Our Featured Junior Rider of the Month is Mia Chapman Belliveau

September is always an exciting time at Lancers as we often have one or two new staff members join our team as new instructors and/or barn monitors. Mia is a wonderful example of someone who is dedicated to improving their horse skills and development without seeking credit. We are fortunate to have her as a Lancer!

Mia started riding at Lancers seven years ago and has just started in Ride 1. She began riding at the age of five and took lessons at a stable in Moncton. Looking for a riding school closer to home, Mia’s mother found Lancers. With her previous riding experience, Mia entered Ride 7. Her sister, Esmee, was not far behind her and still also rides at Lancers. Mia Chapman Belliveau has just become a barn monitor and is also working towards becoming a certified instructor.
Mia has always had a love of horses.

At Lancers, she has loved many different horses and noted her past phases with different horses including Ben, Bud, Bobbi, Sadie, and most recently, Oliver. Oliver is definitely Mia’s favourite horse as she noted, “Oliver, all the way!” and explained that she trusts him a lot and has the most fun with him. She has earned her rider level 6.

Mia enjoys the people at Lancers, especially those in her ride, but she also greatly values that at Lancers, you learn to have responsibilities but also have fun. Mia explained that she appreciates other staff and previous barn monitors who have taught those responsibilities to riders and have been correcting but always supportive. “They are accepting”, she added, “and my goal is to instill that in someone else and to use an encouraging approach as a barn monitor”.

Mia greatly appreciates the sense of responsibility and routine being a barn monitor gives her. Mia has also worked as a weekend stablehand for two years but her barn monitor role, she feels, has given her a greater sense of purpose. She explained, “I like that I have somewhere to show up to and that I have to go to work. It doesn’t feel like a chore which I think is important. It makes you feel that you’re not just existing but that you’re living”.

When asked what impact Lancers has had on her life, Mia reaffirmed the sense of purpose and responsibility but also noted that Lancers has taught her to read people and animals. She added, “I have learned to be around lots of people of varying ages and to learn to get along with them. We may not always agree with each other’s perspectives but I can understand them”. This seems like a valuable life lesson that Mia is ready to take with her in life. In the future, Mia wishes to become a civil rights lawyer, an advocate for injustice either for people or animals, or a psychologist. “Abuse of power bothers me”, she explained.

We’re pleased to have Mia entering a new phase of her Lancer life and we look forward to seeing her grow as a horse person, rider, staff member, and young woman!