Each week a Sportsmanship Award will be presented to one rider at the Angelstone Tournaments who displays an optimistic attitude and work ethic, who is kind to their horse and ingate staff and has an overall positive approach to horse showing.
The first Sportsmanship Award sponsored by Greenhawk of the Equine Choice Silver Series was awarded to 11-year-old Cara Butcher. Cara rides her pony “Call Me A Taxi” (aka Larry), a nine-year-old Arab-cross gelding who hates most people but loves Cara. Finding the hunter division to be “too slow,” Cara rides Larry in the .6 and .7 jumper divisions and hopes to be moving up to the .8 division soon. As member of the Dufferin County Pony Club, Cara has earned her D2 level and looking to get her C this spring, and competes in most of the Pony Club events which are held year-round.
Trained by her mother, Sarah Jandl, out of their Cedar Creek Farm in Shelburne, Cara hopes to share her love of horses by eventually becoming a coach and helping others learn to ride. Sarah says the chance to do the 0.6s and 0.7s in the large Kubota ring at the Caledon Equestrian Park gives her young rider the confidence to grow in her riding career.
“Cara consistently demonstrates her passion for both equestrian sports and community service through her volunteer work,” said Carolyn Lane, a boarder at Cedar Creek Farms. “Her dedication and enthusiasm are evident as she balances her time between school, training with her pony, giving lessons to riders more junior than herself, feeding the horses, grooming boarder’s horses, and assisting others – always with a smile on her face.”
Cara loves to volunteer and help others out. “I help others to be kind and not expect anything in return and treat them the way I want to be treated,” she said. “I like to help because I enjoy it, makes me feel happy to help.”
To get Greenhawk show ring ready, Larry gets treated to bathes with Mane and Tail shampoo and conditioner and Miracle Groom detangler and shine, and has Hoof Doctor applied to his hooves.