Horses Healing Hearts Vaulting Team  Rises Above Challenge

The sport of vaulting works to combine the joy of riding a horse and the freedom of flying with the satisfaction of athleticism and teamwork. Horses Healing Hearts (HHH), the nonprofit organization that uses horses to help children of alcoholics and addicts, is incorporating vaulting into its program to empower participants to work together as a team and learn to believe in their own abilities.

Vaulting is often described as gymnastics on horseback and has origins that can be traced back thousands of years. The discipline can be practiced as either competitive or therapeutic, and is open to men and women equally. A vaulting team usually includes seven individuals and one horse, although many teams use a wooden horse to learn fundamental skills.

Led by coach Maria Bernal, the HHH vaulting team meets once a week before the regular HHH program session to learn drills and put together routines. Bernal has been volunteering her coaching time at HHH for four years, and has seen the team grow and change as its members become more comfortable with their abilities.

“The first things I want to accomplish through vaulting are self-esteem, discipline and teamwork. If we can accomplish those three things, it’s not only teaching them vaulting and horseback riding, it is also teaching them skills for life,” she explained.

Many children who come to HHH are suffering due to a volatile family situation beyond their control. Because the clients of HHH are children of parents who struggle with alcoholism and addiction, they often arrive wary of adults. Many are uncomfortable communicating openly and are protective of their privacy.

Bernal is used to this behavior and uses it to her advantage. “When children come to HHH, they don’t trust us,” she said. “When I first start to teach them, they won’t say hello to me. They don’t want to have contact, because they do not trust that I will be a consistent presence in their lives. It is a relationship that we have to actively create at every step.”

The team currently consists of four members, all of whom have been together for at least a year. The personalities of the group vary; some participants are outspoken and assertive, while others are more introverted. Bernal treats each child equally and makes sure everyone is following her instruction attentively.

Bernal begins her lessons by leading the group in various stretching exercises to help loosen them up physically and to focus them. After stretching, the girls head out to the wooden barrel horse, which is outfitted with a pad and surcingle.

One of the girls brings over a trampoline, and Bernal leads the team in drills to mount the barrel, just as they would a real horse. One by one, each girl successfully mounts the barrel, while her teammates look on. It doesn’t take long for the girls to begin work through other movements while mounted, like making a complete clockwise rotation or coming up to a pose on their knees and eventually their feet.

“My favorite trick to do is a front flip,” said 9-year-old Victoria Campbell, who has been with HHH for four years. “It was scary when I first saw it, but it’s really fun once I learned to do it.”

Once all the team members have completed their movements, Bernal instructs them to start mounting the barrel one after the other. Laughter abounds as the girls work to find their footing and help one another assume their place on the barrel. In short order, the girls are all standing on the barrel and posed with arms outstretched and full smiles on their faces.

Bernal continues to instruct them — ever diligent that each pose is as correct as possible. Once she is satisfied, the girls are instructed to dismount one by one.

The team agrees that the next skill they’d like to conquer in their training is to add a real horse to their routine and start to find competitions to participate in.

Samantha Lee Wills, who has been with HHH for almost eight years, believes that a horse will make practices easier.

“On a real horse it’s simpler because their gait makes it easier to get into positions like flag and scissors, or dismounting,” she said.

For Bernal, giving the HHH kids the opportunity to compete is the No. 1 priority.

“Having a real horse to practice on is so important to the program. It brings the real purpose of competition,” she said. “It’s like having two hearts and one mind — they have to be very focused on what they are doing and to connect with the horse.”

Part of the challenge that faces the HHH team moving forward is the lack of popularity of the sport in the southeastern United States. They are one of the few teams that want to compete in vaulting in this region. Finding a horse is difficult, and raising the money to purchase the horse is a daunting task. However, Bernal feels certain that if the obstacles are approached in the correct way, there is a solution.

“Our goal now is to grow our team to a total of eight riders,” she said. “Once we accomplish that goal, we can compete in a few barrel competitions, and then work on finding the appropriate horse. But we can do it, and I have a lot of faith in our program.”

