SEQM April 2024

Publisher

Sandhills EQM, LLC

Layout and Design

Sandhills EQM, LLC

Contributors

Ray Owen

Jan Leitschuh

Mary Kate Murphy

Cassidy Oeltjen

Shannon Brinkman

Meghan Benge

Christina Boucher Reynolds Moore County Hist. Assoc.

Lisa Miyamoto

Jason Jackson

Candy Allen

Ines Ritter

Jennie Acklin

Advertising & Subscriptions

Jennie Acklin

814-688-0083

Jennie@sandhillseqm.com

General Inquiries

info@sandhillseqm.com

Cover

Dana and Manny Diemer with Clarwood Mack the Knife

Photo: Shannon Brinkman

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April in the Sandhills always seems, to me, like the perfect balance. Winter is behind us, hopefully the weather got the rain out of its system in March, and the bugs haven’t quite found their stride.

Just as they’ve done in the past, CHP’s Painted Ponies have brought that perfect springtime balance to downtown Southern Pines, and the area’s artists have also blossomed with the birth of the Artist’s Perspective Collective.

Our spotlight on Dana Diemer drives home the importance of family, and we examine just how important selecting the correct instructor can be.

As we grow closer and closer to our year anniversary, we are blown away by the support of the community. We encourage your feedback and involvement with this venture, and look forward to evolving with each one of you.

Cheers!

www.sandhillseqm.com

Sandhills Equestrian Magazine owned by Sandhills EQM LLC P.O.Box 273

Southern Pines, NC 28388

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the Publisher

The Sandhills Equestrain Magazine and Sandhills EQM LLC do not neccessassrily endorse the views of their contributors or advertisers.

The Instructor Puzzle: Piecing Together Your Perfect Fit

Trying to find an instructor can be a matter of lucky happenstance or a journey of methodical research. Perhaps you went to a clinic and liked the clinician, or a friend loves their instructor and recommended them. Or maybe you’ve moved to a new area and need to find someone to work with. Regardless, there is much to be taken into consideration to ensure a good match.

Who is the right instructor?

I asked long-time student and friend Kathy Nekton this question.

“Find someone who can meet you where you and your horse are and has the technical, verbal, and empathetic skills to move you forward,” she replied. That may sound obvious but there is a lot in that statement.

To start, what are your needs? Different instructors have different services to offer. Are you a ‘lesson twice a week person’? Or do you just want someone to take a look when you’re struggling with a particular exercise? This matters because the approach to the lessons differs.

If you want what I call the 60-minute lesson - an interaction that only takes place during your weekly lesson - your relationship with your new instructor

will differ from one where a broader scope of help (such as advice on what shows to compete in, your tack, should you ride in a certain clinic).

And there are other considerations such as do you want your trainer to ride your horse? Coach you at horse shows? Do they have schoolmasters you can ride? Are you encouraged to ride with other people?

You can learn a lot about an instructor by playing amateur sleuth. Beyond the obvious - “Hey guys have you heard of So and So? What do you think?” - the online world has made it ridiculously (sometimes painfully) easy to learn about people.

USDF Gold, Silver, and Bronze medalist

Candy is a Dressage trainer and Coach located in Vass NC, where she trains and coaches a variety of clients from lower Dressage and Eventing to riders at the FEI levels. Learn more at:

www.candyallendressage.com

An internet search to find a website, Facebook page, and what they post on Instagram is a great start. Articles or clinic flyers posted by other farms or riders or GMOs, or articles they themselves may have written, can give you a sense of the person. But it is only a start.

If the person in question competes, check their show records. This can be a double-edged sword. Outstanding results can mean just that, or it might mean they play it safe and ride below their level thereby inflating the scores. Less than stellar results can mean they specialize in difficult horses which don’t always shine in competition. And sometimes a score really is just a score and they are just that fantastic! Either way it will give you an insight to their competition experience.

My soapbox is continuing education. Does the person in question take lessons, attend conferences, have any certifications? Are they continually

refreshing their knowledge base? The horse world is currently in a phase of rapidly changing information. New rules, new medical information, training techniques, better understanding of the biomechanics of the horse and rider -

You can learn a lot about an instructor by playing amateur sleuth. Beyond the obvious - “Hey guys have you heard of So and So? What do you think?”

not keeping up means one can get stuck in the ‘old ways’. Not necessarily bad but possibly less efficient or effective.

Another reason for continuing education is to prevent burn out. There’s nothing less inspiring than an

instructor who is ‘phoning it in’. Years ago, I did a certification with a program for riding instructors. A portion of the final exam was about how to prevent burn out. It is so easy to get stuck in a rut and teach the same lesson over and over - without realizing it. Education really helps prevent this.

To maintain my USDF certification I am required to do a minimum of 18 hours of continuing education every year. Being a bit of info junky I do this in different ways. I attend clinics of course. I also read, watch videos. There is so much available out there!

One way I keep my “freshness” is to take the opportunity to go watch some really good riding. Last year I was lucky enough to go to the World Cup Dressage Finals in Omaha and in December I did a quick trip to WEC Ocala to watch the CDI-W. While there we also took the opportunity to watch some of the National competition. Comparing the

was informative. I learned a lot and brought it home to share. And it was fun and rejuvenating!

Now that you know all the things you want in an instructor, how do you know if it’s the right fit? Do you just call up and schedule a lesson? You certainly can. Absolutely. But if you are of a more cautious nature, find out if someone you know rides with the instructor and see if you can audit a lesson. Ideally, you’d like to watch a lesson with someone who is riding at your level. But if that’s not possible you can learn a lot by watching any lesson. Another approach is to do an interview lesson. Explain that you are looking for a new instructor and you are interviewing prospects looking for a good match.

Communication style is key. How an instructor presents the information must work for YOU not your friend. Do they understand learning styles and are they able to present the same

information in different ways? Do you work better with a taskmaster or a gentler approach?

“Communication style is key. How an instructor presents the information must work for YOU not your friend.”

