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NESC Kids Camp Out! |
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NESC Brings Home the Ribbons! Ten riders and eight ponies from NESC successfully competed in the Polo Open Pony Championship at the Polo Club in Bangkok on February 19-20, 2005. For their first away competition as a team, NESC did a great job at the event, winning First Place Team in Show Jumping on Saturday and Second Place Team in Dressage on Sunday and bringing home 6 first, 4 second, and 3 third place ribbons.
NESC Jumping Team, with instructors, proudly displaying their ribbons |
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Front row left to right: Victoria Jensen, Alex Maidelis., Anna Kimutis, Katarina Launitano. Back row left to right: Marie Kriegisch, Laurel Peters, Vera Comerford, Margrit Hoffmann, Sue Chandler, NESC owner. (Photo by Barb Maidelis) |
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The competition was steep with participants from Bangkok Equestrian Centre, Horseshoe Point, St. Andrew, Garden City Polo, and the home court competitors from the Bangkok Polo Club. In Saturday’s jumping competition, Alex Maidelis rode a fast-paced jump off on Rosie to score well in the 40 cm Category III class for the team, as well as placing third in the Cat. III 60 cm class. Katarina Lauritano won two first place ribbons in the 50 cm Cat. II event on Piper, and the Cat. II 70 cm class on Gandolf. In the Cat. II 30 cm, Anna Kimutis placed second on Gandolf, and Victoria Jensen was third on Gimli. Let’s not forget Jade Brunsvold who came in third riding Rosie in the Cat. III 20 cm class. Thanks for your help Laurel. Sunday’s Dressage started with Camille Conner doing a commendable job on a reluctant Strider and Cara Yim riding Frodo in the Level I, Cat III event. Both ponies were a bit unsure in the new environment, but the riders worked them through their uncertainties like pros. In the Level I, Cat II class, Anna Kimutis won first place on Norrie, while Charlotte Conner took third on Piper. Sabrina Blatt on Gimli and Jade Brunsveld on Gandolf did an admirable job in this class as well. In Level II, Katarina Launitano placed second on Piper in Category II. Valerie Scholz placed second on Gimli in Level III, Cat. II, and first place in Cat. I on Norrie with 169 points, 62.59 percent against some stiff competition. Even the judge said it was very close between first, second and third. Well done to all the NESC riders and ponies! |
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NESC Hosts the Season’s First United Equestrian League Competition |
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Late January once again saw the Thailand United Equestrian League Competition hosted for the first time by NESC. UEL holds this series of competitions, January through May, each year at different venues. Outside competitors from eight different venues came to NESC for this Dressage competition at the Preliminary through Prix St. Georges levels. Of the NESC riders, Valerie Scholz was second in Preliminary on Norrie, while Alex Maidelis did a lovely job on Puff coming in 7th out of 23 competitors. Valerie also rode Gimli. Alex Palmer on Kenny, Nancy Pottinger on Norrie, Katarina Lauritano on Piper and Martha Chedister on Thong, all from NESC participated well in this class. Alex Maidelis also rode Frodo in this event for his first dressage competition ever. Laurel Peters rode Brago in the Prelim class unscored to give him some experience. Laurel also did an admirable job on Bree at the Novice Level. The Musical Freestyle classes were a treat to watch, especially the Prix St. Georges level. In Preliminary Musical Freestyle, Virginia Chandler from NESC, performed a charming ride on her horse, Lowenbrau. One coach who brought her riding students to this event commented to a NESC instructor later, how welcoming, friendly and helpful the NESC kids were to them during that competition. Kudos go to the NESC kids for exhibiting the spirit of congeniality during competition. |
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Who’s Who at NESC? |
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In each of the next few newsletters, we will feature some familiar faces (human and equine) around NESC so you can get to know them better. NESC now has over 50 member families with over 80 riders. There are 23 horses and ponies at the facility, six instructors, and 12 grooms and a farrier/equine nurse. |
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Sue and Al Chandler are the Nonthaburi Equestrian Sports Club’s owners. They came forward to fill the need for a riding facility near the Nichada area after the Nichada Polo Club closed. They feel that horses are good for kids. Al and Sue are long time residents of Thailand. Al has lived here for over 35 years, and Sue for 20. Al, who hails from Berkeley, California, has a Business Law Practice, specializing in international contacts. Sue, originally from White Plains, New York, has been a teacher at the International School of Bangkok for 20 years, now teaching 8th grade math and science. Al and Sue met when Sue came to Thailand, at the Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya. Al grew up with horses, as his mother was an avid horseperson. Sue rode as a child, but gave it up and started back at the Nichada Polo Club. Sue and Al, have two children, Virginia (15) and Sierra (13). Both Virginia and Sierra are accomplished riders. Virginia enjoys dressage, and has her own horse, Lowenbrau, while Sierra likes jumping. NESC also offers Horsemanship classes to ISB 7th grade students, thanks to Sue’s ISB affiliation, and a Riding for the Handicapped Program once at week as a community service. NESC members are grateful to Sue and Al for opening this convenient, well-run, facility with top notch instructors and horses. |
