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Sunday, June 09 2013 / Published in Weekly Feature

From Prom to Horse Shows – The Best of Both Worlds

By Jan Westmark-Allan

 

Lia and her Dutch Warmblood jumper Volado show off their success during the Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo by Chazz Freeman

Lia and her Dutch Warmblood jumper Volado show off their success during the Winter Equestrian Festival.
Photo by Chazz Freeman

Lia Screnci has the best of both worlds when it comes to school and riding – because she gets to do both! Horse showing is encouraged at American Heritage School in Boca/Delray, Florida, where Lia is a 10th grade student. The American Heritage Equestrian Program gives students the chance to compete in a variety of disciplines – hunters, jumpers, polo, short stirrup, dressage, reining and more.

 

“I like American Heritage because it’s a really nice atmosphere, the students and faculty are great, and it offers a little bit of everything. From sports, to the arts, to academics, it’s just an all-around fantastic school. The riding program is great because I have my five core classes in the morning (math, science, English, history and foreign language), and then after lunch I get to leave and do something I love that counts for all of my elective credits. On Fridays if I have to miss school for a horse show, it counts as a school activity, which doesn’t count against me or get marked as an absence because it is part of the riding program. It’s awesome,” Lia said.

 

The “awesome” riding program kicked into high gear last year, when Lia’s mother, Cindy Screnci, who has an extensive equestrian background and owns an equestrian apparel company, became the Director of the Equestrian Program. “We have created a program where you don’t have to choose horses or school. The students can get the full middle and high school experience and train at the same time,” Cindy said. “They don’t have to be isolated because they are horse kids. They can go to the prom and to a horse show. We have also started an Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) Team.”

 

The students in the American Heritage Equestrian Program attend school in the morning, and then after lunch head to their individual barns and trainers. The school doesn’t have a facility, but encourages students to ride with area trainers and even transports them to their farms. Sidelines caught up with Lia, 16, who rides with Alan Korotkin at Castlewood Farm in Wellington, Florida, to find out more about being a student at American Heritage, about her riding career and goals for the future.

 

The American Heritage Equestrian Team shows off their school pride at an IEA show. Photo by Cindy Screnci

The American Heritage Equestrian Team shows off their school pride at an IEA show.
Photo by Cindy Screnci

The American Heritage riding program is growing, are you excited about the growth?

Yes! The riding program started last year when I was in 9th grade and we started with only three in the individual program. Throughout the first quarter my mom built up the program and by the time we started the IEA season in November (we started late), we had about seven riders. This year the program has grown a lot, we have eight kids in the individual program and our IEA team had 11 riders. We already have about 16 riders committed to the program next year. It keeps getting bigger and bigger.

 

How does the American Heritage Equestrian Program work? 

Their are two separate programs. I ride individually with Alan Korotkin, but I am also on the American Heritage IEA team, where I am team captain for the high school team. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 1:30 we have a designated equestrian school bus that takes all the riders in the program to their own separate barns. The equestrian program counts for all of my Physical Education credits that are required for high school students to graduate, the same as taking a tennis class or PE at school would. For IEA, we have a middle school and a high school team. We have practice once every couple of weeks with Castlewood (they are the official team coaches) and the IEA show season starts in September. We go to shows and ride for points both individually and as a team, with the goal to qualify for Zones, then Regionals and then Nationals. The school recognizes us just like any other sports team at the school, like football and basketball.

 

How long have you trained with Alan at Castlewood?

I have been with Alan and Castlewood Farm since I was in 6th grade. I like that he’s very kind and has a lot of confidence in me. He’s very straightforward with his training, he tells you exactly what you’re doing wrong and how to fix it and improve your ride. I love training with him. I just moved up during WEF this year to the Low Junior Jumpers.

 

Do you have your own horse?

Yes! I have bay Dutch Warmblood jumper named Volado. I’ve had him for a little under a year now, and I love him so much. He’s like a giant teddy bear!

 

Lia and Volado Photo by Anne Gittens

Lia and Volado
Photo by Anne Gittens

What are your riding goals?

My riding goals are to eventually advance to the grand prix, and I would love to compete in the FEI Young Riders Championship. This past WEF I had the opportunity to do my first night class under the lights; I competed in the FTI Great Charity Challenge on a team with Morgane Qualls and grand prix rider Lauren Hough, it was a blast!

 

What are your personal goals?

I would love to attend college in either New York or California. I have a passion for film and photography and I would really like to major in Film Production.

 

What do you like to do when you aren’t riding?

I love taking pictures when I’m not showing. I actually work for a horse show photographer in Wellington, Anne Gittins. I also love to read, I always have a book on me! Other than that, schoolwork and preparing for SAT’s next year take up the rest of my time.

 

What is your biggest pet peeve?

My biggest pet peeve is when people text and drive. I’m constantly telling people not to while we’re in the car, it’s so unsafe!

 

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

I would love to travel to Italy, it seems like such a beautiful place. My dad’s whole side of the family is Italian, so I would love to see the place where a large part of my family came from!

 

For more information on American Heritage and their Equestrian Program, visit their website at www.ahschool.com and click on Boca/Delray.