This requires awareness of how you like information presented. And how much detail. Some riders like to have an instructor who guides them through an exercise stride by stride. Others find this disruptive and prefer the exercise to be explained in full, be allowed to ride through it to figure out for themselves, and then go over it afterwards to sort it out. A good instructor can use different approaches depending on the student or the situation.

Empathy and trust are key. You need to know your instructor is on your side - not to mention that you are in

some way entrusting your precious horse’s progress to this person. When something becomes difficult, they must be able to understand and work through your confusion. Sometimes in lessons we can become over-faced so your new instructor must understand that the exercise has to be simplified, re-explained, or that your horse’s bad behavior is not just a matter of you kicking on.

I think anyone studying a skill whether it be riding or playing the piano prospers from working with just the right mentor. These relationships can become very close. Our mentors see us on good days and bad days so it’s important to feel supported.

In simpler terms three things matter: number one, by a large margin, is safety; numbers two and three practically tie because they go hand in hand; learning and enjoyment. Take the time to create that scenario for yourself!

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Changing Nutrition to Suit Workload

Naturally horses have a diet centered on forage - they have evolved over the years to be grazers, or “trickle-feeders” who take in relatively small amounts of high fiber plants for a large part of each day. Horses spend 10-17 hours grazing daily, and good horse management reflects a similar set up, with access to forage (hay and grass) for most of the day.

All forages, no matter how nice, are going to be deficient in some nutrients. Most are deficient in a couple of essential minerals like copper and zinc, some are deficient in protein and calories for certain horses, and most hay doesn’t provide enough vitamins A and E. We can account for the missing

part of the diet with a supplemental feed or concentrate that will provide the nutrients that are missing in the forage. A forage analysis or hay test will tell you exactly what your specific forage provides, but even without an analysis we can make some general assumptions about what the concentrate portion of the diet needs to provide.

For horses who don’t require a lot of calories beyond what their forage is providing, a very concentrated source of nutrition called a ration balancer will usually meet all their needs. These products are designed to be fed at a very low rate- 1-2 pounds per day per 1000 pounds body weight usually- and contain all the essential amino acids, protein, minerals and vitamins that are missing from the forage portion of the diet. Many horses, ponies and donkeys

thrive on this simple addition to their diet.

For horses (and some ponies) who require more calories than their forage provides, a ‘regular’ feed will provide the amino acids, minerals and vitamins missing from the forage in addition to the energy (calories) they need to maintain their condition. Most commercial feeds have a minimum feeding rate of about 5 pounds per day to meet their vitamin and mineral needs. Choosing a feed with the right calorie content for your specific animal will ensure they get enough feed to meet their vitamin and mineral needs without becoming over or underweight.

Increasing Work

When we put a horse or pony into a training or conditioning program, their

Christina Boucher Reynolds, PAS

Christina is a graduate of NCSU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with a degree in Animal Science and concentration in nutrition. She has a professional animal scientist certification in equine, beef cattle and nutrient management from The American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists. Christina has worked in the nutrition and vet med industries in several capacities and currently works for Triple Crown helping horse owners navigate feeding and managing their horses.

nutrition needs may increase from what they need when “idle”. The National Research Council (NRC) provides useful information about nutrient needs at all life stages and workloads. Many horses going from idle to light or even moderate work have very little change in their needs. However, all of them are individuals and observing the horse in front of you will help guide you as to whether they require more calories as their workload increases.

Understanding body condition scoring (BCS) is very helpful to watch trends over time. The Henneke Body Condition Scoring Guide scores horses and ponies from 1 (poor) to 9 (extremely fat) and works for all body shapes and breeds. As a rule of thumb, most horses should be around a 5 on the scale, and that means you should be able to feel the horse or pony’s ribs but not see them. Seeing ribs puts them at a body condition of 4 or less, and not being able to feel them puts them at a score of 6 or more. The BCS scale is much more comprehensive than that, but just knowing that one piece is extremely helpful. You can also track their actual weight as they increase work using a livestock scale or weigh tape.

There can be some limitations to relying on weight alone, as it doesn’t account for fat loss vs muscle gain, but it is still helpful to have an accurate weight on your horse or pony to see trends over time (also to ensure correct medication and dewormer dosage).

Some horses will require more calories as their energy expenditure increases and there are several ways you can meet their new needs. If they’re not already getting free choice forage, you can increase their grass access or hay amount. You can add in a higher quality hay - meaning one that’s higher in calories or more easily digestible, either with regular baled hay or something like hay cubes. You could also increase calories by increasing the amount of concentrate they’re getting

or feed them a concentrate that gives more calories per pound.

Depending on your management options and budget, there’s a good option for everyone. Working with your county extension agent, equine nutritionist or industry feed specialist can help you navigate options.

Rest Periods

Rest is very important for everyone - you and your equine athlete! Rest is where the body repairs damage, strengthens tissues and gains fitness. Without the damage of exercise followed by the repair during rest, you would never meet your goals.

Nutrition plays a role when you’re planning for rest within your fitness program. Most horses are not going to need a change in their daily feeding plan for a regular rest period of less than a week, as long as the original plan met all their requirements. During rest periods, the body is going to be using vitamins, minerals and amino acids to replenish what was lost during training, and also to repair tissues damaged during training. The change in calories needed per day isn’t usually enough to change their amount of daily intake of feed/hay for short rest periods.

Longer Rest Periods

watching their body condition score as they spend time on rest.

Choosing a hay that meets their calorie needs without requiring restriction is helpful for avoiding ulcers and vices. I like being able to feed an appropriate hay in slow feed nets for as close to 24/7 access as possible. For some horses, this may mean swapping to a lower calorie hay or one that is less digestible and requires more time to chew. Sometimes just weighing their regular hay and splitting it into multiple meals fed in a net is enough to keep them from getting

When horses and ponies have a longer rest, whether a scheduled one due to the season or an unscheduled one due to injury, it may be appropriate to change their daily intake. Their calorie needs could decrease.

When horses and ponies have a longer rest, whether a scheduled one due to the season or an unscheduled one due to injury, it may be appropriate to change their daily intake. Their calorie needs could decrease if they were in a heavier workload, or they may remain the same if they are a year round easy-keeper. Knowing your individual animal will help guide you, as well as

over conditioned but still getting the benefits of normal grazing behavior.

