened Sophie to the importance of land conser-vation.

During the 1970s, Hamilton was the epicenter of 3-day eventing and home to quality polo, hunting, and horse show-ing.

“You could ride all day across private land and not think twice about it. But by the 1980s, most of the large farms had become housing developments. If that could happen there and that fast, even before the recent real estate booms, then Polk County too is at risk – for loss of land and ac-cess for horses, and also for loss of agriculture as a viable way of earning a living,” she said.


Treading water good for horses, Allen

Lauren Allen and assistant work to guide a horse in need of rehabilitation into the long pool of water. Aquatred is located at Still Creek Farm. The system works to help horses with injuries to relieve stress, improve balance and rebuild muscle. (photos by Mark Lehner)

by Barbara Childs

Lauren Grant Allen’s career with horses at Still Creek Farm began after the recommenda-tions of several friends and other professionals in the area including Drs. Bill Hay and Anne Baskett.

Hay and Baskett were in-strumental in the creation of the Aquatred at Still Creek Farm. Allen became acquainted with Dr. Bill Hay after he performed stem cell therapy on her geld-ing. Kem and Linda Ketcham, who own the farm, were looking for an individual who could fill the role both as barn manager and also develop the rehabilita-tion side of the business.

“I had been teaching high school science for nearly four years, and there is a strong sense of stability that comes with a job like that. However, at the end of the day, I just wasn’t happy where I was and what I was doing,” Allen said. “On the advice of several friends, including Bill and Anne, and Karol Aschaffenburg, I was ready to leave my teaching for my dream job. And I’ve never looked back! I am one of the few people I know who wakes up each day com-pletely happy with what they do.”

Lessons began at 9 years old for Allen on her pony, LeRoy Brown.

All her riding then was at the low-level hunter divisions and she loved it. More riding and training came into Allen’s life with Jeanne Smith. Her mare, Dirty Little Secret, is still at Clear View Farm with Smith and is used for riding instruc-tions. Presently Allen rides and shows her Dutch Warmblood, How B’Czar. She rides and trains with Holli Adams.

“Kepler and I have grown

as a pair tremendously under Holli’s tutelage,” she said. “Kepler makes me feel safe and happy no matter what. He is the absolute most fun to ride, and I am so lucky to have him.”

Allen said she’s learned a tre-mendous amount since starting at Still Creek.

“I hope I have been able to help a lot of frustrated horse owners. Re-hab is never an

easy process, and anything I can do to help it go faster or smoother, I am eager to do,” she said. “Originally I was skeptical about the full benefits of the Aquatred, but after having put more than 200 horses in the pool and swimming between 20-30 a day, I can say without hesitation that the Aquatred is a miracle tool like no other.

"I call it pilates and yoga for horses. It’s a fabulous way to lengthen, release stress, improve balance and muscles throughout the body.”

Allen said horses that go through the therapy become more balanced, their lead changes become more even,

Spotlight on Local

Equestrians

horses that were one sided even out, and the owners report how their horses just seem to be and feel better.

The center t reats hunt-ers, jumpers, eventers, driv-ing horses, reiners, dressage horses, trail horses, retired horses, saddlebreds, Morgans

and western pleasure horses. “I dare owners all the time to walk down the aisles at Still Creek and try to guess which horses are show horses and which ones are on stall rest - because you can’t,” she said. “They are all beautifully muscled, fit, shiny, happy and

A horse is led into the aquatred to begin therapy. (photos by Mark Lehner.)


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Water flow strengthens as a patient at Aquatred begins therapy. (photo by Mark Lehner)

calm. You won’t find one pac-ing or worrying because all of my horses are in work, all of them have a job. Some just do it in a non-concussive, buoyant environment.”

Allen’s most probable claim to fame, however, is not her job description but perhaps being the rescuer of Woofus. Woofus came from the Foothills Humane Society and easily situ-ated himself as a cornerstone of Still Creek.

“When you stop by, don’t worry, he’ll find you, and love you,” Allen said.

Allen also owns a Brittany rescue named Yarbi. Besides her furry loves, Allen said she feels blessed in many ways.

“I’m lucky to have the sup-port of my family and friends and the many wonderful people of the area that make living my dream possible,” she said.

