The Candy Lane Acres IEA Team. From left to right: Claire Rockacy (Pine-
Richland), Katie Finley (North Allegheny), Madelyn Trebilcock (Pine-Richland),
Jacqueline Chalifoux (North Allegheny), Chelsie Stair (Coach)
Jacqueline began riding horses when she was just 6 years
old. “My mother used to ride horses when she was young,” she
explains, “so she signed my sister and me up for horse camp at
Candy Lane.” Jacqueline began taking regular lessons year-round
when she was 11 years old and has been riding routinely for
almost two years.
At this year’s Nationals, she rode in the Future Beginner
category on the Flat class, which is for riders in Grades 6 through
8 who have been competing in IEA for one to two years. “Riding
at Nationals was one of the best experiences of my life,” says
Jacqueline. “It was a lot of fun to watch all the amazing riders
from across the country, and see all the different horses at the
show. The venue was very professional and it was exciting to ride
there.”
Katie Finley, 12, also attends Marshall Middle School. She is
the daughter of Chris and Amy Finley, and participates in the
school choir.
Katie has loved horses since she was 3 years old, and began
riding them at 5. “I’ve always loved animals. When I was younger,
I often played with animal figures, particularly Breyer horses,” she
says.
“I was so happy to qualify individually for Nationals because
this is the first year I was eligible to participate in IEA,” she notes.
Katie competed in the Future Novice Over Fences Cross-Rails
division and placed 5th out of the top 18 riders nationwide. “The
horse I drew was frisky when we started our course,” she says.
“But luckily he settled down after the first jump and then we had
a nice ride—a memory I will never forget!”
Pine-Richland’s Claire Rockacy, 13, is the daughter of Wendy
and Doug Rockacy and was introduced to horse riding by
chance. “About seven years ago, my friend invited me to her
horse-themed birthday party at Candy Lane Acres where I
instantly fell in love with the sport of riding,” she explains. “My
mom signed me up for lessons, and I have not stopped since!”
Claire’s experience at Nationals was unforgettable. “I loved
how organized everything was, and how pretty the arena was,”
she says. Claire competed in the Future Novice Over Fences and
Future Novice on the Flat. She placed 7th in Over Fences, and
4th on the Flat.
Madelyn Trebilcock, 13, is also from Pine-Richland. She is
the daughter of Tim and Jodi Trebilcock. “My mom tells me that
as soon as I could talk, I started talking about horses,” laughs
Madelyn. “When I was 4 years old, my mom and dad took me
to ride for the first time and I’ve never stopped!” She has been
studying at Candy Lane Acres since she was 6 years old.
At Nationals, Madelyn competed for the team in the Future
Intermediate Over Fences (2-foot) and the Future Intermediate
On the Flat, where she took 7th place. She placed first in the
Over Fences category. “It was such an exciting experience,” she
says. “My coach and I knew that I had a great ride, but I never
dreamed I’d take first in my first national competition!”
Overall, the Candy Lane Acres team took 5th in the nation
under the direction of their coach, Chelsie Stair, 26, of Sewickley.
Stair graduated from Lake Erie College in 2014 with a degree
in Equestrian Teacher and Trainer. She has been working with
the girls for the past six years. While she has been around horses
her entire life, Stair began coaching IEA four years ago, and has
been teaching riding for a total of eight years at her family-owned
stables, Candy Lane Acres.
“I have so many wonderful memories with my students, but
my favorite is watching them grow from little girls who could
barely trot, to the amazing riders they are today,” Stair says
proudly. “I love seeing their reaction when they accomplish their
goals that they have been working so hard to attain.”
The IEA season started in September of 2017, and the girls
have been focusing their goals toward that since. However, they
make sure to keep up the work on improving their equitation
and riding skills weekly. “One of the most important things we
focused on during IEA lessons was equitation and riding a large
variety of horses,” explains Stair. “I have 22 lesson horses so the
girls get to ride a large variety, helping them with comfortability
and control.”
She notes, “This was the first time these girls made it to
Nationals and it was actually Katie Finley’s first year on the
team!” Stair has been to Nationals the past two years with
an individual rider, but this was the first year she had a team
compete. There were 692 middle school teams at Nationals this
year from across the nation, and only 18 qualified.
All four girls express great gratitude to Chelsie Stair for her
hard work, excellent training and dedication to their passion.
“Chelsie is an amazing coach,” says Jacqueline. “She’s helped me
and my teammates grow as riders and gave us the opportunity
to compete at Nationals as a team. Candy Lane Acres is a great
barn—everyone is really frien dly and the horses are the best!” ■
Claire Rockacy and Madelyn
Trebilcock
Katie Finley and Jacqueline Chalifoux
PINE-RICHLAND
❘
SUMMER 2018
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