SEQUIM AND PORT Angeles high school equestrian teams did an outstanding job at the third and final state high school Equestrian District 4 meet of the season in Elma. End-of-season medals and awards were also handed out. Next up is the state finals, scheduled June 17-20 in Moses Lake.
PA results
Port Angeles’ team is comprised of Amelia Kinney, Haley Bishop, Sara Holland, Sydney Hutton and Katie Marchant.
Kinney: Steer daubing, first; breakaway roping, third; reining, sixth; dressage, seventh; working rancher, sixth.
Bishop: Keyhole, 13th; poles, eighth; barrels, 14th; figure 8, 17th; birangle, 11th; team sorting, 22nd.
Holland: Jumping, third; hunt seat, third; flags, ninth; poles, 11th; dressage, fifth.
Hutton: Jumping, first; hunt seat, fourth; poles, 16th; barrels, 21st; dressage, 10th.
Marchant: In-hand trail, third; showmanship, 12th; dressage, fourth; hunt seat, 12th; barrels, 25th.
Holland and Hutton: birangle, eighth; working pairs, second.
Bishop, Hutton, Marchant, Holland: Team versatility, fifth.
Holland, Marchant, Bishop, Kinney: In-hand obstacle relay, eighth.
Coach Nancy McCaleb gave Holland the team’s Exceptional Athlete Award for giving up her place in dressage at state so teammate Marchant, who was an alternate, could attend. Holland will be attending the meet in other events.
Sequim results
Sequim’s team is Libby Swanberg, Kerry Tucker, Susannah Sharp, Abby Garcia and Rainey Bronsink.
Swanberg: Jumping, second; poles, third; figure 8, fifth; breakaway roping, first; steer daubing fifth.
Tucker: Showmanship, ninth; reining, sixth; working rancher, second; steer daubing, third.
Sharp: Showmanship, 16th; in-hand trail, 11th; figure 8, 16th; keyhole, 17th.
Garcia: Reining, 13th; individual flag, 10th; figure 8, 12th; keyhole, 7th; barrels, 13th.
Bronsink: Individual flag, first; figure 8, 10th; barrels, second.
Tucker and Sharp: Working pairs, fifth.
Tucker, Swanberg: Cattle sorting, 15th.
Tucker, Swanberg, Sharp: Drill team, first.
Tucker, Swanberg, Sharp, Bronsink: In-hand obstacle relay, seventh; team versatility, seventh; Canadian flags, sixth.
District 4 awards
Inspirational Athlete: Tucker
Working rancher: Tucker, gold.
Jumping: Hutton, gold; Holland, silver; Swanberg, silver.
Hunt seat: Holland, silver; Hutton, silver.
Dressage: Holland, bronze, Marchant first alternate.
Steer daubing: Tucker, gold; Kinney, silver; Swanberg, bronze.
Breakaway roping: Swanberg, gold; Kinney, silver.
Drill team: Tucker, Swanson, Sharp, gold.
Barrels: Bronsink, bronze.
Cattle sorting: Tucker, Swanberg, Sharp, bronze.
Working pairs: Tucker, Sharp, first alternate.
Versatility: Tucker, Swanberg, Sharp, Bronsink, first alternate.
Individual flags: Bronsink, first alternate.
Figure 8: Swanberg, first alternate.
Keyhole: Bronsink, first alternate.
Birangle: Tucker, Bronsink, first alternate.
Patterned Speed Horse
The old adage, “The family that plays together stays together” can be seen throughout the generations of Patterned Speed Horse Association (PSHA) members, such as Sam and Donna Parks’ family. Their two children, Jessica and Jamie, started competing in gaming events with Sam as youngsters. Even their grandchildren are involved.
Now, Sam is in the Super Senior age division; Jessica is Senior B; and Jamie is a Senior A and current PSHA president. The Parks’ grandchildren, Duncan and Samantha, each started when they were knee-high to a grasshopper and now rise as Intermediates. Donna and Melonie, Jamie’s wife, work in administrative and support areas.
Then there’s the Tjoelker family. Marv Tjoelker, 62, was competing in May at the Crosby’s Arena in Agnew with his wife Linda and a handful of their 11 children and grandchildren, who are also PSHA members.
“I started soon after getting married to Marv,” Linda said. “Then our kids grew up part of the organization, and now our grandkids. We feel so blessed to have been able to do this with our families because we get to spend so much quality time together, and we all can take part. It’s not like baseball, where the entire family goes to watch one member play. We’re all involved, and it’s for all ages.”
She said even if a family member can’t ride, they can still be involved, so they aren’t sitting around bored. Daughter Kristi Merrill was nursing a hurt ankle. She couldn’t ride, but she helped in the arena booth, announcing events and keeping track of times. Her husband, Justin Merrill, also grew up competing in speed horse events with his family.
Their daughter, Tressa Merrill, 19, opened the show with a Rodeo Run and is running for Interstate Princess.
There are numerous other longtime Olympic Peninsula families who compete with and against each other in PSHA. My apologies for not having the space to include them all.
High point winners for May 22-23 were: Buckaroo, Levi Hull; Junior, Lillian Bond; Intermediate, Gracie Niemeyer; Senior A, Justin Lant; Senior B, Jessica Parks; Super Senior, Sam Parks.
High point winners for the June 5-6 were Levi Hull, Lillian Bond, Jessica Parks, Dan Dickson and Sam Parks.
For more information, visit patternedspeedhorse.com.
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Karen Griffiths’ column, Peninsula Horseplay, appears the second and fourth Sunday of each month.
If you have a horse event, clinic or seminar you would like listed, please email Griffiths at kbg@olympus.net at least two weeks in advance. You can also call her at 360-460-6299.
Justin Merrill burns and turns around a pole in good form in the pole-bending competition during May’s Patterned Speed Horse Association show at Crosby’s Arena in Agnew. (Karen Griffiths/for Peninsula Daily News)
