english magazine

ENGLISHVolume 1 November 2015

NOVEMBER 2015

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02Equestrian TerminologyLearn the lingo and sound like a seasoned pro!

04Local BarnsThese great barns will help you find the perfect place to ride.

03Upcoming EventsCheck out these horse shows held across the nation.

Gita Deonarain began riding horses at the age of 7 at Ponca Hills Farm in Omaha, Nebraska. The passion she had at a young age is still in her today, which is what inspired her to create this magazine. She has competed in hunters, jumpers, and equitation, but her favorite is the equitation. Gita en-joys showing around the country, especially at Lamplight Equestrian Cen-ter in St. Charles, Illinois. After high school, she hopes to ride on a college equestrian team and become an automotive engineer.

10 What’s the Difference? 15 Rider Interviews

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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KNOWLEDGE

Equestrian TerminologyHave you ever listened to the words thrown around at a horse show and had no clue what they meant? Learn these terms and sound like a seasoned profes-sional!

two-pointknown as jumping position, the rider raises slightly out of the saddle to avoid inhibiting the horse’s jump

aidstools used to work the horse such as the rider’s leg, hands, seat, spurs, or riding crop

posting trotsitting and rising out of the saddle in rhythm with the horse’s gait

related distancea set number of strides between two jumps

bending linea related distance that is not on a straight line, it has a curve or bend in it, making it more dif-ficult

faultspoints added to a rider’s score for things such as a refusal, knock-ing down a rail, or exceeding the time allowed

combinationa line of two or more jumps with one or two strides between each jump

verticala single pair of standards and poles without spread or slope, requiring a short and balanced arc

oxer a longer and wider fence requiring the horse to extend his body and arc over the top of the fence

refusalwhen the horse stops in front of the jumps or refuses to jump it riding a distance

choosing where the horse’s feet will be placed before they jump the fence, typically about 6 feet away

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FINDTHE

RIGHTBARN

Whether you’re looking to start riding or aiming to go to Medal Finals, there’s a barn in Omaha for you! Check out these loca-

tions around town to find the perfect

place to ride.

photographs byGITA DEONARAIN

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PLACESLOCAL BARNS

PONCA HILLS FARMNestled in a quiet, rural community, Ponca Hills Farm is perfect for riders who are just beginning or those who are looking for a relaxing place to ride non-competetively. Founded in 1964, this barn has a lot to offer including miles of riding trails, large pastures, two outdoor arenas, an indoor arena, wash stalls, viewing rooms, chill-dren’s summer camp, lessons, boarding, and training.

«contact:

poncahillsfarm.com

14605 N 42nd St.Omaha, NE 68112

(402) 453-0900

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PLACESLOCAL BARNS

ELKHORN EQUESTRIAN CENTERNo matter what level of experience, there is a trainer for you at Elkhorn Equestrian Center. Ranging from Western to English, beginner to advanced, there are four trainers at this facil-ity. Elkhorn Equestrian Center has an indoor arena, lounge and viewing area, indoor wash stalls, half-mile race track, green pas-tures, boarding, and training.

«contact:

elkhornequestriancenter.com

20915 Bennington Rd.Elkhorn, NE 68022(402) 238-2027

Michael BonhamHunter, Jumper, Equita-tion, beginner through advanced competes at local, regional, and national shows

(918) [email protected]

Lexi KochEnglish and Western, be-ginner to intermediate


Brandi ShirleyWestern Pleasure and Horsemanship


Lisa GourleyHunter/Jumper, beginner to intermediate, competes at local and regional shows


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PLACESLOCAL BARNS

QUAIL RUN HORSE CENTRELocated on the outskirts of Elkhorn, Quail Run Horse Centre is a family-owned business, born and raised in Nebraska. With four trainers, this barn will certainly teach you everything you need to know about english riding! Whether you’re looking to compete, learn dressage, eventing, or just start riding, this barn will work for you. Additionally, Quail Run hosts many shows throughout the year and is becoming one of the Midwest’s best show facilities. This barn has large pastures, a heated indoor are-na, many outdoor arenas, lots of riding trails, as well as viewing rooms, wash stalls, and training for your horse.

«contact:

quailrunhosrecentre.com

22021 West Maple RoadOmaha, NE 68022

(402) 289-2159

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PLACESLOCAL BARNS

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HAMPTON RIDGE EQUESTRIAN CENTERHampton Ridge Equestrian Center is run by Amy Bender, out of Elkhorn, Nebraska. Their show team, Bender Horse Sport, travels to lo-cal and regional shows. Students can board, lesson and enrol their horses in a training pro-gram.

