Great Show Results and Holiday Gift Ideas!

This blog covers many topics, such as horse show results, holiday gift ideas, and words of wisdom from guest speakers at the Florida State Highpoint Program banquet. But first, we'd like to congratulate the riders that competed at the Georgia Fall Classic and Horsemanship Finals in Perry, GA.

Georgia Fall Classic and Horsemanship Finals - Results

The trip to Georgia was definitely worth it, as Suncoast Stables riders had an awesome show! Results were as follows:

Graceanne Hoback on Akeelah
1st - Saddleseat Pleasure
1st - UPHA Pleasure Equitation Cup
---Saddleseat Pleasure Grand Champion---
---ASB Show Pleasure Amateur/Jr. Exhibitor Reserve Grand Champion---

Mari Pawlowski on Titleist Par-Tee Time
1st - Academy 6 and under, W/T Showmanship
2nd - Academy 6 and under, W/T Equitation
3rd - Academy Novice Rider Any Age
---1st - Academy 6 and under, W/T Equitation Championship---
---1st - Academy 6 and under, W/T Showmanship Championship---

In addition, two Suncoast Stables riders qualified to compete at the Horsemanship Finals at the Georgia Fall Classic. This competition, which highlights overall horsemanship skills, featured 31 competitors from the Southeast this year. Riders randomly draw horses to ride and only get five minutes to learn and adapt to the horse before having to compete. There are multiple rounds of elimination and after each round the remaining riders draw a different horse. Elissa Alfonso made it through all the rounds of elimination with stellar performances in each round. Graceanne Hoback also made it through all elimination rounds and was called back to be included in the TOP TEN ceremony.


Avalon Horse Show - Results

This past weekend, Suncoast Stables competed at the Avalon Horse Show. We're proud to announce the results below:

Sara Morris on Titleist Par-Tee Time
1st - Academy 14 and over, W/T Showmanship
2nd - Academy 14 and over, W/T Equitation

Caitlin Buckley on Titleist Par-Tee Time and Carrington
1st - Academy 11-13, W/T Equitation (Titleist)
1st - Academy 11 and over Novice Rider, W/T Equitation (Carrington)
4th - Academy 11-13, W/T Showmanship (Titleist)

Hayley O'Ryan on Titleist Par-Tee Time and Carrington 
1st - Academy 8 and under, W/T Equitation (Carrington)
2nd - Academy 8 and under, W/T Showmanship (Carrington)
2nd - Academy 10 and under Novice Rider, W/T Showmanship (Titleist)

Mari Pawlowski on Titleist Par-Tee Time
3rd - Academy 10 and under, W/T Equitation
3rd - Academy 10 and under, W/T Showmanship
3rd - Academy 8 and under, W/T Showmanship
4th - Academy 8 and under, W/T Equitation

Madeline McNamara on Travel In Style
1st - Academy 11-13, W/T Showmanship
4th - Academy 11-13, W/T Equitation

Victoria Conners on Graffiti Girl (first horse show for Graffiti Girl!!!)
3rd - Academy 11 and over Novice Rider, W/T Showmanship
3rd - Academy 14 and over, W/T Showmanship
4th - Academy 14 and over, W/T Equitation

Katie O'Ryan on Titleist Par-Tee Time and Carrington 
1st - Academy 10 and under Novice Rider, W/T Equitation (Titleist)
2nd - Academy 10 and under, W/T Equitation (Carrington)
2nd - Academy 10 and under, W/T Showmanship (Carrington)

Be sure to check the "Upcoming Events" section of our website for upcoming local shows in 2016.

Holiday Gift Ideas

The holiday season is here. It can be tough to find the perfect item, but below are some websites that may hold a great gift for the horse-lover in your family.

For saddle pads, saddle carriers, and horse blankets:
http://radoninc.com/

For riding pants:
http://www.americanjods.com/

For riding apparel:
http://www.ridingwarehouse.com/english.html

For memberships/organizations:
https://www.asha.net/
https://www.usef.org/
http://www.uphaonline.com/
http://www.morganhorse.com/

If you are contemplating a holiday gift for your trainer, perhaps consider a donation on the Suncoast Stables GoFundMe page - where your gift will be used on upcoming projects that will improve your experience at the barn.

As you know, Suncoast Stables enjoys reinvesting back into its customers to continuously improve the customer experience.  With the new barn addition already on the way, which will provide more tack rooms, wash racks, feed rooms, storage, and office space, we have more improvements planned!

Click here to go to the Suncoast Stables GoFundMe page.



Words of Wisdom

At the Florida State Highpoint Program banquet, Mary Jo Schmidt and Tom Johnson spoke to those in attendance. Mary Jo and Tom are two of the greats in our industry and it is always a pleasure to learn from their experiences.

Mary Jo talked about the competitive nature of riders and the drive to constantly get better. She cited a study that determined it could take 10,000 hours of practice to truly become an expert at something. At Suncoast Stables, we fully support the drive of our riders to constantly improve.  We set goals for shows, and when we reach them, we set more difficult goals. More and more can be gotten out of every horse and rider and we enjoy being with you every step of the way to succeed at reaching your goals.

Tom Johnson talked about how motivation works both ways. The trainer not only motivates riders to do well, but riders motivate trainers.  When a rider is saddened by a poor ride, the trainer constantly thinks of more ways to help the rider improve and move on from the bad experience to the brighter days ahead.