Alexis Manger, who has been with HHH for four years and on the vaulting team for two, described the program best.

“HHH makes our lives much better, because horses are brilliant and so fun to ride, and they really know what you are feeling, no matter what,” she said.

To learn more about Horse Healing Hearts and its programs for children and young adults, visit www.hhhusa.org. If you are interested in donating to the nonprofit organization or have information regarding a horse that may be appropriate for the program, call Lizabeth Olszewski at (561) 713-6133.

7-Goaler Santi Torres Is Always Working And Training ToBecome A Better Polo Player

For polo player Santiago “Santi” Torres, the sport and the culture of polo were part of his upbringing and made him who he is today. Everyone in his immediate family rode and played the “sport of kings” at some point in their lives, and polo continues to be the lifestyle Torres chooses to lead.

“I grew up in the sport. Both my parents played. So, I was born right into it. My big brother plays. I started from there,” Torres recalled.

Torres was born in Santa Barbara, Calif., where he would go to school for half of the year, and then he spent the other half in Palm Springs, Calif.

After playing for the Valiente team last year, Torres is a free agent this season, but returned to Wellington for the winter with his horses to train and seek out new opportunities. “I’m still young. These past few years have been great,” Torres said, before adding that this season has not gone as smoothly as he hoped. “In anyone’s life, there will be ups and downs to go through, so I’m trying not to freak out about it.”

But even when he is not playing on the high-goal teams, he still keeps to his regimen. “Even if I don’t have anything, I still have to work and try my hardest to get the next opportunity,” he said.

The 2017 season did bring some unexpected opportunities outside of the high-goal tournaments.

As a Team USPA member, Torres played on a USPA-sponsored team at the $50,000 National 12-Goal Tournament staged at the Grand Champions Polo Club in March. Team USPA is a United States Polo Association program designed to enhance and grow the sport by identifying young, talented American polo players and providing mentored training and playing opportunities.

Torres also is involved in the new Gladiator Polo program, which has been highly recognized in the local polo community and across the country. He plays on Team Crixus with Matias Magrini and Mike Azzaro in the new arena polo league.

“Luckily, Gladiator Polo started, and luckily I have this $50K [tournament] to play in. I was hoping to get more opportunities, but I haven’t yet,” he said.

Currently swinging his mallet at a 7-goal handicap, Torres has been playing professionally since he was 10 years old. His love for the game and his ability started with and are centered on family. His parents never wavered, Torres said, as he grew up, always showing enthusiasm and dedication for the game.

“That’s what I grew up around, and there was never a doubt that is what I wanted to do,” Torres said. “All the kids who are born into polo, if their parents play, they always bring them on the horse with them or buy a little horse for them to have fun with and start learning to ride.”

That is how it started for him. His parents, Kelita and Miguel Torres, were riders and played polo. “My parents would ride all day, every day. My dad would ride more. He would ride 10 to 15 horses a day. That’s what he knew how to do, and that’s what he liked,” Torres said. “That was his passion.”

Torres’ father put both of his children up on horses early and often. “He saw that we liked it, and I would be riding every day,” Torres said. “It was just something that everyone enjoyed.”

Their love for the game quickly translated into Santi’s life as it had for his older brother, Miguel, who plays professionally based in Houston, Texas.

“When were younger, we played together,” Torres said.

Growing up as an athlete, Torres said his parents were always dedicated to him and his drive to get better and better as a polo player. “They didn’t take polo away from me ever. They knew I wanted to do that,” he said. “I would just be thinking about getting out of school and going to the barn.”

As there are obstacles to face during a match, there are obstacles that people face in their personal lives, and the Torres family faced one when Miguel Sr. lost his battle with brain cancer in 2007.

Riding through adversity, Torres continued to hone his craft as a player during this time. He and his mother and brother are together during the winter season in Wellington every year.

“It has gotten a lot better these past couple of years,” he said. “We always help each other and are there for each other.”

