June 13, 2001
Girls demonstrate horse sense
Windemere Riders perform for Zonta Club
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
In keeping with their mission to serve and encourage teenage girls, the Zonta Club's annual Fun Night featured a precision riding performance of five young female riders from the Windemere Riders.
The 30-minute performance exemplified the girls' teamwork, dedication, responsibility and hard work, traits near and dear to the Zonta Club credo.
"One of our own big projects is Project 100, which promotes girls to follow math and science careers," said Pat Lewallen, a Zonta member who helped set up the evening's program. "We wanted to support girls as part of our evening."
Zonta member Deanna Cannon suggested showcasing the Windemere Riders during the Fun Night. Her own daughter, Danielle, is a member and she has watched how participating in the program has helped Danielle gain confidence in the past two years.
"This program really promotes one of the goals of Zonta: encouraging responsibility and building confidence in young women," Cannon said. "These are two things that will help them in anything they choose to do."
The first rider, Heidi Heitzman, 17, gave a demonstration of English riding and dressage. Next came a demonstration of a quadrille, which featured four riders working together on a series of patterns that highlight English riding and dressage. The precision routine was choreographed by the girls themselves and they plan to perform it at shows this summer. Their seemingly effortless movements around the ring, smoothly transitioning from walk to cantor to trot, belied the long months of training they put in.
"We began last summer in horse camp at Windemere," said Christa Wunderlich, 15, one of the team members. "The hardest thing is keeping in synch."
Wunderlich, a ninth grade student at Traverse City West Junior High, has been riding for two years. Devoted to the sport, she participates in Windemere's working rider program, which means she helps with all aspects of horse care to earn riding and lesson time. She is at the barn at least four hours a day, three or four days a week during the school year; in the summer she is there all day, every day. These hours are not a sacrifice for her, she could not imagine doing anything else.
"I think riding and being with horses is a lot of fun," said Wunderlich, who plans to study horse management in college and maybe manage or own a stable someday. "It is a lot of work but it is fun."
Wunderlich's mother, Cathy, has watched her daughter blossom at the stable, eagerly taking on more and more responsibility and training.
"This has become her passion," she said. "She's done gymnastics, she's done dance, she's played instruments. But this has become her passion, she's found her spot."
This kind of devotion and enthusiasm is typical of the 16 members of the Windemere Riders, said stable owner Jenny Leggett. She and her husband, Dave, opened the stable nine years ago and have 24 horses, all of which they own.
Together they have more than 60 years combined educational and horse training experience. As they work with the girls, plus the two boys in the program, they delight in watching each member grow and develop as both riders and caretakers. The girls help train the horses as well as feed and care for them in all ways; all that in-depth caretaking will make them better riders, Leggett said.
"Watching the girls develop, that my biggest thrill," Leggett said. "They really are part of the farm, they help with everything from choosing stallions for breeding, work with the babies, to sewing costumes, driving tractor and swinging a hammer."