My name is Maaike (pronounced Mica) and I am a third year Animal Science and Management major at UC Davis with dreams of becoming a camelid and small ruminant veterinarian. I grew up on a commercial goat dairy in South Africa and raised to love and respect animals. I started riding when I was three years old on my aunts American Saddlebred mare, Lady. She taught me to trust my instincts and be adventurous. When I was older (9-14 years old) I would spend hours with her exploring the mountains around our farm and swimming in dams and rivers. When I was 5 I started vaulting and joined the South African National A team when I was 6. Vaulting helped developed my independent seat and natural balance. When I was 11-14 years old I represented the western province and my junior and high school in the South African National Equestrian Schools Association in eventing, working equitation and tent pegging. In 2006, when I was 14 my family moved to California and I ended up buying an abused but very talented barrel horse, Pine. I took me over 2 years to get her to trust me and relaxed enough to start competing on her. In my junior year of high school I competed in district-3 high school rodeo a handful of times, when she sustained a chip fracture. A year later, after surgery to remove the bone fragment and months of rehab she was 100% sound and we started to run barrels again, as well as 4H western and English pleasure. I quickly discovered that competing in western pleasure events really helped her handle the stress running rodeo events. In 2008, I started riding for Rancho Tolendano Paso Fino farms in Penn Valley, CA. I rode for them for over two years and competed very successfully all over California and Nevada. I learnt how to start young horses and the fine art of riding a gaited horse. Once I started college in 2010 I joined the United States Pony Club and started training my quarter horse mare in the fine art of dressage and eventually eventing. My experience in USPC gave me the opportunity to ride and learn from many well known and respected riders; Shirley Antrobus, Valerie Owen, Brian Sabo to name a few.
Currently I am training a four year old Paso Fino gelding for competitive trail riding and pleasure riding, as well as continuing classical dressage training with a little bit of eventing fun on my quarter horse mare.
List of accomplishments:
· 1997: 2rd place team South African National Vaulting championships
· 1999: 4th place team at SANSEA working equitation championships
· 2003/2004: 5th place team at SANSEA tent pegging National championships
· 2003/2004: 3rd place team at SANSEA eventing National championships
· 2003/2004: 2nd place team at SANSEA working equitation championships
· 2003/2004: High point rider at SANSEA National championships
· 2008: Brookside Gaited Fall classic junior high point rider
· 2008: Western States Gold Cup junior Paso Fino high point junior rider
· 2008: Western States Gold Cup silver medal equitation
· 2009: Woodside park Gaited classic: Junior High point rider
· 2009: Solano Junior Gaited breed benefit junior high point rider
· 2010: Northwestern Nevada gaited breed classic Junior high point rider.
· 2010: Colusa County Fair High Point Senior 4H Western and English pleasure.
· 2010: Yuba Sutter County Fair High Point Senior 4H Western and English pleasure
· 2010: California State Fair Reserve Champion Senior 4H Equine Champion Challenge
· 2012: Middle California USPC Quiz Rally: Reserve Champion senior team
· 2012: USPC C2-HB certification accomplished with exceeds standards on all sections.
Currently I am training a four year old Paso Fino gelding for competitive trail riding and pleasure riding, as well as continuing classical dressage training with a little bit of eventing fun on my quarter horse mare.
List of accomplishments:
· 1997: 2rd place team South African National Vaulting championships
· 1999: 4th place team at SANSEA working equitation championships
· 2003/2004: 5th place team at SANSEA tent pegging National championships
· 2003/2004: 3rd place team at SANSEA eventing National championships
· 2003/2004: 2nd place team at SANSEA working equitation championships
· 2003/2004: High point rider at SANSEA National championships
· 2008: Brookside Gaited Fall classic junior high point rider
· 2008: Western States Gold Cup junior Paso Fino high point junior rider
· 2008: Western States Gold Cup silver medal equitation
· 2009: Woodside park Gaited classic: Junior High point rider
· 2009: Solano Junior Gaited breed benefit junior high point rider
· 2010: Northwestern Nevada gaited breed classic Junior high point rider.
· 2010: Colusa County Fair High Point Senior 4H Western and English pleasure.
· 2010: Yuba Sutter County Fair High Point Senior 4H Western and English pleasure
· 2010: California State Fair Reserve Champion Senior 4H Equine Champion Challenge
· 2012: Middle California USPC Quiz Rally: Reserve Champion senior team
· 2012: USPC C2-HB certification accomplished with exceeds standards on all sections.