Some years, like this one, returning to Wellington is more of an act of faith.

“It’s like an investment coming out here with horses, feeding them, laying them up and getting them ready for if an opportunity comes up, instead of having something secure for a season,” Torres said.

He continues to work hard every day so that he can continue to perform at a high level of play.

“I’m just taking the season one week at a time, you can’t stop working, or let it get to you, and you can’t stop trying,” Torres said. “I wake up, go to the barn. Lately, I’ve been working more at the barn, exercising horses, taking care of them, playing practices around Wellington with everybody, getting the horses fit for any new opportunities.”

With some extra time, Torres finds contentment in the areas he can improve off the field. “I’m trying to be better as a person at communicating with people, just in general and in the sport, and trying to be a bigger person,” Torres said. “I’m really hard on myself. Even if someone doesn’t get mad at me, I’m going to get mad at myself for not playing good one day or messing up.”

As the season in Wellington winds down, Torres has much to look forward to. The summer greets him with an opportunity to play in Sheridan, Wyo., where he will continue to gain more experience as a professional rider.

“I have a job for the summer, so I’m happy about that,” Torres said. “Anyone who doesn’t have a job is obviously going to worry about it because they have their life to take care of and their animals to feed.”

Torres finds strength in himself when he plays the game, and he also loves his surroundings off the field.

“I always try to give my best and play the hardest I can for the team and for myself,” he said. “You need to let people see that this is what you want. Even in the down times, you’re working on it. Just being there, waking up, going to the barn, being with the horses, seeing the horses, and seeing the people there who work for you and the horses.”

 

Wellington Community Foundation Marks One Year Helping Residents In Need

The Wellington Community Foundation is celebrating its first anniversary of helping those in need in the community.

“The board of directors is very dedicated,” Wellington Community Foundation Chairman Tom Wenham said. “It’s a privilege and an honor to serve on a foundation that looks after the people of the community that you live in.”

The foundation, once a little-used nonprofit entity controlled by the Village of Wellington, was re-imagined a year ago as an independent organization with a mission to support a wide array of community projects.

A former Wellington mayor, Wenham leads the board, which includes attorney Mickey Smith, community activist Maria Becker, Wellington Regional Medical Center CEO Robbin Lee, Town-Crier Publisher Barry Manning, former Palm Beach County Commissioner Ken Adams, local businesswomen Karen Cavanagh and Maggie Zeller, and retired WPTV news anchor Jim Sackett.

“I am so pleased with the cohesiveness of our board of directors,” Manning said. “We’ve been operating for one year, but it seems like the team has been together for decades. It is a pleasure working with them.”

The foundation team has been working to better the lives of those most in need in the community, in particular, seniors and children.

“What the foundation does not want to be is just a ‘check-writing’ agency,” Sackett said. “We, as a board, want to be hands-on, identify the needs, and actively work to see that those needs are met.”

The board members were personally recruited by Wenham to join the organization, including Adams, who has been integral to Wellington’s development since before the community even incorporated as a village.

“This organization really cares about Wellington. It cares about everyone in Wellington,” Adams said. “The board members live and breathe the Village of Wellington.”

Becker was honored to host the first fundraiser for the foundation at her home last June. The event, a stellar success, raised money to help provide students with backpacks and school supplies. “I can’t tell you how honored I am to serve on this board,” Becker said. “I was humbled that Tom had even considered me to serve on this worthy and noble endeavor.”

Over the summer, the foundation provided scholarships to send children to Wellington’s Parks & Recreation Department summer camp.

“I know what a difference it can make for a child to have a place to go to have fun, and what it means for a parent to know their child is in a safe and nurturing environment that they wouldn’t have had access to without help,” Becker said.

School supplies and more than 200 backpacks purchased with funds raised at the June fundraiser were distributed Aug. 6 at Wellington’s summer block party at Tiger Shark Cove Park.

“People don’t realize that there are many families in this community who are in need. Our foundation has been helping them,” Zeller said. “I loved handing out the backpacks at the back-to-school event… Seeing the looks of the children’s faces when they got to get a backpack to take home, filled with school supplies, was amazing.”

