The A Team does Poetry Night

After a successful IEA Hunt Seat Nationals, Ashley Wilson and I stayed in West Palm Beach for some much needed beach time.

On our last night there, we found ourselves at a poetry reading put on by a group called the Hippocrene Society.

The audience members were invited to write a poem on the spot and submit it for review by group leaders, after which a winner was chosen.

As my blog readers know, the A Team is always up for a new challenge, so we gave it a go. 

Without further adieu, here is our poem:

Jump
By: Ashley Wilson & Amanda Garner

At night when I close my eyes
Drifting toward the sunrise

The hectic stress of the day slowly fades away
And the music begins to play

I'm riding through my dreams
Riding and playing, rhythm of riding
Riding is what I do

Canter!

Like a shock through my body
I stretch up, my back aches

Inside leg to outside hand!
Half halt and look up!

I'm back again, but can't wake up
The rhythm consumes me

Keep the rhythm!
1-2-1-2

I am keeping the rhythm...

Now relax and breathe

I'm breathing...

Lift your eye
Close your hip and follow

I'm following...

Now up and over and back around
Again!

I'm riding through dreams
Riding and playing, rhythm of riding

Riding is what we do

Amanda Garner is an Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA), Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), and Georgia Hunter Jumper Association (GHJA) steward, schooling show judge, head coach of the University of North Georgia IHSA Equestrian Team, and owner of Epiphany Farm, LLC in Dahlonega, Georgia. She is also a member of the IEA Board of Directors and the author of "A Parent's Guide to the Interscholastic Equestrian Association."

If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to like and share on Facebook.

Thanks!  --Amanda

Who's Going to National Finals?

National Finals season is upon us.

IEA Hunt Seat National Finals start in just a few days at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida.

IHSA Hunt Seat and Western National Finals are just a couple weeks away at the Big E in Springfield, Massachusetts.

And IEA Western National Finals are in June at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

When I blog, I'm usually the one passing on information to you, my readers.  But this time, I want to hear from you!

Who's going to IEA or IHSA National Finals?

What team are you on?

Which class(es) are you riding in?

Post your answers in the facebook comments. I want to hear from riders of course, but I'd also like to hear from coaches and parents.

Oh, and for the IEA folks, if you're showing at finals, come say hi! I'll be the one in the holding area telling you when to mount up. :-)

Good luck and safe travels!

Amanda Garner is an Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA), Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), and Georgia Hunter Jumper Association (GHJA) steward, schooling show judge, head coach of the University of North Georgia IHSA Equestrian Team, and owner of Epiphany Farm, LLC in Dahlonega, Georgia. She is also a member of the IEA Board of Directors and the author of "A Parent's Guide to the Interscholastic Equestrian Association."

If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to like and share on Facebook.
Thanks!  --Amanda

Fifteen USEF judges offer advice to riders at IEA/IHSA National Finals

IEA and IHSA National Finals are coming up, and for this week's blog I asked fifteen USEF judges to share one piece of advice for riders as they prepare for the most prestigious show of their IEA/ IHSA career.

Before we begin, I'd like to say a huge thank you to the judges who contributed to this article for sharing their insight. (also, fyi, I told them their responses would remain anonymous so I haven't included any names).

But enough from me. Here are their responses:

1. Relax and do what you know how to do!

2. Allow me to pin you. If you get a difficult horse, don't make a hard situation worse by overreacting or making a big production. Instead, show me that you are educated and can ride through. I will reward you for it.

3. For over fences: take your time upon entering the ring. Walk. Don't rush picking up the canter, you don't want to make the simple mistake of missing the lead.

4. Turnout is so important. Sometimes riders don't place as high as they could have because of their turnout: hairnets, clean clothes, shirttails tucked in, etc. First impressions are very important!

5. Keep riding and working with that horse, no matter what difficulties you might encounter. Sometimes I don't make up my mind between first and second or some other placings until the very end of the class. A rider keeping her/his cool and riding things out can make the final decision for me.