AQUATREDContinued from page 16


by Barbara Childs

Mike Scott travels to the Landrum, Columbus and Tryon area once to twice a month for saddle fittings.

Scott has been a human massage therapist since 1985. He enjoyed working as a team therapist for the Boston Mara-thon, USA Track and Field, Boston Bruins and at big na-tional events.

Meeting Jack Meagher, the legendary founder of equine massage therapy, made a deep impression on Scott, and he had the opportunity to study with him for equine massage as Meagher integrated his therapy into working exclusively with horses.

At this time Scott already worked with clients that were riders, who on occasion would ask him to massage their horses.

“I would massage a horse and make him feel better for the time being, but when I’d return in a couple of weeks they would be sore again in the same areas,” said Scott.

It didn’t take too long for Mike to realize saddle fitting was an essential piece of the puzzle. When Scott decided to relocate to South Carolina in 2000, he felt he needed some formal training in saddle fit-ting.

He apprenticed with several sad-dle fitters in the New England area before coming to C a m d e n , S . C . Shortly after he completed the MSA (the Society of Mas-ter Saddlers UK) Foundation Course.

He also completed courses in bridle repair and making at the Cumbria School of Sad-dlery in the UK. Scott ap-prenticed with master saddler David Young, County Saddles, Amerigo Saddles and Custom Saddlery. Scott stresses the im-

Massage therapist discovers just the right fit

portance of watching the rider in the saddle (dynamic) and evaluating the horse’s move-ment by observation and by palpitation for soreness.

A thorough understand-ing of anatomy and kinesiology is essential for this procedure.

S c o t t w a s born and raised in Massachusetts,

and being the eldest of eight siblings he found there wasn’t a lot of extra time to spend on horseback.

Even at an early age, Scott was an entrepreneur. He found ways to get to the stables on his own four miles away, to muck stalls and ride the old mare Montana. He thought he was getting a great deal to give the owner $2, muck three stalls and

get to ride the horse. “She was a blast,” Scott said.

“Montana was a plug trying to get her out in the field away from the barn, but once they hit the half way point and started to head back to the barn, it was hang on time.”

Scott would be whooping and taking the reins side to side as he saw in the movies, gallop-ing along in freedom, more than likely what he now realizes as being out of control.

As Scott got older he had a couple of girlfriends that owned horses and allowed him to ride. He started taking some lessons and after having his own fam-ily, he put all the riding aside until he was 40.

For many years in between, Scott was a competitive triath-lete until a knee injury forced him into surgery. He took all

Mike Scott. (photo submitted)

that energy and training knowl-edge to his riding again and en-joyed eventing. He still takes a lesson when he can, but enjoys his daily rides in hunt country in his hometown.

Scott enjoys photography and he and his wife Terry re-cently purchased a frame shop and gallery where he displays his work. You can find out more about Scott on his website www.saddleguy.com.

Spotlight on Local

Equestrians

“I would massage a horse and make him feel better for the time being, but when I’d return in a couple of weeks they would be sore again in the same areas.”

-- Mike Scott


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Carolina region Pony Club dressage rally heldby Boots Plyler

There were some new faces among the young ones run-n ing a round in numbered pinnies at the Carolina Region Pony Club Dressage Rally at FENCE March 25-27.

The Foothills Foxes Horse-masters Group, for one, had a team in attendance.

Horsemas te rs i s a p ro-gram developed by the United States Pony Club in 2001.

The pony club websi te , w w w. p o n y c l u b . o r g , d e -scribes it as a, “program for adult volunteers developed to meet the needs of Pony Club parents and other adults to learn more about horses, to feel comfortable around the animals and secure in their knowledge about horse-manship and riding skills.”

Horsemasters Groups may be affiliated with a Pony Club, a riding center or a region, and are open to anyone who is not currently in Pony Club and is 18 years of age or older. Why should kids have all the fun?

The Foothills Foxes Team consisted of Denise Ritac-co and her daughter, Casey Delap, from Greer; Erin Gam-brell of Campobello; Boots Plyler from Travelers Rest and two scramble members from other clubs Bette Sum-rell from Charlotte, whose parents l ive in Columbus; and Tami Lynch from the Fort Bragg area.

The team had two graduate “B” Pony Clubbers and three parents of former or current Pony Clubbers and ranged in age from 26-57.

