The End

USPC Championships West 2010 is now over. Bye Bye folks.

Thanks for reading my blog. Be sure to look at all the photos.

 See you next year at Kentucky.

Eventing Awards

Eventing teams received their awards on Sunday.

There are lot more pictures in the photos page.

Eventing - 2nd Day

Some teams had their X-Country and others had Show Jumping round. I got to see the Vet box before I had to leave for my best friend's birthday party

Eventing Dressage phase

Eventings team had their dressage phase today. Dressage tests were being ridden in five different rings. It was very difficult to keep track of.

That is Natasha Jensen on Tango.

Eventing teams move in

Eventing competitors moved into the Horse Park today.

There was a training session on what to do at the vet box. They also talked about how to cool down the horse.

1. Bring lots of helpers
2. Sponge the horse as fast as possible and scrape off the water
3. Keep the horse moving
4. Don't be in the vet's way when she is listening to the horse's heartbeat.

CJ

Cj Kolb is in charge of the Hospitality at the Championships West.

She makes sure all Horse management team,  organizers, Judges, and volunteers are fed and hydrated. She always has snacks and cookies and cold drinks available in the hospitality suites. She brings muffins, hard boiled eggs, yogurt and cheese for breakfast, sandwiches, salads and fruits for lunch. There is always ice cold drinks there. She must spend a lot of time at the grocery store.

Awards day

Lots of activity on Tuesday.

The Dressage competitors showed off their Musical Freestyle. The tetrathlon competitors did their shooting phase in Stanford. More games and more show jumping.  All of them had their Awards ceremony. Dressage awards were the last one in the row. The competitors were on horse back and did a victory lap (first at a trot and then at a canter ,  I think the horses were tired.)  I have lots of pictures.

Games comeptitors got a Pinata. I don't have photos of that. 

Tara Davis rides again

Even in the middle of all the activity of Champs West there was one competitor that all moms talked about. It was Tara Davis. She is a Dressage competitor from Mid Cal region. Her mom Fiona Davis was walking around the Champs grounds with a news paper that carried an article about Tara. It read "Tara rides again". Here is a link to it in San Mateo Journal.

Tara Davis from Moon Valley Pony Club - Middle California Region

Tara was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago. She has had a treaments since then. She is feeling better now and is able to ride. She did a great job on the Mid Cal team.

I didn't get to talk to her. But I thought you should atleast read the article that was published.

Her mom and dad are very happy she is doing well. She is going to go through with the last part of her treament after the championships. Good luck Tara!

Fiona Davis - Tara's mom

Brian Lee

Brian Lee is a 23 year old Dressage competitor from Inland Empire region. He studies Computer Science in college. He is HA rated member. He took his A rating last week but did not meet standards. He plans on taking it again next year. He save money to come to championships. He is really sweet. I got to trade my Middle California pin with him for his Inland Empire pin.

 His hobbies are running cross country, breaking things, and building things.

I got to talk to Brian and his team mates after their rides today.

Mounted Disciplines

Today, August 9th was the second day of riding for Dressage & Show Jumping. Games started today with a ver fun and colorful parade of the teams. I have some very colorful photos of it here.

The Tetrathlon competitors did their show jumping round today.

Tet competitors also did their running round today (I went on a warmup run with them. So, I didn't get to take any pictures.)

Dressage competitors were treated to Ice cream. But, they ran out of Vanilla before I got there. So, I didn't get any Ice Cream.

Sarah Carmela Ponzini

Name: Sarah Carmela Ponzini

Favorite foods: I love pasta, vegetables, ice cream, salmon, and polenta

Like or not like about Pony Club: At first I really didn’t like how you had to jump in Pony Club to advance. I was really really afraid to do it. But I ride a wonderful horse, her name is Pure Maple Syrup and she really helped me get over my fear of jumping. Now I love it and want to do it more often.

