Getting Closer!

Wow, time has flown by!  We're so tired at the end of the day from practicing so much that I haven't had the energy to post. 
Today we do the rides full out with music and all.  We have our first practice at 9am and will meet again after lunch to do it again.  Then we'll all gather and decide how we will set our tack room and feed room up.  We only have 1 feed room and 1 tack room for 10 people so we will definitly have to be super organized and use our space efficiently!
Yesterday, before dinner we went to the horse park to see how the ring would be layed out, find out where our parking will be, how we will travel from our stalls to the ring etc.  The horse park has been totally transformed!  It is truly amazing!
We have Rock Star Parking!
The facility owners, Mary and Bennie Hicks had a BBQ for us on Sunday night. It was tons of fun.  We had a fire for roasting marshmellows and keeping warm.  Thank goodness for that because it has been so cold.  Yesterday it rained most of the day.  We were wet and cold but still practiced hard.
It is 48 degrees out right now. 
Well off to practice. 
Looking forward to seeing you all at the games,
Rebecca

Practice! Practice! Practice!

Hey Everyone!

My name is Ariel Wyatt. I am from Hinckley, Ohio and currently attending Kent State University as a full time student. Even though I live at school, I still find time to come home and ride my horse D'artagnon 5 days a week. D'artagnon (Duke) is a 18 year old, thoroughbred gelding. I have had him for about 6 years and just compete Dressage. I have attended 6 championships and 3 of them have been with Duke. In pony club I am an H (C3 Dressage & HA).

This is my first experience with quadrille and so far is a good one. Today was our second day of practice. Everything seems to be coming together, the rides and the music. We have only two days left to get everything wrapped up and tweaked. It seems like its coming fast. Luckily all of our horses are best buds, which makes everything run very smoothly!

Tomorrow we will be starting early with another practice and the music should be perfect! We are excited to get this show on the road to the horse park! Thanks to all our parents and sponsors for making this whole thing happen!

See you all there!

Ariel & Duke <3

We're Here!

Last night we moved into our barn at the Hick's and they are so hospitable.  Thea, a barn resident met us and helped us settle in.  After we dropped off Declan we went to the camp where we are staying.  Our rooms are just like any hotel. They are very comfortable.

Today was a day of organization. We tested horses together by size, color and temperment. Betsy decided who was going to ride in which ride. We then started practicing the patterns on horse back. That went really well for the first day together! After lunch we spent the next 3 hours walking our tests on foot. That was entertaining.  Then, we went to the camp for a delicious dinner!  The cobbler was especially awesome!

Tomorrow we have breakfast at the camp and then start our first session of riding at 9. Then after lunch we'll do the second session and go from there.

the final details

This is Claire checking in for a little break from last-minute packing!

I am a little in shock that I will be pulling out with the trailer tomorrow, bound for Lexington ...it seems that time has flown by in preparation for this upcoming week!  I hail from Nashville, Tennessee, and will be riding my horse, Mo, who is a 10 year old Selle Francais (French Warmblood) gelding.
I am an H in Pony Club, and as a veteran of many, many years of membership in USPC, I will finally be graduating this year.

It is interesting to look back on 16 years of membership in Pony Club, through the many lessons, camps, rallies, championships, and festivals that I have been a part of.  There have been many friends made and many life-lessons learned.  I'm excited to have this final opportunity to ride at the WEG's as a member of USPC - what a way to go out with a bang!

THANK YOU again to our many supporters!!!  As a self-supporting equestrian enthusiast, I give you extra applause, because without you, I definitely would never have been able to participate in this amazing experience! 

I hear that we will have internet access at the Christian camp where we are staying, so look for continued updates from our team as we (finally!!) meet each other and continue to prepare for our showcase at the Games!

I am so very blessed and honored to represent the USPC at this event - hope to see you there!

- Claire Tyner (and Mo :)

DAV Donation To The Team

An awesome benefit to being on the team.  Aren't these cool!? They're waterproof!

A generous donation.

Thank you!

From Rebecca Smith

On The Way To WEG

Hi,

My name is Rebecca Smith. I live in Hamilton, Ohio.  I'm 16 years old, a junior in high school and home schooled. I'm an HB pony clubber and my home club is Miami Valley in the Midsouth Region.  My partner for the WEG Quadrille Team is Marley Bounty (aka Declan) he is an 8 year old Bay Irish Sport Horse. Declan and I have been working together for 3 years.

