Double L Minis--Meet the Team!

Meet the 2005 Team!

Back row from left to right: Britta Lubkeman, Katie Soehn, Cara Clarkson, Haley May, Kim Fierla.

Middle row: Amber Lanzer, Kylie Clarkson, Amanda Richardson.

Front row: Jackie Pollock, Anna Rudawski. Pictured below with their minis are Rissa Barclay and Celia Doherty.

Team coach is Linda Lanzer, assisted by several of the parents who also enjoy driving. Costume designer this year was Linda Fierla with help from team members. Music coordinator was Stacy Lucht with input from coach Linda and driver Anna Rudawski. Drill pattern designed by coach Linda.

Amber and Napoleon

Amber has been the lead driver since the team began in 2003. She is a sophomore at Richmond-Burton High Sshool in Illinois and is vice-president of the Clover Rockets Equestrians 4-H club. She started riding and showing horses when she was little and then driving when she got her first mini at age 10. Three years later the drill team was born. Her first lead mini was a smaller 30" red roan mare named Tinkerbelle, but after 2 years, found that she needed more horse power. So she now has Napoleon, a spoiled 6 year old 35" pinto gelding who pranced his way into her heart in Jan 2005. She also shows him in Pleasure Driving classes at local open shows. She still drives Tinkerbelle along with her first mini, Mac, as a team pulling a covered wagon in parades throughout the year.

Britta and Tiny Treasure

This will be Britta*s fourth year on the team and as second lead driver. She is a sophomore at Antioch Community High School in Illinois. She has been riding for 13 years and driving for about 5 years. In her non-driving time she shows her horse in open shows and is president of the Clover Rockets Equestrians 4-H Club.
Treasure is a sorrel and white pintaloosa (pinto and appaloosa) miniature mare that she leases from Double L Equestrian. Her full name is Tiny Treasure Apple of My I. She is 12 years old and has been driving now for almost four years. This is her third year as second lead mini on the team. She has had a few foals in her younger days, but now she just sticks to driving and eating. She is 34" tall and weighs a little more than she should.

Kim and Cheyenne

Kim has driven with the team for 2 years now. She drove a leased mini in 2003 named Bailey. He was a blue roan and was really nice to drive. He was loaned to her by Hogan Farms. Then she stepped out for the next year, when other activities took precedence. However, she missed it too much, so she came back to the team in 2005 with her own mini. Cheyenne is a 4 year old flashy grulla and white pinto mare who is full of get up and go. Kim started teaching her how to drive when she was 2. She is about 35" tall. They really enjoy driving with the team.
Kim is a sophomore in High School, is in the band and plays softball. She is also a member of the Clover Rockets Equestrians 4-H club and was elected treasurer this year.

Hayley and Licorice

Hayley started with the team in 2005, driving a leased mini named Susie (pictured in August) at Midwest Horse Fair and then switched to Licorice for the rest of the events. Licorice is a 12 year old mare who was a brood mare until 2004, when she came to the farm to start her new life as a driving mini. She is 35" tall and is very sweet.
Hayley is in 8th grade and also has her own 2 minis now that she will start training to drive. She always wanted a mini, since the first time she saw one. She also has 4 young cattle that she will show in 4-H along with a paint horse that she rides both English and Western. Due to her busy schedule, she'll pass on the drill team and help her father, who manages Sunflower farms in Bristol, WI.

Cara and Coolio

Cara joined the team in time for the Northern IL Horse Fest in August. Her sister Kylie, drove at the Wild West Rodeo Days in June and got Cara's interest up. She has her own mini stallion, but can't drive him in competitions since youth are not allowed to handle stallions. So she borrowed Coolio from Double L Equestrian and drove him at the Northern IL Horse Fest. He was subsequently sold to a family south/east of Chicago, who thoroughly enjoys him. Cara is now training a mini mare of her own for the coming year and helps drive others when needed. Her mother owns TLC Stables, which is the other location where the team practices, besides Double L Equestrian. She also rides and shows Dressage, Jumping and does 3 day events and even some speed shows, just for fun.

