AT HOME ON THE RANGE; TEAM CORRALS WINNER'S TROPHY.Byline: Douglas Haberman Daily News Staff Writer The California Rangers Eagle Troop wasn't horsing around Sunday at the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Equestrian Center. Twelve members of the group, 11 girls and one boy, put forth their best effort in Equestrian Trails Inc.'s mounted drill team competition against four other teams. They took home the winner's trophy. ``When we got out of the arena, we were all, like, It was so good! It was so good!'' said Ellen Kim, 18, of Northridge, the troop's captain. ``Everybody was paying attention Noun 1. paying attention - paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people); "his attentiveness to her wishes"; "he spends without heed to the consequences" attentiveness, heed, regard , looking at each other.'' Good focus is paramount in equestrian drill team competitions because of the complex patterns the horses run - circles going in opposite directions and crossovers and interweaving - and the potential for horses to collide. Scoring is on proper spacing and good horsemanship horsemanship: see equestrianism. horsemanship Art of training, riding, and handling horses. Good horsemanship requires that a rider control the animal's direction, gait, and speed with maximum effectiveness and minimum effort. as well as the difficulty of a team's drills and the grooming of both horses and riders. But despite the seriousness, performing at this level for the first time in front of cheering family and friends was also an adrenaline rush, said Kristen Bock Noun 1. bock - a very strong lager traditionally brewed in the fall and aged through the winter for consumption in the spring bock beer lager beer, lager - a general term for beer made with bottom fermenting yeast (usually by decoction mashing); originally , 16, of Castaic. ``It was amazing,'' she said. ``I had so much fun doing this.'' Her 5-year-old sister, Amanda, summed up the experience of watching Kristen and the Eagle Troop in one word: ``Awesome.'' The mounted drill team competition was part of a two-day horse fair at the Equestrian Center staged by Equestrian Trails Inc., a long-established California riding club. It was also the first time the Eagle Troop competed in several years, having recently gotten back in the saddle after a four-year hiatus. The troop represents the cream of the crop of the 100-member California Rangers, which has one post in Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, and another in Lake View Terrace, board President Fred Frothinger said. Modeled on the U.S. Cavalry, the Rangers offer youths ages 9 to 19 a chance to learn horseback riding horseback riding: see equestrianism. skills, teamwork and leadership during one evening a week, he said. The organization even offers $700 college scholarships and job interview practice sessions. ``All of this is really designed to make good citizens of these kids,'' Frothinger said. John Bock John Bock was born in Gribbohm in 1965. He studied in Hamburg, Germany and lives and works in Berlin. He has had solo exhibitions in a number of international institutions including MoMA, New York; Kunstwerke, Berlin, Kunsthalle, Basel; Secession, Wien; ICA London. , Kristen's father, agreed. ``That's the biggest thing about this organization - they raise 'em to be great kids,'' he said. The competition on Sunday pitted the yellow-shirted Rangers against 20 riders from the Blue Shadows, which has posts in Lake View Terrace and Agua Dulce Agua Dulce is Spanish for "sweet water". It also refers to various locations: In Mexico:
California Polytechnic State University, commonly called Cal Poly , Pomona. CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1) Ellen Kim is captain of The California Rangers Eagle Troop, which won the mounted drill team competition. David R. Crane/Daily News (2) The California Rangers Eagle Troop perform their routine at the Equestrian Center on Sunday. (3) The California Rangers execute a dangerous routine. (4 --5) Above, the California Rangers undergo inspection. At right, other drill team members watch the routine. |
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