Rider Spotlight: Kelsey Roderique

Name: Kelsey Roderique

Age: 20

Hometown: Scottsdale, Arizona

Major: Journalism and Mass Communication; Sociology and Marketing Minors

IHSA division: Novice (Qualified for 2013 Regional show)

How did you become interested in joining the team? Having owned and ridden horses my entire life, I desperately missed being involved with horses after my first year in college. The ASU Western Equestrian Team allows me to have my horsey time while being a full-time student.

What is your favorite thing about being on the team? Seeing how much I have improved as a rider and how supportive my team has been during that process.

What is one thing that Bob always tells you during practice? Some crazy story about how prevented a shoot-out, guarded the President, or saved the world! (Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating on the last one, but I'm convinced he's a retired FBI agent who still cannot reveal his true identity.)

What do you hope to accomplish this year? This year, I'm giving it everything I've got to get to Nationals.

Fun fact about yourself.. I can recite all 89 minutes of The Lion King from memory. "Life's not fair, is it?..."

First show of the 2012-2013 season!

Last weekend was our very first show of the season.  We were greeted the morning of the show with a light rain and some cloud cover, but it did not stop us from riding. This year we decided to bring a pop up tend and it ended up being a wise decision

The team ended up doing well bringing home 3 Reserve High Point Team ribbons.  Heidi, our open division rider, brought home 2 Reserve High Point rider ribbons.  We also had Kelsey and Danielle point out of their division and qualify to compete at Regionals!

Rider Spotlight: Madison West

Name: Madison West

Age: 19

Hometown: Tucson

Major: Theatre/History

IHSA Division: Intermediate

How did you become interested in joining the team? I’ve been riding horses for eight years, and figured I might as well try my hand at competitions.

What is your favorite thing about being on the team? The people. They’re all awesome.

What is one thing that Bob always tells you during practice? Sit up straight!

What do you hope to accomplish this year? Get more than five points!

Fun fact about yourself… Jim Carrey is my spirit animal.

Rider Spotlight: Molly Steahly

Molly Steahly

Name: Molly Steahly

Age: 20

Hometown: Springfield, Illinois

Major: Health Sciences (Pre-professional)

IHSA Division: Beginner

How did you become interested in joining the team? Always loved riding horses but had very few opportunities to ride growing up and I found out you can ride for the ASU team and not have your own horse!

What is your favorite thing about being on the team? Getting to ride horses and making new friends!

What is one thing that Bob always tells you during practice? don't look down at your horse!

What do you hope to accomplish this year? I hope to point out of the beginner division. 

Fun fact about yourself.. I am also in Army ROTC

Rider Spotlight: Heidi Helton

HEIDI HELTON

Name: Heidi Helton

Age: 21

Hometown: Glendale, Arizona

Major: English

IHSA division you are currently in: Open

How did you become interested in joining the team? An ASU representative came to my high school when I was a Senior and we were talking about Animal Science degrees when she mentioned there was an Equestrian team. I immediately E-mailed the President at the time demanding all the information I could get from her. When I exhausted all her knowledge, I found Krista McNaughton (whom I had competed in 4H with briefly) and demanded answers from her. By the time Fall came around, I was thoroughly excited and prepared to be on the team. :D

What is your favorite thing about being on the team? I love, love, LOVE competing, that's what got me interested in the team in the first place. However, over the years, the friendships I've formed and the people I've gotten the pleasure to compete with have made it so much more. I wouldn't trade it for anything. :)

What is one thing that Bob always tells you during practice? "Don't look at the horse!" A bad habit that has been terribly hard for me to break. 

What do you hope to accomplish this year? To be the AQHA qualifier for our Region. I would love to be able to compete at a National level for the team. Plus, my family is from Pennsylvania and I'd LOVE to be able to go back to see them and have them there to cheer me on. 

Fun fact about yourself.. I'm a bit of a nerd. I love watching films, reading books, and writing stories. If I'm not in school, studying, or riding, I'll be doing one of those three things. 

Meet our Coach: Bob Leary

Straight from the horses mouth, a Q & A with the coach for the ASU Western Team...

Q. How long have you been in the horse industry?

A. I started when I was twelve years old. A friend of mine’s Uncle used to get wild Mustangs and take them to his ranch. The Uncle and his ranch hands would get a saddle on them and then we would jump on. My parents did not know I was doing this, I was playing Pop Warner at the time and they though the bruises were from playing football. After working the horses we were given the keys to a four wheel drive truck and could drive it anywhere on the ranch, he did not care what we did to the truck; this was the perfect compensation for a twelve year old boy.

Q. Who has influenced you the most in your career?

A. An old ranch horse called Vern. He was the smartest horse I ever rode. You would have to trick him at times to get him to work. Once he realized he was tricked, he threw a temper tantrum. You always had to convince him that it was his idea in the first place.

Q. How long have you been the coach of the ASU Western team?

A. I actually started the ASU Western Equitation team four years ago.

Q. What is your favorite thing about coaching the team?

A. Watching riders accomplish something they might not have had the opportunity to do if were not for the ASU team.

Q. What is one of your favorite tricks to help improve a riders skills?

A. You have to laugh, if you think about how amazing a horse is, if they wanted, they could throw you off in a second. But instead the horse tries to figure out what you are telling them. The average horse has the intelligence of a three year old child.  If you have fun while you are working with horses you will be successful.