On Aug. 10, the foundation presented Back to Basics with a check that contributed toward supplying 400 school uniforms to local Wellington children.

“Things are hard enough for kids today. They should not have to worry about having clothes to wear to school,” said Smith, a resident of Wellington for more than 25 years.

The foundation met on Oct. 22 for its first quarterly Adopt-A-Street Clean Up Day in front of the Wellington branch library. The foundation adopted the east and west roadways along Forest Hill Blvd. from South Shore Blvd. to Stribling Way.

Then, on Nov. 11, the foundation produced an event called Red, White & Blue Jeans: A Nostalgic Salute to Our Veterans at the Wanderers Club. Veterans were honored at the special evening of dinner and dancing, which will return this year on Friday, Nov. 10 at the Wellington National Golf Club.

Red, White & Blue Jeans was a favorite for Lee. “I think a lot of people got exposure to the foundation that they wouldn’t have gotten in another way,” she said. “It had a patriotic theme. It was right around the time of the elections, and people needed to feel more connected to our country. I think it was fun for all of us to get to review the things we had already accomplished.”

The foundation has been active thus far in 2017, already hosting a Dusty Art Live painting and wine party put together by Cavanagh at the Wellington National Golf Club on Feb. 9.

“I never knew that there were such needy people, seniors and children, in the community,” Cavanagh said. “I really wanted to do something to help them, to help people. We’ve done a lot of really good things so far, and I’m really excited about it.”

The foundation, in partnership with Wellington Cares, is currently working on a new program to bring smiles to seniors called “Celebrating Our Seniors.”

In cooperation with Wellington Florist, the Mall at Wellington Green, Gabriel’s Café and Chick-fil-A, the Wellington Community Foundation will have a beautiful bouquet of flowers and gifts cards delivered with a special birthday card greeting to Wellington Cares participants on their birthday.

Wellington seniors are a vital part of our community, and remembering them on their special day is a way that the foundation has chosen to let them know how important they are. “I think this brings special recognition to our seniors who are alone in this community,” Zeller said.

Through the foundation’s “Our Schools” initiative, some elementary schools in Wellington are receiving grants totaling $8,150 to help further the education of local students.

To learn more about the foundation, or to donate, call (561) 333-9843 or visit www.wellingtoncommunityfoundation.org.

Young Barrel Racer Lexi HeckerHas Big Plans For The Future

From the moment Lexi Hecker received her first horse at age 10, she knew she wanted to compete in barrel racing — a sport in which riders navigate three carefully positioned barrels in a cloverleaf pattern as fast as they can.

“The girl we bought the horse from had been doing it, and she started teaching me the basics,” recalled Lexi, who will turn 14 in June. “My mother also barrel raced when she was younger. I tried reining, but it didn’t give me the adrenaline rush that barrel racing does. Barrel racing is faster. It’s a lot more thrilling, and the crowds make everything better, which can make a lot of difference on the road. They make a lot of noise, and it’s very exhilarating.”

Lexi competes in the Open class (all ages) as well as the Youth class (ages 18 and under) in competitions throughout Florida and Georgia, although she plans to travel farther away in the near future. The barrel racing circuit takes place in local arenas across the nation and throughout the world.

The National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) Youth World Championships bills itself as the largest barrel race in the world and showcases horses and riders from 36 states, Canada, Italy, Panama, Brazil, France, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Australia. Riders must qualify on a local level by competing at NBHA-sanctioned shows, NBHA national shows, super shows or state show events before becoming eligible for the championships. The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) also hosts barrel racing events and will take place in Las Vegas this December. Riders and horses from around the globe will compete.

Lexi’s horses are Nonstop Nick and B.B. Dreamer, although she has nicknamed them Clutch and Superman, respectively.

“After we bought them about a year ago, the names Superman and Clutch seemed to fit them better, but it’s really bad luck to change the names after you buy the horses,” she said.