Their mounts were of vary-ing degrees of training and size from an old campaigner to a young 5-year-old pony with an Irish Draught topping the size scale at over 17 hands.

These older PCers have to go through all of the tests that the youngsters do including gett ing their tack checked before they ride and receiving penalty points if any required equipment is missing, dirty or not in good repair.

They are judged on their horse management skills in the barn, and their dressage tests are scored as they would be in a show.

There is even a written test on the Pony Club rules.

I t was a close and sup-portive group with all of the team joining in picking out the

stalls and keeping the aisles clean.

The officials were careful to treat them as adults but of-fered to help when needed and explained the reasons behind many of the rules.

At the end of the weekend the Horsemasters came away with a second place ribbon and the best dressage score of the rally: Bette Sumrell on her half Connemara gelding, Prairie Augustus, with a score of 82 percent on the Musical Freestyle.

All of the members of the Foothills Foxes qualified to attend the national Pony Club Rally this summer.

It just goes to show you are never too old to learn some-thing new or to have a blast while doing it.


by Barbara Childs

The horse shows at Harmon Field have started, and from my favorite tree I can hear it all.

It’s so exciting with all the flowers and plants around the jumps. I wonder if they taste as good as they look. The horses and riders jump over these obstacles and it looks so easy. I especially like it when the announcer blasts out the winners. I sometimes dream of hearing my name called out, Dudley the Great...

Now here are some news flashes I thought you might like to read about.

***The Gulfport winter series

of hunter/jumper shows in Mis-sissippi have ended. From our local area riders and horses have earned many awards. Holli Adams rode Lisa Otto’s horse, The Duke (a Don Principe horse), and received the Pre-Green Reserve Champion Award. Not bad for a five year old and his first trip away from home.

***The talks given on March

28, hosted by the Blue Ridge Equestrian School of the Arts at Chateau du Cheval, were on grasses, hays, laminitis and diet. Dr. Joy Baker gave a clear and de-finitive presentation on laminitis; what signs to look for, possible causes and treatment. Laura Backus, owner of Little Mountain Feed, gave a presentation on the

best feeds for horses and what is a suitable diet for the younger horses and older seniors. Kendra Bissette, an extension agent, gave a presentation on pasture man-agement and the types of grasses and hays that have the most and least carbs. Did you know you can have your pastures and feeds analyzed by taking samples to her at the Polk County Extension Office in Columbus?

***Ashley Parsons of Cross

Creek Farm showed Maryanna Haymon’s horse Dune MF (out of Don Principe and Rising Star). Her Spycoast placings were a 70 percent in training 4 with judge Hilda Gurney. In February, Ashley showed Dune MF with Jane Ayres judging and placed second in training 4 with a 71.4 percent. At White Fences Ashley and Dune MF did training 3 with 65 percent and won the training 2 with 77.4 percent. Ashley is breaking Doc (a Don Prinicipe horse) at Cross Creek Farm and he is gorgeous.

***Jen Baumert and Don Principe

showed Grand Prix for the first time together and took a fifth in the Grand Prix class of choice with 63 percent. In the White Fences GP Jen and Prince took a fourth and had scores in the 70s.

***The River Valley Pony Club

was at the beautiful Art Lazarus

Dudley's scoop on the local equestrian world

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farm, Born Free, on April 10 for a big rally and schooling. Greenville Pony Club was also represented. A beautiful sunny day for all to enjoy the event and have loads of fun learning and schooling. The cross country was at FENCE and show jumping was at Born Free.

***Jacquelyn Marston has a black

shiny marathon carriage, and it is so gorgeous. She is teaching Sue Spiegel how to drive her carriage - it has red wheels and looks like it comes from a fairy tale story!

***I have added gardening skills

to my place of honor in the barn. My mother left a big tray of new lettuce plants out, and as a prime mover and root stimulator, I lav-ished nibbling all the tops of the young lettuce plants. I have no idea why she was semi-hysteri-cal. There was also a blackberry plant that I felt needed some root stimulation, so I fixed that with

some good chomps. Yum!Be sure and contact my editor,

Barbara Childs, if you have news you’d like to report.

Thank you!


by Catherine Macaulay

Of all the seasons in na-ture’s grab bag, spring alone is its masterpiece of possi-bilities, bringing as it does, an invasion of life so exquisite, so unfathomable as to make paltry all human thought of its intention.