«contact:

benderhorsesport.com

23205 West Q RoadElkhorn, NE 68022

(402) 740-9129

THE FARM AT BUTTERFLAT CREEK

The Farm at Butteflat Creek, owned by Carine Stava, is a small and quiet stable on the oust-kirts of Elkhorn. This barn travels to local shows and hosts the annual “Derby Days” event. There is an outdoor cross-country track with jumps. Additionally, boarders often compete in foxhunts throughout the year.

»contact:

thefarmatbutterflatcreek.com

1320 County Road 29Bennington, NE 68007

(402) 981-9826

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KNOWLEDGEDISCIPLINES

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

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At a horse show, it all looks the same. Every rider wears the same clothes: tan breeches, white show shirt, dark show coat, shiny black tall boots. The one

thing that varies between every rider is the ring they compete in, either hunt-ers, jumpers, or equitation. Yes, they’re all horses going over jumps, but each ring is very unique. Learn the difference and you’ll sound like you know what

you’re talking about!

photograph by Gita Deonarain

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HUNTERSSlow, smooth beautifiul rounds in the hunter ring demonstrate the true nature and athleticism of horses.

In the hunter ring, only the horse is judged on it’s jump-ing form, manners, and way of going. The horse and rider are expected to keep a smooth, flowing, and con-sistent pace tho-rughout the entire course. To achieve the highest score and exhibit the best jumping technique, riders must ride accurate takeoff distances. A typi-cal hunter course is eight to ten jumps. It can have ver-ticals, oxars, and trot fences. Triple bars are not al-lowed in the hunter ring. The jumps are decorated to look natural and typi-cally include natural rails, coops, logs, or brush. Most hunter courses include one combination, either a one or two stride line, and at least two changes of direction. Riders are not allowed to walk the course on foot before riding it.

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JUMPERSFor the daredevils who like to go as fast as possi-ble, jumpers are perfect. Big jumps and tight turns will definitely get your adrenaline racing.

Jumper courses are at least 10 to 12 obstacles long and include ele-ments such as ver-ticals, oxars, triple bars, combinations, many tight turns, and many changes of direction. Before riding the course, riders are allowed to “walk” the course on foot, planning their track. Faults are awarded for er-rors such as knock-ing a rail down, refusals, or exceed-ing the time al-lowed. Riders who have no faults on course get to ride a shortened course, known as a jump-off. Whoever has the fastest fault free time in the jump-off wins! Jumper class-es range from .75 meters to 1.5 meters tall. Courses over bigger jumps re-quire the most pre-cision and accura-cy. Riders must ride each jump correctly while maintaining a quick pace.

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EQUITATIONFor those who appreciate perfection and art, equitation would suit them. It is truly an art form, demonstrating the

precision and beauty of our equine companions.

Equitation courses are designed to test a horse and rider’s skills. These courses test all the fundamentals and skills required for jumping bigger fences and more technical courses. Riders are judged on good position, correct takeoff distances, smooth turns, even pace, form and style. The duo should not show and mistakes, flaws, or adjustments. A typical equitation course is set at 3’6” and includes obstacles such as verticals, oxars, natural jumps like straw bales, trot jumps, combinations, bending lines, triple bars, narrow fences, and includes two or more changes of direction. This type of class tests the riders control and fi-nesse through tasks like shortening and lengthening of stride. The ASPCA Maclay Medal class is a national equitation class where riders must perform a course over fences and then they are tested in a flat phase. Another national medal is the Pessoa/US Hunter Seat Medal. Like the Maclay, riders begin over a course of fences. The top riders are called back for more difficult testing over a shortened course, including tasks such as counter-canter, halt, or a trot fence.

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SAMPLE COURSES

above: Grand Prix Jumper course

below: USEF Pessoa Equitation course

above: traditional Hunter course

below: jumper course

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PEOPLERIDER INTERVIEWS

LEARN FROM THE BEST

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Horseback riding is one of the few sports where athletes get to learn directly from professionals, however that’s not the only way equestrians learn! They all learn from each other. Read these interviews and see what junior and professional riders have to say about the sport and their careers.

«pictured above:(left to right)

Katie HessCasanovaMolly LaughlinMia ForbesLauren McGuire

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PEOPLE

Molly LaughlinWhen and where did you start riding?I started riding at Ponca Hills Farm summer camp in 2007 when I was 8 years old.

What is your favorite part of horseback riding?Spending time with my horses and jump-ing.

What is your least fa-vorite part of riding?Hosing the horses off and waking up early.

