Horse Shows

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What to Buy your Horse Show Dad for Father's Day

Father's Day is quickly approaching (June 16th, 2019) but there is still time to buy something special for your horse show dad.

Some dads understand that learning to ride is so much more than just learning to ride. They recognize that being around horses and helping at the barn also instills compassion, empathy, teamwork, hard work, coordination, and so much more. These dedicated dads don't mind getting up early or going to bed late so their child can have extra time with their horse. They learned how to tow a trailer and load a horse just so their child can compete in shows. Their dedication and commitment to their equestrian should be recognized regularly but even more so on Father's Day.

What does your horse show dad need?

 

T-Shirt - Of course no horse show dad would be complete without the obligatory horse show dad t-shirt.
photo album horse show dad Photo Album - These days most people store their photos on their phone. A great way to memorialize your time spent with your dad is to get him a photo album of your journey together. This self-adhesive photo album makes it easy to present your photos and mementos. Try this link to order prints from your phone.
yeti horse show dad Drink Container - All equestrians know that barn time is not the same as regular time. Especially during long hot days at the barn in summer, it is important to stay hydrated. Get your dad a 26oz Yeti Rambler. I have one of these and can tell you it keeps my drink cold all day long.
Fitbit - If your dad is a fitness freak or just wants to get fitter a Fitbit is a great idea. He will be able to track his steps, exercise, and calorie intake. They are fun to use and can be synced to a smartphone.
Overnight Bag - Oftentimes showing requires overnight stays. Your dad should travel in style, just like you and your horse. A versatile overnight bag is an ideal gift and a great way to say thank you.

I'm sure that horse show dads are happy with their role and get immense satisfaction from spending time with and watching their equestrian learn and grow. However, it is still important to show some extra love on Father's Day.

Look for other great gifts here>>>

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Riding Club Points after the June 2018 Show

riding clubWe had another very successful Fun Show here at White Rose Equestrian today. Thank you to all the parents who put trust in us and support our shows. Showing is so much more than winning ribbons. By allowing your kids to show you are giving them an opportunity to put into practice what they learn in lessons. It gives them the change to figure out what works and it greatly improves their riding and confidence.

Riding Club Points for this Show are as Follows:

Rider POINTS POSITION
 Sophia Eaton / White Rose Rubydoo 70 1
 Michayla Belus / White Rose Sweet Sierra 37 2
 Riley Hughes / White Rose Sweet Sierra 36.5 3
 Kayleigh Beckemeyer / White Rose Moonfire 36 4
 Isabella Hendricks / White Rose Sweet Pocket Full of Sunshine 28.5 5
 Lena Davis / White Rose Buttercup 28 6

riding clubWith some of our riders unable to attend the show today, we had a big shake-up of the leaderboard. I don't like to put too much emphasis on the overall points. Our motto at White Rose Equestrian is that showing should be fun but it is also good to be competitive. It makes you strong and determined and those are good traits that will help you throughout your life.

Riding Club Points for the show season so far are as follows:

Rider POINTS POSITION
 Sophia Eaton / White Rose Rubydoo 169 1
 Abbygale Hamilton / Escapade Fancy Pants 154.5 2
 Riley Hughes / White Rose Sweet Sierra 121 3
 Michayla Belus / White Rose Sweet Sierra 104 4
 Kayleigh Beckemeyer / White Rose Moonfire 80 5
 Lena Davis / White Rose Buttercup 72.5 6

We are always welcoming new riders. Our next Fun Show is July 14th.

Come out and show with us!

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Riding Club Points after the May 2018 Show

Riding Club PointsOur May show was a great success. Thank you to everyone who came out to support us and brave the extremely hot weather. As always our riders worked hard, competed well, and supported each other.

Once again we had Divine Horse Mobile Tack store here with a large selection of equipment and apparel. We were also lucky to have delicious food at a concession stand provided by the grandma of one of our riders.

Riding Club Points for this Show are as Follows:

Rider POINTS POSITION
 Sophia Eaton / White Rose Rubydoo 63 1
 Abbygale Hamilton / Escapade Fancy Pants 57 2
 Riley Hughes / White Rose Sweet Sierra 33 3
 Kayleigh Beckemeyer / White Rose Moonfire 26.5 4
 Michayla Belus / White Rose Sweet Sierra 26 5
 Maddie Rominger / White Rose Moonfire 19 6

Riding Club PointsAbbygale and Escapade Fancy Pants are still in the lead but Sophia and White Rose Rubydoo are slowly catching up. Don't forget that at the end of the show season we have a party and recognize all our riders.