As a general rule, horses need 1.5-2% of their ideal body weight daily in forage. Using a luggage scale or fish scale to weigh your hay nets ensures they are getting the correct amount. For horses on pasture rest, choosing a pasture with the right balance of grass for your specific horse allows them to maintain condition. If the pasture is too lush for your horse, adding a grazing muzzle can allow them to stay on turnout and decrease their intake

Wow!

enough to maintain a healthy body condition. For turnout without enough grass to maintain condition, feeding supplemental hay provides additional calories to avoid weight loss.

Enrichment can become a major part of their nutrition management: forced rest can be boring, and planning their forage and feed access can be important for keeping a good quality of life. Grazing hay or grass is good enrichment as well as good for meeting their nutrition needs. Time with or near equine friends is important, and there are lots of clever toys and treats to add interest to their day. There are lots of tutorials on training tricks that don’t require a lot of movement, and using a low sugar treat can add to their training response as well as provide a small amount of supplemental nutrition. Rest can easily include bonding and training activities that don’t have a lot of movement but do bring a lot of benefits long term.

Take home messages:

• Ensure you’re feeding a foragebased diet that meets your individual horse or pony’s needs.

• Changing workloads can mean changing their diet, but not always.

• Understanding body condition score can help guide your decisions about calorie intake.

• Rest is critical for repairing damage, strengthening tissues and increasing fitness. Providing the right nutrients ensures the body has the building blocks to be able to do that.

• There are industry professionals available to help you make plans and decisions about how to feed your individual horse or pony during all phases of exercise and rest.

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Turned Loose Downtown: Even in Horse Country, These Ponies Stand Out

As spring approaches, visitors to downtown Southern Pines could be forgiven for spouting a well-known line from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ - “there’s a horse of a different color around every corner.” To be exact, this year there are 16 of them. The life-sized statues in the Painted Ponies Art Walk have all been handpainted to depict pastoral scenes, horses in competition, bright florals and abstract patterns.

For the past five years, local businesses and artists have dreamed up new themes and designs. Ponies have represented historic horses like Secretariat and Sergeant Reckless, scenes from nature and homages to the Sandhills’ golfing

and military traditions. In April, the ponies are sold at auction to benefit the Carolina Horse Park. The auction has raised about $100,000 each year on average to fund improvements to the 315-acre facility, like new arena footing and the addition of permanent bathrooms.

Although the park is located in Hoke County some 15 miles from Southern Pines, it’s become the epicenter of competitive equestrian activity in the Sandhills since it was founded in 1998. Some of the events held there still bear the names of competitions once held in the Walthour-Moss Foundation or on private farms adjoining it. Like many of their predecessors, some of

this year’s ponies might make their way back to local horse farms once sold at auction on April 6.

Eugene Fletcher has contributed a pony to the Painted Ponies Art Walk for five years running. A retired math teacher, Fletcher once nurtured his lifelong love of art by drawing colored pencil portraits of his students’ pets. Fletcher and his wife Cindy, a competitive driver, formerly operated a robust dressage and hunter/jumper breeding program in New York. They still own five horses, four of them homebreds.

Fletcher took up oil painting soon after moving to North Carolina in 2018. It was with some trepidation that he

Mary Kate Murphy

Photo: Jason Jackson

started work on his first Painted Pony a year or so later when a friend signed him up for the inaugural art walk. But Fletcher views art as a lifelong process of learning, and each new opportunity as a chance to improve.

“I was worried I wasn’t going to be a good enough artist to do it. My skills have improved a lot since I’ve been painting with oils, but at the beginning I was very tentative about it. But it worked out okay, and I’ve enjoyed it,” Fletcher said. “I’ve been pleased that people have recognized my art and have been willing to put up money for it, which amazes me.”

Fletchers ponies have hewed close to traditional equestrian and fox hunting themes. This year’s is no different: Time to Relax, sponsored by Claire Reid and Kelly Valdes, shows on one side horses grazing in a pasture while on the right riders pony horses through an orchard.

“I’ve always kept with the horse theme, only because I figure if somebody’s going to buy a horse to put on their lawn or in their barn area it’s probably because they own horses,” he said. “I have been fortunate all five years to have my sponsor to be horse people or horserelated in some way. They have always said it’s up to you, you can do whatever you want. If I ever had one that said they’d like mermaids on it, I’d have to say I don’t think this is going to work out. I like to stick with themes that people who are hopefully purchasing these horses can relate to.”

Art and horses have gone handin-hand as lifelong passions for Darlene Ivey, who has also been featured in every installation of the Painted Ponies. She’s even channeled that passion into her work as a sales representative for English Riding Supply.

“I was always that kid who was drawing horses on their note paper when I should have been focusing on the teacher. I would draw horses or I would want to be at the barn riding horses. There was never anything else that had my interest,” Ivey said.

Getting a life-sized horse statue as a canvas for her first Painted Pony, Ivey realized a goal she’d held since she saw a similar installation at a horse show in Florida as a teenager. Her pony this year, Phases, is sponsored by Cabin Branch Tack Shop, and pays tribute to another lifelong dream that Ivey realized in North Carolina: eventing. Ivey sums up the piece with the phrase: “Like the moon and the tide, I go through phases when I ride.”

“I think it’s a fun, relevant statement for all of us,” she said. “I’ve done hunter/jumper, I’ve barrel raced, I got to foxhunt at one point in my life and now I trail ride my mare and we have dressage goals.”

photos of friends as reference points for the other horses showing jumping, dropping down a bank and executing half pass and extended trot. Phases also shows the iconic judge’s tower at the horse park’s steeplechase track, which offers a vantage point over part of the cross-country course.

Ivey has painted seven ponies nowshe contributed two in 2021 and 2023 - but the process is never the same. Somewhere between the initial steps of mapping out stick figure horses and guiding the final details into focus, bringing her vision to life ends up taking about three times as long as she originally estimated.

