The Idea of Order: Day 1 of Pony Camp

‘Tis the season for summer camp, to the delight of riders and parents and to the chagrin of instructors and ponies. Morgane Schmidt illustrates.

Go Riding.

Morgane Schmidt Gabriel is a 30-year-old teacher/artist/dressage trainer/show announcer/ who still hasn’t quite decided what she wants to be when she grows up. A native Floridian, she now lives in Reno, NV, where she’s been able to confirm her suspicion that snow is utterly worthless. Though she has run the gamut of equestrian disciplines, her favorite is dressage. She has completed both her USDF bronze and silver medals and is currently focused on bringing along Stormy, an APHA gelding, at PSG/I1 and introducing Willie, her coming four-year-old Dutch gelding, to the ways of the show world (though she tries not to be the one with the ‘harpy on a string’ in the warm-up ring). Generally speaking her life is largely ruled by Woody, a 14.2 hand beastly quarter horse, Willie, Stormy, The Husband, and writing gross grad school papers.  In her ‘free time’ (i.e. the time she should be sleeping) she draws horses. Visit her website at www.theideaoforder.com.