First off, I want to thank those who have sponsored our team on our way to the World Equestrian Games.  They include James Cox Saddlery, Dr. Patricia Dussair, Dr. Kirk Brown, Danny & Margie Crank, Old Stone Riding Center, Marie Arnold, Steve and Joette Crank, Courtney E. Combs, Beth & John Grote, Carlie Smith, Larry & Faye Hamblin, Trica & Jason Steele, Bob Sirk & The City of Hamilton.

I want to offer a special thanks to Caroline Bergsma for practicing the Pas De Deux, the Quadrille and the Drill team with me so that I am well prepared for when the team meets for practices.  Also, thanks to Walnut Creek Stables for providing a state of the art facility for me to board and practice for the event.

The packing list is a full page long.  Just imagine having to pack for myself for 10 days as well as for my horse including his tack, horse blankets, grain/supplements, buckets, shavings, tack cleaning equipment, tack room set up equipment, wheel barrows, brooms, picks, shovels, boots, saddle pads, leg wraps, bathing supplies, clippers, grooming tools, hay (6/7 bales).  Wow, that's the beginnning of a long list! lol

We will arrive at the Blue Grass Christian Camp in Lexington on Friday Sept. 24th.  By early morning on Saturday we will be begin to practice as a team. For the four days prior to our demonstration at the Horse Park, our coaches Betsy Labelle and Connie Wyatt will lead us in at least 2 riding practices a day. Between practices we'll need to make sure our horses are well groomed, cared for and continue to practice on our own, walking patterns and working on the rides so that they will be perfect! 

In preparation we have been having phone conferences for the past 6 weeks to organize, talk through the patterns, discuss attire, music and specifics for just being in the park.  Erin Woodall and Marian Wahlgren, from the Pony Club office, have been great supporters!  They have kept us informed of what to expect at the horse park, taken care of getting our immunization paper work to the proper authorities, set up our housing and stabling, and helped us keep track of the financing for our trip. A great big thanks to them!

With less than a week before practices I must wash saddle pads and polo wraps, clean tack and continue to practice.  So, on that note....until next time...Have a nice ride!

Only nine days until we rehearse!

Hello! My name’s Elise Freed and I’m an alternate rider for the Quadrille Team. Being an alternate rider means I’ll be doing as much as I can to help the coaches keep the team running smoothly at our practices and performances as well as fill in for anyone if they can’t ride for any reason. My gelding, Atlas, is a 13 year old Latvian Warmblood whom I’ve owned for six years. Atlas and I live in Marquette, Michigan where I attend Northern Michigan University.

Besides being selected from a national pool of applicants in early February of this year, the team has done a ton of work to get ready for the Games. And it’s not just memorizing the Quadrille patterns and getting our horses prepared either! From writing the Pas de Deux and Drill patterns and selecting and editing music to fit, we also had to make sure all of our horses’ shots and wormings were thoroughly documented to meet the WEG committee’s standards. It was a lot of paperwork and we couldn’t have done this without the dedication of our wonderful coaches and the United States Pony Club staff.

With less than ten days to go until we meet to rehearse, the final crunch is on to get everything ready to perform at the World Equestrian Games!

 Give your horses lots of cookies from Atlas and me! I can't wait to meet you all!

Elise & Atlas

Sponsors of the 13 Kids

There are Wonderful Sponsors that have contributed to our team!
http://www.feedmarkusa.com/
http://www.floridaequine.com/
http://www.seminolefeed.com/
http://www.rjclassics.com/
http://www.troxelhelmets.com/
Fox River Valley Pony Club
Bill & Robyn Weiss
Robin Lightner
and more!!!

Journey to the WEG!

Hey guys!  Thanks so much for joining us on this exciting journey to the WEG...I can't believe it is only 17 days until the opening ceremony!!

The USPC WEG team was selected through an application process.  We are a team of 10 riders, with 10 horses, living across the country.  The team will come together in 17 days to begin putting the final touches on a quadrille and freestyle drill performance to share with spectators at the WEG!  We are SO excited about the opportunity to represent Pony Club on an international stage!

My horse actually belongs to my mom.  He is a 19 year old Hanovarian gelding, Angelo.  I have been fortunate enough to ride him on and off for the past year and am honored to be riding him with the USPC team!  Angelo and I did a week of boot camp with Eliza Sydnor in July to help us prepare for this exciting opportunity.  I am lucky to be sponsored by Mike Scott aka "The Saddle Guy" and will be riding in one of his lovely saddles during our performances!

More to come from me and the rest of the team soon!  
Keep a leg on each side,
Christina