Written by guest Pearl Bensimoun Arion & Jack sells apparel for riders and horses. Named after two horses with tons of personality, their apparel has a little bit of a twist on every product. From saddle pads to jewelry to clothing for riders, there is truly something for everyone. I received the "Grand Prix Custom Saddle Pad" and it is honestly one of my favorite pads, to say the least. My pad came in the "Stars and Stripes" print, which clashed well with my bay jumper. You can customize the saddle pads however you'd like, from the color of the body of the pad, to stripes and trims! The material of the pads offer comfort for your horses. Made of cotton and cotton quilted white flannel, the saddle pads have a more of a "squishier" feel to them, instead of your average baby pad. The "Grand Prix Custom Saddle Pads" are easy keepers, machine washable and made in the U.S.A., they are overall amazing quality pads. I have used the pad for a few rides already, and it has stood up to the heat, my horse's sweat, and dirt. On top of the phenomenal quality, they are absolutely gorgeous! The brand notes that "you and your horse will look and feel so good wearing this pad you'll think you're riding in a Grand Prix," (hence the name). This statement is most definitely true! All in all, I highly recommend the Grand Prix Custom Saddle Pads from Arion and Jack. They hold up well, are easy to care for, and look great on horses of every color! Be sure to check out Arion and Jack on Instagram, @arionandjack, and their website here.
0 Comments
Written by guest Sydney Flashman
There’s really only one way to put it: if you’re a pony kid, you know about Pony Finals. For ponies,it’s the biggest show of the year, where hundreds of four legged equines under 14.3 hands travel from all over the country to compete at the Lexington Horse Park in the United States National Pony Finals. Riders with big names, little girls in their first year of the Smalls, and everything in between show up, dying to win one of the coveted titles at the finals, whether it be Grand Pony Hunter Champion, US Pony Jumper National Champion, or United States Marshall and Sterling Pony Medal winner. The winners of these titles become sort of celebrities: articles are published in a variety of well established horse show magazines, pictures published in varying media types, and thousands of little equestrians following their every move, liking their every Instagram picture, dreaming of being just like them when they grow up. But Pony Finals doesn’t start when your mount sets its first hoof in the well-known Walnut and Alltech rings-- not even close. There are weeks, months, years of preparation, thousands of lessons, hundreds of falls, and yes, the stereotypical blood, sweat, and tears. Naturally, not everybody’s journey to Pony Finals is the same, each one unique in its own special way, and mine was no different. This year will be my third year competing at the prestigious finals, but my first time representing Zone 10 in the jumper division. Coming off of last year’s finals, I felt pretty good--I had earned eighth place in the Large Green Pony Model and tenth place overall-- and was, of course, already looking forward to coming back to the horse park in 2016 for another year. I never imagined that a year later, I would be preparing my Belgian Jumping Pony for her first time at the horse park. And while every journey to Lexington’s famous horse park is different, they all start the same way: getting your pony. After I returned from last year’s Pony Finals, my trainers, David and Caroline Sterckx, spoke with my parents in a special, private meeting. I had no idea what was going on, no idea that they were showing my parents a video of Karamel, a beautiful bay mare who was competing in the 1.25 meter divisions in Belgium easily, clearing the huge jumps with no problem. In fact, I didn’t find out until the middle of September, after my parents, grandparents, and a multitude of other relations decided to do their bests to get me my little mare. When I found out, I think I deafened the entire neighborhood with my celebration-- I was very excited. And one vet check and a few weeks later, my pony was stepping her dainty little hooves onto an airplane, ready to fly to her new home in California. The two weeks of quarantine that Karamel was forced to sit through seemed more like two years, but finally, in the beginning of November late on a Friday night, my pony arrived, and my road to Pony Finals began. Let me just say this-- the beginning was not easy. Sometimes, when moving from one mount to the next, the adaptation is smooth, easy to manage. Mine was not. Karamel was nothing like any pony I’d ever ridden before, and there were multiple panicky spook and bolts, a lot of really ugly distances, and a fall or two before we reached our first show, a Verdugo Hills show in Sylmar, California, where my pony and I competed against my barn mates and future teammates Avery Kim and Tabitha Okitsu in our first Pony Jumper class, held at 1.05 meters. There, again, was one panicky spook and bolt and a couple of ugly distances, but we ended up winning our first class. However, we still had our issues. Problems that would take months to surmount, some of which I’m not totally positive I’ve been able to get over, even at this point. Thousands of lessons, hundreds of horrible distances, sweat, blood, and tears. That should be the motto for my journey this year. But for every bad lesson, there was a good one, for every ugly distance, there was a good one, and for every bad round, there was a win, a new achievement, something good. And now I’m here, the Monday before I leave for Pony Finals 2016. Typing this, reminiscing, thinking about how much help I’ve been given, (shoutout to my trainers, my parents, Sophie St. Clair & Stephanie Don for all your help, just a few among a thousand people who deserve thanks) and generally being a mess of excitement, fear, apprehension, terror, impatience, and a thousand other emotions. Looking at the calendar taped up on my door. My pony begins her physical journey to Kentucky in three days. I begin mine in six. Pony