6. Do your homework. Practice as much as possible. Remember first impressions are critical so have your show clothes and helmet clean and boots so shined I could see my face in them. Read sports psychology books. Have a plan with your coach and sleep enough and eat like an athlete. Most important have fun and ENJOY the ride. You earned it!

7. Taking into account that each rider has qualified for the competition based on prior results - it's a little late to try to change too much in the way a rider will perform INSIDE the arena. I recommend riders plan a strategy and make a game plan starting at the present moment and leading up through to the entire competition weekend for everything OUTSIDE the arena -  I believe many riders miss out on achieving their maximum performance because they let distractions keep them from focusing and getting into "the Zone" - take a minute to mentally visualize and walk through the entire process.

8. Ask yourself questions about the following:

• Am I in shape mentally and physically?
• Do my show clothes / boots fit and are they clean and ready?
• Do I know who the judges are and what is their overall riding / equitation philosophy?
• What is my schedule for lessons and riding time leading up to the competition?
• Do I have my entire schedule figured out for each day at the competition?
• Practice breathing techniques during every lesson and carry it over to your classes!

9. As a judge, I'm looking for a soft sympathetic rider who has a correct design of position and the ability to demonstrate effective, tactful, and efficient use of the aids.  I want to see a following arm, an appropriate release and a secure lower leg. The quality of performance is a reflection of the rider's ability to evaluate the horse and ride it accordingly.  

10. The riders must be impeccably turned out. Don't enter the ring until you are sure that the judge is looking. Younger riders (with braid and bows) should be sure that back numbers are visible. Bling is not cool, it's distracting. Boots cannot be clean enough.

11. I am always telling the kids after the show that for me it's about who makes the horse happy. And for goodness sake, be sharp. Try to read the horse and make the best ride you can...every time!

12. Enter with the confidence that you are the winner! (and very clean boots!)

13. Ride what is under you, not what you think is under you.

14. Ride the horse you draw, not the one you wanted, and trust the judges to see your abilities. Remember you are being judged from the moment you ride through the in-gate until you are excused.

15. Make a good first impression, you've got to have it when you walk in the ring.

So there you go. First hand advice from some of the most talented professionals in the industry. Once again thank you to the judges for taking the time to contribute to this article. 

For my blog readers, a couple things I hope you take away from this post: first, did you notice how similar many of their statements are?  Second, you don't have to be intimidated by the judges. They aren't trying to trap you or set you up to fail. They want to see you succeed. And finally, for goodness sake, clean your boots!

Amanda Garner is an Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA), Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), and Georgia Hunter Jumper Association (GHJA) steward, schooling show judge, head coach of the University of North Georgia IHSA Equestrian Team, and owner of Epiphany Farm, LLC in Dahlonega, Georgia. She is also a member of the IEA Board of Directors and the author of "A Parent's Guide to the Interscholastic Equestrian Association."

If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to like and share on Facebook.

Thanks!  --Amanda

Junior Equestrian Festival Oct 9-11, 2015, Westport, Connecticut

The inaugural Junior Equestrian Festival (JEF) Hunt Seat Horse Show will be held October 9-11, 2015 at the Fairfield County Hunt Club in Westport, Connecticut.

Have you heard of the College Preparatory Invitational (CPI) Horse Show held every spring in Wellington, Florida that gives high school equestrians an opportunity to compete in front of collegiate coaches? Well now the northern area of the country has its own version of this competition: the Junior Equestrian Festival (JEF) in Westport, Connecticut.

JEF Horse Show
The Junior Equestrian Festival is a two-day event organized to provide riders in grades 9-12 the opportunity to compete in front of college coaches and representatives. Competitors will draw a horse at random to compete in equitation on the flat and equitation over fences against other riders at a similar skill level.

JEF College Fair
Colleges and Universities nationwide will be invited to the JEF Horse Show to watch the riders compete. Riders will also be able to meet with college coaches one on one to discuss equestrian team and scholarship opportunities.

