Meet the 2008 Team!

Back row from left: Ashley Romani, Jacque Pollock, Amber Lanzer, Kim Fierla, Amanda Eyers.

Front row from left: Eden Manuel, Josa Comstock, Kelsey Bergloff, Janelle Raven, Linda Lanzer.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

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.

  
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 7 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.  
Kim and Cheyenne

Kim has driven with the team for 4 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.

Cheyenne is a 6 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 are now the second lead.

 
Jacque and Pepper

Jacque has been driving for 4 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.

 
Eden and Romeo

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. She's been driving with the team ever since.

Romeo is a mini she is leasing from Double L Equestrian. He was acquired as a yearling and was trained to drive in 2006 as he turned 3. Eden had her eye on him and has been driving him on the team since 2007 when he became available.

 
Amanda and Chili

Amanda started driving on the team in August 2006. She lives in IL and is a junior in high school. She's been riding for about 3 years and just started doing some showing. She doesn't compete in any sports at school, but she likes to swim, run, play tennis, basketball and volleyball.

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 2008 and is looking forward to all the new events she will be driving in.

 
Kelsey and Stormy

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 through 2008 with her own mini. She is one of the youngest members on the team at 10 yrs old.

Stormy is her own mini who she got for Xmas '06 from her parents. She has spent many hours playing with him, riding as well as driving.

 
Josa and Bugsy

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 in 2006. 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.

Bugsy is Josa's own mini who she bought in 2006. He was a little strong for her at first, but now they are working well together and she is very happy to be driving him with the team and occasionally at shows.

  
   

 

  
Janelle and Beauty

Janelle joined the team in 2007, with her newly acquired mini she bought from Double L. She is one of the 4 youngest drivers and practices hard to keep up with the older girls. She also rides and has her horses at her mother's barn, showing them at local open shows and in 4-H.

Beauty is a 12 year old mare who was already trained to drive and took to the drill team right away.

 

  
Ashley and Bucklin

Ashley joined the team as a part time driver. She has her own mini (Tony) who is still too young to join the team. This year she is driving Bucklin to help get him used to the team, so others can drive him. She also has her own horse that she shows in speed classes and she works at Grand Geneva taking out trail rides to earn spending money and board for her horses.

Bucklin was bought recently from a young woman who was going to college and would not have time for him any more. He had been driven a little bit, but not recently, since she didn't have a cart. Coach Linda re-freshed his driving training so that Ashley could work at the drill training.

 

 

 

Heather and Rowdy

 

 

 

Heather is coach Linda's oldest daughter. She rides on the Midwest Renengades drill team, but filled in at one of the performances this year, when another driver could not be there. She had her own mini a few years ago, but sold him in favor of a spot on a riding team.

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.

  
Linda and Susie

Linda is the founder and coach of the team and fills in when needed to make an even number, so no one has to be left out.

Susie belongs to another team member who could not come to Midwest this year. She kindly sent Susie for Linda to drive so they would have enough minis.