Name: Alissa Trucco
Grade: Sophomore
Show Class: Open Horsemanship and Reining
Favorite Horse at Tony’s: Mario. I think that he’s an absolute blast.
I like him because he is really athletic and versatile, he can do
anything you ask, as long as you ask him right! Plus he’s incredibly
fun to do patterns on.
What you rode at home: I showed horsemanship, western pleasure, trail,
western riding, hunter under saddle and equitation at AQHA shows. I also
show hunters at USEF shows.
Something we don’t know about you: I am hopelessly bad at showmanship. I
run really funny, and I have a knack for falling on my face in the dirt.
Biggest Achievement: Top 5 AQHYA world show, multiple Congress top 10s,
Reserve National Honor Roll champion and multiple Honor Roll top 5s.
Most Embarrassing Moment: I was showing horsemanship in a Novice Youth class at an AQHA show right after I had started showing Quarter Horse. I was pretty nervous because I was so new to the industry and felt fairly lost because I didn’t know anyone. I was having a pretty good pattern when I started noticing there was a lot of commotion going on around me. All of the sudden a chicken comes running and squawking into the arena, being chased by a barking Corgi. The chicken and corgi pair ran right into the middle of the arena, into my pattern, and then in between my horse’s legs! I didn’t know what to do, there were feathers flying everywhere, the dog barking, the chicken squawking, and my horse was just standing with his face between his legs watching all of this happen inches from his face. I was convinced I had to finish my pattern, so I tried to just keep on going, too embarrassed to listen to my trainer shouting at me from the gate to just stop. They let me leave and do my pattern over, but I was so flustered that I went off course. For months after that nobody knew who I was, but people did know that I was the chicken girl. It was mortifying at the time, but now I only think it’s hilarious.
Goal for this year: My goal is to improve with every show, and make sure I always show at my personal best. For the team, I want for all of us to work together to make sure we all achieve our goals, and to make it to Nationals together.
Name: Brooke Schneider
Grade: Freshman
Show Class: Intermediate
Favorite Horse at Tony's: Kass
What you rode at home: I rode saddleseat on a half arab half saddlebred
Biggest Achievement: Top 3 at state fair and many class A saddleseat shows
Most Embarrassing riding moment: At one show when I was about 9 or 10 years
old, I went to get on my horse and my pants split open. I didn't know that
they had ripped until after my class and after I got off when a nice man
told me!! So embarrassing :)
Goal for this year: To make it to nationals and to get high point team!!
Name: Ashley Clinger
Grade: Senior
Show Class: I don't show with the team, but I used to compete in Showmanship,
Hunter Under Saddle, Equitation, Horsemanship, Western Pleasure, and Trail.
Favorite Horse at Tony's: I have a soft spot for Ellion.
What you rode at home: I showed at AQHA shows in the All-Around events.
Biggest Achievement: Reserve Champion at the 2003 All
American Quarter Horse Congress.
Most Embarrassing riding moment: 1.) The first time I ever showed in
Showmanship (I was SO nervous), it was in an outdoor arena. It had rained
quite a bit the night before, so the arena was pretty sloppy. I trotted up
to the judge and set up my horse. When I began to switch sides as the judge
moved around us, my boot stuck in the mud and I pulled my foot right out of
it! I was mortified... and unfortunately the judge didn't seem amused. 2.)
I was showing my horse, Parker, in Trail. One of the first elements was the
gate, which was surrounded by flower boxes. I walked up to the gate,
stopped, and reached over to pull the rope from the post. Right when I
reached for the rope, Parker grabbed a flower from the flower boxes. I sat
there a few seconds and jiggled my reins, hoping he'd drop the flower...
but he didn't. So I continued through the gate, all the while Parker has
the flower in his mouth, holding it like a Flamenco dancer. We went over
several lope overs before Parker decided to drop the flower. Both of the
judges were laughing...
Goal for this year: My goals are to have fun and get to know the other
girls on the team (since this is my first year)!
Name: Kelly Carr
Grade: Freshman
Show Class: Beginner Walk/Trot
Favorite Horse at Tony’s: I’ve only rode Sun and Mario, but I really liked Sun.
What you rode at home: My quarter pony named Sonney and Buckskin Mare named Butter
Something we don’t know about you: I was in band from 6th-12th grade!
Biggest Achievement: Being a part of our first high school band to get a superior rating at the state contest
Most Embarrassing riding moment: Getting bucked off when I was 4 and landing on my back in gravel!
Goal for this year: Get to know everyone and learn a lot
Name: Kristin Raimondi
Year: Freshman
Show Class: Intermediate
Favorite Horse at Tony's: Bert & Cat
What you rode at home: Tennessee walking horses
Biggest Achievement: Teaching my horse how to rack.
Most Embarrassing riding moment: Getting thrown off a horse and taking the
entire fence down with me
Goal for this year: Win a class!
Name: Mandy Brown
Grade: Freshman
Show Class: not showing but would be beginner
Favorite Horse at Tony's: Cat!!!
Main activity: volleyball
Biggest Achievement: um idk. i'm boring. lol
Most Embarrassing riding moment: flying over the saddle and landing on the
horses neck as it trotted around the ring (when i was younger. lol)
Goal for this year: become a better rider so i can show next year
Name: Kim Engelhaupt
Grade: Senior
Show Class: Advanced
Favorite Horse at Tony's: Al
Most Embarrassing riding moment: When my horse stopped dead in the middle of
the pattern at a show and the judge came up to me and asked me to dismount
and walk to lineup.
