Member Spotlight: Audrey Ditlefsen

This Pony Club Member Spotlight, brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products, features Audrey Ditlefsen, a Dressage and Show Jumping rider from Magic Valley Pony Club in the Intermountain Region.

Age: 18

Club/Region: Magic Valley Pony Club/Intermountain Region

Years in Pony Club: 6

Current certification (and/or certification currently working on): H-B Horse Management, D-2 Eventing, C-1 Dressage, D-3 Hunter Seat Equitation

What disciplines and/or activities are you involved in?
Dressage and Show Jumping

Tell us about your current mount(s) and what you do with her:
I have been given the opportunity to ride two amazing mounts, Giacomo and Beezy. Giacomo (aka, G) is a 17-hand 19-year-old Belgium Warmblood gelding who I have ridden Dressage on for the past two years. He is a very tense and anxious boy due to experiences with past owners, so I mainly work to improve our relaxation together. G has improved so much over the years. He was a big jump up from my earlier mount, and he has helped me grow in my confidence as a rider!

Beezy (show name: The Bee’s Knees) is a 15-hand 16-year-old Welsh-Thoroughbred cross. I have ridden him off and on for the past four years, but more consistently the past year. Together we do low-level jumping. He has taught me everything I know about jumping and has made sure that I always know how to ride a long spot.

Tell us about your goals (with Pony Club, with riding, and in life):
My most current goals are to complete my freshman year of college and to get certified as a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor. I love volunteering at therapeutic riding centers and hope to be an instructor at one after I achieve my certification. I currently plan to get degrees in Psychology and Exercise Science, so I can later become an occupational therapist and provide hippotherapy. I plan to continue with Pony Club and riding during the summer and hope to later find somewhere I can take lessons while in college.

What is your favorite thing about Pony Club?
My favorite part of Pony Club is definitely all of the wonderful people I have gotten to meet. I have made some great friends of all ages in Pony Club. I love getting to work with and help teach the younger members, and I have good memories of being taught by the members older than me. Even when I am having a rough day, I know that when I get to the ranch, everyone will help me feel better and forget about what’s troubling me. I love our lazy warm-up laps around the arena when we all just laugh and talk. The community in Pony Club is truly amazing.

What is one thing you would tell younger members about joining Pony Club?
My biggest advice for younger members is to not be afraid! I was so shy in my first couple of years of Pony Club and took a really long time to open up. Now I look back and think it was so silly for me to be nervous. Everyone in Pony Club is so kind and wants to support you. My last piece of advice is to have fun! Pony Club is a place to have fun with your passion and to make lifelong friends!

What is your favorite way to prepare for a Horse Management certification?
My first favorite way to prep for a Horse Management certification is by studying information with other Pony Club members. I study with members who already have the certification I am going for to ensure I have all the correct information. Then I study with my friend who has the same certification as I, and we go back and forth quizzing each other. If we get bored with studying, we sometimes go out and get lunch to keep our energy and motivation up.

My second favorite way to study is by teaching my mom the information I’m learning. I just talk out loud and tell her everything I know. My mom probably knows way more about parasites and diseases in horses than she ever wanted to, considering how much studying for the H-B I did with her.

If you could try out any other discipline or activity, what would it be and why?
I would love to try cross-country in the future! I haven’t had the opportunity or mount to do it yet, but I always love watching.

Describe your favorite Pony Club memory:
One of my favorite Pony Club memories is when we do our Halloween rides. Every year, the whole club gets together with costumes for riders and their mounts. Then we split into two teams and compete in games. It is always so cute seeing everyone’s costumes. Last year, I dressed up as Remy from Ratatouille, and my pony was Alfredo Linguini, the chef. It’s so fun switching up our routine to try something new by playing games. My favorite is the egg and spoon competition (even though I’ve only gotten close to winning once).

How did you get started with horses? Are you a member of any other equine organizations?
I got started with horses when I kept asking my parents for riding lessons during fifth grade. Finally, that next summer, my dad introduced me to his coworker, and she gave me lessons for the next year. After she sold her horse that next summer, she introduced me to the Magic Valley Pony Club, and I have been there ever since.

Have you done any specific special activities in Pony Club, such as international exchanges, recognition programs, virtual competitions, etc.)? Tell us more.
I have not done any special activities in Pony Club yet, but I am hoping to be a part of the National Youth Congress sometime in the next few years. I had the opportunity to attend the 2024 USPC Convention in Reno and would love to be able to go to another convention as an NYC member!

What makes you #PonyClubProud?
One thing that makes me Pony Club Proud is being able to say that I have my H-B certification because Pony Club has taught me so much. That knowledge allows me to help out more than just as a general volunteer at other horse centers, like the therapeutic riding centers I have volunteered at.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
Pony Club has made such a big impact on my life, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. It has helped me expand my horse knowledge, but also helped me develop skills that I use in my everyday life, especially now in college. Pony Club is a great organization that I hope anyone interested in horses tries out!

Thank you to our latest USPC Member Spotlight Audrey Ditlefsen. Want to be featured in a future Member Spotlight? Fill out the form here.

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