Finals 2k16, here we come. Fourteen year old Abby Biter from Sarasota, Florida has been very successful in the Large Green Pony Hunters with her pony, as well as the children's hunters with her horse. Her and her sister together own four horses, two who are ponies. "I really appreciate the bond that riders create with their horses and how the horse learns to trust the rider so he/she does things at the last moment like leaving really long," responded Biter when asked what she appreciates most in the sport. "I love the horses and how the barn becomes your family. Everyone I meet on the road is so nice." Biter looks up to Gia Rinaldi because she gets a lot of catch rides and is an amazing rider. Her favorite place to show is TIEC because "it's amazing and beautiful and compact but spacey." Her goal for this show year is to learn to trust her eye and use what her trainer tells her to help her in the show ring. Biter got into riding and showing because she's always loved horses and her parents owned horses when she was younger. She does online school so she can be on the road 24/7. Biter's advice to anyone who's goal is to be as successful in the show ring as she is, is to "listen to your trainer and try your hardest." She noted that one of her biggest accomplishments was ribboning 6th in her first derby, When asked what her goals are for the near future, Biter responded that she wants to become a better rider and get more catch rides. "I want people to know my name." In the long run, she has hopes of riding in the Olympics. Hailey Johns is a fifteen year old equitation rider from Indiana. She currently owns one hoses, Conaro, an eight year old Holsteiner gelding. "He was imported from Germany as a jumper prospect in 2014. I have been riding him for about a year now and he showed in the 1.30 jumpers before I got him. I show him in the big equitation classes. Conroe has handles the transition to the equitation ring beautifully and I couldn't be happier with him! I am also beyond grateful and lucky to have many riding opportunities within my barn. Everyone at home is extremely kind and supportive and it has allowed me to ride a lot of wonderful and talented different horses. It has helped my riding tremendously and I am so thankful for it!" Johns trains with Katie Kappler at Katie Kappler LLC out of Always Faithful Stables. "I started riding just before I turned 4. No one really knows why I wanted to start, or how I even got the idea, but I woke up from a nap & pronounced that "I was born for horses & horses were born for me!" My mom found a barn for me to ride at that day & about a month later, I ended up in a traditional, competitive hunter jumper program. I have been hooked from that point on & haven't turned back!" Her favoriting thing about riding and showing is being around the horses! "It is such a privilege to share time with these exceptional creatures." When asked if she sees herself being around horses forever, and having a career based around them, Johns responded that she can definitely see herself spending time around and riding horses for the rest of her life. "I am not sure what career path I will take yet, but horses will always be a huge part of my life." "I have been extremely lucky throughout my career thus far. I have only ridden with a handful of trainers in my 11 years, but they have all been wonderful in different ways. All of the extraordinary horses & trainers I have had the pleasure of working with throughout my riding have gotten me to where I am today. My parents have also been extremely supportive throughout my riding, allowing me to continue to improve & move up in the ranks. I am so grateful for the foundation that I got with Mara Glunz at my initial barn, where I rode for 8 years. The classical hunter jumper ways & horsemanship I learned there stick with me wherever I go. In between Mara's program & my current barn I rode at Judgement Farms, where I was very fortunate to have a wonderful children's hunter, The Best Man. For the past year & a half, I have been riding with Katie Kappler at KKLLC! It is a perfect fit for me. I love the atmosphere, training & the whole team! Katie has not only taken my riding to completely new levels, she has found me the best partner I could have dreamed of, Conaro. She has such a wonderful eye for pairing horses & riders & is truly exceptional when it comes to the training. Katie & her carefully selected team have taken my career to the next level in such a short time. I am so grateful for the opportunity to ride & show with KKLLC. They have really gotten me to the point I'm at now." "This year, my main goal was to move up to the big equitation, which I did at WEF. Now that I have accomplished that, I am working towards more consistency in the ring & qualifying for Maclay regionals! In the long term, I hope to find success in the big equitation & get as much in the ring experience as possible on as many horses as possible!" Johns looks up to Laura Bowden Steffe. "She won USEF Medal Finals in 1991 on Double Murmur, a horse that she made. She did all of the work herself & trailered from show to show following Geoff Teall. She has proven that you don't need an infinite budget to be competitive at the highest levels of the sport." Her advice to anyone who has hopes of showing as much as she does is to "develop relationships, build a positive relationship for yourself, and gladly take any opportunities that come your way! Having a solid group of supporters & people who want to help you is a huge part of it. If you are always working hard & projecting positivity & happiness, people will notice & opportunities will eventually come your way! Also, it is important to remember that this sport is one of personal best. Comparing yourself to others & becoming overly competitive won't get you anywhere. Working towards your goals & appreciating the small victories as you work for the bigger ones is what will get you where you want to be!" |
AuthorAll of the articles in this tab are written by guest writers. If you feel that you have an interesting topic or product to write about, please email us! Archives
September 2016
Categories |