Emma Bowers

Hi, my name is Emma Bowers.

Some of my favorite foods are pasta, salad, tri-tip, pizza, and pineapple.

I like pony club because I think it is a fun way to do activities with your horse and your riding friends.

When I go to championships I look forward to seeing other pony clubbers that are there because they are also interested in the activity.

My horse Oskar is 21 years old and very intelligent. He is an appaloosa thoroughbred  and is one of the most kind and gentle geldings out there. He is well known throughout our club because he has been passed down from different riders. He’s a legend in the Santa Rosa Valley.

Other hobbies that I have outside of horses would be volunteering at a pet store where I help care for little puppies and kittens. Also I love to ski or snowboard during the winter with my school.

I have 29 pets in total. This includes horses, goats, chickens, dogs, cats, a lizard, and a fish.

When I look back at  last years West Coast Championships for quiz I got only 3 hours of sleep before it started. The day before the competition I went to Forks, Washington because I was one of the girls obsessed with the Twilight series. I wanted to see what the actual town looked like. On our way back my mother took a wrong turn and we got lost. We got into our hotel room at 3:30a.m. When I had to get up to get ready for quiz, I was exhausted.  In the end, my team and I took first place in the Jr. D division.

Demi De Boer

Name: Demi De Boer
Favorite Foods: Hawaiian Pizza
Like about Pony Club: I love going to rally, meeting new people and making new friends
Looking forward to in the Championships: definitely the jumping and being in California
About My Horse: My horse looks like she couldn't jump a thing but she is the most athletic horse I have ever owned

Hobbies: I like to run track, Drawl, and hang out with my friends or my bot friend
Pets: Yes, we have for dogs a little parrot, four goats, a cow, and of course horses
Funny Story: Recently i went on a trail ride on a very green young horse and being clueless he decided to take a detour which involved going under a very low tree that was obvious i could not fit under as he started picking up speed to race under this tree in his mind hopefully loosing me i prepared my self to take the blow as i tensed up the tree ended up being very dead and backfiring on him we just started dragging this tree freeking him out he tried to take off by that time I was on my feet trying to keep him from running back to the trailer It was a very good plan that failed very bad on his part. good thing is no one got hurt, and now we can have a laugh about it.

 

Sarah Lawrence

Name: Sarah Lawrence  C1

Favorite Foods: Bagels with  strawberry

Like about Pony Club: The riders

Looking forward to in the Championships: Meeting new kids and riding

About My Horse: She doesn't like me to hose down her body but likes her face washed and to drink form the hose
 
Hobbies: I like to teach dogs tricks

Pets: Yes-two dogs,three cats,eight horses

Brianna Miana

Name: Brianna Miana, or Brie. I'm a show jumping competitor competing in Horse 1. I'm from the Camino Real Region and am a C-1.

 

Favorite Foods: Frozen Yogurt and coffee!

 

Like about Pony Club: I like scratch teams the most. It gives me the opportunity to meet other people and there's always someone new! 

 

Don't like about Pony Club: I don't like all of the little nit-picky rules. For example, I think it's rather pointless that we wear our medical cards. I know why we wear it for cross country, but why 24/7? Personally I find them annoying and uncomfortable and just one more thing for me to forget at inspections!

 

Looking forward to in the Championships: I'm looking forward to the experience. Period. It's going to be great to be competing against people from all over the west coast, not just my county or region. I'm looking forward to learning new things and to meeting new friends!

 

About Marcus: My horse's name is Marcus Aurelius, Marcus for short. He's a 13 year old 17'2" hd. Dutch Warmblood gelding and absolutely LOVES to jump. He's quite the character: although he's so big (and by big I mean tall and fat!), he is one of the biggest teddy bears you will find. (*Note from Marcus: Please find me at the rally and bring me carrots! I promise to slobber you and nuzzle you!)