Looking forward to in the Championships:  I am looking forward to meeting new friends

About my horse: Her name is Pure Maple Syrup and she belongs to my good friend Sarah Lochran. Maple is a great friend and horse. She is very patient and cares about the rider she is carrying. She is very smart too and she loves to jump which really makes me feel safe!

Hobbies outside of horses: I like sports, designing wedding dresses, swimming and baking.

Pets: I have 15 land hermit crabs, a german shepard mixed dog I got to name Nala when I was little and a cat named Boo Boo.

Funny story about yourself: When I was about three my neighbor had two chickens named Millie and Lillie and they used to run free in our front yard and I would spend all day chasing them all around the front yard

Erin Woodall

Erin Woodall is from the Kentucky National Office. She works at the bookstore.

This is Erin's interview.

Creaky Rousten

Creaky is the dressage judge for championships. She is very nice.

This is the interview.

Kirstin Mennella, Kent Mcneil and Heather Rankie - Dressage Horse Mangement Team

Kirstin Mennella shares a cat with Kent. She likes riding, travel, salsa dancing, and pottery. She loves seeing all the pony clubbers and friends and making new friends. She likes the team work that pony club emphasises. She says it builds strong life skills and that there is a lot of freindly people in pony club. 
She spent the last two months in Japan. During that time, she volunteered at a Japaneese Dude ranch. The people on the ranch were not as clean as a pony clubber. "I started cleaning the buckets like a good pony clubber would. Because I was American, they wanted their ranch to seem American, they followed my lead and everyday they cleaned the water buckets. "

Kent Mcneil lives in San Fransisco but is moving to Australia. He is enjoying the weather at Woodside. He plays Polo and Rugby, makes pottery, cooks, and gardens. Kent has a cat named Kunoichi which is Japanese for " female ninja". Once in japan he went to see fire works on the beach with some friends he made. The went into the ocean and got their clothes. He went to his friends house and they insisted that he take a shower and wear their clothes. Kent ended up spending the rest of the week in Japanese pajamas.

Heather Rankie has dog named Lily. She is part of the Horse management team for Dressage. She loves to travel. She also likes knitting and cooking. She likes to meet new people. She was a PonyClubber when she was younger.

Wendy Abbott

Wendy Abbott lives in Montara and is in Moon Valley Pony Club. She has a yellow Labrador named Maizey who is 9 years old. Wendy has been riding for 3-4 years. She is enjoying volunteering, greeting people, and watching ponies school in X-country. She thinks Pony Club is the best and that it gives the opportunity not just to ride but to learn about safety and dismount to. Wendy says " I'm very forget full. I can remember stories of when I was 9 but if you asked me what I had for dinner last night I couldn't tell you.

Elise True

Elise true is the stable manager for 2 teams. She lives in Oakland and is in Briones Valley Pony Club. She has 1 dog. Elise doesnt have her own horse and she competes in Eventing. She likes to hang out with her friends and go to the beach. She likes that in Pony Club there is always oppurtunity and that it's very structured and how everyone is held to the same rules

Move In day

Cathy Stack , Carol Anderson and Elise True

Today is the official move in day for the mounted disciplines (like Dressage, Games, Show Jumping, and Tet).  Dressage and Show Jumping had nice nuetral zones set up.

There was a canopy set up near the entrance to direct all the trailers that were coming in. I was helping out there with Wendy Abbott.

The Quiz competions are still going on. They will be dome tomorrow and have their awards ceremony.  I met two girls from Oregon region Megan and Rebbeca that I met in the annual meeting at Houston,TX. Megan also came to take th HA rating hosted by MidCal. It is a lot of fun to see folks from other regions and also see them again in the same year.

