By Mary Cour Burrows
West Tennessee Pony Club hosted a mini cross-country clinic with Allison Thompson, a Pony Club graduate from Ashville, North Carolina, for some D2 members at Talana Vogel’s barn in Collierville, TN on July 4th.
Allison focuses on the equestrian sport of eventing. She currently works for Jim Graham at Meadow Run Farm in Florence, AL, and has ridden in many CCI* events. She recently qualified to ride in a two-star event.
“The clinic was a wonderful learning event for the pony club members who participated,” said WTPC Co-District Commissioner Vonna Read. “Allison started with some simple basics and then proceeded to have the kids apply these basics as the participants rode around a simple course, first with out fences, then later with fences added.”
“One of the benefits of Pony Club is the emphasis on teaching,” continued Read. “This shined through in the way Allison applied her own Pony Club background to find those perfect teaching moments, including capitalizing on a routine safety check to share meaningful information.”
“But one of the best things about West TN Pony Club is the wonderful kids and parents,” added Read. “The food and friendly atmosphere were great, and the pony clubbers had a refreshing dip in the pool after their ponies were properly cared for, watered, and peacefully resting in the shade.”
The D2 clinic participants were: Alana Vogel, 11, and her pony Splash; Sarah Beth Slaughter, 10, and her pony Cover Girl; Grace Read, 10, and her pony Milo; and Ethan Read, 11 and his pony Imp. Also attending as a guest was Natalie Hanasco, 9, from Southern Run Pony Club with her mount Heidi.
About USPC: The United States Pony Clubs, Inc., develops character, leadership, confidence, and a sense of community in youth through a program that teaches the care of horses and ponies, riding, and mounted sports. For more information, visit http://www.ponyclub.org/. For more information about West Tennessee Pony Club (WTPC), visit http://wtn.ponyclub.org/. WTPC hosts its annual horse show September 29 at the Germantown Charity Horse Show arena.
The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) just named horse and rider combinations to the Short List for the 2012 Olympic Games Eventing team. It is no surprise that many riders listed have Pony Club backgrounds. Eight of the 11 riders named to the short list are Pony Club graduates:
·Tiana Coudray on Ringwood Magister – A, Santa Rosa Valley PC
·Buck Davidson on BallyNoe Castle RM – UR, Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds PC
·Phillip Dutton on Fernhill Eagle – A, Nyngan, New South Wales PC
-Phillip Dutton on Mighty Nice; Phillip Dutton on Mystery Whisper
·Sinead Halpin on Manoir de Carneville – C, Palmetto PC
·Boyd Martin on Neville Bardos – A, Forest Hill PC , Australia
-Boyd Martin on Otis Barbotiere; Boyd Martin on Remington XXV
·Clark Montgomery Loughan Glen – UR, Brazos Valley PC
·Karen O’Connor on Mr. Medicott- A, Groton PC
·Allison Springer on Arthur – A, Fox River Valley PC
Photo: D2 Clinic participants from West TN Pony Club and Southern Run Pony Club with Allison Thompson from Asheville NC
West Tennessee Pony Club hosted a mini cross-country clinic with Allison Thompson, a Pony Club graduate from Ashville, North Carolina, for some D2 members at Talana Vogel’s barn in Collierville, TN on July 4th.
Allison focuses on the equestrian sport of eventing. She currently works for Jim Graham at Meadow Run Farm in Florence, AL, and has ridden in many CCI* events. She recently qualified to ride in a two-star event.
“The clinic was a wonderful learning event for the pony club members who participated,” said WTPC Co-District Commissioner Vonna Read. “Allison started with some simple basics and then proceeded to have the kids apply these basics as the participants rode around a simple course, first with out fences, then later with fences added.”
“One of the benefits of Pony Club is the emphasis on teaching,” continued Read. “This shined through in the way Allison applied her own Pony Club background to find those perfect teaching moments, including capitalizing on a routine safety check to share meaningful information.”
“But one of the best things about West TN Pony Club is the wonderful kids and parents,” added Read. “The food and friendly atmosphere were great, and the pony clubbers had a refreshing dip in the pool after their ponies were properly cared for, watered, and peacefully resting in the shade.”
The D2 clinic participants were: Alana Vogel, 11, and her pony Splash; Sarah Beth Slaughter, 10, and her pony Cover Girl; Grace Read, 10, and her pony Milo; and Ethan Read, 11 and his pony Imp. Also attending as a guest was Natalie Hanasco, 9, from Southern Run Pony Club with her mount Heidi.
About USPC: The United States Pony Clubs, Inc., develops character, leadership, confidence, and a sense of community in youth through a program that teaches the care of horses and ponies, riding, and mounted sports. For more information, visit http://www.ponyclub.org/. For more information about West Tennessee Pony Club (WTPC), visit http://wtn.ponyclub.org/. WTPC hosts its annual horse show September 29 at the Germantown Charity Horse Show arena.
The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) just named horse and rider combinations to the Short List for the 2012 Olympic Games Eventing team. It is no surprise that many riders listed have Pony Club backgrounds. Eight of the 11 riders named to the short list are Pony Club graduates:
·Tiana Coudray on Ringwood Magister – A, Santa Rosa Valley PC
·Buck Davidson on BallyNoe Castle RM – UR, Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds PC
·Phillip Dutton on Fernhill Eagle – A, Nyngan, New South Wales PC
-Phillip Dutton on Mighty Nice; Phillip Dutton on Mystery Whisper
·Sinead Halpin on Manoir de Carneville – C, Palmetto PC
·Boyd Martin on Neville Bardos – A, Forest Hill PC , Australia
-Boyd Martin on Otis Barbotiere; Boyd Martin on Remington XXV
·Clark Montgomery Loughan Glen – UR, Brazos Valley PC
·Karen O’Connor on Mr. Medicott- A, Groton PC
·Allison Springer on Arthur – A, Fox River Valley PC
Photo: D2 Clinic participants from West TN Pony Club and Southern Run Pony Club with Allison Thompson from Asheville NC