And yet, in this work of a r t we ca l l l i fe , amid a l l the spawning, germinating, birthing, budding and meta-morphosing, there seems to be no shortage of struggles, many of which stem from na-ture’s fundamental law—eat or be eaten—an axiom that my husband has been defending lately, with a pitchfork.

At the moment, he is lying in wait for a snake to poke his scaly head through the surface

of our pond. Presumably, the slinky of-

fender is on the hunt for some tadpoles who call our small aquatic garden home this time of year.

I t ’s no t tha t Bar ry has anything agains t snakes. Quite the contrary.

They polish off a n y n u m b e r o f unwanted critters around the house.

But accord ing to his yardstick of just ice, anything that eats frogs and deprives the world of their heavenly croak doesn’t have a chance.

Bu l l f rogs have a lways been the s ta r s o f Bar ry’s

summer life. His love of their throaty,

baritone voices pre-dates his grammar-school days when mother and father piled their two children into the family stat ion wagon and headed north to a small lake carpeted in ferns some ninety miles away.

All s treet l i fe promptly vanished amid the lake of the

pines, replaced by the hum of insects a n d b e l l o w i n g bullfrogs compet-ing for mates.

T o B a r r y ’ s city born mother, i t was seasona l hell made all the worse by those unsettled, croak-

ing concerts performed night-ly outside the bedroom win-dow—motive enough to order “off with their heads!”

But fragile, beautiful Joan

was never one to demand. Assuming a nymph-like

posture, she would endure the full-croak chorus with a stoic ennui, suffering under life in the woods—always so “insectuous,” forever too hot or too damp, their baritone bellowing far too deafening for sleep.

Barry’s father, a kindly bear of a man, would smile understandingly at her dis-tress.

Then, in some unspoken language, he and Barry, him-self a spindly young tadpole, would rise and exit through the screen door.

In single file, they’d de-scend the narrow, flagstone steps to the banks of the lake and climb into the waiting boat, prepared to carry out an evensong ritual.

With nets in hand, two shadowy figures would be-gin casting their way across

A croak to spring

The Carousel

Horseby

Catherine Macaulay


the rushes, gathering all the pretty voices until at last, the offenders quarr ied, fa ther and son would row a course toward the far end of the lake, leaving the missus to her stillness and they to their moonlight adventures.

The lively croakers always came back. This was, after all, their neighborhood. But in their brief absence, Joan was content.

Their tidy cottage had been returned to its study in order, freed from all nature’s uneven distributions and disruptions.

Earlier, she’d been a book-keeper in a smal l o ff i ce , and having married, thrown herself into conducting her family affairs with the same precision as she’d wielded her books.

She had already estimated that in this perilous communi-ty of existence, life and death were directly linked to the

old predator/prey thing and protecting one’s family from becoming the latter demanded a person’s due diligence.

And so each spr ing , in highly predictable instal l-ments, Barry and his father would take to the shoals, and, amid whippoorwills calling, glide into an evening’s magic spawned by an intolerable vocabulary of libidos.

For this reason, I know my husband will continue to champion those amphibians emerging in our little pond, for though h is fa ther has passed, his mother now living far away, those frogs are his conduit to liquid nights when tiny stars rippled beneath the oars and the air was scented in pine.

When for one enchanted moment, to a chi ld in the company of spring, anything seemed possible, in a croaked sort of way.

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Great teachers determine where we are goingRecently, Paul Schocke-

mohle shelled out something like eight million dollars for a champion, dressage stallion, which he shipped back to Ger-many and promptly put to stud.

In today’s neighborhood of high-priced sport horses, it is not uncommon for hunters to sell for upwards of $4,000.

There’s no denying that today’s competitors must be prepared to pay top dollar for the top-of-the-liners.

But remem-ber one thing about our hors-es. As big as they are and as powerful as they are, they are very fragile.

They are truly perishable items. They can be worth hun-dreds, thousands, and maybe millions, but they can get hurt.

Overnight, your horse can become suddenly worthless, a pasture ornament for 30 years, or just die. Then you have noth-ing at all, or you have to start the process all over again.