How long have you been showing?Probably since 2008 or 2009, so about 6 or 7 years!

What are you riding goals?I want to beat Gia Rinaldi once.

What is your biggest riding accomplish-ment?I won the Maclay Medal in Lamplight this summer in a class of about 20 riders.

Tell me about your horses and what you

show them in.Nova is all white and

he does the med-als and sometimes

the junior hunters as a warm-up. Tony does the 3’3” junior

hunters , but we may move up to the 3’6” juniors become I’ve

been improving!

Who is your favorite junior or pro rider?Brandon Howard. I

love him! He’s really hot.

Which show ring is your favorite and

why?I like doing the eq-

uitation because it’s trickier than the

hunters, but I feel like I’m better at hunters.

Do you plan on rid-ing on a college

team?I want to! I sent my videos in to a lot of

schools, but I’d really like to ride at Baylor

or Texas A&M.

age 17

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PEOPLE

Haley MickWhen and where did you start riding?I started riding at Ponca Hills Farm in North Nebraska when I was about 4 and a half.

What is your favorite part of horseback riding?My favorite part is the relationship you have with the ani-mals.

What is your least fa-vorite part of riding?Sometimes you miss out on a lot of stuff back home since we’re on the road and traveling a lot.

What are you riding goals?My goal is to do well at Medal Finals in two weeks, and hopefully get on a riding team in the future.

Who is your favorite junior or pro rider?Gia Rinaldi, because she’s so young and already rides like a pro.


show them in.I have Tango, and

I show him in the High Junior jumpers and sometimes we compete in Grand

Prixs. I also have Strat who was originally

a jumper, and then we started him in the equitation so

we compete in 3’6” equitation.


why?Jumpers because

you go fast and jump high!

What is your biggest riding accomplish-

ment?My biggest accom-plishment is getting

around a Grand Prix course with only one

rail.

Do you plan on rid-ing on a college

team?I’m working on it,

and if it doesn’t hap-pen, that’s okay but if I do, it would be at

TCU.

age 17

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PEOPLE

Katie HessWhen and where did you start riding?I started riding West-ern when I was really little at my grand-ma’s house. I started riding English about four years ago.

What is your favorite part of horseback riding?Everything. I like jumping a lot and hugging my horses.

What is your least fa-vorite part of riding?My least favorite part is when I go off course or when my horses get injured.

What are you riding goals?I want to become a pro and do the High Junior/Amateur jumpers someday.

What is your biggest riding accomplish-ment?My biggest accom-plishment was show-ing 1.15m at the International after only showing 3’ for three months.


show them in.I have three horses.

One’s name is Prime Time. He’s a small

junior hunter. I also have Wiz. His show

name is Khalifa and he’s done a little bit

of everything. And then Spencer does the High Childrens jumpers but she’s currently injured.

Who is your favorite junior or pro rider?

Either Hunter Hol-loway because she

does every ring really well or Kelly Cruciotti because she made

such a big impact after her win at

Devon.

What’s your favorite horse show?

HITS Ocala


why?Hunters are my fa-vorite because it’s

easy and there’s less turns, and I’m bad at

turning.

age 17

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PEOPLE

Mia ForbesWhen and where did you start riding?I started riding in Des Moines, Iowa at Windy Ridge Farm when I was 11 years old.

Did you go to col-lege and ride on an equestrian team?Nope!

When did you be-come a professional rider?I became a pro when I started get-ting paid to ride, a little over 18. I had to make the change from junior to pro when I was making money off the barn and not going to college.

What is your biggest riding accomplish-ment?My biggest accom-plishment is raising and training a young horse, so I did ev-erything through his whole life and then sold him for a profit.

What are your riding goals?

I want to keep im-proving and show at

a bigger height!


why?I like the hunters

because it’s a game of precision and it’s

challenging.

What’s your favorite part about riding?

I really enjoy teach-ing horses new

things. I like when you can see and

feel their progress.

What’s your least favorite part about

riding?I don’t really dislike

anything that much!

Who is your favorite junior or pro rider?

Beezie Madden! Or Scott Brash.

Favorite horse?Baloubet K, he was

a cool horse that we had at the barn for a

while!

age 27

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BEHIND THE SCENESMost people think the sport of horseback rid-

ing is just fancy clothes and expensive ani-mals. There’s the stereotype that it’s only for the wealthy. To an equestrian, it’s waking up before

the sun, getting your foot stepped on, and be-ing thrown in the dirt by your own horse. Get a

behind-the-scenes look at competetive horse-back riding through these photos.

photographs by Gita Deonarain

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