The Hecker family owns a number of horses, but not all of the horses do barrel racing. “We have eight in total,” Lexi said. “Two are prospects, one is in training, there are the two that I race, and the others are for fun.”

Lexi, who attends Western Pines Middle School, said most of her non-racing peers don’t get it. “My friends don’t understand the hard work and practice,” she said. “My horses and I spend many hours a week practicing, and a couple weekends a month competing. It’s what I love to do, and if you and your horses don’t have the correct bond, you will never make a good team. My family supports me and makes huge sacrifices to support my passion. My friends are more interested in football, etc… They don’t understand why I can’t hang out with them.”

Lexi is nonetheless grateful that she is able to attend a school that offers a unique pre-med program. At Western Pines, she is in her third year of the program, which gains her one high school credit. Her long-term goals include earning a degree in equestrian veterinary medicine in order to continue helping the animals she loves.

School and its accompanying homework inevitably take their toll on practice time, but Lexi finds herself practicing at home and at local arenas. Some youth competitions are also held at night.

“Before the race begins, there are exhibitions, and they do those with plastic barrels, because some horses like to shoulder in and hit the barrels, so the plastic is better for the rider’s knees,” Lexi explained. “But, when the race starts, it’s metal barrels. Metal hurts more.”

But like any good athlete, pain is secondary for Lexi. “My dream is to make it to the National Finals Rodeo and compete with the best women in the world in the sport of barrel racing,” she said.

Show Jumper Nicole Loochtan
Makes A Career Move To Wellington

Wellington holds a special place in the heart of many equestrians. Every winter, its doors swing open to welcome athletes to its annual competitions. Every spring, many head home until next year. However, this season, the Wellington community will say goodbye to one fewer competitor, because Nicole Loochtan intends to stay in Wellington.

“It’s the place to be if you want to be successful in the horse world,” Loochtan said. “You have endless opportunities here.”

The Lincolnshire, Ill., native is one of the newest additions to the Wellington community. She established herself in South Florida for the chance to train with legendary horsemen Ronnie Beard and Michael Dorman of Wyndmont Farm. They were introduced through Grand Prix jumper and trainer Candice King. After the initial meeting, Loochtan flew to Tryon, N.C., in August 2015 to compete under the guidance of the Wyndmont team and never left.

Since joining the renowned competition barn, the 19-year-old has improved her riding and has an entire new roster of horses. She credits her trainers, as much as the Wellington community, for her growth.

“When I first started with Ronnie and Michael, I was competing in the junior jumpers, and I didn’t necessarily have the correct horses for me,” she explained. “Now, I have completely different horses that suit me very well, and I just competed in my first U-25 on the grass field.”

Loochtan enjoys the competition available in Wellington.

“Being able to watch the best of the best and feel the competitive atmosphere around you, pushes you to want to be better,” she said. “When you do well, it’s more encouraging, because the competition in Wellington is so fierce. Many divisions have more than 90 people in each class, so if you place at all, you feel like you belong here.”

The first-generation equestrian, who was once terrified to canter in a western saddle, is now soaring over jumps measuring 1.40 meters. Her string of horses includes Carla de Kalvarie Z, Quarterman 5 and Cuchica. Beard and Dorman, who have mastered the art of matching horse and rider, found all three mounts for her.

Loochtan has experienced success aboard all three horses. Some of her most recent finishes include two second-place ribbons in the $10,000 High Junior/Amateur-Owner class and three of the summer series at the Tryon International Equestrian Center atop Carla de Kalvarie Z; a sixth-place finish in the $15,000 1.45m SJHOF High A/O Classic during week five of the Winter Equestrian Festival with Quarterman; and 12th in the $2,000 1.30m during week six of WEF aboard Cuchica.

Each of her horses plays an intricate role in Loochtan’s plan to move up the ranks in the equestrian industry — a path that has become more clear since moving to Wellington and training with Beard and Dorman.

