Dressage Day is one of our favorite shows. It’s a wonderful way to get the kinks out for the show season on excellent footing, and a great opportunity for youth to try showing and qualify for Lendon’s Youth Dressage Festival in August. And the weather was with us again!
schooling show
Youth Dressage Festival -17th Annual Show
Cricket Hill sent seven competitors off to this premier show, the 17th time we have participated and our largest contingent! Five rode Academy Schoolmasters, two their own horses. L to R: Lyla & Sunny, Erin & Tate, Lulu & Madison, Lula & Maddie, Paris & Ricky, Mia & Bandit, Sophia & Rascal.
Cricket Hill competed two teams of three, both winning team medals! This is very difficult to do as most teams have four members and may drop the lowest score. Hats off to our very young group, ages 9 to 13, shown in the parade cemetery! The Levy sisters, Lulu & Paris, were our secret weapons – both were Champions in their divisions, Lulu at Training Level and Paris at Intro C! Each spearheaded her team to victory, but each score by everyone contributed! Congratulations!
Very special thanks to Head Trainer Kira Steines and Senior Instructor Jami Wallace, shown below, who along with help from Krys Schrom, coached Cricket Hill’s riders to success. All seven riders are enrolled in Cricket Hill’s unique GoldStar Program for Dressage & Related Horse Care.
Holiday Party Has Something for Everyone!
Another cold day outside, but nice and warm with good wishes for all inside! An opportunity for the kids to show in Versatility, Cross Rails, Games, Musical Freestyles and the ever-popular Costume Parade! Highlights of the classes:
Adults enjoyed watching with a glass of the traditional mulled wine and their own grab bag!
Drill Team Headlines our 28th Annual BBQ!
It was an amazing close order drill this year, with many intricate patterns. The seven riders voted to decide when they would walk or trot, and always with a mind to making the patterns work! The Drill Team, shown L to R, Mia Emy, Imogen Mewha, Lulu Levy, Coaches Jami and Kira, Lula Langdon, Erin Feiner, Sophia Emy, and Paris Levy presented to an appreciative crowd!
The food was delicious as always, and Linda Goldstein introduced her wonderful cheesecake to the crowd. The annual awards included the passing of the Golden Fork to Mia Emy, the youngest recipient ever, for her unflagging energy and good nature as Super Groom at the Youth Dressage Festival! The award was passed on by Tasha Mitchell, who received it last year from John Langdon for her efforts at Youth Dressage Festival too!
LYDF Ribbons for all Six Cricket Hill Youth!
2014 saw our largest Youth Dressage Team contingent ever! L to R: Mia Emy-Super Groom, riders Paris Levy, Lulu Levy, Erin Feiner, Lyla Andrick, Sophia Emy, and Lula Langdon. Coaches standing behind: Jami Wallace & Kira Steines.
Returning from last year were Lula and Lulu, riding their own horses. The other four made their first trip to this prestigious show on our Academy steeds!
Riders have been preparing for months, for the most part with the horses they took to the show. But two changes came in the last few weeks: Lulu brought her new horse Madison, and Lyla switched to Ricky.
Everybody was finished with the three parts of the competition by late Saturday afternoon, ready for pizza and the parade and placing of the teams. Cricket Hill’s two teams marched in together. After much suspense, the Courageous Crickets were named to a 2nd place finish in Division D!
Everybody got a ribbon! But more importantly, everybody did the best they could and learned something to boot! Some closeups of the award ceremony on Sunday below. Special thanks are due to Kira and Jami for all their hard work preparing and coaching the team both at home and at the show, and to all the parents who pitched in to help clean the stalls at the end! And Mia Emy, Super Groom, was there through it all!
Through the snow, to the 2013 HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA we go!
Roads were plowed, and we were ready, with cleared drives and plenty of parking. Parents and riders arrived bearing costumes and goodies for the pot-luck luncheon. Sue and Art provided liquid refreshments and the traditional warm mulled wine to aid the Holiday cheer.
On the Academy side of the barn, newly renovated and paved with rubber tiles, riders groomed and tacked up, ready for the Versatility Class. The course was a challenge: cones to weave through, poles to trot over, a 360* turn inside a square, an “L” to trot through, a small jump, dismounting, leading and remounting. Lula Langdon on Maddie took the blue ribbon for a flawless performance, Erin Feiner was 2nd on Sunshine and Karlee Bishop took a 3rd on Beau, shown below.
Erin and Karlee were one-two in the poles class. Games were next. First, everyone had to weave through the cones and blocks; up one side and down the other. Second was a team competition with a dash to pass off the “noodle”. Last but not least was the Christmas Present Race. Gaily wrapped gift bags were placed around the arena and the “Grinch Anna” on Bailey tried but failed to prevent anyone from getting their gift bag!
Musical Freestyles were next. Riders designed their pattern and chose their seasonal music. Weekly practice sessions were part of Saturday Saddle Club. Tasha Mitchell stepped in to ride with Erin Feiner; Erin’s partner and Paris Levy and her sister Lulu were stuck at home when the snowplow failed to clear her driveway. Lovely freestyle presentations were presented by Lula Langdon & her Maddie, Karlee Bishop, in costume, on Beau, Lyla Andrick riding Ricochez, Lila Fremont-Smith on the glittery “snowflake” POA Rascal, and Tasha Mitchell as a Christmas tree on Greta Garbo. Judge Laurie Inglis, Colebrook CT, was very impressed and awarded special Extravaganza rosettes to all.
The day was topped off with the Costume parade. Young Amelie Bore the Grinch rode Bridget, who was Max the Dog. Karlee Bishop was a Grinch too in a Santa suite with Beau in a lovely red drape with a snowy collar. Lila Fremont-Smith came as a snowflake and Rascal glittered with his snowflakes. Erin Feiner was a Hawaiian Santa with grass skirt and leis and Lula Langdon came as an Angel (with lit halo) on top of Maddie-the-Christmas tree complete with lights and presents. (Electrical work courtesy of Father John!)
Parents, friends and relatives watched from the boardwalk and occasionally went inside to partake of the wonderful food everyone brought. After all the horses had been untacked, groomed and fed, the riders all trooped in and had their lunch too.Thanks to Cricket Hill’s Jami Wallace for organizing a wonderful day!