 

 

 

Hobbies: In high school I ran track. Now that I'm in college and we don't have a team, I run in my spare time to stay fit. I also like hiking, camping, and going to the movies. In addition, I'm the fundraising chair for my sorority. It all keeps me very occupied!

Pets: Haha. Yes, about 24 of them! We have about 16 horses (I'm not sure on that total, I lost track!), 3 cats, 2 dogs, 2 guinea pigs, and a bunny.

 

Funny Story:  One time, when I was about 12 years old my friend and I hopped on our horses bareback and went to go play around. We were racing each other at the trot and I was winning. As soon as the finish line came up, I looked back at my friend to tease her about losing and I slipped right off my horse! I had put Show Sheen on her to make her look pretty and it worked against me, to say the least! I wasn't hurt and my friend still won't let me live that one down.

 

Margaret Keers

My name is Margaret Keers, though sometimes I go by the nickname "Tobi." I'm a C3 from Carbon River PC in the Northwest Region. At Championships, I'll be competing in Tetrathlon in the Senior Division.

My favorite foods are ice cream, french bread, and peas, though not all at the same time.

What I love about Pony Club is the kids. Every time I go to a rally (often as an AHMJ), I am surprised and delighted by the tricks I learn from the D2 with the pony that likes to run away, or the C1 who knows how to get the elastic on a girth clean. Pony Clubbers are such a talented group of smart riders, and I suspect every team packs a great sense of humor along with their first aid kid. Teaching, rallying, and just hanging out with other Pony Clubbers is why I've spent the past 15 years of my life hanging around the barn. It's truly a Pony Club Family.

At Championships, I am looking forward to meeting the people on my catch team! I'm also excited to exchange region pins, cheer on my teammates, and showing off the love of my life: my horse, Paris. I'm also looking forward to creating (safe) mischief in the barn, which will probably be a dance party or a short skit.

Paris is the most amazing creature I have ever had the good fortune to meet. He has the greatest honesty and heart, and I truly conisder him my partner. My trusty 15.3 hand chestnut QH/TB steed and I roam around just about every Pony Club discipline. He loves Foxhunting, excels at Polocrosse, schools Prelim Eventing, enjoys Musical Freestyles, and now he's heading down for Tet champs. We've known each other for five years, which more often than not feels like the entirety of my life. In our spare time, we hang out and I teach him tricks, like striking on command and bowing. Currently, we working on lying down, flying changes, and passing the B Traditional Rating.

Outside of horses, I'm an absolute nerd. I attend the University of Washington, and will graduate next spring with a BS in Psychology, and minors in Japanese and Linguistics. This means I get really excited about brains. (Though I promise I'm not a zombie.) When I'm not at school or riding Paris, I invite friends over to watch Japanese cartoons and make costumes. Sometimes, however, these interests overlap with Pony Club, as they did at my Pony Club's Halloween party last year, when I was a Pokémon Trainer and Paris was a Ponyta.

I have a cat named Beowulf, who is a very talented cuddler. He's not very good at catching mice, though, and often needs my help. It's kind of like team penning.

My Pony Club is somewhat infamous in our Region for being the crazy club. We're always doing silly things at rallies, like inviting the HM Judges to dance parties in the barn aisle, "kidnapping" our teammates horses when they've left for lunch (and leaving a ransom note in the tackroom), pretending we are pirates by putting bandannas over one eye, making up code words for use in Games and Polocrosse ("MARSHMALLOW!") and generally having too much fun. One theme that has been relatively constant is making up short skits to perform just before awards. It began a long time ago at a Games Rally, where we commandeered a Backstreet Boys song, changed the lyrics to suit Pony Club, horses, and the spirit of team-building... and eventually resulted in "Dressage Idol," in which we had a three of our girls as a panel of judges, one dressed up in formal gear as a rider, and two more with a blanket thrown over us: the horse. Of course, I was the hindquarters. At any rate, we were startled halfway through the test by the appearance of a "crazy fan," and proceeded to buck our rider off. I still think of that experience as one of the true meanings of Pony Club. (Find it on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tBH9_IwKk0 .)