Riding Club Points for the show season so far are as follows:

Rider POINTS POSITION
 Abbygale Hamilton / Escapade Fancy Pants 154.5 1
 Sophia Eaton / White Rose Rubydoo 99 2
 Riley Hughes / White Rose Sweet Sierra 84.5 3
 Michayla Belus / White Rose Sweet Sierra 67 4
 Maddie Rominger / White Rose Moonfire 52.5 5
 Isabel Mejia / White Rose Rubydoo 46 6

We are always welcoming new riders. Our next Fun Show is June 9th.

Come out and show with us!

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Riding Club Points After the April Show

White Rose Fun Show
© Diamond M. Photography

We had a very successful fun show here at White Rose Equestrian yesterday. The weather was perfect and our competitors worked hard. I have to mention that we have a great group of Riding Club Members. They are all so supportive of each other.

We were also lucky to have Montana Webb of Diamond M. Photography taking pictures of our competitors. If you would like to order pictures taken at the show please reach out to her via one of the above links.

We also had a mobile tack store provided by Divine Horse Tack. You can buy from them online or their store that will open this summer on Congress Street in York, SC.

I know you are all eager to see who earned the most points.

Riding Club Points for this Show are as Follows:

Rider POINTS POSITION
 Abbygale Hamilton / Escapade Fancy Pants 63.5 1
 Sophia Eaton / White Rose Rubydoo 36 2
 Michayla Belus / White Rose Sierra  36 2
 Savannah Lewis / Mason 32.5 4
 Maddie Rominger / White Rose Moonfire 23 5
 Riley Hughes / White Rose Sweet Sierra 23 5
White Rose Fun Show
© Diamond M. Photography

This show also shook up the overall leaderboard. Abbygale and Escapade Fancy Pants have a very impressive lead but other riders still have a chance to catch up with her at upcoming shows. The trick is to show as often and in as many classes as possible.

Riding Club Points for the show season so far are as follows:

Rider POINTS POSITION
 Abbygale Hamilton / Escapade Fancy Pants 97.5 1
 Riley Hughes / White Rose Sweet Sierra 51.5 2
 Isabel Mejia / White Rose Rubydoo  46 3
 Michayla Belus / White Rose Sweet Sierra 41 4
 Sophia Eaton / White Rose Rubydoo 36 5
 Maddie Rominger / White Rose Moonfire 33.5 6

We are always welcoming new riders. Our next Fun Show is May 12th.

Come out and show with us!

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Riding Club Points After the March Show

20180310_094540We have our first Fun Show of 2018 under our belt and it was a great success as usual. The weather was unseasonably very cold but we still had a very good turnout. Our established riders did well and our new riders learned what it's like to participate in a horse show.

All competitors who join our Riding Club are eligible to collect points at every show throughout the season. These points are tallied at the end of the year and the riders with the most points are recognized.

Riding Club Points for this Show are as Follows:

Rider POINTS POSITION
 Isabel Mejia / White Rose Rubydoo  46  1
 Abbygale Hamilton / Escapade Fancy Pants  34  2
 Macy Schott / White Rose Fandango  29  3
 Riley Hughes / White Rose Sweet Sierra  28.5  4
 Kayleigh Beckemeyer / White Rose Sweet Sierra  24  5
 Isabella Hendricks / White Rose Sweet Sierra  22.5  6

Our next show is April 14th, please join us!

As always I must thank all the volunteers. It takes a great deal of time and effort to pull together, even a small, fun show and I couldn't do it without the help of a small, dedicated army. If you would like to volunteer at any of our events please let us know.

Click here to see more photos of the show.

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Riding Club Points as of August 5th, 2017

Fun Horse Show
Photo courtesy of Lola Cichocki

We had another fun, friendly show here today at White Rose Equestrian. Thank you to everyone who came out to help and compete.

I am so pleased with all our riders and the progress they have made over the summer while competing. Showing is an opportunity for them to put into practice what they learn in weekly lessons. It also gives them the freedom to explore their riding abilities and grow as equestrians in ways that lessons alone could never do.

The riding club points for this show are as follows:

Rider POINTS POSITION
 Macy Schott / White Rose Fandango  58.0  1
 Libby Schott / White Rose Desert Wind  44.0  2
 Riley Hughes / White Rose Sweet Seirra  40.0  3
 Isabel Mejia / White Rose Rubydoo  39.5  4
 Maddie Rominger / White Rose Moonfire  36.5  5
 Deana Poteat / White Rose Rubydoo  34.0  6

After today's show, we have a change in the overall leaderboard. Everyone still has time to catch up at our Fall Fun Show on October 28th, 2017.

