14 SIDELINES JULY 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Jenny Johnson
Alma Perkins’ favorite shirt says it all: “Live to Ride - Ride
to Live.” At 79 years old, she is more determined than ever to
continue her equestrian pursuits and encourages all her horse
friends to do the same. “So many younger friends have told me
that I am an inspiration, even though they are better riders than
me!” said Alma, who is from Shreveport, Louisiana.
Like many of us, Alma has always been a horse lover.
However, she didn’t own her own horse until she was 30 years
old and living in Texas, where her family rode nearby trails and
participated in gymkhanas. Her horse passion eventually led her
to the breeding of Arabians and fnally to dressage. One of her
homebred horses, Tommitosk (Tommy), was a very talented but
“hot” dressage prospect. Alma decided to try riding him to music
and this led to her enthusiasm for musical freestyles. She and
Tommy discovered that they both relaxed and enjoyed working on
choreography and eventually progressed to winning at 4th Level.
When Tommy passed away at age 25, Alma started
riding Charisma, an Arabian that she had purchased for her
grandchildren. Although reliable and laid back for children,
Charisma has another gear for an experienced rider. Alma calls
her the “original Energizer bunny.” Wanting to give Charisma a
pasture mate, Alma contacted Charisma’s breeder and trainer,
Debbie Cinotto. Debbie came through for Alma a few months
later when she unloaded Charisma’s 3/4 sister, Pandora, off the
horse trailer. Both horses are double-registered 3/4 Arabians
and black and white Pintos.
Alma regularly performs freestyle rides with Charisma and
Pandora and enjoys the challenges of selecting her own music
and choreographing freestyle rides. “The chore is all my own,”
she said. “I create the whole thing with a computer program
and just take it to someone who smoothes it out.” Alma started
out using classic music, but then discovered that band music
for dance has a more constant beat. “I’ve used big band, show
tunes, pop and now I’m experimenting with vocals,” said Alma.
“A bit of advice to the rider is to pick something you really enjoy,
because you don’t want to get sick of it while practicing!”
A highlight of her dressage career came in May at a show in
Benton, Louisiana. It was there that Alma and Charisma became
the 100th member team of The Dressage Foundation’s Century
Club. Adding Charisma’s age of 26 to Alma’s 79 years, the duo
met the age requirement (which must add up to at least 100) and
performed a First Level Musical Freestyle in front of a crowd at
the Tri-State Dressage Society Show. “I had been following this
inspiring program for many years and had wanted to celebrate it
with Tommy,” Alma said. Unfortunately, Tommy passed away just
before they met the age requirements for the Century Club.
Wanting to give credit where it is due, Alma is especially
appreciative of Debbie Cinotto. “She bred, raised and trained
Charisma and Pandora. I credit the horses’ fantastic work ethic to
excellent training by Debbie,” said Alma. “I hope to stay in shape
to have a second Century Club ride in two years when Pandora
and I will be eligible to dance to another freestyle.”
Alma is convinced that dressage is physically good for both
the senior rider and the senior horse. She also feels that there
are mental benefts to riding dressage and said there is a “joy of
bonding with a responsive animal and joining with others in a non-
competitive but supportive dialog for improvement. The scoring
and comments from judges are just icing on the cake.”
As Alma continues to “live to ride and ride to live,” she said,
“Kudos to those who choose dressage as the ultimate goal to
keep ft and enjoy quality of life as we age.”
The Dressage Foundation’s Century Club
is a program
designed to honor senior dressage riders, their senior horses and
to encourage them to remain active in the sport. The Century Club
was formed in 1996, at the suggestion of noted dressage judge
and instructor, Dr. Max Gahwyler. To become a member of the
Century Club, the ages of horse and rider must add up to at least
100 years and the pair must ride any level dressage test before
a judge or dressage professional. The Dressage Foundation
honors each team with a Century Club ribbon, plaque and a spot
in the annual Century Club News. For more information on The
Dressage Foundation, please visit www.dressagefoundation.org.
e
Never Too Old
Alma Perkins Lives To Ride
Century Club member
Alma Perkins and
Charisma.
Photo by Ann Switalski
Alma and Charisma perform
their test.
Photo by Claude Price