Anyway, I think that sums it up!

Kirsten Hutsell

Name: Kirsten Hutsell
Favorite Foods: Trail mix, pizza, and pepperoni sticks.
Like about PonyClub: I like being in Pony Club because of the useful information and the fun of cross-country.
Looking forward to in Championships: I am looking forward to being able to show all my knowledge at Champions.
About my horse: Well my horse has a great personality, but likes to try and get me off over fences and we are working to get him over that.
Hobbies: One of my hobbies outside of horses would be volleyball and swimming.
Pets: I have one cat Cally, three labs Lucy, Suzie Q, and Buddy plus my horses of course!
Funny story about me: My funny story was at D-camp in Deary when i forgot to where thicker socks with my boots and water soaked through a little.

     I am really looking forward to meeting you at Champions, so see you there!!!

Sally Phillips - Games Organizer

Sally Phillips is one of organizers for Games discipline.

 

Martha Klinger (DC of PVPC) and Sally Phillips are busy sharing out these tasks right now:

• making (with help from friends), borrowing, searching, finding the VERY long list of equipment needed for 21 games played on 5 lanes - we get something done everyday to chip away at the list 
• schedules, programs, team lists, prizes, stabling charts, name tags - all have to be organized and communicated 
• volunteers - many of them - have to be solicited, we have approx 30 people helping to put on games  including 10 lane judges, 2 line judges, starter, and 5 other pairs of eyes watching games to make sure the action is fairly and accurately scored. 
• equipment crew - our top notch equipment crew is undergoing training to allow them to switch out equipment at the speed of light between games to keep the show rolling 
• hospitality - we are gearing up to house and keep our judges, TDs, HM judges fed, watered and housed

Sally Phillips Eventing

Here is what she says about herself.

 

Why do you like pony club?
Because it offers many lesson for life, and teaches its members to be good equestrians (not just good riders), to work as a team, to overcome hurdles, to give back, and to have FUN!

What is your favorite thing to do in a pony club meeting? 

Hands down XC

What do you have special planned for your discipline?
It is first champs experience for most of our games players, and often the first mounted champs discipline due to the lower age/rating qualifying criteria - we want them to be safe (games can be hectic with 5 teams of 4/5 competing at once), feel successful, and that all their hard work practicing paid off. We want them to enjoy their champs experience and come back from more in future years including the other disciplines

What are your hobbies outside of horses?
Triathlon - races of all distances short and very long (ironman and longer)

Do you have pets?
Yes 2 huskies and 2 cats - all rescues

What is a funny story about you?
I was a member of the Vine pony club in England growing up - I recently happened to check them out on their web site and noticed a contemporary of mine from that era is now the DC, and living at the same farm as her parents - we used to have lots of pc rallies there. Generations change everything, and yet they change nothing :)

Sally's daughters Sammy and Maxy playing games.

Elizabeth Esdaile

Meet Elizabeth. She's a Quiz competitor ready to have fun in Championships! 

      

          Name : Elizabeth Esdaile

Favorite Foods: Wipped Cream, Berries

Like about PonyClub: I love the idea of it, and how you get to ride with other people, take lessons with people you wouldn't get a chance to take lessons with, and to go places I normally wouldn't get to go.

Not Like about PonyClub: I dislike many of the rules, and feel like some of them should just be suggestions, and that some are just plain dangerous. I also wish it was run a lot more by Pony Clubbers, and not parents.  

Looking forward to in the Championships: I am really looking forward to Quiz Rally, and working with all of my team members while competing with other PCers in a friendly enviroment. 

About Sox: Sox is a Goober, there's not much more to say! But he LOVEs people, and food. He also is very willing to do what you ask of him, and he can be a fast learner. He thinks that everyone is his friend! And he knows he is very, very cute! 

Hobbies: I play violin, and play in an ochestra. But horses take up a lot of my time. 