Lia enjoys the best of both worlds as a student at American Heritage. Photo by Anne Gittens

Lia enjoys the best of both worlds as a student at American Heritage.
Photo by Anne Gittens

Double D Trailers Info

Tagged under: Alan Korotkin at Castlewood, Along for The Ride, American Heritage, American Heritage School in Boca/Delray, Anne Gittens, Cindy Screnci, Director of the Equestrian Program, Dutch Warmblood jumper, editor, Equestrian Association (IEA) Team, equestrian programs, equine magazines, FEI Young Riders Championship, florida, grand prix, horse magazines, horses, jan westmark-allan, Lauren Hough, Lia Screnci, riding schools, sidelines-magazine, South Florida, The American Heritage Equestrian Program, Volado, wellington

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Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses—in a way, she was born into her career. She grew up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where her parents ran a farm. Her mother taught, and her father had a jump business and then created one of the first horse show software programs: Ryegate Show Services, Inc.

Riding all her life, Annette spent many years as a groom and loved it, but knew it wasn’t what she wanted to do as a career. After she finished college, Annette’s father recruited her to help process entries at Ryegate. Since her father, Lloyd Longenecker, founded it in 1981, Ryegate has provided show management and office staff for some of the largest shows in the country. Now, Annette has taken over from her father and directed the company as it focuses on managing memberships and rankings for organizations such as the North American League, WIHS Championships and Equitation, Rolex/USEF Computer Ranking and National Medal Series (THIS NCM and Ariat NAM). Ryegate also provides scoring software for use with video walls, and production teams for hunter and jumper shows.

“Besides running Ryegate Show Services and its various organizations, I can be found in the show office, running a scoreboard or judging jumpers at most shows,” Annette said. “I love getting to wear a few different hats at the show.”

When she’s not busy at a show, Annette lives in Annville, Pennsylvania, with her “fur-baby,” Maggie Mae, and enjoys spending time with her many godchildren. Though she doesn’t currently own any horses, Annette rides when she can at Rolling Acres Farm with Patty Foster, Ashley Foster-Worthington and Mary Lisa Leffler.

Read this month unbridled with Annette Longenecker by clicking the link in our bio. Never miss a story by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine! 🦄
📸Photo by Sheryl Sutherby

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A column from Liz Halliday-Sharp herself The spor A column from Liz Halliday-Sharp herself 
The sport of eventing is a demanding and mentally challenging discipline that requires a combination of physical and mental fortitude from both the rider and horse. While having a coach can be incredibly beneficial, self-coaching can also play a crucial role in a rider’s success.

I think that given the opportunity, most riders would like to be coached every day. The reality of life in the horse world, however, is that the majority of us need to absorb as much from the lessons we have on a limited basis and then practice those skills at home to improve.

When I am riding, I try to have a plan for the horses each day and focus on what I’m looking to achieve. It’s important to be aware of the steady improvements rather than trying to solve everything all at once. This is especially important when teaching horses new movements or exercises that they might struggle with, and we need to give them time to learn and understand what we are asking for.

I have a couple of quotes that I use regularly when I’m teaching, and these are mottos that I hold myself to in my daily work as well.

The first is, “If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten.” This is a quote that was said to me many years ago when I was still motor racing and I keep it in the back of my mind each day. It’s easy to get stuck doing the same thing every day with your horse and bad habits are hard to break, from both riders and horses!

This leads me to my next quote, which is, “If what you are doing isn’t working, try something else.” It really is as simple as that! Many riders I see keep asking a horse to do something the same way over and over with an ongoing negative response and they wonder why things don’t get better. In these circumstances, I recommend that the rider change something, even if it’s wrong.

Read the full article by clicking the link in our bio! Don’t forget to keep your eye out for our April subscription!
📸Photo by Alex Banks Photography
The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here and we are so excited to feature three-day eventer Liz Halliday on the cover! Big thanks to photographer Melissa Fuller for the beautiful photo of Liz and Cooley Nutcracker- Liz Halliday-Sharp - HS Eventing. Liz and her horses have taken the eventing world by storm - and find out how Liz is at the top of the sport as a female eventer! As the horse world gears up for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event 2023, it's the perfect time to enjoy our eventing issue!! We also feature eventer and woman entrepreneur Frankie Thieriot Stutes, who is not only an eventer, but also runs Athletux and FRANKIE CAMERON handbags and accessories. And don't miss our eventing story on Robert "Bobby" Costello, who will be leading the US Eventing team to the 2024 Paris Olympics- and US Equestrian has named Bobby the eventing technical advisor/chef d'equipe!! Liz, Frankie and Bobby all have GREAT stories - don't miss any of them and don't forget to get your tickets for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day event! We are also excited to introduce you to hunter-jumper rider Casey Lorusso Smith, who is not only a talented rider but also a psychotherapist and incorporates horses into her career. If you are up for adventure, then read the story on dressage rider Priscilla Baldwin who certainly doesn't let any grass grow under her feet! We also head to the west coast to catch up with hunter-jumper trainer Jim Hagman of Elvenstar Farm, we feature beautiful art by equestrian artist Tammy Tappan, and we get to know Miranda Jones and her family. Miranda is not only an attorney who spends a lot of time in the courthouse, but she's a rider and spends lots of time riding, and is joined by her daughters also! We are excited to feature Stephanie Lightner in our Unbridled column, and don't miss our columnists George Williams, Robert R.L. Jacobs and Margie Sugarman! It's a great issue - and you can read it online, but don't forget to go to the website and order a subscription and get every issue delivered to your mailbox!! Enjoy this issue and enjoy the ride: Link in bio!!
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