Megan and Rebecca at USPC 2010 Annual meeting Houston,TX

Beth Young

Beth Young is in the Eastern Pennsylvania Region but she was in Santa Cruz county. She is the Chief HM Judge and a life time member of Pony Club. She has 2 horses named Che' and Serena, a border collie and hond mix named Angeline, and a cat named Bonnie. Her hobbies are gardening, making hay, scuba diving, reading, and voluntering at a theraputic riding center. Beth likes Pony Club because its so much fun getting to meet people from all over the place. She is proud of the way Pony Clubbers take care of their horses. "Even though Eventing is my favorite sport, now that I have been involved with all of them they are all my favorites." Beth says. A funny story about her is Once when she was in college some friends of hers tricked her into river rafting down the Colorado River. She went camping with them and they hid her car and said "You're coming with us." So they went rafting and their raft flipped over. She broke her hand had to fly in a small plane to the nearest hospital.

Judy Kosanovich

Judy is from the Southwest Region. She had a son in Moon valley Pony Club.
Her hobbies are to ride, eat lunch with her friends, and make jewelry. In fact, she made these little pony club earrings herself.

She has a Labrador named Boca Negra which means  black mouth in Spanish. They named Boca that because she has a black tongue. Judy also has a horse named Fozzy.
She likes Pony club because it teaches young people how to cooperate with each other and think and be kind to animals.

Mackenzie Cameron

Mackenzie Cameron is from Santa Cruz Pony Club. She is a HA traditional B. She is 20 years old. Mackenzie's pets are 4 horses, 4 dogs, 3 cats, 1 bunny, and lots of chickens. Her hobbies are School, soccer, reading, listening to music, coking, and riding of course.
A funny story about her is when she was 7 she went to India with her family. She was at a tiger preserve and she fell asleep while riding on the back of an elephant. 
"I like that Pony Club emphasises learin how to care for the horses, not just how to ride them. I like meeting all the people in riding world."

Deb Reuter

Deb Reuter is the Quiz Organizer from the Pacific Ridge Pony Club. She has one horse and 3 Welsh Corgies. " They are very cute." she says. Deb likes Eventing. She has been to Quiz 4-5 times. She sews for a hobbie.

Nancy Mac Isaac

                                                                             Quiz Queen?

Nancy Mac Isaac is from the Southwest Region and lives in New Mexico. She is the Chief HM Judge, Chair person  of the Quiz Committee, and the TD for Quiz at the East, Midwest and West Championships. She has a daughter that is a graduate HA. Nancy has an Aquatic frog named Fergus. She is special because she keeps coming back to Pony Club. Her hobbies are golf, sewing, and reading. A funny story is when Nancy was at Championships East and she got a frantic phone call from the judges saying they could not start because someone had eaten a tootsie roll from the candy jump.

Getting set up!

The first people have arrived in Woodside. They are getting the stalls set up and their horses moved in. Lots of people are walking their horses and getting them used to the place.

Different people are coming in from different places like San Diego, California and Beaverton, Oregon.

Organizers

Since it is so close to Champs, here are some pictures of the organizers so you know what they look like.

Natalie Dukes

Name: Natalie Dukes

Favorite foods: Mashed potatoes and Creme Brulee.

Like/Dislike about Pony club: I love the fact that horse management and riding exist 
simultaneously in pony club. There are so many people that think 
riding is everything, and I'm glad pony club discourages that way of 
thought. However, I dislike the little unnecessary rules and how some 
rules keep changing back and forth.

Looking forward to at Championships: I am so excited for champs! This will be my first 
time riding at champs, and second time in quiz. I am looking forward  
to bonding with my new horse even more through Champs, and learning a 
lot during quiz!

About my horse: My horse Carmina is a Swiss Warmblood/QH cross. She has such a 
unique personality and most of all loves cross country. I took her to 
a rating two days after I bought her, and decided not to use her for 
cross country because I'd never ridden outside on her. She got so mad 
when I took another horse! But when we finally did cross country 
together it was the most fun I'd ever had!

Hobbies: I really don't have much of a life outside of horses. However 
I love to write, and have almost finished my first novel(It'll be 
about 300 pages). Also I enjoy memorizing pi and making balloon animals.