“Chicago is very competitive; however, the atmosphere is different here,” Loochtan said. “Before, I knew I wanted to pursue this as a career, but I didn’t know it was a realistic thing. When I arrived, and started training with Michael and Ronnie, the big question was, ‘Can I really do this?’ Now, I know I can. In Chicago, it was just a dream. Since I came to Wellington, it’s more of a reality.”

Although Loochtan dedicates the majority of her efforts to riding, she finds time to enjoy everything the community has to offer.

“I think my favorite part about being in Wellington is that it’s so close to the beach,” Loochtan said. “When you’re not riding, you get to hang out with your friends and enjoy the weather. It’s such a horse community that you get to meet so many different people who share a passion for horses. Honestly, just going out to dinner or walking around the mall is nice. Wellington is a great place to be.”

Time In Wellington Helps Leatherdale Farms’ Vanessa Creech-Terauds Gain Experience

Each winter, Vanessa Creech-Terauds, an FEI Young Rider, packs up and leaves her frigid base in Caistor Centre, Ontario, with her mother, Diane Creech, to join the ever-growing group of dressage athletes in the winter equestrian capital of the world — Wellington.

The 17-year-old Canadian dressage rider began riding at a young age with the help of her mother, an international Grand Prix competitor who won a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games. Just like her mother, as Creech-Terauds grew into an adolescent, her passion for the sport of dressage continued to grow.

“When I was 12, I decided I wanted to train in dressage more seriously, and ever since then it has been dressage every day,” Creech-Terauds explained.

She is inspired by her mother’s dressage experience and success.

“Many people believe that I have a lot of pressure to live up to my mom’s expectations, but it just gives me more drive and helps me believe in myself,” Creech-Terauds said.

With the support of the Minnesota-based Leatherdale Farms, Creech-Terauds has achieved great success in the dressage world. She competed Leatherdale Farms’ 8-year-old Hanoverian mare Fleur de Lis L to individual and freestyle silver medals at the 2016 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC) in Colorado. It was their first year competing together as a pair, and they earned impressive scores of 70.184 percent in the FEI Junior Individual test and a 70.55 percent in the FEI Junior Freestyle.

“Fleur is one of Louise Leatherdale’s talented youngsters by their Hanoverian stallion First Dance,” Creech-Terauds said. “I am so grateful to Louise for giving me the opportunity to compete her up through the levels.”

Having had the opportunity to experience competing at prestigious international competitions, such as NAJYRC and in multiple CDIs, Creech-Terauds has developed her skills at a rapid pace.

“NAJYRC is such a great experience to get in the ring and learn what big competition is like,” Creech-Terauds explained. “It has helped me learn about traveling long distances with horses and riding in high-pressure situations where your team is counting on you. I’ve learned how to keep my cool in the ring and step up my game, which has progressed my riding.”

Throughout the 2017 Adequan Global Dressage Festival, Creech-Terauds will move Fleur de Lis L up from Juniors to the Young Rider division, as well as compete her second Young Rider mount, Rob Roy, a 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Leatherdale Farms.

She also plans to compete in the Florida International Youth Dressage Festival with Fleur de Lis L, and has hopes to compete in the international CDI ring.

Even in the midst of her rigorous training and competition schedule in Wellington, Creech-Terauds focuses on achieving her academic goals online.

“I come to the barn to ride in the morning, return to the house for a couple of hours to do my schooling in the afternoon, then come back to the barn,” Creech-Terauds said, adding that she is able to work with her teachers and school remotely. “I’m driven enough to tell myself, ‘You have to keep up with your school work,’ as well as have fun in the barn.”

Her mother expressed her gratitude for Leatherdale Farms’ support of Creech-Terauds.

“I am very grateful to Louise Leatherdale for sponsoring Vanessa and helping her live her passion and have her dreams come true,” Creech said.

Creech-Terauds is also thankful.“It has all come together due to the support from Leatherdale Farms and the help from my mom,” she said. “I’m confident and thrilled to be able to train and compete in Wellington, and I am so happy to be a part of the Leatherdale team.”