North American Young Riders
Championships are golden in medals and other ways for Area VI teams.

by Lauren Billys

With the backdrop of Glacier National Park on the most pristine eventing facility on the West Coast, Rebecca Farms in Montana, the North American Junior/Young Rider Championships for 2017 was undoubtedly going to be one to remember. The Area VI Young Rider team was mostly made up of horses with unique stories produced by juniors to the FEI levels of eventing. The bonds between these horses and riders were strong and palpable watching each of their performances.

Have a photo of a fun adventure with your horse, pony, riding club or horsey friends? We want it for our Out & About page. Please send to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , with caption info and photo credit if needed.

Horse Lover’s Encylopedia: An A to Z Guide to All Things Equine
Edited by Jessie Haas
Reviewed by Lucy Bobeck

This book is definitely full-color. Amazing photography along with beautiful detailed line drawings and clear descriptions on the varied equestrian world. Current information that may not be found in other sources includes chiropractic treatment and a description of the recent American breeds like the American Curly and Azteca. Some entries are more European in nature, calling a horse who dislikes having a saddle tightened “girthy” rather than the usual American “cinchy.”

Huge congratulations to the young riders who represented our region brilliantly during the North American Junior Young Riders Championships, held July 19-23 – just as we were going to press with this issue. On the dressage front, the USDF Region 7 Junior team earned team gold and member Aleyna Dunn added gold in the individual championships and a silver in the individual freestyle.  Zone 10’s jumping teams rode to gold in the Childrens and Juniors divisions. Plus, Childrens rider Dylan Laiken and Callao jumped clear all week to add individual Childrens gold and Hannah Loly and Amya De la Demi Lune adding an individual silver in the Junior division. Dressage and jumping took place in Saugerites, NY, while the eventing ran concurrently at Rebecca Farms in Kalispell, MT. There, Area VI’s One-Star team also earned a gold medal, and Mallory Hogan took individual bronze aboard Clarissa Purisima. Absolutely way to go, everybody! If you missed our July issue profiles of all our area’s NAJYRC riders, you can find them online.

Shauna Pennell Shines in Santa Barbara

Shauna Pennell took three of the top four placings in the Santa Barbara National’s $3,000 National Hunter Derby, July 14, at the Earl Warren Fairgrounds. Shauna rode Beverly Endelberg’s Saturday Night to the win, WJC Farms LLC’s Tresor du Paradis to third and her own Sunday Best to fourth. Jamie Sailor rode Taylor Cusumano’s Matador to the red ribbon.

Carmel Valley CDS chapter beats summer heat with stick-horse race at fun schooling show.

The Carmel Valley Chapter of the California Dressage Society (CV CDS) has several traditional events each year—a tack swap, a Summer BBQ and a Holiday Party.

California Riding Magazine Event Calendar

More Fun in Surf City
July 6-9 & Aug. 10-13 in Huntington Beach

West Palms Events’ hunter/jumper shows at the Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center feature fun new classes this summer. The first is the Sun and Surf Tandem, in which all but the final fence on course will be jumped in unison. It’s open to juniors and amateurs, with two divisions: 2’ to 2’3” and 2’6”. The Ride and Groom Relay uses teams of one rider and one groom. The rider navigates a course set at 1M, then the groom embarks on an obstacle course with the combined fastest time taking top honors.

Master Dressage; Riding Through Thick & Thin

Master Dressage
Written by Peter Dove
Reviewed by Lucy Bobeck

Peter Dove is a British equestrian, now coaching his daughter, Milly, through to regional dressage competitions. Peter is the author of Master Dressage and co-author (with Mary Wanless) of Master Dressage: the Basics. Mary Wanless, a mentor to Peter, is a British Horse Society Instructor and author of books that concentrate on how we use our mind for better riding.

Fran Steinwedell in Hall of Fame

Frances B. (Fran) Steinwedell, a devoted supporter of show jumping in the US for decades, was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held June 1 during the Devon Horse Show. In addition to her ownership of several top Grand Prix horses, she has helped pave the road to success for talented riders such as her daughter Francie Steinwedell-Carvin and Olympian and California native Anne Kursinski.

Congratulations to all of our young riders who earned spots on the jumping, eventing and dressage teams at the North American Junior Young Rider Championships this month. For the third year in a row, we celebrate these terrific kids with a spotlight on all of the riders representing USHJA Zone 10, USEA Area VI and USDF Region 7. Take a moment to review their accomplishments and wish them the very best!

Bridging the Gap: Different dreams have equal importance to every rider.

I began teaching riding lessons while in college. After class and on weekends, I would spend extra hours working for the local pony club and riding horses for people. As this small commitment gained momentum and a few years passed, here I am working in the equine field and loving it. Growing as a young professional in the equestrian industry has had its growing pains along the way, and I guarantee I will continue to learn. Learning how to tailor every program to each rider has been a key to finding success.

California Riding Magazine Event Calendar

Informational IEA Meeting
June 3 in Moorpark

This is an informational welcome meeting for returning and new team members. Anyone interested in learning about the Interscholastic Equestrian Association may attend. The IEA is open to middle school and high school riders and Elvenstar’s teams welcome riders from other barns. Returning team members will share their experiences during this session.

The location is the Elvenstar, in Moorpark, at the clubhouse.

Jim Ifko

Busy Blenheim Spring

Canadian Jim Ifko began his season in California on a high note, taking the win in the $50,000 Blenheim Spring Classic IV Grand Prix aboard Eventyre Farms Ltd.’s Un Diamant des Forets on Sat., April 14. In front of a full audience of fellow equestrians and local fans, he delivered two swift, faultless rounds that secured him the win by over 2.5 seconds against five others in the jump-off. Robert Blanchette and his own Coupis picked up second place as the only other double clear finisher. Following them after the jump-off were Lane Clarke and Romeo du Paradis; Mattias Ekeroth and Hautesse Van’t Zorgvliet and Kyle King and McLord’s Othelo.

The World Cup Finals were a whirlwind of inspirations.

by Genay Vaughn

Being a spectator at this year’s World Cup Finals in Omaha, NB, was a lot of fun, with some of the best dressage and show jumping combinations in the world. Riding in the World Cup is definitely on my list of goals for the future, so being there this year to experience the competition and the atmosphere was amazing

Prioritizing & time management must be cultivated in a riding career and carry over well to the rest of life.

by Lauren Billys

The balance between riding and “normal” life has been one of the hardest challenges of my riding experience. When the “hobby” we choose is really a lifestyle and has no set hours, it can make finding our way to typical life appointments and decisions difficult.