Q. Tell us one fun fact about yourself

A. I used to race sailboats, everything from twelve to fifty one foot boats. I hold the record for the most wins in San Francisco Bay Annual Pumpkin race. 

Spreading the Word...

Last week the team was at the Passport to ASU event held at the Sun Devil Fitness Complex.  There were thousands of eager Sun Devils looking to get involved on campus.  We met a lot of great people and had tons of fun promoting the western team.  Here are a couple of photos from the event!

Our table was quite snazzy thanks to the lovely and talented Kelsey Roderique who made fliers and a media book to showcase our team's accomplishments.

Join the Western Equestrian Team

Ever interested in joining the ASU Western Equestrian Team?  THE TIME IS NOW!  We are officially seeking new members and will be holding try outs very soon.  In order to be eligible you must:

1. Be a full time ASU undergraduate student.
2. Pass a physical examination.
3. Pay dues (exact amount TBD)

You do not have to:

1. Have your own horse.
2. Have your own tack.
3. Have riding experience.

Come down to the Passport to ASU event happening tomorrow, Wednesday August 22 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Sun Devil Fitness Complex.

You can also find information on Western Equestrian page for the SDFC.

Updated Information About the Team

The team is excited to get back into the swing of things for the 2012-2013 show season.  There are a few updates and events that we would like to share.

First of all, we have elected new officers for the 2012-2013 school year and they are as follows:

President- Kelsey Roderique
Vice President- Danielle Alder
Treasurer- Ariel Mancevice
Secretary- Molly Steahly
Public Relations- Heidi Helton
Safety Officer- Madison West

Congratulations to the new officers! 

Secondly, we will be at the Passport to ASU event on the Tempe campus this Wednesday, August 22 from 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.  Our booth is located in the Sun Devil Fitness Complex (formerly the SRC) in the Blue Gym at table # 16.  If you happen to be at this event make sure you stop by to say hi or learn how to join the team!

Krista and Bob on Campus Equestrian Site

Hi All,

The team is officially enjoying the summer off!  I noticed that there was a little blurb about Krista and the team on the campus equestrian site.  Click on the link to check it out!  http://www.campusequestrian.com/zone/8zone/8z2r/8z2r-index.html

Our Fellow Teammate at Nationals Today

Congratulations and good luck to Krista who is in North Carolina today at the IHSA Nationals.  Krista is representing herself and ASU in the AQHA high point rider division.  You can watch her live on the internet in about an hour at www.ihsainc.com just click on the link there.  She is riding in the AQHA high point rider rail phase A.

GOOD LUCK KRISTA!!!!!!

Western Show 10/29/2011

What a great show season it has been!  I thought it would be nice to put up some pictures of our very first show.  It was interesting because most of us didn't know what to expect but we got through it and we did very well.

 Alexa Magee

 Heidi Helton

 Krista McNaughton

 Becca Simpson

 Katie Greiner

 Ashley Schmit and Danielle Alder

 Madison West

 Heidi Helton, Danielle Alder, Krista McNaughton, Molly Steahly

 Danielle Alder and Molly Steahly

 Molly Steahly

 Danielle Alder

 Pattern Line up!

 Krista McNaughton, Heidi Helton, Ashley Schmit, Molly Steahly, Kaitlyn Loewenstein

 Madison West, Danielle Alder, Molly Steahly, Kaitlyn Leowenstine

 Kaitlyn Leowenstein, Molly Steahly, Danielle Alder, Madison West

 Ashley Schmit

 Kaitlyn Leowenstein

A Beautiful Reminder of the Human and Horse Connection

In past posts I have mentioned that we work with organizations here in Arizona such as the Luv Shack Ranch (which I believe changed their name but I am not sure what the new name is) and the Arabian Horse Association of Arizona.  Our coach Bob, has taken in some of the rescue horses and let us help to get them ready for adoption.  Through this process I have been reminded just how strong the connection can be between a horse and a human.

In years past, I have volunteered at therapeutic riding centers and have seen the impact that horses can have on children with disabilities.  Today I was looking at the Ride For Joy facebook page, they are a therapeutic riding center in Boise Idaho, and came across a video that made me cry.  If you watch this video, you will see what I am talking about.

Gymkhana Fun!

The show season is officially over for most of the group, except for our dear Krista who will be at Finals in North Carolina May 5th.  Krista will be competing against the top riders in the reining division. 

Good luck Krista, you will do great!!!!!!!

The team will continue to have lessons up until the end of the semester and in the meantime we get to have a little bit of fun!  Bob, suggested that we take the team to a local gymkhana to do a little bit of "fun" riding.  We have decided that we are going to go to the Scottsdale Saddle Club's gymkhana on April 22 at Horse Lover's Park.  It will be a lot of fun and welcome anyone to come join us!

If you would like more information on the gymkhana such as time, location, and events you can go to the Scottsdale Saddle Club website. 