Today, it takes more than money to compete in the sport of kings. It takes an education. The Arab prince who was on top of the heap at the World Cup here in Lexington, Ky. this past year might have paid four million for a horse for the Olympic games, but there was

no denying that the young man was a great rider, a student of Nelson Pessoa, one of the great teachers of our time.

Nelson taught the basics, which comes out in some of his students. The same is true of George Morris, Gordon Wright and Bert de Nemethy, some of the greatest teachers in the world.

They were the ones who could break down the basics for

their students and bring them back up the ladder as need be so that they could progress. Many top rid-

ers cannot teach. They are truly great at what

they do, but teaching is an art. Teaching the basics in a sequen-tial order, is even more so.

These men were all artists. They and others updated a method of teaching that had been established by the cav-alry and applied it brilliantly to a new audience. In so doing, they left the legacy in all of us lucky enough to have known them back in the l950s when it all began—right here in Tryon.

In talking with George Mor-ris, Mike Henaghan and many of the top-of-the-line profes-sionals we know today, we always end up in the same conversation—can we band

Then & Nowby Gerald Pack

together and make a difference? I think so, but we must teach

our people how to walk, talk, act and learn to speak the lan-guage of horses correctly so that those aids become invisible and we can make them work.

To ride effectively, we must learn how to speak the correct language, not slang.

A talented rider will rise to a certain point, but without the basics correctly in place, he or she will remain at a standstill.

Learning a new language takes time. It also takes money, which is why we must work to keep things affordable. Out of the masses and the poor people will come the top riders and teachers of tomorrow.

History has proven that time and again. Without the lower end of the riding world to feed the business, there will perhaps, be no more of the top.

Reaching those great heights requires perseverance, determi-nation and desire. Out of every hundred people who start rid-ing, only ten percent make it through the first year.

But, for those few willing to work consistently toward hon-ing their skills and learning the correct basics from those who know and can teach, the sky is the limit.

In this area, we are truly blessed to have the facilities that give riders the mileage they

need to compete. The Blue Ridge Hunter and

Jumper Classic has truly set a precedent for our area. We need to count our blessings and be thankful for the opportunity to have people who have worked so hard to keep these facilities up to par.

The USEF and the ASPCA are cracking down on drug use, the USDF and the FEI are all in step. Over longing at competi-tions — all this reflects a lack of the basics.

The younger professionals must heed the warnings. There are no short cuts in this busi-ness.

When George Morris landed his first teaching job at Rock Ridge in Atlanta and wrote his first book, he said that there is a system to teaching.

At the time, no one wanted to hear it. But George was correct. George is going to retire in two more years. Are we listening to what he is saying?

I hope so. Stay tuned.

“Today, it takes more than money to compete in the sport of kings. It takes an education.”

-- Gerald Pack


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by Barbara Childs

Randi Thompson never thought her marketing horse business would take her to the high places of social equine media awards.

In the international category,

Social media maiden promotes equine industry How to Market Your Horse Business, came in second for the best use of Facebook. Horse and Rider Awareness was also second in most informative.

Both Horse and Rider Aware-ness and How to Market Your

Horse Business came in third place for Best You Tube.

Soon after the announce-ment that both programs made it to the finals, Thompson was featured in February’s Stable-woman’s Gazette Spotlight,

where she was inducted as the first woman to their Hall of Fame.

This award was designed to spotlight women in the eques-trian world that have made a significant contribution to the

Randi Thompson on Sancho, the world champion trophy steer in 2007. (photo submitted)


Randi Thompson. (photo submitted)

sport and the horse industry. Thompson is currently creat-

ing information products in the form of webinars, teleseminars and step-by-step guides.

She recently stepped outside of the horse world and presented a seminar on Social Media for Your Horse Business at the Guardian Building Spring Show in Las Vegas.

Horses have always been in Thompson’s life. She was the typical horse crazy girl. When other girls became in-terested in boys, she stayed with the horses. Her first horse, Sun-dance, carried her through her teen-age years.

One of the most profound moments in Thompson’s life came when she was about 20. She realized the only way she could make a living in the horse industry was if she could learn to communicate with humans. This choice led her to deep personal growth as she learned more about herself and how to communicate more ef-fectively with people.

Thompson started her formal education at the University of Minnesota in the horse manage-ment program.

From there she apprenticed with a position at a horse ranch in Rapid City, S.D.