While painting the legs of Phases, Ivey got lost in the endless repetition of ‘glop, glop twist’ to create the effect of lapping ocean water.

“It gave it this really unique texture and movement and was super easy except it turned into a million tiny glops. By the second leg I was like ‘what on earth am I thinking?’ but it looks so cool and I was already committed to it,” Ivey said. “You get yourself into these things but you can’t stop because it looks so good. For an average of two months - depending on when we get the ponies - there’s a lifesized animal in the middle of my house that I’m painting before work, after work, on the weekends, in between my regular job. So it truly does become this labor of love.”

The gray horse cantering through water — an ocean of blue blending in with the statue’s body — on Phases’ right side is based on a photo of Ivey and Southern Pines Riding Academy schoolmaster Callie. Ivey studied

Skylar Simmons’ Root and Bloom one of several nature-themed entries in the current class of Painted Ponies. Simmons studied painting and printmaking at Virginia Commonwealth University before moving to Southern Pines in 2021. She works in marketing and graphic design while building her business as an artist.

Photo: Joseph Hill

Simmons made her debut as a Painted Pony artist in 2022 with a very different entry: Neon Equicaster for Casino Guitars and the Neon Rooster.

“My boyfriend works at Casino Guitars and they were familiar with my arts background so they went out on a limb just for me to have the opportunity and the exposure. We went with a sort of history of music theme and all of them really liked pop art and Andy Warhol-esque stuff that I think went really well with my personal style,” Simmons said. “I love community-driven projects and I think accessible art is important to fostering a good community. My first Painted Pony ended up in Florida, so it’s a much bigger network of equestrians and art lovers all coming together for a really good cause and I love being a part of that.”

For Root and Bloom, sponsored by Glenda Kirby and The Amazing Grace Farm, Simmons drew on the motto of her Sampson County hometown, Roseboro: “take root and bloom” for a pony adorned with flowers and birds native to North Carolina. When the full group of ponies were unveiled on Broad Street in February, she noticed that some of the other artists had the same idea, looking forward to spring as they worked on ponies through the holidays and dreary days of January.

really different takes on being tired of winter.”

Simmons said that she sees most works of art as ephemeral. The meaning is in the process of creation, so she doesn’t usually get attached to the finished product. But being involved with the Painted Ponies for the last few years has imparted a sense of belonging, working hand-in-hand with local businesses and putting her talents to use for a good cause.

Shelley Turner’s A Frolic Through the Dogwoods is her fourth contribution to the Painted Ponies Art Walk since 2020. The foal-sized statue shows a different kind of ‘horse and hound’ scene: horses at liberty in a green field gamboling alongside an assortment of dogs: terriers, retrievers, shepherds and even a corgi. Turner themes her ponies based on their sponsor, so she tied in the canines for Splash and Dash Groomerie and Boutique.

Her previous ponies have featured Moore County-themed tableaux for a real estate agency and strings of faux pearls and gems over an Hermès scarf design for WhitLauter Estate Jewelry. Though she’s an interior designer by training, Turner closed her studio during the pandemic and now focuses primarily on surface pattern design. Just as she put her art into the public view with painted ponies, her professional designs have been produced for everything from riding wear to wallpaper.

“I would say this is the first year that we had a lot of artists work in a similar way and have a lot of springlike motifs and themes going on, even though none of us had coordinated around that,” she said. “We ended up with this bouquet and array of people having

“At work I’ve had some regulars recognize my name and compliment me on it and thank me for putting something like that out,” she said. “There’s a mutual pride to have the statement about local art and the local equestrian scene here, and seeing the philanthropy that can come from all walks of life.”

“I thought I wanted to be an artist growing up but I was so scared of becoming a starving artist that I decided I should do something a little different,” Turner said. “Being able to see people interact with my work brings me a lot of joy. It is really cool to see people enjoy something you’ve created. I have dog wallpaper that has gone into a lot of veterinary clinics and kids’ nurseries. So it’s cool to see the finished projects and realize that my little doodles are part of somebody’s life.”

Turner started riding in college at Colorado State, then bought her first horse. She followed her trainer and good friend Whitney Weston from

Photo: Jason Jackson

the West Coast to Southern Pines, where she now pursues dressage. Each Painted Pony has taken her about a month in a process that segues from carefully planned sketching to creative freewheeling and back. Painting on a curved surface with all the spatial irregularities of an anatomically realistic horse adds another level of challenge.

“I think because as artists we pour so much work into them, we volunteer our time and our materials to make it happen, we definitely get a bit attached.” Turner said of the process. “Even though I have no place at my own home for them I want them to be somewhere they’ll be cherished and with someone who will find enjoyment from them.”

The Painted Ponies Art Walk and Auction also features: “Champion Stewey” by Liz Apodaca, “Southern Charm” by Yvette Sparks, “Tilt-ASwirl” by Christine Dalton, “A Bit of Comfort” by Christina Boucher Reynolds, “Peace of Wild Things” by Nicole Sinay Torres, “Splendor in the Grass” by Vanessa Grebe, “Imperial Dream” by Caleigh Conlin, “Cosmo” by Carl E. Knutson, Jr., “Remember the Future” by Ashley Van Camp and Weymouth Equestrians, “Gem” by Judi Fleming, “Dancing in the Rain” by Cassidy Oeltjen and “Paisley Pony” by Evelyn Fischer.

All of the ponies will be auctioned off April 6th, via an online auction. Visit the Carolina Horse Park website at www.carolinahorsepark.com for more information on the ponies and how to view or participate in the online auction.

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with Rick Snead Farrier 3 Questions

This month we welcome Rick Snead to our “3 Questions”. Rick operates Dynamic Shoeing out of the Triangle Area. His clients range from 5* eventers to kid’s trail ponies and everything in between. He is passionate about education and research - teaching college courses, presenting at seminars across the nation and developing education systems for farriers and veterinarians to utilize.

Farrier work is rather relentless. What things keep you from getting burnt out?