JEF Scholarships
A wide variety of scholarships will be available to JEF participants.  As an affiliate of the College Preparatory Invitational Horse Show (CPI), all scholarships provided at JEF will be administered and distributed by CPI. Here are the scholarships that JEF participants can apply for:

• CPI High Point Hunt Seat Rider
• CPI Essay Award
• The CPI Written Horsemanship Test Award
• CPI Journalistic Photo Contest
• CPI Champion of Service Award

JEF Mounted Clinic
If you think you're done once the competition is over, you've spoken with the college reps, and the scholarships have been awarded, you're sadly mistaken, because JEF is also offering a mounted clinic to a limited number of JEF participants!

The Details
The JEF Horse Show will be held in October 9-11, 2015 (that's Columbus Day weekend so it may be a school holiday for some of you) at the Fairfield County Hunt Club in Westport, Connecticut.

For more information, competition and scholarship applications, and travel details, visit the official JEF website: www.juniorequestrianfestival.com. And keep checking back as the show date approaches for updated information.

And why am I advertising the Junior Equestrian Festival on my blog you ask? Because just yesterday I signed on to be one of two stewards for this amazing event! What can I say? When my good friend, USHJA certified instructor, IEA coach, and JEF Program Director Jane DaCosta asked me to be part of this incredible opportunity for young riders, I couldn't resist.

Other members of the show committee include IEA National Steward Sue Wentzel as my stewarding partner and United States Military Academy coach Peter Cashman as JEF Horse Show Coordinator. We'll be working hard to produce an event that showcases young rider talent to college recruiters and coaches, provides scholarships, and is tons of fun! I invite all my blog reader to join us this October for the inaugural Junior Equestrian Festival.

Amanda Garner is an Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA), Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), and Georgia Hunter Jumper Association (GHJA) steward, schooling show judge, head coach of the University of North Georgia IHSA Equestrian Team, and owner of Epiphany Farm, LLC in Dahlonega, Georgia. She is also a member of the IEA Board of Directors and the author of "A Parent's Guide to the Interscholastic Equestrian Association."

If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to like and share on Facebook.

Thanks!  --Amanda

2016 AYHC Symposium to be held in Conjunction with IEA Nationals Finals in Lexington, Ky

I am very pleased to announce that the 2016 American Youth Horse Council (AYHC) Annual Symposium will be held in conjunction with the 2016 IEA National Finals in Lexington, Kentucky!

So what is the 2016 AYHC Symposium and why am I so excited that it will be held in conjunction with IEA National Finals?

The AYHC Symposium:

• Is a three-day conference 
• Is open to youth and adults across all breeds and disciplines
• Offers a variety of educational and leadership building activities
• Provides the opportunity for youth and professional equestrians to connect with each other nationwide

We all know that the equine industry is driven by the relationships we build with each other. The AYHC symposium will give the IEA riders, parents, and professionals who attend 2016 IEA National Finals an opportunity to create relationships with other equine industry participants across breeds, disciplines, and geographical barriers and increase their equine knowledge and leadership skills at the same time.

Excited yet? I had the great honor and pleasure to attend the 2015 AYHC symposium this weekend in Redmond, Oregon along with IEA executive director Roxane Lawrence. I got to see firsthand the work this group is doing to share knowledge and connect youth to the horse industry. Here is a quick rundown of what went on last weekend.


2015 AYHC Symposium--Redmond, Oregon

FRIDAY
Youth Barn Raising 
The youth members were split into groups of three and given basic craft supplies (popsicle sticks, straws, marshmallows, tin foil, cardboard, etc.) and a scenario for an equine business (one was a thoroughbred racing facility, another was a working cow horse training barn). Each group had a half hour to build their facility from scratch using the supplies provided. When time was up they shared their design with the rest of the groups.