“I was up and feeding horses by 5 a.m. in the morning, seven days a week and 14 hours a day,”

Thompson said. “I had heard about a full-time horse college and moved to the Meredith Manor School of International Horsemanship.”

Thompson returned several years later when Bodo Hangen was teaching dressage pro-grams. During that time she cre-ated and trademarked the Horse and Rider Awareness Programs.

Tired of the cold weather, she moved to the Wellington area of Florida. There she began spend-ing time at the Winter Eques-

trian Festival and focused on judg-ing and coaching for both dressage and the hunter/jumper world.

While in Flor-ida, the Horsemanship Safety Association contacted Thomp-son to become a master clinician and director of the advanced instructor programs they were offering.

“It was not long before I be-gan building on those programs and taking instructors and train-ers to the next level by creating the Horsemaster’s Advanced Programs. I have trained and certified more than 150 clini-cians and instructors from all over the world.”

Thompson has received rec-ognition and presentations at the Word Equestrian Games, Equine Affaire, the United States Pony Club National Convention and the Florida Horse and Pet Expo. She was a featured guest on the

Spotlight on Local

Equestrians

nationally syndicated talk show “The Horse Show” with Rick Lamb. It was then she learned about Internet marketing.

“The fact is that to succeed in the horse business, you must know a little bit about market-ing and PR, or hire someone who does. I first learned how to market by reading everything I could from the libraries,” she said. “I created Horse and Ride Awareness and in 1979 I trade-marked it. This led me to finding myself on the road most of the year traveling from clinics to trade shows. After seven years of this I realized I was tired of

all the traveling and no longer wanted to deal with the heat and hurricanes of South Florida. It was time to start a new chapter in my life. That is when I moved to this area to be centrally lo-cated and in a better climate.”

Thompson values her free-dom in life and that is why she is such an entrepreneur.

“To have the freedom to cre-ate my life has been an extraor-dinary adventure. This freedom makes it possible for me to do what I want, be who I want to be and live my dreams. For me this has been a very good thing,” she said.


BONNIE LINGERFELTCountry Homes & Fine Equestrian Properties

by Jan Smith

After 12 of the 15 scheduled competitions of the 2010-11 Western Carolina Hunter Pace & Trail Ride Series, the stand-ings are as follows:

Total number riders: 687Field hunters: 259Thomas Pluemper retains his

hold on the lead with a current count of 37 series points.

Rhonda Lewis and Peter Shanahan are still in second place at this writing with an ac-cumulation of 33 series points.

Baiba Bourbeau and Beatrice Lamb are close behind in third place with 32 series points to date. Rodney Hawk and Eileen Taylor are close in fourth place with 30 points at this time.

Janice Cyrill is in fifth place with 21 points to date.

Beth Goldizen is in sixth with a current accumulation of 19 series points.

Rachel Butterworth-Tice, Patti Lovelace, Lindsey New-som and Susan Wallahora are currently tied in seventh place with 18 points apiece.

Megan and Jerry Alexander and Mekenzie Reynolds are in eighth place with 16 series points each to date.

Sarah Hendricks and Brit-tany Whitmire are currently tied in ninth place with 15 series points at this writing.

Sinclair Berdan, Bill and

Western Carolina Hunter Pace & Trail Ride Series

Terry Boger, Jillian and Travis Mangum, April McCormack, Gail Patton, Debbie Thrasher and Sherry Wyatt are all tied in 10th place with 14 points accumulated to date.

Sharon Cardon, Lisa Moore and TJ Vore have each accumu-lated 13 points apiece.

Harlene Harm, Debra Lusk, Anne McIver and Jeannie O’Connor-Queen each have

a current accumulation of 12 series points.

Chrystal Crispin, Duane Harm, Mary Jane Rice, Donna Schwind, Stephanie Wanicka and Elizabeth Watson have 11 points each at this writing.

Michael and Roberta Axel-rod, Eden Isbell and Jordan McCormack, have a current accumulation of 10 series points apiece.

Susannah Francis, Kasey and Pamela Minnick and Shanna Moore and Faith Wanicka have each earned nine series points at this writing.

Dianne Joyce, Jillian Pavese, Anne Pierce, Diane Roemer and Linda Yopp each have a current accumulation of eight Series points.

