Sunshine, Hard Work & New Partnerships: 10th Season of Foxcroft WEF Program

As has been the routine for ten seasons now, two chaperones/trainers, a group of Foxcroft riders, and their horses packed up and moved into rental houses and a lovely barn in Wellington, FL, to participate in the Winter Equestrian Festival. The immersion-type atmosphere of this program is designed to help riders and their horses forge solid and consistent partnerships. This is accomplished not only while in the tack but also while handling the horses on the ground and participating in stable management activities.

This season was busy, with eight riders and up to 13 horses competing under the Foxcroft banner. The student riders were instrumental in keeping things running smoothly by effectively managing their academics and assisting with horse care and chores at the home base barn and the Foxcroft set up on show grounds. 

Teamwork & Hard Work were in Abundance

Whether being mindful of best practices to live cohesively in a house with many other people, staying connected with the Foxcroft teachers and managing academic expectations, or helping with the horses, the program provides countless opportunities for students to develop skills related to organization, time management, communication, problem solving, and accountability.

The riders were diligent about following the daily schedule, making concerted efforts to be where they needed to be and doing what they needed to do, and volunteering for extra tasks when they saw something that needed to be done to keep the day running smoothly. Their collaboration included feeding, grooming and bathing the horses, swapping turn out shifts, helping to load and unload trailers going to and from the show, maintaining the paddocks and arena spaces at the rental barn, assisting with getting horses to the ring for trainers or students with multiple rides to occasionally helping with night check, just to name some of their activities. They were reliable and extremely hard-working, and they used all of these moments to help learn new skills and gain greater proficiency at things with which they were already familiar. 

Thoughtfulness and Work Ethic = Riding Success

The willingness to be thoughtful and deliberate in their daily routines with academics and with horse care also carried over into their riding and horse handling. I have always been interested in, and dabbled with, how different alternative training methods, especially unmounted sessions, can benefit the horses and riders.

In December, we explored a groundwork system that involves using a rope halter to guide some touch point therapy and some movement patterns to encourage stability of energy and physical balance in the horses. The start of the WEF season seemed like a great place to put these new tools to use to help the riders and their horses connect in a meaningful and calm way throughout the season.

The riders were great students, watching me familiarize their horses with this method, then practicing the techniques themselves. They embraced the work wholeheartedly, and when they saw how much more centered and relaxed their horses were on the ground and under tack, they immediately began to carve out time to do regular sessions with the horses. It was wonderful to see the riders get to know their horses in a new way that requires a quiet and non-distracted presence — cell phones were set down and replaced by mindful work to read the body language and subtle nuances of their horses.

These enhanced relationships between the riders and the horses carried over into their mounted sessions and created many successes in training sessions and while competing. The riders contested classes in the jumper rings in divisions ranging from the .65m classes to the 1.25m classes, and the hunter rings from the Older Crossrail classes to the regular Children’s hunters. 

Valeska F. ’26 put a splash of tri-color excitement on the Foxcroft ribbon board the first week showing by earning the Reserve Championship honors on One Direction in the Low Child/Adult 39 & Under Training Jumper .90 division. This was made even more celebratory since Valeska had just picked up the ride on this special mare as a weekly lease. This stellar partnership continued and Valeska swept the 1.0m Junior Jumper division, including winning the Classic, to take home that Championship during Week 6. This pair went on to earn numerous top 5 placings in the 1.10m Junior Jumpers and those Classics throughout the rest of the season.

Other extra splashes of pizazz were added to the Foxcroft show set up in the form of Classic ribbons earned by Cierra C. ’25 on her Generosa MK, “Jenny”, and Grace N. ’25 on two different mounts: Oilily Van Dorperheide “Lily B” and Kukulcan Ducaet, “Kalu.” Cierra picked up a 12th-place Classic finish in the 1.15m Junior Jumper 15-17 class Week 4 before making her planned move up into the 1.20m Junior Jumper classes. Here she earned a couple of solid placings over some technical tracks throughout the season. Grace and her two new leased horse partnerships spent time competing in the 1.0/1.05m Amateur Jumper division as well as then moving fully into the 1.10/1.15m Amateur Jumper classes as the season progressed. Grace picked up two 1.05m Classic ribbons on Kalu and a 1.15m Classic prize on Lily B. Grace really enjoyed getting to know these two horses in the fall of 2024. She is excited to utilize what she learned this winter to participate in the spring and summer shows here in Virginia. 

Foxcroft also had several riders in the irons for the .90m and the 1.0m classes throughout the show series. With multiple new partnerships, some as recent as January and others from the fall, these riders took a methodical and deliberate approach to which classes they competed in and when, to build the best foundation possible for their futures with each of these horses.

