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THE RIDER EXTRA APRIL 2010 /13

Recognizing Nanci Picken

By Chris Tulloch

Nanci Picken is a bit of a fixture in therapeu- tic riding and riding in general. Nanci has owned, trained, and raised horses for almost 50 years. She was certi- fied as a Level 1 Coach in 1982 and has trained riders up to Trillium Level while employed as manager of Rose Hill Farm in Leith in the early 80’s.

Instructor and finally as program manager for 11 years at the GRACE program in the 90s. She is certified as a Canadi- an Therapeutic Riding Instructor and at GRACE she trained therapy horses, taught people with disabilities, trained instructors and volunteers, fundraising, and general management of the program.

Nanci organized Trillium shows, a 3-day National Event, regular schooling shows and prepared Thoroughbreds for the sales ring. She even taught a night course, “Horse Manage- ment and Care” through Bluewater Board of Ed and became a certified course designer as well as an Equine Canada Senior Steward and Hunter / Jumper Judge. While she worked week- ends all over Ontario in these various capacities, she also kept a job in a bank, vet clinic, auction market, tack shop, as

In 2001 she left GRACE and qualified as a CanTRA Coach and Examiner. She has trav- eled all over Canada examining candidate instructors and became a Director on the CanTRA Board and a member of the Certification and Standards Committees. She has been teaching at PRANCE in Port Elgin for many years and acts as their advisor. In 2007 she became the Devel- opment Co-ordinator for CanTRA which takes her all over Canada and even to Bermuda on sev- eral occasions to train instructors, inspect facil- ities, provide profession-

with many fears associ- ated with the accident which has proven very difficult to overcome, and in essence became a Therapeutic Rider her- self. It seems this could be one of the reasons she is so empathetic with the riders in thera- peutic programs who have wide-ranging phys- ical, mental and emo- tional disabilities.

Nanci has always been kind and generous to fellow equestrians. She has given her own time and expense visit- ing farms to measure ponies, fit tack and sad- dles, assess the health of horses, or teach horse- manship just to help horses and their owners and yet she has never asked for compensation or recognition.

al advice to start up Therapeutic Riding pro- grams, facilitate work- shops, and set up certifi- cation events across Canada.

In 1995 Nanci was seriously injured in a

horse accident that broke and dislocated her hip. She could no longer train horses but after undergoing a hip replacement in 2003 she was able to begin riding again. She had to deal

works part-time for a large animal Veterinari- an, manages her own small organic beef farm and has two Quarter Horses. She recently lost her beloved husband whom she met through

their mutual love of horses and is building a new life for herself. Nanci is proud of her two grown sons, one a police officer, the other a teacher and five won- derful grandchildren.

Spring Equine Photography Workshops... Sunday, April 25 and Sunday, May 2, 2010

Horses have been front and center in Nanci’s life since she was a young girl in Walkerton but her most important roles have been as wife, mother, grandmother and friend to many. Nanci still

Rocky Mountain Show Jumping Introduces Two Weeks of FEI Competition

Calgary, Alberta – Rocky Mountain Show Jumping will host two weeks of competition sanctioned by the Inter- national Equestrian Fed- eration (FEI) during its Rocky Mountain Classic I and Rocky Mountain Classic II show jumping tournaments held in August of 2010 in Cal- gary, AB.

This marks the first time that Rocky Moun- tain Show Jumping will host FEI-sanctioned competition. The CSI2* Rocky Mountain Classic I will be held August 18- 22 while the CSI2* Rocky Mountain Classic II will be held August 25-29. Both weeks of competition will feature a $50,000 Grand Prix held on Saturday. In addition to prize money, competitors in the CSI2* events will also gain valuable points towards the FEI Rolex World Rider Rankings.

tion to western Canada will help our riders to further advance and gain recognition internation- ally. In today’s increas- ingly competitive envi- ronment, the opportunity to compete under FEI rules and earn points towards the world rank- ings is a huge incentive for riders.”

