Our Featured Junior Riders for July are our five graduating Lancers!
This month we are featuring our graduating riders!
Amy, Sara (graduating next year), and Alix in the Public Gardens
As we near the end of our riding year, it comes time for us to say farewell (for now..) to our riders who are graduating high school and moving on to university. This year, five of our riders are “aging out” and leaving Lancers.
There were tears - but that means that Lancers, the horses, riders, volunteers, and instructors did their job in fostering a welcoming and fun space where individuals could come together with a shared passion for horses and equestrian athleticism. The fact that many younger riders go off to see and take photos with their graduating peers in the Public Gardens speaks to this close bond between our riders. (Photos)
AMY WITHINGTON is excited to be going to McGill University and is very determined to keep riding. Upon reflection of her ten years spent at Lancers, Amy said she will cherish the friendships, amazing experiences (coaching, riding, musical ride, working with the horses). “It doesn’t feel just like friendships”, Amy said, “we feel like sisters”. We asked each rider what lessons they have learned at Lancers that will be useful for their future. Responsibility and work ethic!
ALIX LANE is headed to Queens University for a Bachelor of Arts. Alix has ridden at Lancers for 5 years and has similarly made a lot of friends for life here. As a piece of advice for younger riders, Alix suggested, “Always get back on the horse” - a good lesson for life indeed.
Amy and Claire (graduating next year)
SOPHIE HARTLEN will also be leaving the province when she joins Mount Allison University in New Brunswick. Sophie too, mentioned that she would miss all the people and horses at Lancers. Sophie made a point to note that Lancers taught her about more than just riding and showed her “how to get over frustrations, and move through fear of frustrations, and focus on the matter at hand”. Finally, as a word of advice for younger riders, Sophie said “get involved with everything you can and savour this time because it goes by in the blink of an eye”.
CHARLOTTE MCNEELY will be attending Acadia University in the fall. She hopes to eventually become a veterinarian. She started riding at Lancers 6 years ago, and says “Lancers has made me more confident in myself and my abilities.” Charlotte is a Francophone, and credits Lancers with giving her the opportunity to practice and improve her English skills, on top of her riding skills. She says Lancers taught her how to make new friends in an unfamiliar setting. She plans to continue to ride but will miss Lancers very much. “I will miss the horses a lot, but I will especially miss the People of Lancers.”
JOHANNA WENC will be joining Alix at Queen’s in the fall. She has also been with us for 5 years. She was unavailable for comment, but we know we will miss her greatly. Johanna could always be counted on to have a wonderful attitude toward any given task. She set a great example for our Lancer community and we wish her all the best.
Sophie, Amy, and Alix
We are very fortunate to have been a part of the lives of these young women and to watch them as they embark on new chapters in their lives. We wish that we may keep happy memories, and lessons, both horse, and life-related, with them. We can’t wait for their first visits back to the barn. We shall welcome them with open arms but let’s not be fooled - the horses will be expecting some special treats and attention!