P-Sky M. ’27 had her partner of 10 months, “Flash,” and a newly acquired horse, “Leo,” to ride this season, and she did a fabulous job adjusting her riding style to suit two very different types of horses. She learned to bring a grounded sense of confident energy to the ring to share with Flash as he can sometimes be a combination of cheeky and insecure at the same time, and she learned to influence Leo’s larger body type in a way that made him feel adjustable and capable of navigating the tighter turning questions asked in some of the tracks. While switching between two horses can be daunting, P-Sky rose to the challenge and gained a lot of trust in herself and in the reliability of her instincts and foundational skills that she has been working hard to build. She was rewarded for her work by having two happy horses and earning solid placings in sizable classes. 

Joining us as a freshman this season was P-Sky's sister, Isla M. ’28, with her two horses. Like P-Sky, Isla’s relationship with her horses was relatively new and required some time and fine-tuning of communication and training details to help things come together. While kindly sharing her more seasoned mount, Jetske VDP, with her younger sister who was also in Wellington for the first half of the season (hopefully this talented young rider is also destined to join her sisters as a future Foxcroft rider), Isla focused on getting to know her new horse, Chakari, aka “Chewy.” Isla set aside her personal aspirations of moving up the jump heights at a specific rate of speed to take time to learn how best to communicate with Chewy, in lessons at home where he was quieter, and in the show ring where his energy and enthusiasm sometimes needed to be redirected. Her willingness to fully embrace this process helped her to progress from some .80m practice rounds where he picked up top prizes to earning ribbons in the .90m classes and then again in the 1.0m Junior division as the season went along. As a result of her ability to listen to Chewy, to understand his needs, and to adapt her riding style accordingly, Isla has built a wonderful connection with him, and she now feels confident about being ready to answer the questions that competing in new venues will raise as they continue their competitive journey together.

Also partnered with her horse since the fall of 2024 was Charlotte N. ’26 with her Fernhill Kannan Cruis, known affectionately as “Bunny.” With Charlotte and Bunny having a background in eventing, they shifted gears to come together and focus on their show jumping skills during WEF. Although not a hugely seasoned show horse, Bunny placed his trust in his pilot and handled the sometimes overwhelming ambiance of the Wellington facility with ease. Charlotte and Bunny began the winter riding the more conservative tracks between the jumps and making sure all the pieces were coming together properly, and then gradually added some tidier first rounds and more advanced turns in the jump-offs as the season progressed. Their efforts led to several ribbons hanging on the Foxcroft banner and a strong bond being formed between them. We are excited to build on their WEF mileage as we head into Charlotte’s senior year.

Though her partnership with Pablo was more seasoned than some of the others, Esme D. ’27 still approached her rounds with careful consideration of how to produce the most consistent track, pace, and jumping efforts each time. She excelled at maintaining proper form and technique while learning to take calculated risks in the speed portion of specific classes. Although a rail here and there impacted their overall ribbon-winning results, the success of her training process was evident on her last day competing, where she executed a beautiful and stylish round in the 1.05m Junior Jumper Classic. The round ticked all the boxes for Esme in terms of what she hoped to feel in her communication with Pablo, and her huge smile as she crossed the timers in the jump off was a sight to see. Even the ring starter took a moment to comment on the quality of her round and the joy on her face. As a trainer, these moments are truly special as they illustrate that while winning classes is nice, the real win comes from guiding riders and horses to become a confident, capable, and happy pairing.

The group enjoyed cheering for Alyssa D. ’27 in the jumper and the hunter rings this season. Rather than being geared toward competing, she was primarily focused on training her own horse and learning new skills on a seasoned short-term lease horse this winter. But, on certain weeks, Alyssa had fun accessorizing her lovely leased TB horse, A Storm to Remember, with snazzy bonnets and saddle pads to match her show attire in the Itty Bitty classes and having him braided up for some hunter and equitation classes. Alyssa showed off her hard work training at home as she collected a 2nd and a 3rd place finish in the Rusty Stirrup Equitation Flat classes and then used her skills to pilot “Okie” to prizes over fences in this division as well.

Although earning top ribbons at a venue like WEF is always a significant accomplishment, the learning process and journey of self-discovery for each rider that leads to increased confidence, gaining new skills in and out of the saddle, and the wisdom that comes from new experiences are the most valuable takeaways from spending the winter months doing the Foxcroft WEF Program. It was truly a pleasure to have these students take part in this experience.

We are thankful to be able to use the School’s unique Exceptional Proficiency (EP) program to share this type of seasonal offering with riders. We are also always grateful to the Foxcroft community in its entirety for supporting the students who participate in this program, the riding program staff that keeps the regular programming and horse care going on campus as well as the staff who oversee the students and the horse care at WEF — it takes a village and we have a good one!

From Director of Riding Kate Worsham

 

Full Results

WEF Weeks 3-11 

• Countless clear round blue ribbons were earned by the jumper riders in their prep rounds.