Goal for this year: To make it all the way to nationals in California!
Name: Diana Linton
Grade: Super senior
Show Class: i don't show
Favorite Horse at Tony's: Sun
What you rode at home: Western-contesting-for fun
Biggest Achievement: studying abroad for the first time in November :)
Most Embarrassing riding moment: This probably happens to everyone, but
whenever I dismount and my shirt gets caught on the saddle horn and I flash
people, that is embarrassing.
Goal for this year: for the team to win nationals! and for me to continue
improving my riding skills.
Name: Megan Masterson
Grade: Junior
Show Class: Novice (hopefully advanced after our show!)
Favorite Horse at Tony's: Bear :)
What you rode at home: My horse Junior :)
Biggest Achievement: riding: I won Grand Champion Showmanship my first year
in 4H - it was a big deal at the time! Also, teaching my horse Showmanship
and Horsemanship.
Most Embarrassing riding moment: The first time I ever tried riding English,
I fell off and landed face-first in the sand. To top it off, my horse took
off at full speed around the arena. Tons of people saw me.
Goal for this year: My goal for our team is to get High-Point Team for the season.
Name: Lyndsey Schneider
Grade: Junior
Show Class: Advanced
Favorite Horse at Tony's: Kass
What you rode at home: Saddle Seat: Arabians and Half Arabians
Biggest Achievement: Winning State champion for Equitation and pleasure
Most Embarrassing riding moment: I was trying to ride my horse through a
gate and it wasnt open far enough and my horse kept on walking through
the gate and my legs got stuck, and i casually fell off:)
Goal for this year: A personal goal is to go to Nationals, and a team
goal is to win high point team of the
year for our region!!!
Name: Robyn Strachan
Grade: Junior
Show Class: Advanced
Favorite Horse at Tony's: Icky
What you rode at home: Morgans - Saddleseat Equitation
Biggest Achievement: Riding for Sandy Sessink of Old Orchard Farm
Most Embarrassing riding moment: I used to wear a tiny, plastic horse
figurine under my hairnet for good luck. Mind you, I was 10. During
the class, on the reverse, my hat fell off! Here I am with this
unknown object, flopping about on my head. Embarrassing! Needless to
say, I didn't place first. Where was the "good" luck?
Goal for this year: Make it to Nationals! And, of course, have fun!
Name: Caylee Hindel
Grade: Junior
Show Class: Open Reining and Horsemanship
Favorite Horse at Tony's: Bear
What you rode at home: I showed and rode my reining horse Boomer.
Biggest Achievement: OQHA Res. Youth Reining Champion
Most Embarrassing riding moment: Trying to show English for the first time.
I was terrible but everybody got a good laugh!!!!
Goal for this year: To make it to Nationals
Name: Blake Loaiza
Grade: Freshman
Show Class: Intermediate
Favorite Horse at Tony's: Bert
What you rode at home: I rode quarter horses in western pleasure…but to be truthful my main activities were show choir and lacrosse.
Biggest Achievement: umm well in show choir we won a radio station competition and got a 8,100 piano and 500 dollars.
Most Embarrassing riding moment: realizing I had completely tacked up the wrong horse. Haha!
Goal for this year: Do well?
Name: Makenna Knight
Year: Junior
Show Class: Open - Reining and Horsemanship
Favorite Horse at Tony's: Jake
What you rode at home: All-Around? Quarter horses...
Biggest Achievement: Top Ten AQHYA World and Reserve Congress Champion
Most Embarrassing riding moment: Falling off when my horse was WALKING!
Goal for this year: Nationals....
Name: Sarah Holt
Grade: Freshman
Show Class: Beginner
What you rode at home: I mainly did trail and pleasure riding on my
beautiful Tennessee Walker named Gambler.
Favorite Horse at Tonys: Cat, I love his powerful gaits.
Biggest Achievement: It's not horse related, but I did get to sing the
National Anthem at Jacobs Field.
Most Embarassing Moment: One time at lessons I was riding this evil little
Pony of the Americas and we were cantering along at a good pace when she
decided she was hungry. She abruptly stopped and dropped her head to eat,
while I just kept on moving and did two perfect somersaults down the crest
of her neck and landed on my butt in the dirt. Maybe I should be on the
gymnastics team?
Goal for this year: Have fun and get to know everyone!
Name: Liz Pamfilis
Grade: Freshman
Show Class: (starting in fall) probably Walk/Trot
Favorite Horse at Tony's: Cat, but I haven't had the chance to ride very
many of them.
What you rode at home: Quarter Horses, just for fun
Biggest Achievement: Convincing my family to get horses! haha, I haven't
had real experience showing, but when I was really young (probably 12-13)
I entered into an adult class last minute and won first place, so that was
a highlight for me!
Most Embarrassing riding moment: Nothing really bad has happened to me,
knock on wood.
Goal for this year: To make some major improvements, get to know everyone,
and hopefully point out of the beginner class and move up!
Name: Emily Centrone
Grade: Sophmore
Show Class: Intermediate
Favorite Horse at Tony's: Cat
What you rode at home: I rode Western Pleasure at home and never really showed beyond 4H
Biggest Achievement: Getting to go to regionals my first year
of showing
Most Embarrassing riding moment: I got thrown off of my horse at a 4h show
and got a concussion.
Goal for this year: Going to regionals again and maybe sectionals or
nationals