The overall championship riding club points so far are as follows:

Rider POINTS POSITION
 Macy Schott / White Rose Fandango  173.0  1
 Libby Schott / White Rose Desert Wind  163.0  2
 Riley Hughes / White Rose Sweet Sierra  162.0  3
 Maddie Rominger / White Rose Moonfire  156.0  4
 Allison Guidi / DF Sergio  65.5  5
 Alida Leidy / Maddie  51.5  6

Our Fall Fun show will also have a costume class so start thinking about how you are going to dress up your horse.

 

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Why I Host Horse Shows

18221981_10155530340448974_2094783583415863576_nHere at White Rose Equestrian, we host several fun, friendly horse shows a year. Our riders look forward to showing off their skills and winning ribbons. But there is much more to it than that. Our emphasis is on learning and improving and our motto is, "The most important thing about showing is having fun!"

Most of our students are beginner to intermediate riders. They ride once a week and do not own their own horses. They don't have an opportunity to travel to shows.

I know what that feels like.

I was bitten by the horse riding bug many years ago. I can't remember a time when I wasn't obsessed with horses. I read every horse book I could get my hands on, tied a rope to the handlebars of my bicycle and pretended they were reins, and dreamed of owning my own horse one day. But, we weren't well off. We lived in a small apartment above a store with a yard the size of a pocket handkerchief and I knew I wouldn't be getting a horse anytime soon.

I was lucky enough to start riding lessons when I was eleven and used my weekly allowance to pay for them. I would ride the bus there early Saturday morning and stay all day. I did anything and everything the riding school owner asked of me just to be around the horses. And if I was lucky, I could ride William, my favorite, out to his field at the end of the day.

Once a year we would visit Ilkley for the day and sometimes there would be a horse show/gymkhana being held. I was so envious of those girls with their spotless ponies, fancy show clothes, and opportunities I thought I would never have.

My passion continued as I got older and eventually, as an adult, I bought my first horse. Finally, I had the chance to show. I participated, mainly, in jumpers but also did some cross country and dressage events. I also ran a small equestrian facility, Laneside Stables. At Laneside Stables we gave riding lessons, operated a pony club, manufactured show jumps, and ran small horse shows.

Life happened and I ended up in America and that brings us to present day and White Rose Equestrian. We have only been at our location for six months but we hit the ground running and have no intention of slowing down. We have many upgrades and improvements planned but our facility already had all the basics in place for us to grow and expand what we offer.

20170715_090822adj
A fun horse show at White Rose Equestrian

One of the first things I was determined to do was to host some fun shows. They are hard work and take a great deal of time and effort to organize and pull together but they are so worthwhile. I get so much satisfaction when I see the riders improve and become more independent with each show we host.

There is no pressure on anyone to win, just to learn and have fun.

So why do I host horse shows? I do it because at heart I am still the same horse-mad little girl I always was. The one who never got to show as a child. The one who wanted for a pony more than anything in the world. I host horse shows so that kids can experience opportunities I never had. They are making memories. When they are all grown up they will be able to say, "I used to ride when I was younger. I even went to a few horse shows."

Come and join in the fun with us!

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Riding Club Points as of July 15th, 2017

libby sqWe had another successful Fun Show here today at White Rose Equestrian. We are very grateful to everyone who comes out to support us. We have a wonderful barn family. Everyone is helpful and supportive of each other and we welcome horses and rider from other barns in the area.

We would like to give a big thank you to all our helpers and volunteers. We could not do this without you.

The riding club points for this show are as follows:

Rider POINTS POSITION
 Maddie Rominger / White Rose Moonfire  48.0  1
 Macy Schott / White Rose Fandango  42.0  2
 Libby Schott / White Rose Desert Wind  41.0  3
 Carlee Goff / White Rose Rubydoo  39.0  4
 Riley Hughes / White Rose Sweet Sierra  38.0  5
 Allison Guidi / DF Sergio  36.5  6

I see progress with each show we have. Our riders are learning to become more independent and confident.

The overall championship riding club points so far are as follows:

Rider POINTS POSITION
 Riley Hughes / White Rose Sweet Sierra  122.0  1
 Maddie Rominger / White Rose Moonfire  119.5  2
 Libby Schott / White Rose Desert Wind  119.0  3
 Macy Schott / White Rose Fandango  115.0  4
 Allison Guidi / DF Sergio  65.5  5
 Alida Leidy / Maddie  51.5  6

Our next Fun Show will be August 5th, come and join the fun.

