Our Featured Junior Rider of the Month is Alexandra Chisolm

One of the greatest parts of Lancers, particularly the way our lessons are divided into rides, is that we are fortunate to see riders progress and grow as horse people and as individuals. Alex has been riding at Lancers for three years and is in ride 8. On Thursdays, she is taught by Angie and on Saturdays, by Brenna and one of Alex’s favourite things about her ride is that they are always “working as a group at the same level”. Ensuring that riders are similarly matched in ride level is a tricky process and it is great to hear such positive feedback from our younger riders.

It is evident that Alex has a deep and genuine care for horses. She said she has always liked horses and “thought they were pretty cool” from a young age. She explained, “they are really pretty and they are smart.  I think I started the idea of taking riding lessons. She likes riding because she gets to be with horses and it is not a sport where it is just her and the equipment. Alex’s favourite horse is Jake because she likes that he can be stubborn sometimes. She added, “I don’t like a perfect horse because then I don’t learn”. This is an extremely good attitude to take and it shows that Alex has a pretty mature outlook for being nearly eleven years old. Alex’s second favourite horse is Scoobie as she says he is a good horse to start something new one because he is not too fast and not too slow. Jumping on Jake though still reigns supreme. One of Alex’s favourite memories of Lancers was her first training show when she rode Jake. She had a great time and enjoyed staying at the barn all day!

During her time at Lancers, Alex has been a great helper with shavings and hay deliveries and during August clean up. She has also done a few training shows with, you guessed it, Jake! When asked what she enjoys most about Lancers, Alex said that she likes there is a bunch of extra activities like shavings and hay that she can participate in. She added that getting pizza at the end of the shavings delivery is an extra bonus. This past year Alex also took the initiative to try to help the horses when they were quarantined. Alex is a part of “100 Kids Who Care”, a local organisation where children aged 5-14 come together four times a year and each bring $10 to donate. The young people nominate local charities/not-for-profits and then by random selection, three are chosen for the evening. The youth who nominated them then present a 1-2 minute “pitch”. Participants then vote on which group should receive the donations. Alex and her friend, who isn’t a Lancer but loves horses, decided to make a pitch to help the Lancer horses. So they prepared a script and presented in front of seventy people. Although they didn’t win, they were successful in coming away with a $50 donation which Alex then presented to Lancers to help cover the medical costs of the horses’ treatment.

When Alex isn’t riding, she enjoys playing basketball, spending time with her cat and dog, and reading. Harry Potter is her favourite so she appreciates our Harry Potter-themed horse names! In the future, Alex would like to keep riding and maybe own a few horses. She added, “it would be cool to get pretty good at riding and compete at an off-property show”. We have all the confidence that Alex will reach her future goal, especially with her positive attitude to riding and wanting to learn from tricky rides and horses.

To learn more about 100 Kids who Care, see http://www.100kidshalifax.ca/