Pets: None currently besides Carmina. I've never had a normal pet, 
just horses and a rabbit.

Funny story: When I was 8, I fell off during the jumping round of a horse 
show. The medic came over because my glasses had smashed into my eye. 
I found out it was the doctor that delivered me! My mom blames her for 
putting the "horse curse" on me.

Tayler Maye Ravenscroft

 

 

Name: Tayler Maye Ravenscroft

Favorite foods: What are your favorite foods?  Pork Dumplings at the Chinese restaurant

Like/ not like about Pony club: What do you like or not like about Pony Club?  Don't like the politics, LIKE the opportunities

Looking forward to in Championships:  Having fun in Quiz rally and watching my friends

About my horse: Tell me something about your horse.  Ace is a bay QH gelding and I would trust him to jump me off a cliff.

Hobbies out of horses:  What?  There is a world outside of horses??  :)  (really, I love to read)

Pets: Do you have pets?  yes, 2 dogs....a Doxie named Lilo and a tiny Poodle that my Mom calls FOO

Funny story: Tell me a funny story about yourself.  Onetime we were at a driving show and my Mom let me drive the golf cart.  I mistook the gas for the brake and drove us into a ditch that we managed to JUMP!  It was a riot!

Maya Mathur

Name: Maya Mathur

Favorite foods: Japanese udon soup, plain yogurt, applesauce, vegetable things, certain cookies
 

Looking forward to in Championships: For one thing, it will be my first mounted rally as a non-SM. Whoa...

 

About my horse: My horse, Zero Gravity, is a wonderful 14 y/o Hanoverian gelding and ex-show hunter. I do clicker training with him; he now plays "fetch" better than my dog. When he's not doing dressage, he enjoys herding cows on the trail, being ridden without a bridle, and using his hooves to splash in/break water troughs.

 

Hobbies: Making Halloween props and costumes, hiking around, jumping over things on foot, attempting to bake
 

Pets: Yep -- two African Grey parrots, two dogs, a snake, and three chickens.

Funny story: Once, at the beginning of an airplane flight, an attendant offered me water, holding up a large plastic jug to demonstrate. Instead of being normal and waiting for him to pour some into a cup, I for some reason accepted the jug. After some reflection on the incident, I of course realized my antisocial behavior. Unable to bury the enormous bottle of water in the seat back pocket, I then spent the rest of the flight with all the nearby people trying not to stare at the monstrosity rolling around on the floor in front of my feet.

Victoria Garvin

I am Victoria Garvin. My favorite foods are watermelon, spaghetti, hot tea and scones. I like how Pony Club incorporates everything about horses, is inclusive of everyone, and has these fabulous Championships right in Woodside. Ratings give me something to accomplish. I particularly like that I have grown up with Gracie through Pony Club.  I am competing at Championships in both Quiz and Games. I'm most excited about Games.... riding Gracie, playing crazy games, and being on an amazing team. There is not a single thing that I do not like about Games.    My Games horse, Gracie, is my best friend ever. We've spent close to five years just "growing up" together. She is a wild mustang who was adopted off the open range at age two. I began to ride her when she was age 3, and I was age 8. I have many wild tales about my adventures with Gracie before we joined Pony Club. The scariest occurred when I was lounging her in a field, and she broke loose, weaving her way at a crazy gallop through four lanes of honking traffic, passing one car after another, with her lounge line flowing behind her! Hopelessly trying to catch up with her by foot, a policeman picked me up and we finally caught up with my wild child. This gives you a little taste of my unique life with Gracie. It is a miracle that the two of us survived each other! A year later, I started in Pony Club when Gracie had just turned 5, and I was only 10.  At first, she could not make it through a 60 minute lesson without bucking; Since then, Gracie has taken me through my C1 and has become a Games SUPER-STAR. I love Gracie so much that at age 11, I adopted my very own mustang gelding, and started the whole training process over again; I hope to bring him to Pony Club in about a year. So, you can see... I am devoted to MUSTANGS. Come watch Gracie at Games Championships. She is the 4th horse on the Pirana team, and that gal can run like the wind!!!!!! My other hobby pales in comparison, but it is still pretty special. I like to foster wild kittens. (They remind me of miniature mustangs, with smaller poops and less expensive appetites!) My dog and I have taken in about 17 homeless kittens over the past 4 years. So far, everyone has been able to find a good home after we get them used to people and dogs. You asked me for a funny story about myself. Refer back to the story above about the policeman and I chasing Gracie through traffic. (Funny in RETROSPECT, but pretty horrifying at the time!)

