Meet the 2006 Team!

The team at the start of the season:


Back row from left, Britta Lubkeman, Amber Lanzer, Jacque Pollock, Becca Skirmont, Kim Fierla, Cara Clarkson.

Front row from left Amanda Richardson, Kylie Clarkson, Anna Rudawski, Kelsi MacMahan.

 

The team at the end of the season:

Back row from left, Kim Fierla, Amber Lanzer, Amanda Eyers, Cindy Roberg.

Middle row, Eden Manuel, Kelsey Bergloff, Josa Comstock, Kylie Clarkson.

Front row, Jacque Pollock, Anna Rudawski.

 

 
 

Team coach is Linda Lanzer, assisted by moms Rikki Pollock and Linda Fierla, who also enjoy driving. Costume designer this year is Linda Fierla, music coordinator and web designer is Stacy Lucht, routine designer is Amber Lanzer with the coach and fundraiser was Laura Clarkson.

  
Amber and Napoleon Amber has been the lead driver since the team began in 2003. She is a junior at Richmond-Burton High Sshool in Illinois and is now 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. They can be seen on the 'extras' page.  
Britta and 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. Britta left the team in Aug. 		 
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 a 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. Kim is a junior 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.

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 and will be the second lead in 2007.

 
Cindy and Susie

Cindy started with the team this year, driving a leased mini named Susie. She missed the Midwest Horse Fair, since she was a member of the DeKalb county 4-H Horse Bowl team and their state competition was on the same weekend as Midwest. Cindy is in 8th grade and rides and shows event horses at hunter shows and 3-day events and also shows ABRA in Wi and IL.

Susie is a 5 year old mare who had a very nice filly in 2004. She was trained to drive while she was in foal and then went back to driving after the foal was weaned. She is 34" tall and is very sweet. They plan to continue with the team in 2007.

 
Cara and Brooke Cara joined the team in 2005, using a mini from Double L Equestrian. This year she has her own mini, Brooke, a young mare that she trained to drive by herself. Her mother owned TLC Stables, which was the other location where the team practiced, besides Double L Equestrian. She also rides and shows Dressage, Jumping and does 3 day events and even some speed shows, just for fun. She has now moved to Texas with her mother and sister, but wants to still do some driving down there.  
Amanda R. and Smokey Amanda is 11 years old. She joined in winter 2005 and continued with all the events until Horse Fest 2006. 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. She dropped out of the team in Aug 2006.  
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 was one of the three youngest drivers at 10 yrs old, along with Jacque and Amanda. 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 helped their mother run their eventing barn, TLC Stables, near Elgin, IL, housing up to 60 horses at a time. However, they have since sold it and moved to Texas, but Kylie will be coming back to drive with the team in 2007. 		 
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. She will continue in 2007.  
Becca and Romeo

Becca started with the team this year. She rides and shows event horses in local open shows, hunter shows and 3-day events. She is a sophomore in high school. Due to her busy schedule with her big horses, she left the team in April, after Midwest.

She was driving a mini named Romeo that she leased from Double L Equestrian. He was started in January, and has really picked it up fast. He accompanied the team last year to the events, so he would get used to the commotion. The head start paid off, as he took everything in stride at the Midwest Horse Fair.

 
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 as a therapeutic driving horse at a center for therapeutic riding. She is also known for taking fifth place at Petland's Pet Costume Contest as a John Deere Tractor in 2005. Kandy & Anna will be too busy in 2007 to continue on the team.

  
Kelsi and Chili

Kelsi and Chili came together this year after Coral (see her on the extras page) decided that she didn't want to be driven any more. Kelsi is an eigth grade student who also rides and shows event horses at local open shows, hunter shows and 3-day events.

Chili is a 12 year old mini who was rescued several years ago by a family who taught him to drive and did a fair amount of trail or road driving. When their schedule became too busy to work him, they had him try out for the drill team and he decided that he liked it (and the young girls driving him). He has been on the team since, driven by 3 different drivers. He enjoys the attention and likes to do his job.

  
Amanda and Chili

Amanda and Chili came together towards the end of the season, when Kelsi had to drop out of the team. Amanda lives in IL and is a sophomore in high school. She's been riding for about 2 years and started driving on the team in August 2006. She doesn't really do any sports at school, but she likes to swim, run, play tennis, basketball and volleyball.

She says Chili is a very strong willed, well built mini who has been on the team for a couple of years. He is a high speed horse, but an admirable driver. She plans to continue on the team into 2007 and is looking forward to all the new events she will be driving in.

 
Kelsey and Romeo

Kelsey joined the team in August 2006, after seeing the minis driving and asking for some driving lessons. She picked it up quickly, since she already had been taking riding lessons and had participated in a riding drill routine at Double L Equestrian. Once she started, she was hooked and plans to continue in 2007 with her own mini, She is one of the youngest members on the team at 8 yrs old. She drove at the Holistic Animal Health Fair performance in Sept and did very well.

Romeo is a Double L mini who is in his first year of driving drill team, also. He was raised and trained at the farm and is a real sweetheart.

 
Eden and Rowdy

Eden began riding lessons in November 2005 at Double L Equestrian. Inspired by her older cousin, she has wanted to ride horses since she was 4. She participated in several local horse shows and in the drill presentation at Double L. In summer 2006, she turned 9 and started driving lessons, after seeing the mini team perform. By Sept, she was ready to perform at the Holistic Animal Health Fair. Now she's hooked also and plans to continue on the team in 2007.

Rowdy came to Double L in late summer 2006. He had been driven and shown by another family for several years, but they were moving up to a pony, so the daughter could ride more. He's an excellent driving horse, though he doesn't like to stand still much.

 
Josa and Indy

Josa has been riding for several years on her own pony. In spring of 2006 at age 8, she started driving lessons, after seeing the mini team drive. She fell in love with driving immediately and was very excited to drive with the team at the Holistic Animal Health Fair. She bought her own mini (Bugsy), but he was a little too strong for her to drive right away. She continues to drive minis at Double L, but is starting to work more with her own, so she can drive him in 2007. When she's not driving, she is busy riding her pony, Curly Tango. She is also helping to train her new puppy, Sugarbear and keeps up with her dance classes.

Indy is a sweet mini who came to Double L in early summer 2006. He had been driven by a lady around his pasture for a year, when she decided that he needed a better job. He has a little trouble keeping up the speed with the drill team, but the kids love him.