It’s definitely very hard not to get burned-out in this line of work. The best way to stay in the right frame of mind is to let your customers know what you expect out of them. I think it’s a good idea to let them know on the phone before you ever get to their place, such as what type of work conditions you expect: power; water; a dry flat surface; and a holder at least for the first time.

Let them know not to call or text on the weekends or after hours if that’s what you need to stay sharp. I would make sure anyone who breaks the rules is given a warning or let go. Everyone needs time and people with horses forget that they aren’t our only clients. Sometimes they just don’t understand just how much we get called and texted.

You work with a lot of ‘special’ cases - from upper level event horses to rehabbing children’s ponies from laminitis. What has been the most interesting case you’ve worked on?

There have been some very interesting cases throughout the years. The ones I think about the most are cases involving

foals. I still find it amazing how crooked and contracted their legs can be and how fast - usually within 10 to 15 days after birth - you can have them perfectly straight. I have always liked working on babies.

From a farrier’s perspective, what are some of the things you want/ wish horse owners would understand or do in their horse management practices?

I think management wise it is crucial that your horse has a set of good fitting hoof boots so if a shoe is lost or a hoof is injured you can prevent any further damage. Those boots are also great for treating abscesses, so they pull double duty!

I also think that adjusting turnout schedules to keep horses off of wet, dewy ground is a good idea. Ponds and low muddy places should be avoided if possible.

And if your horse is shod - bell boots. Correctly fitted, maintained and not left in the bottom of the tack trunk.

Downtown

Photo: Shannon Brinkman

Driving

Dana Diemer finds success combining family and horsemanship

Cassidy Oeltjen

“These people are crazy.”

Those are big words coming from a ‘crazy’ event rider. It was 2010 in Lexington, Kentucky and I had snuck away from my duties in the trade fair to watch the marathon portion of the combined driving event.

We were sitting at one of the obstacles, trying to figure out the path that the horses would have to navigate through the poles, arches, and water - and coming up with nothing that made sense to our cross country brains.

As an eventer, I was used to horse and rider teams being gone in a flash, tackling the obstacle with precision and being on to the next before spectators even had time to recognize the colors on their helmets. So naturally I thought there surely must be something wrong when that first team came over the hill, steady, even pace, seemingly on

a Sunday drive through the World Championship course.

As soon as they breached the start line of the obstacle, a fire lit in the team like I’d never seen. They were turning and doubling back, with shouts by the navigator and smooth guidance by the driver. The carriage was strategically bounced off pieces of the obstacle, and we sat slack jawed at the completely controlled chaos taking place before us.

And just as fast as they lit the fire, they extinguished it, crossing the exit line, and dropping immediately back into a consistent trot across the country, proceeding on to tackle the next obstacle that was just out of our sight.

The same year as my initial introduction to combined driving, Dana Diemer was giving driving a second opportunity after her original experiences were not love at first sight.

Dana says her son can be “blamed” for her foray into the horse world. Through his involvement in USPC, she was introduced to multiple disciplines and the organizing efforts required for each one. Since then, her experience as a ‘show mom’ has grown to being a groom for both her husband and son, show organizer for dressage, eventing, and combined driving, a FEI steward, upper level event horse owner, and extremely accomplished equestrian.

The complexity that comes with equestrian sports suits Dana’s personality.

“I’m a pretty detail oriented person by nature,” she explained. “I’ve been lucky to have worked with some pretty experienced folks, to include Lefreda Williams and Sue Smithson. In 2002 Lefreda and Sue cornered me and convinced me to take over Longleaf Pine Horse Trials - an all-in-all

Photo: Shannon Brinkman

terrifying prospect. In those days I did it all, set up dressage rings, built show jumping courses, flagged and decorated xc courses. It made me appreciate the value of getting good people in positions to handle things. Some of my original team members are still involved at Carolina Horse Park.”

It was stepping away from her involvement with Long Leaf that sparked the driving fire.

“In 2010 I stepped away from the Carolina Horse Park and needed something to occupy my time that would keep me from driving my family nuts,” she laughs. “My next-door neighbor offered a Welsh pony to drive. There was something about sitting behind a pony that spoke to me. I’ve been a driving enthusiast ever since.”

Just like most equestrian disciplines, the sport of combined driving is based on deep traditions. Like its ridden counterpart, eventing, it requires the teams to master three separate phases - driven dressage, marathon, and cones - and was conceptualized by the late

Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. Horses and ponies of all sizes and breeds compete as either a single, pair or team of four.

The first phase of dressage tests the harmony, impulsion, ease of movement and suppleness throughout the sequence of movements performed in the marked arena.

The marathon phase requires fitness, stamina, and agility as they tackle an intricate course of ‘hazards’ or mini courses along the way featuring water, hills, and sharp turns.

The final phase of a cones course tests the accuracy and communication of the team as they navigate through an intricate path of narrowly-set cones without touching them.

Dana has been partnered with her combined driving equine teammate, Clarwood Mack the Knife, since 2015. The then four-year-old wasn’t what she had envisioned, but, just like driving, it was love at second glance.

“I was looking for a new pony to drive

and my trainer’s younger sister found this chunky section C Welsh cob,” she explained. “I was adamant that I didn’t want him because he didn’t look like a pretty elegant little hunter type pony, which is what I had envisioned myself driving. We argued back-and-forth a little bit about it and she finally said ‘Well, I’ve asked them to send a video’ and as soon as I saw the video I fell in love.”

For Dana, Mack brings joy into the competitiveness of the sport. “Mack is certain that he is all that in a bag of chips. He has a great work ethic and really enjoys his job. He’s always up for snacks and I know sometimes he wishes that I would just get out-of-the-way and let him do his thing. He makes driving a lot of fun!”

Beyond having fun, the pair has rapidly climbed the competitive ladder. In 2018, they achieved their first major win at the North American Single Pony Championship. They moved up to the FEI level in 2019 and went on to win bronze (2021) and silver (2022) medals at the USEF Advanced Single

Photo: Meghan Benge

Pony Championships. And in 2023, they found themselves at the top of the leaderboard at the USEF National Championship, and finished second at a CAI-3* in the Fall.