Seven points apiece have been earned to date by Danielle

First Place Trail Riders, Peggy McMakin and Chris Britton coming into the finish line at the Tryon Hounds Hunter Pace held April 3. (photo by Jan Smith)


Susie Justus-Hill, Christina Capps & Darlene Pavlas emerging from the woods. (photo by Jan Smith)

Davis, Mary Dukes, Patricia Harris, Lydia Kellett, Carolyn & Brian MacCormack and Kimberley Olson.

Bill Anderson, Cammy Clif-ton, Jan Ellis, Susan Jackson, Freda Jessen, Emily Millsaps, Sarah Mittmann, Katie Ostrom and Cristina Stitt have each earned six Series Points to date.

Jennifer Bannister, Kelsey Dickman, Kim and Lindsey Falemyer, Johanna Harris, Kathryn Hodge, Daphne Hof-fen, Rebekah Koutsos, Anna LaVigne, Kathy and Ric Ron-dell and Erica Yopp have each earned five points at this count.

Trail riders: 428Chris Britton and Peggy Mc-

Makin have increased their tight

hold on the lead with a current count of 55 series points.

Boots Plyler is currently alone in second with 42 points to date

Kelly Cannon and Linda Far-ris are tied in third place with 36 series points to date.

Victoria Bailey is close be-hind in fourth place with 34 points.

Pat Parrish is in fifth place at this writing with 27 series points.

Wayne Farris has sixth place with 23 points at this time.

Steph Culbertson is currently in seventh place with 22 points.

Nancy Finkell, Sally and Russ Rock and Bobby Turner are currently tied in eighth place with 20 series points.

Morgan Smith is in ninth at this time with an accumulation of 19 points.

Stephanie Schulte is cur-rently in 10th place with 18 series Points.

Erin Plyler Furr has 17 points to date.

Deanna Baldwin, Madison Harris and Janet Leatherwood have an accumulation of 14 points apiece.

Lacey Hein and Bill Rucker have each earned 13 series points.

Kathy Bethka, Rick and Tara Herrero have 12 points apiece at this writing.

Ginny Chibbaro, Susie Jus-tus-Hill and Jason Tharp have a current accumulation of 11 point each.

Shae Black, Carol and Caro-line Bridges, Ruth Ann De-Hollander, Barbara Ketcham, Megan Lapkoff and Katie Tighe have each earned 10 series points at this time.

Sarah Bai ley, Chris t ina Capps, Teresa Doda, Cynthia Gaier, Kailey Holden, Glyn Sandzen Jimenez, Holly Lewis, Abby McCraw, Susan Melvin, Darlene Pavlas and Gale Thom-as-Goodman have accumulated nine points each to date.

James Black, Amy Cooke, Abigail Day, Kristen Pearce, Brittany Prechtl, Caitlyn Ridge-way, Jennifer Spratt and Carley White have each earned eight Series point to date.

Wendy Campbel l , Todd Clayton, Michael Cooper, Kylie

and Russell Hunsinger, Jessica Kicklighter, Linda Lambert, Carol Anna McCarter, Emma Nance, Lisa Tilley, Teresa Wil-banks and Renee and William Wormell have each earned seven series points to date.

Six series points have been earned to date by Teresa and Shalyn Dennison, Heidi Men-dez, Ellen Mercer, Ali Merritt, Carole Milne, Allison Neely, Morgan Palmer, Kayla Parrish, Larry Wassong and Ralph Zim-merman.

Becky Bockoven , Beth Durocher, Jan Ellis, Kelley Featheringill, Susan Filmore, Susan Haslam, Lillian Jayne, Linda King, Michelle Klopp, Danielle Lamb, Connie Moore, Gwenlain Phifer-Cook, Jamie Robertson, Beth and Layne Sanders, Marcia Stacey and Anita Williamson have each earned five points to date.

Mark your calendars and ride with us as we move on into spring on Saturday, May 7 for the fourth-annual Big Brothers Big Sisters Hunter Pace Benefit, Sunday, May 15 for Steps to HOPE and Sunday, May 19 for the River Valley Pony Club.

Then, of course, the year end awards gathering up on the Bilt-more’s West Range on June 19.

Visit www.wchpace.org for information or contact Series Coordinator Jan Smith at [email protected] or 828-894-8760.


