Tryouts:
IEA Membership is open until November 1st, with tryouts being the first step in the process. There are many factors that Taylor and I are looking for in and out of the ring as we consider the ideal candidate to be on the IEA team. Our goal as coaches and trainers is to help your child reach their full potential not just as a rider but as a human.
- What is their effort level?
- Are they respectful to their peers and elders?
- How well do they follow instruction?
- When they have a problem do they fix it or continually make the same mistake?
- Do they rise to the challenge or look for the easy way out?
- How do they deal with success and more importantly failure?
If your child shines during tryouts, great! The next step is to receive an invite to the team. Conversely, if your rider does not perform well during the tryouts, then Taylor and I will coach them, to see if they are able to take instruction and apply it, while maintaining a positive attitude and putting forth their best effort. With any team sport or environment, there are varying levels of skill set within the team and in each “category” of competition. Your child should not be discouraged if they aren’t one of the more seasoned riders or if they do not have tenure at the barn. To use an analogy, Taylor and I would rather have a team of “Rudy’s”, than have a team of Kobe Bryants.
The goal of having tryouts is to remind each rider that they are a potential teammate and a very important ingredient in the recipe for our team success. They should expect to be challenged, pushed out of their comfort zone and asked to reach further than they have in the past. In that same tenor, it is important to mention that past performances are not a consideration for our tryouts or the team. We have to make our team roster with what we see in front of us. There are several riders that have been asked to tryout again, because they were lacking either confidence, discipline, positive attitude or effort on the day that we asked them to tryout.
We are not making cuts, but we are assessing if the IEA team is the best fit for your rider and the barn, in the long run. If we allow some riders to give less than 100% and still make the team from that effort, then we are setting the tone-from-the-top in the wrong direction. We look forward to continuing the growth of your child as a rider, a teammate and a successful young adult.
July IEA Camp:
Camp is July 18-20 and you must sign your riders up as soon as possible.
Details to follow shortly
Social Media:
It is continually brought to our attention that there is barn drama over social media. We obviously have no way of policing this so if you can help us at home that would be great.
Some examples include, but are not limited too:
- Group IEA texts that leave people out.
- Peers commenting negatively about each other.
- Riders commenting with coaching remarks on peers posts or videos.
- Andrea, Taylor and I are constantly quoted saying things we never said.
If you believe or are bothered by a comment that was insinuated as being said by one of the trainers, then please address it with us directly. That said, if there is a consistent pattern, then we will need to address how we are allowing teen children to paint narratives, rather than just focus on the extracurricular activity that they are here for. Part of horsemanship is also sportsmanship and maturity.
Planning for next season:
I want to take this opportunity to announce this will be my last season as an IEA coach. With that being said Taylor will continue next year but with being on her own the team will have 3 riders ONLY per level.
Upper School – Open Intermediate, Novice, Beginner – total 12 riders
Middle School – Intermediate, Novice Beginner – total 9 riders
Currently we are doing 10-12 shows per season plus post season. Next year that will reduce to 5 or 6. Cedarhill will most likely host 1 vs. the 3 we will host this year due to team size.
This change will allow me to get some of my life back 🙂 Neil hopes you understand. The size of the IEA program has also put a lot of wear and tear on the farm and the school horses. Cedarhill’s main goal has always been and continues to be top level Hunt Seat riding. By opening weekends we can add to the A show and C show calendar as well as make time for clinicians. We have stepped away from this over the past 6 years to make room for IEA and feel it is time to return to the main focus of top show hunters, jumpers, and equitation. Both the A and C levels have year end finals that can be qualified for. It is important to have goals and know what you are working towards in lessons. I hope by announcing this now it gives you and your rider time to plan for next year and beyond.
Though the email was lengthy, the content was heartfelt and hopefully, informative- as aimed. We look forward to growing the ridership and farm in a positive and productive manner, that will facilitate a competitive and highly sought after riding environment for all skill levels and families of diverse backgrounds.
Please contact Caroline or Taylor with any questions or concerns.
Best and ride on….straight.