40 SIDELINES JUNE 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Lauren Corey
As my senior year is wrapping up, many of my favorite activities
are coming to an end. I have participated in the Interscholastic
Equestrian Association for the last four years, which has shaped a
large part of my life. Sadly, this amazing part of my life has come
to a close with this year’s Zones. I have gained so much from my
participation in the IEA; the entire Zone 10 is one huge family!
We compete against the different teams; but I have friends on all
of them and even if they beat me, it still feels like I won. We all
try our best in the arena and go out to dinner afterward with other
riders and coaches. I simply can’t imagine my life without the IEA
and the friends I have gained from it.
The weekend of Zones began on Friday. I was allowed to
miss school to drive down to Southern California. Since it was
the weekend of my 18th birthday, we stayed in a nice hotel with
several other families competing at Zones. The Zones banquet
was exceptional, complete with a photo booth and crazy hats! The
seniors were recognized with individual videos and equestrian-
related gifts. We even had a representative from the IEA offce on
the East Coast attend. It was a fun evening; but there was a tinge
of melancholy since the seniors knew this would be the last time
we would all be in a room together.
Saturday morning began with my mom’s iPhone “gently” waking
us up. I drove a car full of middle schoolers since their parents
opted to miss the warm-up. Despite the early hour, the energy
in the car was palpable, everyone was wondering what the day
would bring. The kids had the door open before I fnished parking
and ran up to the arena to see the horses. Since I was only
Lauren and Gemini cantering in the Open fat class at Zone 10
Finals
Photo by Linda Kierans Corey
competing in the fat, I focused on giving the younger kids advice
on how to ride the different horses that I had experience with and
how to impress the judge on course.
While I was watching one of the middle schoolers show, I heard
my name being paged to the draw table. Apparently I was so
caught up in the competition that I didn’t hear the announcer
calling for all open riders. I drew my favorite horse, Gemini, who
sent me to Nationals my sophomore year. I was so excited to get
into the ring that I had diffculty focusing on the younger kids. What
felt like days later, the announcer fnally told the Open riders to
mount. Unfortunately, I was the last on because Gemini’s saddle
was being used in the warm-up of novice fat horses. When I
entered the arena, my heart was pounding with adrenaline. I was
so excited to have the opportunity to ride Gemini again that the
fat class wasn’t long enough for me. It felt like I was hardly in the
ring for a minute when the announcer called us to line up in the
center of the arena. I heard many of my friends names called until
there were just two of us left. I placed second in my last ride for
the IEA; but I could not have been happier. Gemini was fantastic
and the entire day worked out wonderfully. I couldn’t have asked
for a better end to the season.
Even though my time with the IEA is over; I know I will hear all
about the shows next year from my younger friends. I can only
hope that my future college will offer me an experience similar to
that of the IEA. At least I won’t have to say goodbye to my friends
just yet. Several of us are planning on working at a riding camp
one of the IEA coaches hosts each summer. There are camps
running all summer long so I am hoping to spend a few weeks
living in a cabin surrounded by horses. Although the season has
come to an end; I am still looking forward to the camp and my
college equestrian experience!
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Mutt of the month
Zooma is a darling 1 year old Greyhound/Lab mix who
lives up to her name - she is a bouncy girl with a lot of energy.
This blond sweetie also has a lot of love to give and would
be a wonderful addition to an active family. Zooma is waiting
at the ranch to meet you! Please contact Big Dog Ranch
Rescue at 561.309.3311 or www.BDRR.org.