Horse Smarts Roundup
This was a horsemanship quiz set up like a lab practical. There were ten stations each with ten questions, for a total of 100 questions. Stations included equine diseases, harmful plants, anatomy, genetics, etc. The students were given two minutes per station. The top three scorers were recognized during the banquet Saturday night and presented with a certificate and cash prize!

Adult/Professional Round Table Discussions
While the youth were busy building barns and showing off their equine knowledge, the parents and professionals participated in a series of small group round table discussions including:

• Social media tools to promote, fund raise, and communicate
• Conflict management
• Curriculum and educational tools for youth
• Risk management and safety
• Developing leadership skills in your youth members
• Keys to growing your membership
• Youth/collegiate equestrian teams-how to get started (Roxane led this discussion)

Local Area Barn Tour
Buses were provided to take participants around to local barns to see these equine businesses up close. This part of the symposium will be amazing in Lexington!

SATURDAY
Saturday morning was filled with talks given by professionals from all areas of the equine industry. Three talks were given at the same time, one each targeting youth, adults, and professionals, though anyone could go to any of the talks. The hardest part was deciding which one to attend! Here were Saturday mornings offerings:

Session One:

• Youth: The Interscholastic Equestrian Association (Roxane again)
• Adult: Environmental Stewardship I
• Professional: Equine Risk Laws and Liability

Session Two:

• Youth: Youth Equine Olympics (held at local barn 4U Performance Horses)
• Adult: Equine Welfare, Fact versus Emotion
• Professional: Environmental Stewardship II

Session Three:

• Youth: Youth Equine Olympics (continued at 4U Performance Horses)
• Adult: What is the AYHC and Why Should I Join
• Professional: Building Partnerships with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) (these are the mustang folks, really cool to hear what they do on a day to day basis)

Arena Demonstration
Saturday afternoon everyone loaded up on buses to watch an arena demonstration on ranch sorting and team penning. As an east coast resident where it seems hunt seat riding has most of the spot light, I loved that the arena demonstrations focused on western events. Those kids out in Oregon are so comfortable working around cattle and other livestock on their horses. Very cool!

Awards Banquet
Saturday evening we all got together for some good food, entertainment, and awards. Afterwards, the youth had their own round table discussions.

Youth Round Table Discussions
Topics they discussed:

• The problem of unwanted horses
• How to combat cost of horse keeping
• How would you resolve the issue of overbreeding?
• Educating owners who don't understand horses
• Loss of trails and riding areas
• If you could ride any horse (alive today or not) who would you ride?
• Attracting youth to the horse industry 
• Keeping youth involved in the horse industry
• New York City carriage horses, should they be banned or not?

SUNDAY
The symposium wrapped up on Sunday morning with three more rounds of talks.

Session Four:

• Youth: Leadership Strategies for your Organization
• Adult: Ten Fun and Educational Activities for the Busy Horse Leader
• Professional: Equine Supplements and Nutraceuticals 

Session Five:

• Youth: Improving Equine Welfare in South America
• Adult: Managing Multiple Disciplines and Skill Levels in One Arena
• Professional: Marketing and Social Media

Session Six:

• Youth: Talking Terror (equine fear response)
• Adult: Communication--Videography and Beyond
• Professional: Animal Welfare Issues

Whew! I'm worn out just thinking about everything I did and everything I learned last weekend!

I am so thankful for the opportunity to attend this conference. I left Oregon with a greater understanding and appreciation for important topics in the equine industry as well as many new friendships and professional connections.

I can't wait for the IEA riders that attend the 2016 National Finals to have these same opportunities.

For more information on the American Youth Horse Council, visit their website:
http://www.ayhc.com/

Amanda Garner is an Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA), Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), and Georgia Hunter Jumper Association (GHJA) steward, schooling show judge, head coach of the University of North Georgia IHSA Equestrian Team, and owner of Epiphany Farm, LLC in Dahlonega, Georgia. She is also a member of the IEA Board of Directors and the author of "A Parent's Guide to the Interscholastic Equestrian Association."

If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to like and share on Facebook.
Thanks!  --Amanda