Rachel Eleanor Collier

Name: Rachel Eleanor Collier

Favorite foods: Fettucini Alfredo and brownies
Like about Pony club: I like pony club because it doesn't just teach you how to ride it teaches you about horse management too.
Looking forward to in Championships: I'm looking forwards to going to San Francisco and being on a scratch team
About my horse: My horse purposely gets his leg stuck around the lead rope so he can get more attention drawn to himself
Hobbies: None
Pets: I have one fish, one snake, one cat, three goats,and a horse of course

Elizabeth Shannon Collier

 

 

Name: Elizabeth Shannon Collier
Favorite foods: My favorite foods are Cesar salad and macaroni and cheese
Like/not like about Pony Club: I like how Pony Club encourages us to move forward and make progress. I don't like some of the rules and decisions made
Looking forward to at Championships: I am looking forward to meeting new people-I'm on a scratch team
About my horse: Whenever Diva gets her face wet she sticks out her tongue
Hobbies: I like making bracelets and swimming
Pets: Yes, I have a hamster, two fish, one cat and three goats
Funny story: I was riding a green horse and decided to do a scissor kick. After I was turned around she started trotting around and bucking. Everyone was laughing so hard becuse I couldn't figure out how to get off of her! Eventually I slid off the side. The next time I had sombody hold her.

Brianna Mchorse

Name: Brianna McHorse (yes, really, I didn't make it up!)
Favorite foods: Sushi, blueberries, and hazelnut cake from Sweet Life
Like about Pony Club: I get to spend time with people my age who love horses. I also really like the ratings progression because I enjoy having goals to work towards.
Looking forward to at Championships: Meeting people from other clubs and regions and having a blast with my Quiz team.
About my horse: McKinna is a QH/Arab mare who we got at the Woodburn Auction several years ago for $225. We've done everything from team penning and gaming to eventing and she's up for anything, but cross country is her favorite. She is always fun to ride or be with - I just wish she was a little easier to keep clean sometimes!

Hobbies outside of horses: College and horses take up most of my time. Outside those, I love to read and write.
Pets: I have a cat named Rascal and a dog named Kuma, which means 'Bear' in Japanese.
Funny story: I have always read a lot, so when I was a kid I would sometimes use words that I knew the definition of from reading but had never heard pronounced. As a result, sometimes I came up with some interesting pronunciations! My parents enjoy making fun of me for this and I still catch myself sometimes wanting to pronounce "gauge" the way it looks instead of the way it sounds.

Sneak peak on the banner

Championships start on Friday! It's hard to believe that it's so close.
Since my mom is in charge of decorating the banner you get a sneak peak. (I don't think it's very exciting though!)

Whiskey

Whiskey is a sweet little pony who lives at the barn that I ride in ( Tassajara Equestrian Center). He used to be in Sierra Pacific so people there might know him. He has skin cancer and has had a lot of Chemo Therapy. They are going to put him down on Monday because of the cancer. He was so confused he couldn't even figure out where his leg were. Whiskey had been to many pony club championships and some events. He could teach riders how to do ground poles and take others over 3 feet fences. Everyone is going to miss him. He is my most favorite pony.