Member Spotlight: Lindsey Savoy

Written by Lindsey Savoy, Oregon Trail Pony Club

My name is Lindsey Savoy, and I’m a C-1 member of Oregon Trail Pony Club from the Oregon Region.  I was invited to an unmounted Pony Club meeting by a friend, Grace Emerson, when I was in fourth grade, and joined that night.  While I haven’t rated in almost 9 years, I have tried to remain as involved with Pony Club as I could.  I found that my favorite part of Pony Club was teaching other people.  Many of my younger club members have grown up and now hold higher certifications than myself, but I look forward to continuing to teach and support them, as they teach and support me as well.

Pony Club taught me the value of horsemen.  I believe that in order to be successful, the horse must be loved more than the sport.  You will have bad rides, and you will have bad shows.  Sometimes you’ll have a lot of them in a row.  But when the horse is put before the competition, it’s easier to persevere because you do it out of love.  My horse, Diva, and I had the honor of competing at FEI North American Youth Championships this past summer, and the comment I received the most while I was there was about the care I took of my horse and the relationship that we had.  I certainly didn’t have the best rides of my life while I was there, but the time and experience I had with Diva was priceless.

Dressage is not the most popular discipline in Pony Club.  It can be perceived as boring, but I hope to change that.  I’ve tried to coach, run polocrosse clinics, and teach horse management for the past few years in order to support our region, but I want to do more.  This year, I’ve committed to choreographing and putting together music for any Oregon Region Pony Club members who are hoping to qualify for championships.  I also plan to attend championships to coach any Pony Club members who are unable to bring their trainers, or just to be there for moral support.

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