Amanda and Smokey

Amanda is 11 years old and the second youngest member of the team. She joined in winter 2005 and has continued with all the events so far. She belongs to the Central Wranglers 4-H club and shows her smaller pony (Lucky) in Dressage, Hunter and some speed for fun. She also has a larger 4 yr old pony (Phoenix) that she is working with so she can start showing him. In addition, she shows her little West Highland White terrior dog in 4-H obedience classes. Her mini Smokey is also 11, his birthday just 14 days after hers. He is kindly being loaned to her by Holly Smith of Lil' Dreams Minis. In addition to the drill team, she shows him in pleasure driving classes and occassionally goes trail driving. Besides horses, she is also into ice skating, which she does at a local arena, so she can go year round.

Kylie and Cadbury

Kylie started with the team after Midwest 2005 with her fancy, spirited mini Cadbury. She trained him to drive during the winter and had him ready to drill by June for the Wild West Rodeo Days drill competition. She is one of the three youngest drivers, along with Jacque and Amanda. However, she is the smallest and toughest of them. Cadbury is also the youngest mini at 3 years old. He is a brown and white pinto and measures 35" tall.
Kylie also rides and shows Dressage, jumping and does 3 day events and speed shows, like her sister Cara. They are both members of the Central Wranglers 4-H club. They both also help their mother run their eventing barn, TLC Stables, near Elgin, IL, housing up to 60 horses at a time.

Jacque and Pepper

Jacque has been driving for 3 years and joined the team in 2005. Her mini's registered name is C.R.Carousel Pepperoni, but she calls him Pepper. They were both born in 1994. Her mom trained him to drive in 2003 and then Katie drove him on the team in 2004. Pepper is actually a grey appaloosa. He has spots around his eyes and mouth and when wet, you can see the spots all over his body. Pepper and Jacque have won many ribbons in open driving classes as well as halter classes. They have also been in several parades, including the Chicago Jingle Elf on Thanksgiving morning. Pepper has been the flag ceremony horse for the last 2 years at the Midwest Horse Fair. He even drove in a wedding, carrying the flower girl and ring bearer from the church to the reception.

Katie and Chili

Katie started with the team in 2003 when it began, driving a mini named Sweetie. The next year she drove Pepper and then started 2005 with Coral (pictured in August) at Midwest. However, Coral was pregnant and due in July, so she switched to Chili for the rest of the 2005 events. In addition to driving, Katie has also shown English and Western on her own Appaloosa and on a leased Arabian for several years. She is now working with her Quarter horse mare. Katie is a member of the Clover Rockets Equestrians 4-H club and was elected secretary for the second year in a row. Besides horses, she also planned to show her Doberman Riley in obedience. At school she enjoys cheerleading and works hard to be a straight A student.

Anna and Kandy

Anna joined the team during their second year. She enjoys driving, riding, volleyball and a little acting. She attends St. Marys in Woodstock, IL. as an eighth grader and often spends time with her veterinarian father, learning about treating cats and dogs.
Kandy is a red sorrel miniature horse. She is around eight years old. Her full name is Kandy So Sweet, as she has an apparent sweet tooth. She lives with three larger horses, ten chickens and her best friend, Billy T. Goat. She may be used at a therapeutic riding center in the near future as a therapeutic driving horse. She is also known for taking fifth place at Petland's Pet Costume Contest as a John Deere Tractor in 2005.

Celia and Mac

Celia and Mac came together in the fall of 2004, when Celia's mom bought Dusty. Celia had been riding Dressage on her pony for a couple of years, so driving was not hard to pick up. Doing drill patterns with a cart was a little more challenging, but she managed to pull it together and drove with the team at the Midwest Horse Fair. Then she went back to working with her pony.
Mac is a 32" mini gelding that she leased from Double L Equestrian. He is a half brother to Coolio, pictured above. He is now in a backup position, used only when needed, since he is a little small to keep up with the others on this team. His all important roll now, is to pull a covered wagon in local parades or to pull the wagon full of presents in the Chicago Jingle Elf parade on Thanksgiving morning.

Rissa and Chili

Rissa has been in the Mini Drill Team at Midwest since the team first performed in 2003. She drove a mini named Coco the first year, as Dusty wasn't ready yet. Dust Devil or "Dusty" is a 5 year old Pinto and made it onto the team in 2004. He has a very high spirited temperament and was a welcome challenge for Rissa to train and drive. Dusty was sold in the fall when Rissa moved too far away to continue on the team. However, she was able to work it out to practice with Chili and participate in the 2005 Midwest Horse Fair. She still comes down to help the team during many events, but has been busy at her new barn learning reining, and perfecting her English and Western horsemanship skills in preparation for the upcoming show season.