Young Equestrian Takes
Hopkins County "Roots"
To East Coast Competition

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

While many youth her age are talking on the phone, playing video games, or headed for the soccer field, one young lady with Hopkins County "roots" is mucking stalls, practicing jumps, and putting her horse through the paces, on almost any given day. She is Andrea Gail "Andi" Lawrence, twelve year old daughter of Paul and Jane Lawrence, of West Chester, Pennsylvania. Of course, she's the granddaughter of Hopkins County residents Betty Gideon of Sulphur Springs, and Paul and Jann Lawrence of Como. "Andi eats and breathes horses," expresses her mom, Jane Lawrence. "She's always had a love for animals and truly loves every minute of working with her horses. Her horse stall is much more well-kept than her room!"

"Well, some things are more important," shyly admits Andi. "My horse is the most important thing in the world!"

 

Andi demonstrates the dessage portion of the competition, on her mount, "Nibbs," at Plantation Field,
in Unionville, PA.

Andi Lawrence took her love for animals a step further, when her family located to Pennsylvania, with her father's job and soon could be found watching the graceful moves of English Riding horses, as they trotted, cantered, galloped, and jumped the trial fields near her home. "I want to do that someday," Andi told her mom at an early age.

By eight years old, Andi began riding lessons at a nearby stables and continued her intense interest in riding, with an "eye" for competition in English Riding events. Even though both Paul and Jane Lawrence were reared in Hopkins County and the state of Texas, neither had a background of riding horses. "It was a completely new adventure for us," admits Paul Lawrence, Jr. "Sure, I'd seen a horse in a pasture and even rode one, once or twice as kid, but I'd never even thought of competing or the intense hours of lessons and training, that Andi was interested in undertaking."

Andi here demonstrates the Stadium jumping portion of the three-phase competition.

"While my friends are taking their daughters to soccer practice, I'm delivering Andi, on a daily basis, to the riding stables, seven miles from our home," states Jane. "It's an intense sport and hours on top of hours of practice must be completed, learning all of the basic skills and moves."

"It really isn't all that difficult!," modestly states Andi, but soon she's describing difficult foot action required in the dressage portion of competition and the intense concentration between horse and rider during performances.

Andi trains at Red Bridge Farms, under the careful eye of her instructor, Maya Studenmund, an Advanced Level Equestrian Eventer. "Maya knows how to inspire me to continue reaching for the stars," states Andi. "She leads me from one phase of the competition, toward the next, while making it all fun!"

 

Eventing competitions are a "three-phase" contest. Stage 1 is the dressage portion of the contest and involves a series of intricate moves demonstrating the rider's ability and control of the horse, involving figure-8's, side-passes, and other moves. The second stage features Stadium Jumping, where the rider and horse make jumps over bars, before the judge. The third phase of the competition involves cross-country jumping and the rider presents the horse in a series of jumps over water, logs, and other more natural obstacles.

"Competition is the opportunity to express all of the things you and your horse have been working on, at the stables, on a daily basis," acknowledges Andi. "It's bringing all of those hours of practice together and measuring your abilities against other competitors."

Twelve year-old Andi Lawrence, proudly displays her winning blue ribbon
at the May Fairhill Farms Competition, in Maryland.

Ironically, Andi won her first blue ribbon award at Fairhill Farms, in Maryland, the same day that Barbaro, of that farm, won the Kentucky Derby. "It was great to win the competition and do so well, and even more special, when I learned that the famous horse from Fairhill Farm won the biggest horse race in the world, the same day," admitted Andi, with a twinkle in her eye!

Andi is currently competing at the Beginner Novice Level and hopes to advance to the "Novice" Level in next year's competition. She has just purchased a new horse, Wilson, a nine-year old bay gelding, that is a Quarter Horse X Pony of America, and will be preparing him for next year's competition.

Andi demonstrating the Cross-Country phase of the competition, where she and her horse must
have complete trust for one another.

As with any sport, everything isn't always easy. In February of 2006, "Star," Andi's trusted mount, that she had worked so hard with, was lost in a stable fire, creating a "hole" in her heart and the need for finding another horse. But, like a true "trooper," Andi is excited about Wilson and states that his show name is "A Work In Progress!"

"Eventing is a sport that is a deep trust between the horse and rider and you must be able to control your animal with the slightest movement or cue," acknowleges Andi. "But, it is the greatest feeling in the world to 'master' the jumps and to realize that your hours of practice have trained the animal to make those jumps!"

Andi is a member of the United States Equestrian Association and will begin accumulating points, next year when she begins entering the Novice Level competitions. She competes in Northeast Eventing Circuit that includes the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Delaware.

 

Andi Lawrence and her new mount, Wilson, as they begin the intense training for next year's
Novice competition.

Is an olympic bid somewhere in the future? Andi states that she must master each level of competition, first, and doesn't even think about such grand expectations. "Sure, it would be wonderful to compete on such a level, some day, but I'm just happy working and training my horses, every day!" expresses Andi.

However, you can bet that regardless of her level of advancement in equestrian competition, she has a "cheering section" of relatives in Hopkins County, who are watching her every move!

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