Pets:  Yes, two dogs (Stig, a 9 month old Lab/Border Collie, and Sunny, a mutt), and three cats (Cali, Eccles, and Smokey Pickles)

Tell me a funny story about yourself :  I am not very coordinated with what I wear, and I am a messy person, so by the time I leave the barn, I am a total mess! I have learned never to wear white clothes out to the barn, because Sox loves to swipe his nose up your back, shoulder, or anywhere else he wants to leave a mark for the day!   

Emily Freeman

Meet Emily Freeman. A Quiz competitor from the Sierra Pacific region.

Name: Emily Freeman (13 years old, Northern Mines Pony Club, Sierra Pacific Region)

Favorite Food: pasta

What do you like/not like about Pony Club: I like how everyone is so nice and I get to learn so much

What are you looking forward to at Championships: Having a great time.

Tell me something about your horse: He’s a handsome grey Connemara pony named Seamus (Shay-mus) – he’s a real character.

Other Hobbies: Sheep Herding

Do you have pets: Border Collie named Dooley, Cat named Lighting

Funny story about myself: My pony and I used to hate each other when we were younger, and now we are the best of friends.

Emi Hansen

Emi Hansen is a third level dressage competitor from the Sierra Pacific Region.
Here is what she says about herself

First of all, this is my third (and probably last) championships.  I competed in Quiz back in 2003 and Dressage in 2006, and back again for Dressage in 2010!  This is my horse's 2nd championship...at age 19 not too bad!

Name: Emi Hansen

Favorite Food: Sushi! And just about anything good :)

What I like about Pony Club: It teaches you how to care for your horse and take care of your equipment.  I've also learned VERY valuable trailering techniques through Pony Club!

Not Like: I believe that people take Pony Club in very different ways. 

What I don't like is when you want to have fun and someone who is WAY into it gets mad at every little detail.  But what I've always learned is that there's the right way, the wrong way, and the pony club way :)

What I am looking forward to about champs: I'm excited to be competing at third level in dressage! I never expected my horse to get to this level (and neither did my trainer!).  And because my horse has a hard time being an actual rated dressage horse, I'm glad I can compete at pony club and show off my horse in that respect.  Also, this is probably going to be my last champs (since I am 21...yikes I'm old!!) and so I'm just glad that I was fortunate to go to three champs, 2 as a Midcal rider and one as a Sierra Pacific rider!!

About Misty Morning: Misty Morning aka Misty or Moo as I call her is a funny little mare.  She hates anything that rattles (I've been taken off with when it comes to paper or a reflector vest).  Thing about her is that she's an amazing little girl.  I've had her 7 years and I've done just about everything with her including, games, polocrosse, western gymkhana, training level eventing, jumpers and now third level dressage.  She's a total trooper and totally takes care of me to the point that I wouldn't be the rider today without her.  She hangs out with me in college because she doesn't mind when I can't ride her everyday because of school.  She loves bananas (her favorite, me and her share one before every ride at a show), sour punch straws, oreos, you name it!  But she hates peppermint, strawberries and sugar cubes.

Oh and did I mention she's the horse in the "realizing the vision" picture on the Horsepark at Woodside's website? 

Hobbies: Outside of horseback riding I'm a full time student at CSU Chico.  Basically my life is horses or engineering, but when I get free time I love to go to Bidwell and hang out at Bear hole or hike :).

Pets: Other than my horse Misty I have two guinea pigs, Gucci and Delilah and a dog, Beau :).

Funny story: Well, that's hard to think of off the top of my head but I have had some funny moments.  I've literally done the thing where you get on one side of your horse and fall off the other while bareback (it takes skill yes!).  For a costume meeting for Bay Hills Pony Club one year I wanted make Misty a carousel horse and me a little kid so I used a pool noodle to create a pole.  Well to get her used to it I would ride around at the barn at home, sitting on the noodle.  I definitely got some funny looks....