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Margrit Hoffmann, the sometimes stern, sometimes soft-hearted, NESC Head Instructor, was born in Stuttgart, Germany. She started riding at 14 and showed in National Federation competitions and later competed internationally. Later on she attended a clinic to become an amateur riding instructor. Sometime later she was invited to be a judge in her region, the Black Forest, by the National Federation. Margrit also organized international competitions held in Germany. Later on in her life, Margrit had the opportunity to go to Middleburg, Virginia for two years, where she rode and trained horses in the heart of Virginia Horse Country in the USA. From there she spent a year in Baltimore, Maryland, training world-renown Dressage competitor, Diane Rankin, and her horses. After this she returned to Germany, where she tested at Warendorf to become a fully qualified, recognized, professional riding instructor. It was at this point that she saw an ad for a riding instructor in Bangkok, and decided it was a good time in her life to apply. Thus, Margrit came to Thailand, where she has stayed on and off for the last 20 years. She taught and coached at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club (Polo Club) for 5 ½ years, then went to Mexico for six months, and to visit her sister in Texas. She came back to Thailand on vacation and held a clinic for the Thai Army riders. This turned into her teaching and training horses and opening a club with some of them called the Equestrian Sport Association (ESA). For 8 years, Margrit was the National Coach of Thailand and went with the team to International Competitions in Japan, India, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia and even Mongolia. Margrit went to the 2001 South East Asian Games in Malaysia as coach of the Thai National Dressage Team. The Asia Economic Crisis took its toll and eventually ESA dissolved. Later, Margrit worked at the Nichada Polo Club until that closed abruptly in 2002. Between then and May 2004, when NESC opened, Margrit worked as a free lance instructor at GCP and the Polo Club and traveled to Australia to buy some of the NESC horses and ponies. Now Margrit is the heart and soul of NESC. She keeps the horses fit and healthy, and is training a new generation of young (and older) riders and horses. She was instrumental in organizing the November 2004 FEI World Dressage Challenge, and the Dressage Judges’Clinic in August. Margrit’s philosophy is twofold: rider safety first, then ensuring the well-being of the horse. NESC is fortunate to have Margrit’s expertise and experience to keep everything running smoothly. |
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Tata trained with several international instructors. When he was 16, Tata went to Dublin, Ireland for the summer to train with Paul Darragh. At age 18, Tata competed on the Philippine National Team and won the Bronze medal in the Asian Games Three Day Event in New Delhi. At 20, he competed in the South East Asia Games in Singapore. When he was 21, he attended the Inter-Pacific Pony Club Rally in Japan as a member of the Far East Team comprised of six members, two each from the Philippines, Hong Kong and Singapore. At some point during and after these events, Tata began teaching riding at the Manila Polo Club. He came to Thailand two years ago to learn Thai for a year and taught free-lance at the Bangkok Polo Club until agreeing to join the NESC staff. According to one NESC student, she likes Tata’s classes because they are fun. Tata is an inspiration to would-be Pony Clubbers and is another experienced instructor that NESC is happy to have on its staff. |
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Carol Suthat na Ayuthya, General Manager of the NESC office, is from Switzerland, but has lived in Thailand for 44 years. Her husband is Thai and she speaks fluent German, English and Thai. Previously she worked in the hotel industry, but about 6 years ago, she opened a small horse facility in Nakorn Pathom. Carol was also instrumental in finding several of the Thai horses and ponies for NESC, like Sylvie, Rosie, Kiwi and Piper. Carol rode when she was a child in Switzerland and is ready to start riding again soon, but is waiting for Margrit to find her just the right horse. Carol started working at NESC in January and her pleasant, efficient demeanor, together with her office experience and ability to speak several languages is a welcome addition to the staff. |
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Dao takes his responsibilities seriously, and is very conscientious in his duties. The two horses he has specific charge of are HP and Kenny, but of course he handles all the horses, as needed. He is responsible for organizing and making sure the proper horses are ready when needed and tries his best to ensure all of this runs smoothly, no small feat. He is especially proud of the fact that the horses at NESC do not have any skin diseases, a common problem in the humid climate of Thailand, because of the conscientious care. |
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If you are under the age of 8 and just started riding at NESC, chances are very good that you know Tum Tam well. He is the smallest of the ponies and getting a bit old, but is well-suited for beginner riders and the favorite of many kids. A small, gray pony that was at Nichada then went to GCP when Nichada closed. Tum Tam was reluctantly sold to NESC, as had been previously arranged, from GCP after Alex Maidelis pleaded with GCP, even though they wanted to keep him since he had turned into such a good school pony. She expressed how disappointed she would be if Tum Tam couldn’t come to NESC. Thanks for your persistence Alex. |
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Pony Club News |
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Library
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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. |
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