Semi-Finals Findlay Ohio

This past weekend the team headed to Findlay Ohio for the Western Semi-Finals.  First of all, we would like to thank the University of Findlay for their hospitality and a wonderful show.  We were more than impressed by their facilities and their wonderful horses.  One can only dream of a program and facility like the UF equestrian program.

At the show, the team was competing for a chance to go on to finals in North Carolina in May.  After two long days of showing, we were not able to secure a spot at Nationals.  We are so proud of ourselves for getting this far in just four short years of being a team.  Hopefully next year will be just as exciting and we look forward to showing again.

We would also like to thank Cal Poly Pomona for their hospitality all year.  Without them we would not have a place to show and we always love going to the Kellogg center and seeing their beautiful Arabians.

Left to Right: Heidi, Kelsey, Danielle, Becca, Krista

Krista and coach Bob Leary

Left to Right: Danielle, Ashley, Bob, Krista, Heidi, Becca, Kelsey

ASU Western Team in the Press

An article in the Statepress about the ASU Western Equestrian Team's accomplishments over the weekend was just released today.  To read the article please click on the link below!

Western Equestrian Captures First Regional Title

Happy National Nutrition Month!

This March happens to be National Nutrition Month. As I went about this month doing several activities with the Student Nutrition Council, I started to wonder how nutrition relates to the team and to the sport of riding a horse in general. Riding a horse is absolutely physical and is considered a sport (at least in my book) and I believe it is important for us as competitors to keep nutrition in mind. As I was searching for any information about nutrition and how it relates to equine sports, I was somewhat disappointed to find that there was not much information out there.

I did happen to find this website that had some videos and articles that gave some brief advice on nutrition in the show season.  If you are interested click this link  Rider Nutrition

This website, though simple, at least brings awareness to riders that they should be conscience about their eating habits during the show season.

Semi-Finals One Week Away

As ASU heads into spring break we are only days away from Semi Finals in Ohio. Luckily, we are not procrastinators and we have had out travel plans done for a while now. One thing that I think most of us are looking forward to is the fact that we don't have classes the week of the competition! Although our number one goal in any competition is to have fun, we would love to do well and show the nation what our team is capable of!

This week the girls who are going to Semi's will have lessons while the other girls head out to, hopefully, do something exciting and fun! I personally am going to have a week of relaxation, spring training games, and hiking. Although the weather here in Arizona is getting up in the 80's already it's still bearable to be outside!

2012 Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show

This past week the team has been busy volunteering at many events at the 2012 Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. One of the events that we were able to be a part of was the Stallion Auction that happened Wednesday night. We worked together to collect information from the winning bidders at the auction and to help with anything else that the AAHA needed. We had an absolute blast getting to know all of the other volunteers as well as some of the other members of the Arizona Arabian Horse Association. We will definitely be looking forward to volunteering at this event again next year!

Bottom Left to right: Danielle, Ashley, Ariel, Becca, Heidi
Top left to right: Kaitlyn, Bob, Molly, Katie, Krista, Kelsey

Left to right: Ashley, Katie, Krista, Danielle

All throughout the week team members helped with other events including: barn tours, meet an Arabian horse, throwing hats to the crowd, and instructional demonstrations. One of the highlights of the week was getting to see how excited spectators were to get their picture taken with an Arabian horse in native costume. Another highlight was helping with the barn tours. The tours allowed visitors to look inside exhibitor's barns and see behind the scenes of the show. Each tour was extremely crowded with one of the tours exceeding 300 people! It was great to see that people are interested in the show but also learning what goes into getting prepared for the show.

We would just like to extend a huge thank you to the Arizona Arabian Horse Association for allowing us to volunteer and spend the week with them at the show. We look forward to coming back next year!

ASU Team Volunteering at Scottsdale Arabian Show

Come join the team as we volunteer at the Futurity Stallion Auction Wednesday February 22 at 6:00 p.m. We will be out there all night with our vests on helping out the Arizona Arabian Horse Show Association.

Regional High Point Team

Congratulations to the team for winning regional high point team! This is the first year that the ASU Western division has ever won regional high point team. After a round of two shows last Saturday, we were able to beat CPP by a few points. We are now preparing for Semi Nationals which will be held in Ohio at the University of Findlay. We will be taking five riders with us and are hoping to make it to the Nationals in May.

Also, congratulations to Heidi and Krista! Heidi qualified to compete at semi-nationals in the advanced division as an individual. Krista will be competing at Nationals with the top riders in the reining division!

Spring Semester Starts off with a Bang

After a short 3 week break for the holidays, the team is back into their weekly lesson routine! We are more than excited to be practicing especially because regionals is coming up February 19th.

Before the break we found out that we are tied with Cal Poly Pomona for team points this year. This is the first time that Arizona State has been in the running to compete at Semi-Nationals as a team.

Due to the tie, IHSA has decided to add an additional two shows this spring semester. We will be competing at Cal Poly's campus January 28th for two shows and February 18th also two shows. The weekend of February 18th will determine who goes on to compete at Semi Nationals as a team.

We also have several riders who pointed out of their division this past semester who will be competing at regionals on February 19th.

Wish us all luck!