D24—Lancaster Famine, Saturday, April 5,1980
French equestrienne rides for U. of Delaware
NEWARK, Del. -
Americans know Chantilly
for its delicate lace and the
perfume in the lacy pink box.
But to the French,
Chantilly is “Horse City,”
nestled in the woods 20
minutes north of Pans with
its race tracks, race horses,
hunting horses, jumping
horses....more horses, in
fact, than people.
Eighteen-year-old Isabelle
Gagnaire, now an animal
science major at the
University of Delaware,
grew up watching the horses
of Chantilly each day on her
way to school. Like most of
the children in town, she
started riding at a young
age, even though her parents
weren’t serious riders and
owned no horses of their
own.
At the age of 12 she started
studying dressage
(“ballroom dancing on a
horse”), cross-country and
jumping. She even took a
volunteer job exercising
race horses every morning
before school.
At 15 she developed a taste
for the pageantry of riding to
the hunt, chasing after deer
with swift horses, barking
dogs, and blaring bugles. At
the same time she joined a
jumping team and spent
weekends competing in
horse shows.
Despite all the local in
terest in nding, France had
no college level equestrian
school until the Centre
Zootechnique de Ram
bouillet admitted its first 12
nding students just this
year
Hoping to improve her
English while honing her
For multi-purpose needs on a farm!
sf^tr-mn
si fS ' ’*
Morton Buildings are designed with modern farmers Morton Buildings has just the light building and will tailor
in mind No matter what the need a livestock ham ■ fit your specific needs Plus, each building carries
that can be converted for hay or equipi strongest warranty written If a total progressive
storage in the off season to a machine stor peration is in your plans, contact the nearest
building that can provide extra space fo. Morton Sales Office (listed below) today l
repair shop, an office or even gram storage
to horse barns, stables and riding arenas th;
hold one or more animals and can also
equipped with box stalls, feed and tack ro<
Isabelle Gagnaire, University of Delaware animal science student from
France, shows proper French form in jumping over hurdles.
horsemanship skills,
Isabelle came to the
University of Delaware to
study horsemanship and
equine management with
Dr. C. Melvin Reitnour.
The college freshman says
sheJias already learned how
to tackle most of the little
problems that trouble a
horse, from parasites to
minor injuries that don’t
require a veterinarian’s
attention. Perhaps some day
she’ll be a veterinarian
herself, she says.
Isabelle had to adjust to a
whole new style of horse
show here in the U.S. In
French horse shows, riders
are paired with their own
familiar mounts. They must
jump over 10 to 15 hurdles
which increase in height
according to the riders’ level
of proficiency.
In Intercollegiate Horse
Show competition m the
United States, everyone
begins by randomly drawing
the name of a horse. There
are fewer hurdles,
uniformly low, and riders
are judged not on height, but
on them adherence to perfect
form in the execution of each
jump.
There are pros and cons to
each system, Isabelle
concedes. The In
tercollegiate shows test how
well a rider can work with an
unfamiliar horse. The
French are more interested
in testing the limits of a well
established partnership of
horse and rider.
Except in dressage, where
every movement counts, the
French pay less attention
than the Americans to
proper placement of the
rider’s knees and elbows.
The way the French judges
see it, if you can clear the
hurdles without knocking
them down or falling off, you
must be doing something
right.
Though the unfamiliar
riding style took some
getting used to, Isabelle took
a fast liking to some other
aspects of the American way
of life-notably, friendly,
smiling people, donuts,
roller skating, and ice cream
that comes in a choice of 36
flavors.
She was pleased to note
she could still enjoy some of
the familiar pleasures from
home as well, such as skiing, money involved. What, then,
ice skating, and the ocean. is the attraction.
And, of course, there are “A horse isn’t like a bike
horses. For the pleasure of or car,” Isabelle explains,
riding she is helping out a “It’s living. You have to
local women by exercising make it understand you. You
her hunting horses and establish a My
teaching the two-year-olds horse is more of a friend
how to jump. There is no than a riding tool.”
y*
WEST CHESTER - The Exhibits will be on display
Chester County 4-H Spring all day Saturday and Sunday
Fair will be held April 12-13 noon to 5:00 p.m.
at the Exton Mall.
The pubhc is mvited to girls ages 8 to 19
visit the farm animals at the m a variety
KLtIBS of Precis from pots to
10.00 A.M. to 9.00 KM. UUD mdoor g ar denmg to crafts.
exhibits will show many o For more in f orma ti o n,
the Project and activities m contact the chester County
which 4-H members are o ff lce 215/696-3500.
mvolved.
STOLTZFUS MEAT MARKET
OUR OWN HOME RAISED
BLACK ANGUS BEEF
•FRESH CUT BEEF & PORK
• FRESH EGGS RIGHT FROM THE FARM
★ OUR OWN COUNTRY
CURED HAMS, BACON
AND SWEET BOLOGNA
Orders Taken For Beef Sides, Wrapped
And Ready For Your Freezer
PH: 768-7166
Directions: 1 block east of Intercourse on Rt. 772
Reg. Hours: Thurs. 9-5; Fri. 9-8; Sat. 8-5
Serving Central Pa Serving Eastern Pa
and Maryland and New Jersey
RD 4, Box 34A Box 126,
sburg, PA 17325 Phillipsburg. NJ 08865
717-334-2168 Ph 201-454-7900
m
/ FIRST OIMMHCH & FARM
r
j i Send information on Morton Buildings LF
| ' 1 Have your salesman phone- for an appointment
j Machine- She ds i Free Stall Barns
j Hois, Barns Stables Livestock Barns
> Riding Arenas , ' Grain Storage
. . Calving Bains , Garaqi Shops
j Name
| Address
| Telephone
Hiiklhi f mi
Chester Co. 4-H
Spring Fair slated
Attention Farmers:
We Do Custom
Beef Slaughtering
Serving
North Central Pa Area
PO Box 937
State College, PA 16801
Ph 814-383-4355