 

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Riding Club Points as of June 25th, 2017

Riding Club PointsWe have now had two very successful Fun Horse Shows here at White Rose Equestrian. All our riders, parents, helpers, and friends did a great job and made the show a memorable success. Our emphasis is on learning and having fun and our competitors take it very seriously. We are happy to welcome riders and horses from other barns and look forward to making new friends at future shows.

We are very grateful to everyone who comes out to help. It takes a lot of time, preparation, and manpower to put on a horse show. If you would like to volunteer please let us know.

The championship riding club points, so far.

Rider POINTS POSITION
 Riley Hughes / White Rose Sweet Sierra  84.0  1
 Libby Schott / White Rose Desert Wind  78.0  2
 Macy Schott / White Rose Fandango  73.0  3
 Maddie Rominger / White Rose Moonfire  71.5  4
 Alida Leidy / Maddie  51.5  5
 Mekah Leidy / Oragon  42.0  6

Championship Riding Club Points are recognized at our end of season party. The date and location is yet to be decided.

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Intercollegiate Dressage (IDA) Show St. Andrews Equestrian Center October 26th and 27th - Part One

St. Andrews Equestrian CenterI've been to many shows over the years but no matter how many, the preparations the night before are always stressful. Getting ready for my first Intercollegiate Dressage show, as a coach, was no different. And this show lasted two days so it included an overnight in a hotel. So with list in hand I hurried around packing and checking I had everything I needed.

The St. Andrews Equestrian Center is almost three hours from my house and we needed to be there by 9am for the coaches' meeting. I like to give myself extra time, just in case, and I had also offered to car-pool and pick up some of the team on the way. It made more sense for us to travel together. So with my case packed and the alarm set for 4am I bid my husband and daughter goodnight. They were acting as if I was going away for six months not for just one night. As I lie in bed at 9pm I realized I had never been away from them before. I would like to say I didn't want to leave them but that wouldn't be true. I was excited for a girls weekend filled with horses!

I struggled to fall asleep and as is always the case when I have to be up early, my night was restless. Tossing and turning and constantly checking on the time to make sure I hadn't slept in. I was, of course, hard and fast asleep though when the alarm finally went off.

The house was cold and quiet as I tip-toed around, even the dog didn't stir. I fixed some coffee, pulled on my clothes and loaded up the car. Apparently my list wasn't complete as I set off three times before returning for things I had forgotten. One time almost knocking myself unconscious on the trunk of the car. They say things happen in threes so I was confident that the worse was over and the weekend was going to be a great success.

I never look forward to getting up early but once I am up, dressed, and have at least a mouth full of coffee in me I am ready to go. There is something so very special about being awake when everyone else is still asleep. It feels kind of clandestine. As if I'm sneaking around somewhere I shouldn't be.

The roads were almost deserted and I thought I knew where I was going but the GPS on my phone had other plans. It brought me off of I77 earlier than I expected and instead of a straight shot along W. T. Harris it wound me around narrow country roads. I was so sure I was going in the wrong direction I pulled over at one point to check my final destination. Satisfied I was still on the right track I continued and arrived at the CVS on North Tryon just before 5:30 a.m.

A few minutes later everyone else arrived. I was so glad I'd decided to take my van rather than José's truck as we loaded in bags, show clothes, chairs, and a cooler. Blair rode shotgun and Taylor and Iman settled in the back. The sky was still pitch black and the air chilly cold. We headed to I485 and were on our way.

After a short while we left the freeway and began a long trek down a desolate highway 218. Note to self: never travel along this road in the wee small hours if a bathroom break will be required. Eventually we made it to Polkton and turned onto Route 74. A smooth, modern, four-lane highway we headed east and watched as the skies slowly illuminated with fresh morning light. The beginning of a brand new day.

Taylor and Iman had slept most of the way and were just stirring as we approached Laurinburg in Scotland County. A fitting name I though seeing as the college we were heading to was called St. Andrews. A quick peek at the town's website proved that the area had in fact been settled by Scottish immigrants back in the 1800s.

We were all very impressed with the wide, sweeping, tree-lined drive that led to the beautiful, modern barn, acres and acres of pastures, and a multitude of indoor and outdoor riding areas. We had plenty of time to spare. We strolled around exploring until the 9:00 a.m. coaches' meeting.

Part Two to follow soon.