Besides the driver and the horse, combined driving brings another important member of the ‘team’ into the competition ring - a ‘navigator’. For the dressage phase, the navigator is sort of part of the carriage decoration - they aren’t allowed to assist or speak to the driver. For the cones phase, they can help keep track of the logistics, like staying on top of split times. For the marathon, their role is very important, helping to balance the carriage as it’s turn at high speed, keep track of the time, and assist in knowing the rules to help the driver make decisions.

“Some drivers just corral a warm body to sit on the back of their carriage,” she explained. “You can get away with it through the preliminary level but anything above that I think it’s a pretty risky deal. Having Manny is my

navigator/groom is a huge advantage to me. We have worked together for a long time.”

“Manny is my rock,” she continues. “We have long had an agreement that I will groom for him when he’s competing and he does everything for me when I’m competing. Cleans carriages, cleans harness, helps take care of Mack when we’re on the road and makes a pretty spiffy carriage decoration during dressage. As my navigator on marathon, he is invaluable, and I trust him implicitly. I’ve only ever hit him with my whip once! I get lots of encouragement from him and it helps me remain confident even when things aren’t going as well as I hope they would.”

As complicated as it may seem to combined a marriage into the face paced, high intensity of competing, Dana and Manny aren’t the only ones. “It’s not uncommon for husbands and wives to navigate for one another,” Dana recalled. “In 2022 the top three turnouts

in the national championship were all husband and wife combinations.”

Looking to the future, Dana, Manny, and Mack have some pretty big goalsand plan on getting there by continuing to put one hoof in front of the other. “This year I am working to perfect my craft, to smooth out the rough edges and become a better driver,” Dana reflected. “I have at least three competitions planned, but the results aren’t as important to me as the journey. Next year I hope to qualify for the World Championships taking place in France during September of 2025, and then we will see how things are looking. It’s a matter of gaining and maintaining the confidence that I will be able to adequately show off my wonderful partner.”

We wish Dana and her team best of luck and safe trips around the ‘crazy’ courses.

Dana and Manny Diemer

Photo: Meghan Benge

Horses Benefit Kids!

~ A Fundraiser for Weymouth Equestrians

The Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities will present “2024 Horses Benefit Kids!” on Saturday, May 4, 2024, 5-8:00 pm. The event is a fundraiser for their Weymouth Equestrians program that provides young people an opportunity to learn about riding and caring for horses on the historic property.

The fundraiser will take place at the Weymouth barn, located at 555 E Connecticut Ave, Southern Pines, NC 28387. As part of the event, a Team Show Jumping Invitational will take place from 3-5:00 pm, followed by a Kentucky Derby watch party with bourbon, BBQ and bluegrass. There will be competitions for best hat and best dressed, a prize and raffle for Derby picks, and beverages including a Mint Julep toast.

Weymouth Equestrians is a free afterschool program for underserved teens that operates at Weymouth’s horse facility. Eliminating the cost barrier makes such activities accessible

for all young people, as Weymouth seeks to reinvent its purpose to serve the community with relevance and inclusion while celebrating its equestrian heritage.

The program was sparked by Ashley Van Camp, a Southern Pines native who grew up riding. Chef/owner at Ashten’s Restaurant, Van Camp understands both the benefits and challenges of the equestrian world. Her dream was to create a sustainable program that would operate from the center’s historic barn. She found support through the Weymouth board and community, and her dream has come to life.

“We’re ramping up the fundraiser this year, adding new elements,” says Van Camp. “Unless it rains, we’re going to stage it at the Weymouth barn and utilize the site for the Kentucky Derby party with bourbon, BBQ and bluegrass. The team jumping event is being planned by Robert Costello, a Southern Pines resident and Olympic medalist who currently serves as Technical Advisor/Chef d’Equipe for USEF Eventing.”

“We will have four teams with captains and we’ll run it like a traditional showjumping team competition,” explains Costello. “It’s all still a little bit in the planning stages. Each team of four will have two professional riders and two amateur riders and they’ll compete for points. I’ve ridden on the Weymouth property for years. We are incredibly fortunate to have a place that offers culture and nature and a little bit of everything to the town.”

“Whether you love horses or not, it’s always fun to watch them jump,” says Van Camp. “There’s nothing like it, pulling for your favorite team. I think that’s going to be a blast. Team jumping will be in the afternoon, then we’ll go across the driveway to the barn for food, music and drinks and to watch the Kentucky Derby.”

“We want people to go all out with their dress and hat,” she adds. “If you’ve never been to a Kentucky Derby party, all you have to do is Google ‘Kentucky Derby outfit’ or go to Pinterest. You’ll find a lot of different interpretations of it and every one of them is just

Ray Owen

perfect. The men wear bright colored suits, straw hats and bow ties. Women wear big hats or fascinators (formal headpieces). Women don’t have many chances to do that. It’s easy to make a fascinator by adding flowers to one of your own hats, and you can buy one at a discount store or thrift shop and embellish it.”

Another recent project for Van Camp and members of Weymouth Equestrians was a painted pony sculpture titled “Remember the Future.” The piece is equipped with butterfly wings and covered in renderings of native wildflowers, and is part of Carolina Horse Park Foundation’s fifth annual Painted Ponies Art Walk in downtown Southern Pines, on display in front of Ashten’s through early April this year.

“Four years ago I created a painted pony and covered it in depictions of local vegetables’” says Van Camp. “This time, I wanted to keep it local without repeating the same motif. I have some good friends in Horse Country who have joined the Butterfly Highway, a statewide conservation restoration initiative that aims to restore native pollinator habitats to areas

impacted by urbanization, land use change and agriculture across North Carolina. There is a network of points throughout the local countryside that have native pollinator-friendly plants that moths, butterflies and bees love.”

“I started putting my design together and I wanted it to reflect Weymouth – our gardens and equestrian youth program. I want people to remember Weymouth, and our bees and butterflies because we’re in a really bad place right now with our pollinators. If we don’t have pollinators, we don’t have food. I also want people to remember that there are young people out there looking for opportunity. Together, we can help inspire a passion in them for something they can work to achieve.”

