Newsletter December 2005

Rafaela, Maggie and Katarina with their ribbons at Horseshoe Point, Pattaya in November 2005

 NESC riders successfully competed in several events both at home and away including Horseshoe Point and St. Andrews this fall for a memorable showing season. 

On 15-16 October, NESC hosted the NESC Dressage Challenge 2005. In the Walk-Trot class, Onicha Cheeranont on Gandolf tied for 1^st place and Charee Kanungvanichkul on HP tied for 4^th place. In the Preliminary class, Katarina Lauritano on Piper won 1^st place, Rafaela Kraushaar on Puff won 3^rd, and Brent Poling tied for 4^th place on Kenny. In Novice, it was a clean sweep for NESC, this time Rafaela on Puff won 1st place, with Valerie Scholz on Norrie placing 2^nd and Katarina on Piper was 3^rd. In Medium, Laurel Peters placed 4^th on Löwenbräu.

At Horseshoe Point on 11-13 November, NESC riders really showed their skill. In Novice, Laurel took 1^st on Wish. In Novice Open, Valerie was 1^st on Norrie, and in Advanced, Laurel placed 1^st again, this time riding Lowenbrau.

At St. Andrews Katarina on Piper and Alex on Puff competed, doing quite well. Puff, who had never seen a cross country course before, jumped like a pro.  

Alex Maidelis jumping Puff at St. Andrews, December 2006

NESC In-House Show Fun for All

      Winners show their smiles and ribbons at In-House Show

          NESC held their second In-House Show on December 11, 2005. Members were able to show their riding skills in a fun, relaxed environment. Events included Equitation classes, Dressage Walk-Trot and Jumping. Lunch was provided by NESC and a Fancy Dress Pony Parade highlighted the day. The day also included a groom appreciation event.                                                                                                      

           Sierra Chandler on Gimli (Ring Wraith)

        Jade Brunsvold on Pippin, ready for Broadway

Games Night at NESC

           NESC hosted a Pony Games Night and Pizza dinner for kids on November 18, 2005. The kids played mounted games, roasted marshmallows, enjoyed pizza and desserts, and generally played around the facility. It was a real treat for the kids and adults alike.

                                          Jade and Victoria roasting               Mounted games
                                           marshmallows 

Meet the Instructors

                                                                             Maew

             Nitiporn Rituyanont, better known as Maew, is a full-time instructor at NESC, teaching beginner to intermediate riders. She recently returned from a one year in Australia where she studied and received a Certificate in Riding and Coaching from AUSINTEC, Caboolture Equestrian Centre in Queensland. Originally from Bangkok, Maew started riding at the age of 13 at the Army Riding Stables. She rode for 6 or 7 years, then took a break from riding to go to Chulalongkorn University where she earned a Marketing degree. She then resumed riding at the Army, before she came to NESC when it opened in 2004 and schooled mostly the new ponies that needed extra training until her departure for Australia.

            During her training in Australia, Maew was one of about 20 students from various areas of the world including Spain, Japan, Australia, and the Middle East. Maew was the only Thai student at the Centre. There were no grooms at AUSINTEC, and each student was assigned a horse that they had to catch, groom, feed, and generally take care of every day. The students would swap horses to ride and some of the horses were very green (had little training). Maew rode 2 - 3 times a day, no matter the weather, and went to local dressage, show jumping and cross country shows about once or twice a month. Maew says the coaches were very good and she learned a lot. 

            During her training in Australia, however, she fell off her mount while jumping and hurt her leg. She kept riding for about a week and even went to a competition before she went to a doctor and found out she had broken her leg! Unfortunately, she was not able to ride for about two months, which included her last several weeks in Australia. However, she was able to start riding again shortly after her return to Thailand. Maew came back to NESC in November 2005 and says that she wants to apply what she learned in Australia and gain experience. She likes working at NESC and, in addition to teaching, is riding most of the ponies to keep them well trained.

Upcoming Events  

·        Winter Riding Program for kids December 19 – January 6. Two hours per day including riding lesson and stable management.

·        Morning Riding Lessons continue for Members and Non-Members on Thursdays at 9 a.m.

·        NESC will host the NESC Spring Dressage Challenge 2006 on 4 - 5 March, with dressage tests including  Walk-Trot, Preliminary, Novice, Elementary, Medium, and Advanced (Prix St. Georges) levels. There will also be Musical Freestyle events.

Pony Club News

     Pony Club met from September to December, teaching the younger kids about handling horses and stable management. Pony Club ended the season with some unmounted games and a fun pony party and participation in the Pony Parade at the NESC In-House Show.

       Costume Pony Parade

          Pony Club will begin its meetings again in February 2006. We are hoping to have classes in stable management and horse health suitable for the older kids. Another possible activity is a quadrille organized by Vera, so stay tuned for sign up announcements.

Library    

         There is a small lending library in the NESC office that has horse related books and videos available for all members to sign out for free. Take a look next time you are in the office and see what you might be interested in.

                                                                  Bilbo Santa                                                                                                              

                                         Two Elves (Anna and Camille) with their Christmas Pony (Gandalf)

Happy holidays from NESC!