Notes from The Director's Desk..

HALTER Competition May 18, 2010
It was a beautiful spring evening at the HALTER arena. Volunteers were busy cleaning up the horses and getting them ready for the riders. All of the participants were ready to show off all of their skills. Many parents and staff came to support their favorite rider. We even had a reporter there who interviewed some of the participants. The interviews aired on a show called, "Xtreme Achievers"

There were 32 riders. Some participants were competing for the first time. Other more experienced riders attended our competition last year. Our judge for the competition was Dr. Nancy Pope. She is a rider, trainer, and an experienced judge for dressage competitions. The riders were divided into seven groups based on skill and age. Each rider competed in 2 events. First was the trail class where they demonstrated their ability to control the horse through obstacles such as cones, poles and barrels. The second event was an equitation class. In this event, the riders respond to the judge's commands. They are asked to walk, stop, back up, post, and sometimes trot or canter depending on skill level.

All of our riders performed wonderfully. They all received 2 ribbons and a HALTER nametag with their name engraved on it. There were refreshing drinks and cookies for all. We would like to Thank Sidney's Cookies for donating their special treats. I would also like to thank all of the volunteers who came out and made our event such a success.

Dream Riders Invitational in Lexington, SC on May 29th
Eleven riders represented HALTER at the competition in Lexington this year. Our riders were Brittni Burgess, Abi Vinson, Meghann Kelly, Nick Louchart, Diana Cook, Faith Brannon, Bubba Renfrow, Kara Dowling, Jeremy Zachary, Shawn McEvoy, and Andrew Manasas. Volunteers met at the arena to trailer the horses: Matte, Flash, Shadow, and Cookie down for the competition. Friends and family came along to support their rider.
There were several choices in the competition to choose from. All of our riders participated in the trail class. For their second choice, some chose musical stalls, some chose the Equitation class, and others took on Pole bending. The riders were awarded beautiful ribbons and medals. We did have some trouble with the weather unfortunately due to a major thunderstorm that moved in before everyone could finish their second event. But all in all everyone had a great time.

I am so proud of our riders as they always show great sportsmanship and a sincere desire to demonstrate their skills.

Mike Hollifield
Program Director