ShowcasingLocal

HorsepeopleAppointmentsThe Hoofbeats of the Carolina Foothills

65th Block House Steeplechase

Left: Green Creek Hounds make their way around the track in an opening parade for the 65th Block House Steeplechase. (photo by Samantha Hurst)Above: Hats of all styles showed off their wearers' personalities.

Left and top middle: Families brought their children out to enjoy a day of horses and picnics. Some kids even went after their own wins in the hat and stick horse race. Top right: Members of the Carolina Carriage Club introduced themselves to the crowd. Bottom right: The Hendersonville Mounted Patrol Unit presented colors for the national anthem, sung by amateur racer Susie Kocher. (photos by Samantha Hurst and Erik Olsen)


Local equestrian stars

Appointments • November 2010 • p. 10


Advantage Realty 866-691-2291 816C W. Mills St. Columbus, NC 28722

TryonProperties.com


Advantage Realty 866-691-2291 816C W. Mills St. Columbus, NC 28722

TryonProperties.com

Yellow House Landrum

Adorable Craftsman cottageWalk to restaurants

Sleeps 8, fully furnished. Weekly - WeekendAlso available for special events

www.yellowhouselandrum.com • 800-543-0714

Thanksgiving dates available!

Experience the beauty of the Pisgah National Forest on your horse

828-243-1294 • www.mtnhorseadventures.com

Let owners Dale and Jan Sorrells guide you on the best horse trails in Western N.C.

Feel saFe and comFortable on Guided day trips, campinG, FishinG

and treat the epicenter. As I finished rubbing her she stood quietly and re-laxed and no longer wanted to bite. Her pain was gone and she headed for home two days later."

According to Woody, not all massages are that painful but treat-ing some injuries and strains may cause discomfort until tension and stress is reduced. Some problems may take several massages and then maintenance and certain exercises from the ground and while riding are required. If there is a chronic problem chiropractic or veterinary care may be recommended in con-junction with massage.

The type of massage Woody gives depends on the animal's needs. It tends to be very spiritual, she said, because the animal communicates to her through touch and she needs to hear what they are saying to help alleviate the pain and problem.

Woody believes that her mas-sages not only convey compassion but also include the firmer manipu-

KATHY WOODY Continued from page 9

lations of treating stress, tension, anxiety, injury, and other ailments. She uses friction, kneading, percus-sion, vibration, and visualization techniques. Her goal is treating ath-letes, whether for Grand Prix, trail or retired horses, and to improve their flexibility, motion, movement, circulation, relaxation, and overall disposition.

"Anybody – horse, dog, cat or human – can benefit from massage," she said.

Since Woody is living her hobby she guesses that her most enjoyable time outside of work right now is with her new dog, Lewis.

Lewis came to Woody as a lost puppy late last summer and is super smart, Woody said. She's entertaining and beautiful and has an endless vocabulary and a great desire to please.

Woody also enjoys being with the three cats that have found their way to her door and heart.

What Woody values most in life is the environment here – all of nature, wildlife and her friends, animals and humans alike.

If a horse is stiff or has trouble bending, putting pressure on hip and shoulder gives a nice warm-up stretch and can be soothing, Woody said. (photo submitted)

Read the Tryon Daily Bulletin

Beautiful first and second cutting timothy mix from upstate New York for your horses, donkeys, alpacas,

llamas, goats & rabbits. 50± pound bales @ $8.50 a bale.

300 or more bales @ $8/baleTractor trailer loads of 700± at $260 a ton.

Delivery available,trip charge based on load and location.

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Sara Ketcham in Gulfport, Miss., on her horse Vodka Bay. Ketcham and Vodka Bay won the $10,000 Gulfport Winter Series pre-green championship. Ketcham is 16 and from Columbus. Ketcham also went to Conyers, Ga. and placed sixth in the Grand Prix. She is currently working to qualify for the young riders team. (photos submitted)

Above: Tryon’s Hunter Metcal f r ides at a recent cross-country clinic sponsored by River Valley Pony Club. (photos submitted)

Left: The cover art was done by Terry Kirkland of Found Feather Farm in Mill Spring. She is the breeder of the Gypsy Vanner horse. The foal on the cover is Isaac. (photo submitted)


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