Highland Riders put on horse show at The Park | La Habra Journal

By Daniel Hernandez
La Habra Journal

Gathering of friends: From Left to Right: Rose Marshall, Alison Crawford and Lindsay Lucero at the Park.

In a gated oval ring at The Park in La Habra Heights, horses mounted with young riders ? predominantly female ? trot in fluid motion at the sound of a judge?s command.

The young athletes are part of the Highland Riders equestrian club who competed Saturday in the first High Point Horse Show of the season, hoping to accumulate enough points to become the daily high point winner.

?I know a lot of the people here, so it?s a lot less stressful because everyone knows you,? 19-year-old Hayley Buckingham, who rode her mother?s horse Phantom in the competition, said about the event. ?In this kind of show you could kind of just play and talk ? and you can smile while you?re here and talk to your friends.?

Buckingham, who also competes in the more stressful international shows, grew up in the Highland Riders equestrian club, where she and Amanda Zaritsky, 18, became long time friends.

Zaritsky also competed in the show on her horse whose nickname is Buddy.

The two young athletes are prime examples of the atmosphere the equestrian club promotes ? wholesome family recreation for the community.

?This is a good way to keep your toes in the water ? if this is something you want to do,? chair of the Heights parks and recreation Faith Grimm said about the clubs High Point Horse Show.

The community shows are not breed specific and horses of all sorts compete together, the chairperson said.

Established as a non-profit organization in 1961, the horse club celebrated its fiftieth anniversary one year ago, keeping loyal to a pastime that suffered from the advent of the automobile, Grimm said.

Up until the turn of the century, people rode horses for a purpose, the horse enthusiast explained.
As gasoline powered transportation flourished, horse riding turned into a hobby.

However, the equestrian club hopes to keep the spirit of horsemanship alive.

?If you have a kid who loves horses, come in and join our junior club,? she said about how people of all ages could join the group.
Grimm, who grew up with a hearing disability, touts the equestrian sport, explaining how commanding a horse instilled her with self-confidence as an adolescent.

At an age when dealing with typical teenage pressures, the sport could strengthen a young female?s spirit, she explained.
Club president Michelle Saldivar agrees with Grimm?s assessment about the club?s ability to restore self-confidence and strength in kids.
?We?ve had extremely shy kids and kids who don?t do well in school and kids ?who find their inner confidence? in being able to control big horses, she said.

Yet the young riders who trotted around the ring didn?t seem to lack confidence as the official judge, who is professionally licensed, analyzed the riders every move.

?We?re really happy with the turnout so far,? Saldivar said about the amount of athletes competing in each class.
Although there were initial concerns about the weather for the day, which called for a chance of rain, the event did not run into any snags, and everything went smooth, she said.

?We?ve not had to cancel for quite some time,? the club president said as horses strode past her through the starting gate.
At the event, riders of all ages saddle on the back of strong horses, wearing tall black boots and English style coats, hoping to impress the judges.

Grimm, the motherly figure, stares at Buckingham and Zaritsky, young women athletes who she witnessed grow from small children into responsible adults.

?It?s a lifestyle,? Grimm says with a smile.

Source: http://lahabrajournal.com/?p=1037

the third man 2012 nfl draft order mohamed sanu chris polk rueben randle mike trout ryan broyles