LOTS OF LOVE & JOY

It was a beautiful September day for the 31 riders showing off their skills for family and friends. This joyous event was made even more special with riders Cliff, Dagmar & Germaine, and Danny back in the saddle again after almost 18 months. They helped make this show one of the largest turnouts ever! Instructor, Kelly Champion texted her feelings about the day…Lots of LOVE (heart emoji)!! And we agree Kelly!

Pair the amazing attendance with the generosity of the sponsors, donors and all the riders, many of whom created personalized fundraising webpages, and the Horse Show raised over $10,600 for Mane Stream’s programs. The individual fundraising webpages allowed for riders to receive donations from far and wide. Stella & Joey Andreski went above and beyond their computer screens and spent an afternoon collecting donations in front of a store and raised almost $700 in 3 hours! They were joined by previous Mane Stream client, Matthew Fertig, who shared his years of experiences with those who stopped by their table.

WINNERS CIRCLE

Abby Clay Rutgers Memorial Award
(High Point Independent Rider)
Laura Karg

Gracie Memorial Award
(High Point Junior Rider)
Stella Andreski

Adult Division
AM Champion – Katie Higgins
AM Reserve Champion – Mary Glaser
PM Champion – Daisy DeSimone
PM Reserve Champion – Laura Karg

Junior Division
AM Champion – Stella Andreski
AM Reserve Champion – Joey Andreski
PM Champion – Madeline Peach
PM Reserve Champion – Alex Verge

Volunteer Class
Maggie Conroy, Laura Edelson, Anne Poltorak, Emma Yarton, and Julia Yarton

Raised the Most $ — THANKS!!!
Mary Glaser - Adult Rider
Alex Verge - Youth Rider
Anne Poltorak - Volunteer

From the list of 31 adaptive riders only 8 had the opportunity to go home with Champion and Reserve Champion ribbons. From there only two receive the top honors of the day (Abby Clay Rutgers Memorial Award & the Gracie Memorial Award). All award winners are listed in the “WINNERS CIRCLE”.

In addition to the 31 adaptive riders who competed, this year Head Instructor, Jen Dermody shook things up a little by offering a Volunteer Class at the horse show. Five volunteers signed up and whether they were teens who currently compete on the circuit, a retired riding instructor, an experienced rider in both Western and English, or a novice who last rode 5 years ago, they were ALL smiling from ear to ear.

VIEW GALLERY

Dedicated volunteer and novice rider, Laura Edelson shared, “What an awesome experience. All I wanted to do was to ride one of the fabulous Mane Stream Herd! My wish came true!!!”

Experienced teen rider and volunteer, Emma Yarton shared, “I’ll admit, it was strange to be the one riding the horse but Po was so intuitive. He knew I was nervous, so he went slow with me. These horses have a silent, effortless way of communication with the rider that I found soothing. After riding the Mane Stream horses you will gain a new appreciation for the services that they provide in a daily basis.”

How does this event run so smoothly? We couldn’t do it without our amazing volunteers! This year 13 dedicated individuals came to assist the riders making this event run like clockwork.

THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS
Maggie Conroy, Sofia Criscola,
Laura Edelson, Nancy Grossweiler,
Tina Hernandez, Kelsey Hernandez,
Olivia Iskra, Karen Kaufhold, Elaine Milano, Janie & Mike Murphy, Anna Squindo,
Emma Yarton, Julia Yarton

Additional thanks go out to our four photographers of the day! Michele Geise, who handled all the shots in the ring during the competition (more still to come), Susan Magaziner who captured everything outside the ring and some ribbon awards too. And Jeanne & Roger Rogalin who once again set up their “Pumpkin Patch” photo booth so riders could take home a picture of them and their trusty steed.

There were two other people without which this event would not have been the same… our Horse Show Judge was none other than avid rider and previous Mane Stream Physical Therapist, Taylor Forbes, and the smooth voice that was heard over the AV system was Justin Hendrickson (Holland’s husband).