WEF Week 3

• Valeska F. ’26 & One Direction — Low Child/Adult 39 & Under Training Jumper: 1st, 4th LOW CHILD/ADULT 39 & UNDER TRAINING JUMPER .90 RESERVE CHAMPION
• P-Sky M. ’27 & DC — Low Child/Adult 39 & Under Training Jumper: 10th 
• P-Sky M. ’27 & Fontanel Van T&L — Low Child/Adult 39 & Under Training Jumper: 5th; 1.0m Junior Jumper: 12th 
• Isla M. ’28 & Chakari — Low Child/Adult 39 & Under Training Jumper: 9th, 9th  

WEF Week 4

• Cierra C. ’25 & Generosa MK — Children’s Modified Jumper: 2nd, 11th; NAL/WIHS 1.15m Junior Jumper 15-17 Classic: 12th
• Valeska F. ’26 & One Direction — 1.0m Junior Jumper: 3rd, 5th; 1.05m Junior Jumper Classic: 11th
• Isla M. ’28 & Chakari — Low Child/Adult Training Jumper .80: 2nd, 5th 
• Grace N. ’25 & Oilily Van Dorperheide — 1.10m Amateur Jumper 18-35: 11th
• Grace N. ’25 & Kukulcan Ducaet — 1.05m Amateur Jumper 18-35 Classic: 12th
• Charlotte N. ’26 & Fernhill Kannan Cruis  — Low Child/Adult 39 & Under Training Jumper: 11th

WEF Week 5

• Cierra C. ’25 & Generosa MK — 1.20m Junior Jumper: 12th
• Alyssa D. ’27 & A Storm to Remember — Older Cross Rail Hunter: 3rd, 3rd, 4th 
• Isla M. ’28 & Chakari — Low Child/Adult 39 & Under Training Jumper: 5th

WEF Week 6

• Cierra C. ’25 & Generosa MK — 1.20m Junior Jumper: 10th
• Valeska F. ’26 & One Direction — 1.0m Junior Jumper: 1st, 1st; 1.05m Junior Jumper Classic: 1st 1.0M JUNIOR JUMPER CHAMPION
• P-Sky M. ’27 & DC — 1.0m Junior Jumper: 11th
• P-Sky M. ’27 & Fontanel Van T&L — 1.0m Junior Jumper: 4th
• Grace N. ’25 & Kukulcan Ducaet — 1.05m Amateur Jumper 18-35 Classic: 10th
• Charlotte N. ’26 & Fernhill Kannan Cruis  — Low Child/Adult 39 & Under Training Jumper: 7th

WEF Week 7

• Esme D. ’27 & Pablo — 1.0m Junior Jumper: 10th
• Alyssa D. ’27 & A Storm to Remember — Rusty Stirrup Hunter: 4th, 5th, 5th; Rusty Stirrup Equitation Flat: 2nd 
• Valeska F. ’26 & One Direction — 1.10m Junior Jumper 15-17: 4th
• Isla M. ’28 & Jetske VDP — 1.0m Junior Jumper: 12th
• Grace N. ’25 & Oilily Van Dorperheide — 1.10m Amateur Jumper 18-35: 3rd; NAL/WIHS 1.15m Amateur Jumper Classic 18-35: 11th
• Charlotte N. ’26 & Fernhill Kannan Cruis  — Low Child/Adult 39 & Under Training Jumper: 4th, 6th 

WEF Week 8

• Cierra C. ’25 & Generosa MK — Children’s Modified Jumper: 12th
• P-Sky M. ’27 & Fontanel Van T&L — 1.0m Junior Jumper: 10th
• Charlotte N. ’26 & Fernhill Kannan Cruis  — Low Child/Adult 39 & Under Training Jumper: 10th, 12th

WEF Week 9

• Alyssa D. ’27 & Crownies HZ — Older Cross Rail Hunter: 3rd, 3rd 
• Valeska F. ’26 & One Direction — 1.10m Junior Jumper 15-17: 3rd, 4th; NAL/WIHS 1.15m Junior Jumper 15-17 Classic: 5th
• Grace N. ’25 & Kukulcan Ducaet — 1.00m Amateur Jumper 18-35: 12th

WEF Week 10

• Alyssa D. ‘27 & A Storm to Remember — Rusty Stirrup Equitation Flat: 3rd 
• Valeska F. ’26 & One Direction — 1.10m Junior Jumper 15-17: 5th
• Grace N. ’25 & Oilily Van Dorperheide — 1.10m Amateur Jumper 18-35: 8th, 10th
• Grace N. ’25 & Kukulcan Ducaet — 1.00m Amateur Jumper 18-35: 9th
• Charlotte N. ’26 & Fernhill Kannan Cruis  — Low Child/Adult 39 & Under Training Jumper: 7th, 7th

WEF Week 11

• P-Sky M. ’27 & Fontanel Van T&L — 1.0m Junior Jumper: 10th
• Isla M. ’28 & Chakari — 1.0m Junior Jumper: 10th