14th Annual Youth Nationals

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Behind the Scenes

By Olivia White

Laura	As the announcer makes the final call for Section B of the Arabian Hunter Pleasure 14-17, head groom Laura Zahn receives a call over the radio, "Where is the hunter bat?" The call is from trainer Virginia Godwin, anxiously awaiting the gate to open for Dylan Sandler's class on her bay gelding Spree. At the barn, Laura shouts to Annie Pearce and Ryan Shelton, "They need a bat at the ring." They shuffle through the tack rooms searching for a legal hunter bat. Annie is selected to sprint to the ring, and she gets there right as the gate is opening.
While sitting in the coliseum, "oohs" and "aahs" are heard about how beautiful that horse's tail looks, but do those people really know the preparation it takes to make a horse that beautiful? Besides the months of daily training to get this far at Youth Nationals, the exercise is continued through daily conditioning.	Ryan
Virginia Godwin	The morning of Dylan's class, Ryan Pope, assistant trainer, wakes up at 4:30 a.m. and gets the other three up. They arrive at the part of Expo New Mexico called the Palomino Barn at 5:00 to start the morning rituals of haying, feeding and watering. After feeding, the stall picking begins. One person picks, the other begins to unwrap and start working the horses that aren't showing.
When the show begins, so does the chaos. The madness of making sure each horse's face is clipped, feet are sanded and polished and each horse is braided and tacked on time is the duty of the behind the scenes crew.	Art and Annie Sandler
The thrill each person gets as phones and walkie-talkies ring with excited voices at the other end, as well as the disappointments each person feels when cut is felt by everyone. Virginia Godwin always tells us that, "The success of one person depends on the support around them," and that explains the ability Chesapeake Training Center (CTC) has to be supportive and always positive. Though many of the most exciting minutes are experienced in the show ring, the most fun moments are those of cookouts, pink princess surprises and behind the scenes work. Art Sandler is the notorious cook at CTC. We depend on him for most of our lunches where socializing and goofing off takes place. The late night visits to Walmart for horse show supplies always include trips to the toy aisle where we search for gag gifts to hide in Virginia's dressing room. Nikki Capps is dedicated to making sure everyone's make-up is perfect before going in the ring. And the little laughs and inside jokes always help the "Behind the Scenes" crew make it through the hard work and intense show.

Around the Show

Showmanship JTH 11-13

"Showmanship teaches the etiquette of how you conduct yourself in halter classes," says professional trainer Bob Boggs. "My trainer says you're supposed to show like you're almost a brat," says Alaina Robers who made the cut in Showmanship 10 and Under as she watched the 11-13 JTH class. With 54 entries in the 10 and Under, 66 in 14-17 and 38 in the 11-13, it seems like the future is bright for in-hand classes as kids scramble to learn the nuances of getting the judge's attention.

	Top Ten Meredith Kaiser and Spots Cyted ROF
Top Ten Carissa Barker and Spotsandspats TJP
	Top Ten Alexa Nichols and Boltar NVF
Hannah Sahagian and RO Atlantis+/
	Top Ten Leah Perczak and Totally Bey
Top Ten Rachel Connor and Cause for Applause
	Top Ten Tatum Smith and Shahr-Kahn
Ian Robinson and Serannada+//
	Top Ten Leah Perczak and Totally Bey
Top Ten Rachel Connor and Cause for Applause
	Reserve Nikki Novak and MA Ice Breaker
Champion Chelsea Johns and MLC Millennium
Kids play Twister at the Ice Cream Social
Rachel and Roger Swartzendruber check results online at the AHA booth