Van Camp considers herself lucky to have grown up with horses. “I know what it did for me and what it did for my son,” she says. “The point of our program is to teach children about relationships, teamwork, responsibilities, loving the outdoors, and loving horses and animals in general. The therapy that goes with just being in a stall with a horse and the power and confidence it gives a kid

to lead around a 1,200-pound animal. Regardless of whether they never ride a horse again, this program is about so much more.”

One aspect of Weymouth Equestrians is what it teaches young people about town heritage and about Weymouth and the Boyds. If it weren’t for the Boyds, the area wouldn’t be such a horsey place. They really instigated it. Not just by the starting of the Moore County Hounds in 1914, but by inviting people here to ride. Many of those people stayed on to help give the Sandhills its unique culture – a crossroads with people from around the world.

Some of the children participating in Weymouth Equestrians seem excited about the possibility of an equine career – being a competitive rider, vet, farrier, trainer, or groom. “There’s so many different professions involving horses that really turn people on,” says Van Camp. “We want to make sure that the industry stays strong in Southern Pines. For many people, that’s what our town is all about. Pinehurst has its golf and Southern Pines has its horses - and it keeps open spaces green. We see what’s

happening now, house upon houses being built. It’s important that we get the next generation excited about sustaining green spaces – for their sport and for the world they love.”

Weymouth Equestrians currently has a good core group of children and a few of them have been there since the beginning. “We want the kids to love it,” says Van Camp. “We’re going to branch out a little to engage more kids who are available and willing to come. The Boys and Girls Club has been an awesome partner and we plan on working with other schools and organizations as well.”

“I want to make sure that everyone knows their help is welcome and needed to get this program off the ground,” Van Camp says. “You don’t have to have an equestrian background to be involved. These kids need mentors. Lovers of history and culture would enjoy helping with this effort, and if you want to just brush horses, that would be great. Anyone can learn to feed horses and be a volunteer. It will take our whole community to make this be the welcoming place we intend for it to be – Weymouth a living landscape and this is how we keep it alive.”

“Horses Benefit Kids!” Fundraiser Time & Date:

Saturday, May 4, 2024, 5-8 pm

Location: Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E Connecticut Ave, Southern Pines, NC 28387

Tickets: $100 each for Weymouth Supporters/$125 each General Admission (includes food, music and a signature Mint Julep. Dessert features Kentucky Butter Cake from Ashten’s Restaurant). $500 VIP Package (includes one parking space and one tent spot for the jumping competition and four tickets to the party)

• British Horse Society certified instructor.

• Westmoreland Davis Equestrian Inst. graduate.

• Safe school horses and friendly environment.

• Located off Young’s Rd, Southern Pines.

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Age: 11

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It’s all About

Perspective

The lens through which each person sees the world is a powerful unifier and divider. Experiences shape that lens - molding it, expanding it, dividing it - forming a style, tendencies, preferences… perspective.

For an artist, perspective is what is expressed through their craft. And for the consumer, perspective changes how the art is viewed. Starting as just an accountability exercise between two friends, The Artist’s Perspective Collective brings a growing group of area creators together in a weekly project, each revealing their take on a single photo via social media at 6:00pm EST each Sunday.

The seed for the APC was planted when Southern Pines-based artist, Darlene Ivey, needed something to help pass the time during a long drive. “I listened to The 5am Club and Atomic Habits on my drive to and from Texas,” reflected Ivey. “My big takeaways were to set aside time in the morning, set small achievable goals and make a commitment to them daily, and have an accountability partner to hold you to it.”

Once she returned home, Ivey nominated fellow local artist, Shelly Turner, as her accountability partner, and self-appointed herself as Turner’s.

“Shelly and I developed a plan to paint daily, weekly and monthly,” said Ivey. “In posting my daily paintings, I noticed how people respond differently to the same image. Some see a stressed and sad eye, while others would see soft, gentle and kind. It’s their perspective, maybe a reflection of their feelings.”

A single image featuring Valkyrie Sporthorse’s schoolmaster pony, Charles, a member of the next generation of great equestrians, and a beautiful sunset, was posted to Facebook by Valkyrie owner, Whitney Weston, and Ivey felt inspired to expand her daily commitment.

“Whitney’s post was when I had the idea for Shelly and I to both paint the image and show the different artists’ perspectives,” she recalled. “To get more images I created a post for followers to share their photos. Each week we would select a new one and the photo owner would be gifted a print of the final painting.”

Ivey’s initial idea now has a life of its own. That initial post asking for inspiration photos has well over 50 submissions, and the number of artists involved keeps growing every week.

“It’s so much more than just different perspectives,” reflected Ivey. “Having a different artist select a new inspiration photo puts you out of your comfort zone and provides challenges you might not have taken on by yourself. Having only one week to complete it keeps you from overthinking it, it allows you to stay loose and have fun. Not knowing what image will be is a fun surprise for you to look forward to. It creates a new excitement to paint it. And the most fun is the reveal day where you get to see everyone’s work. It’s just beautiful.”

One of the initial inspirations of developing artists’ accountability between Ivey and Turner was brought about by mutual admiration for the ‘Tally Ho!’ exhibit at the Art’s Council Campbell House Galleries, featuring works of art by Vanessa Grebe. Coming full circle, Grebe is now one of the artists joining in the collective each week.

“There are so many talented artists in our area and collaborating and supporting each other strengthens our artistic community,” Grebe said. “I love seeing how each artist interprets a reference photograph and brings it to life using their own unique style. As an equestrian artist it is challenging and fun to create a work in such a short time span. It encourages me to stretch my process and try new techniques and I am inspired by each artist’s unique approach.”

The short time frame is a common obstacle for the artists, but for Cassidy Oeltjen, having a deadline encourages her to take risks and be open to new techniques.

“I’m a procrastinator by nature,” Oeltjen laughed. “Usually I completely go through a painting in my head, performing each step and erasing the things I don’t like, before ever putting brush to canvas. The timeframe doesn’t give me a chance to over-think. I have to just go for it. I’m excited to jump off the deep end and try new things! If it fails, maybe someone’s perspective will still appreciate it!”

