Menomonie Saddle Club takes first at Minnesota State Fair
Sunday, September 21, 2008 4:49 PM CDT
The Menomonie Saddle Club (MSC) equestrian precision drill team competed and earned first place over the Labor Day weekend at the Minnesota State Fair. MSC is the only equestrian drill team representing Wisconsin that competes at the Minnesota State Fair against four other Minnesota drill teams. The club was also awarded first place in the barn awards, which is judged on barn decoration and cleanliness.
MSC has been in existence for more than 50 years and has been competing annually at the Minnesota State Fair for more than 40 years. The drill team has also entertained at rodeos, and has competed in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota in recent years.
The saddle club precision drill team is a group of horses and riders performing choreographed maneuvers to music. Drill teams are intended to entertain, show sportsmanship, horsemanship, team work and dedication. The competition is partially based on points earned by a judge’s inspection, in which members of the drill team must have a uniform appearance, including horses, outfits, hats, tack and flags. Several non-drill riding members serve as “ground crew” working to prepare the 20 riders and horses for this part of the competition.
The remaining points for the drill team competition at the Minnesota State Fair are accumulated from the actual performance ride, which took place on Aug. 31 in the State Fair Warner coliseum. The judge scores on ability, including spacing and alignment, timing and coordination, originality, difficulty and attractiveness of patterns, speed, horsemanship, uniformity, manners of the horses, music and crowd appeal.
This year’s drill team was choreographed by Kathy Mikesell (drill master) to the song “Ghostriders in the Sky.” Other members of the 2008 drill team include Krista Bodsberg, Kurt Burton, Nanette Burton, Chris Chapman, Kim Cunningham, Jean D’Angelo, Jena Down, Jimmy Hampton, Denise Horstman, Keith Lee, Kate Lessard, Laurie Lessard, Kirsten Myers, Lukas Olson, Cindy Swanepoel, Jim Swanepoel, Geri Wendt, Kelly Ziehl and Matt Ziehl.
The Menomonie Saddle Club includes nearly 40 families and is composed of members from Menomonie and surrounding communities including Boyceville, Chippewa Falls, Colfax, Elk Mound, Downsville and Eleva. The drill team begins practice on foot in area school gyms the beginning of April. In May, the team begins weekly practice at the Dunn County Fairgrounds arena. As Labor Day weekend approaches, practices are held twice a week. Several of the club’s members also competed and placed at the Minnesota State Fair in various events such as pole weaving, pole bending, barrel racing, four-in-line barrels, ribbon race and tandem bareback.
Annual events sponsored by the Menomonie Saddle Club include an open sanctioned game show, a two-day NBHA sanctioned barrel-racing show and trail rides, fun shows and sleigh rides for the club’s members.
The saddle club is always looking for new members, in addition to those who may be interested in riding or being a sub for the drill team. For more information, contact Geri Wendt, MSC president by phone at (715) 235-4065, by mail at Menomonie Saddle Club, c/o Geri Wendt, E7207 430th Ave., Menomonie WI, 54751, or by e-mail at geriwendt@vahoo. com. |
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