Do you like horses? How about photograph- ing them?

Join Sylvia Galbraith for one or both of her spring Equine Photography Workshops at Travis Hall Eques- trian Centre near Fergus. These informative work- shops are perfect for horse owners, breeders and train- ers, as well as photogra- phy fans. Sylvia is a well-known photogra- pher whose equine pho- tos sell world-wide, and her classes are popular and lots of fun.

Rocky Mountain Show Jumping hosts its tournaments at Anderson Ranch in Calgary’s south end, a world-class facility featuring perma- nent stabling for 300 horses and a grass grand prix field complete with natural obstacles.

“We are ecstatic to join the international scene and to be able to offer FEI-sanctioned events to our competi- tors,” said John Ander- son, President of Rocky Mountain Show Jump- ing. “Bringing more FEI-sanctioned competi-

“We have been working hard to develop our facility over the past decade, and the time has come to raise the bar and take things to the next level by hosting interna- tional FEI competi- tions,” noted Anderson, an active Grand Prix competitor who rode at the 1986 World Champi- onships and the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and most recently repre- sented Canada in the $350,000 BMO Nations’ Cup at the 2009 CSIO5* Spruce Meadows “Mas- ters” Tournament. “Upgrading our events

“Last year’s winner, Marshall Whyte riding Quinlan, is congratulated on his victory in the $50,000 Friends of Rocky Mountain Grand Prix by Rocky Mountain Show Jump- ing’s John Anderson (left) and David Chalack, President and CEO of the Calgary Stampede.” Photo credit - Karen Linkletter

to CSI status will allow us to continue to grow and increase our profile internationally, which can only help us to develop further in the future.”

Rocky Mountain Show Jumping is quick- ly developing a reputa- tion as one of Canada’s

premiere show jumping destinations. In addition to hosting FEI-sanc- tioned competition, the CSI2* Rocky Mountain Classic II will host the Western Canadian quali- fying event for the 2010 FEI Children’s Final in Doha, Qatar. The Rocky Mountain Classic III,

which will run Septem- ber 1-5, will play host to the Western Canadian Young Horse Finals. For more informa- tion on Rocky Mountain Show Jumping, please visit www.rmshowjump- ing.com.

The first workshop on Sunday, April 25 will cover Basic Equine Pho- tography. The morning will be spent in a class- room setting, where you will learn about equip- ment best suited for horse photography, as well as posing horses, lighting, dealing with conformation problems, and action photography. After lunch you will have an opportunity to practice with several of the farm’s horses, taking conformation type pho- tos as well as shots of horses under saddle and free running. You should bring a camera, film or digital, that you are familiar with, extra batteries and memory cards.

On the second weekend, Sunday May 2, we will look at Advanced Equine Pho- tography. This is where the fun starts. Again, the morning is spent in the classroom. We’ll study equipment for high-speed sports pho- tography, and look at ways to capture fast action. After lunch we’ll photograph riders

in various disciplines including mounted games, jumping, dres- sage, western events and more. This course is very hands-on, and you will be able to work with a variety of horses through the day. You should have an SLR style camera, film or digital. Bring extra memory cards or film and batteries.

The workshops are held at Travis Hall Equestrian Centre, just outside of Fergus, 15 minutes from Guelph. They run from 10:00 am through to 4:00 pm. Lunch is included in the cost. Take both work- shops, or just one. The fee for the Basic Work- shop is $110 + GST, and the Advanced class is $150 + GST or sign up for both for a special rate of $225 + GST. Space is limited to 15 participants per workshop, in order to provide lots of opportu- nity for individual atten- tion. Pre-registration is required to guarantee a spot, as they fill up quickly. Don’t be disap- pointed….

To register call 519- 787-7040, or e-mail info@silvercreekphoto.c a. You can also check out Sylvia’s website at www.silvercreekphoto.c a for more information. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29
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