For Aberdeen artist Tina Bozkurt, the looming deadline motivates her to get started in the work.

“I go through several steps to get a finished work,” Bozkurt reflected. “I spend at least 20 hours on each piece, sometimes a bit more. Then, of course, many of us have energy issues and I’m one of them. But this project keeps me motivated to show up and do the work and I can drag my sorry butt downstairs - exhausted and unmotivated - but working on the art will, actually, give me enough energy to get through the rest of the day.”

As more artists get involved with the collaboration, the variety of expression has expanded. Initially traditional mediums like acrylic and watercolor were prevalent, but pieces now have expanded to combine multiple processes, quilting, and even old horse show ribbons!

Step

Christina Boucher Reynolds, SEQM’s resident nutrition expert, brought some serious flare to the project, when in week three she debuted a quilted piece, capturing the stunning dressage horse emerging from the dust and sun. She is excited about using the project to see her pieces through to completion.

“I love how supportive and encouraging everyone is,” she said. “Everyone is so supportive and encouraging, and I like how the short time frame and group accountability makes me get excited about a project and actually complete it. My usual MO is to come up with great ideas and not DO them, or to do 80% of it and then abandon it.”

After the collective grew larger than what could be contained within a group message, Ivey and Turner formed a Facebook page for not only the artists who wanted to join, but also viewers who wanted to keep track of each week’s pieces.

Linda Sitton, a lifelong artist and mother of one of the participants, was one of the first viewers to follow along on all the participant’s progress.

“I live in the Midwest, far from the equestrian and art mecca of North Carolina,” Sitton explained. “Following along with the progress posts and the final reveal has become a weekly highlight. It’s inspirational as an artist, but it’s also so eyeopening to see how each person perceives an image. All the artists bring such a different viewpoint… It’s amazing”

Perhaps one of the unintended goals, but certainly an interesting development is the way the Facebook group has also turned into a support group for the artists. There is sharing of information, technique advice, and a general feeling of thankfulness surrounding the formation of the collective.

“We created the Facebook group to allow the project to grow and continue to inspire artists all over,” reflected Ivey. “One of the goals is also to provide another outlet for us to all sell our work. Each week will have an album and the artists can have a link to their website so anyone interested can buy their prints. I would also love to have an exhibit once we hit around week ten.”

For a project that started as ‘a little accountability exercise’, it surely has morphed into something beyond what Ivey could have imagined. “It’s really just a silly idea that’s turned into something that I’m truly honored to be a part of.”

Calendar

APRIL

April 5-7

Fri-Sun

Southern Pines CDE & CT

Carolina Horse Park 2814 Montrose Road Raeford, NC 28376

Fri-Sat

Region 12 & 15 Arabian Show

Hunt Horse Complex, 4601 Trinity Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607

Saturday

Painted Ponies Live Auction - Online www.carolinahorsepark.com

Saturday

Matinee Races

Pinehurst Harness Track

200 Beulah Hill Road S. Pinehurst, NC 28374

Saturday

Buckhorn D/CT

Buckhorn Farm, 434 Youngs Rd, Vass, NC 28394, USA

Saturday

U-Polocrosse Try It Day and Egg Hunt Vass, NC 28374

April 11-13

Thu-Sat

Raleigh Invitational Show (Saddleseat)

Hunt Horse Complex, 4601 Trinity Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607

Sat-Sun

Longleaf Horse Trials

Carolina Horse Park 2814 Montrose Road Raeford, NC 28376

Sat-Sun

Finally Farm Horse Show

Hunt Horse Complex, 4601 Trinity Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607

April 17

Wednesday

HRF D/CT/HT/WD

Heather Ridge Farm, 875 N Horace Walters Rd, Raeford, NC 28376

April 19-21

Fri--Sun

Spring Holiday Classic Open Show

Hunt Horse Complex, 4601 Trinity Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607

Fri-Sun

Spring Fling Outdoors “C”

Hunt Horse Complex, 4601 Trinity Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607

Sat-Sun

Prime Time Dressage

Carolina Horse Park 2814 Montrose Road Raeford, NC 28376

April 26-28

Fri--Sat

Revenge Roughstock Rodeo

Hunt Horse Complex, 4601 Trinity Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607

Fri-Sat

Sedgefield at the Park “C”

Carolina Horse Park 2814 Montrose Road Raeford, NC 28376

Calendar

Sat-Sun

United Horseman of the Carolinas, Show Season Opener

Hunt Horse Complex, 4601 Trinity Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607

Saturday

Polocrosse in the Pines

World Cup Fundraiser Event, Mile Away Farm

Southern Pines, NC

MAY

May 3-5

Fri-Sun

Sedgefield at the Park Early Summer “C”

Carolina Horse Park 2814 Montrose Road Raeford, NC 28376

Saturday

Buckhorn Farm D/CT 434 Youngs Rd, Vass, NC 28394, USA

May 10-12

Fri-Sun

Dressage in the Sandhills

Pinehurst Harness Track

200 Beulah Hill Road S. Pinehurst, NC 28374

Sat-Sun

War Horse Event Series

Carolina Horse Park 2814 Montrose Road Raeford, NC 28376

Sat-Sun

Raleigh Spring Dressage

Hunt Horse Complex, 4601 Trinity Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607

May 15

Wednesday HRF D/CT/HT/WD

Heather Ridge Farm, 875 N Horace Walters Rd, Raeford, NC 28376

May 16-19

Thu-Sun

Triangle Farms Sandhills

Spring Classic “A”

Carolina Horse Park 2814 Montrose Road Raeford, NC 28376

Fri-Sat

Southern Rodeo Association

Moore County Agricultural Fairgrounds Carthage, NC

May 24-26

Fri-Sun

Sedgefield at the Park

Memorial Day Classic “C”

Carolina Horse Park 2814 Montrose Road Raeford, NC 28376

Sat-Sun

Carolina Polocrosse in the Pines

Pinehurst Harness Track

200 Beulah Hill Road S. Pinehurst, NC 28374

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