Our Featured Junior Rider of the Month is Matilda Bishop
Matilda came to Lancers as a camper in our 2017 Beginner March Break and Summer camps. She quickly fell in love with riding and was able to join our Junior Beginner Course that fall after being on the waitlist for quite a while. Now a Junior Member for two years, Matilda has moved up to Ride 8 and is improving her skills every day! She says she enjoys riding at Lancers because the pace of the lessons is suited to her learning style. When Matilda first started at lancers she was very timid, but is now a self-proclaimed ambassador for Lancers and does an amazing job at representing so many of our values.
Our oldest and smallest pony, Jake, is Matilda’s favourite Lancer horse. She says like many ponies he has a strong personality “but he’s really nice and loves other people, loves to be with someone. He will follow me if I take him out. I just love him.”
Lancers has had a great impact on Matilda in the two years she’s been with us. She credits spending time at the barn in making her more confident and bringing out her leadership skills (which at 10 years old, she already has in abundance!). This August Matilda made great strides and attended our sleep away Salmon River camp. She hopes to be riding here for many years to come and has even thought about becoming an instructor here when she grows up.
Everyone at Lancers comments on how helpful Matilda can be and loves having her around. She regularly spends her time here (we’re fairly certain she is here six days a week – one Lancer parent asked us if she has a closet under the stairs that she sleeps in), even when she’s not riding. She is always helping out our barn monitors and stable hands with chores and hay. She is developing into a strong leader and is always willing to assist a new rider with grooming or tacking up. Matilda exhibits so many Lancer values and we are so happy to see her grow and develop everyday! Lancers wouldn’t be the same without Matilda!
