Local riders compete in championships

    Hundreds of pony clubbers from across the nation competed in the United States Pony Club Championships East in Lexington, Va.
RIDING – Marina DiMarco rides Allegro in competition.
    Riders competed in Olympic disciplines of dressage, show jumping, and eventing, as well as tetrathelon, games and quiz.
    Among those competing were Marina DiMarco and Kimberly Levesque, both of the local Meduxnekeag River Pony Club. Levesque, daughter of Rudy and Anita Levesque, competed as a D2 on a Senior D level Quiz team, and DiMarco, daughter of Steve and Mary Beth DiMarco, rode as a C1 on a Training Level Dressage team.
     Since Meduxnekeag River Pony Club is part of the Northeast (Maine) Region, both girls achieved qualifying scores in order to join regional teams with other girls from all over the state. Championships work a lot like the Olympics – competitors are scored in teams of four. Riding teams, however, are also judged in Horse Management, or care of their mounts and equipment.
TEAM – Ashley Levesque, second from left, competed on the Quiz team at the United States Pony Club Championships East.
    At the end of the three-day competition, both teams scored very well. Levesque’s team took second out of 25 teams, and the Northeast Region Dressage team placed second in Horse Management and sixth overall, with 13 teams in their division. And out of over 50 riders, DiMarco’s musical freestyle ride placed sixth with a score of 70.35.
    “It was a great experience,” said DiMarco, “competing at that level, you get a real adrenaline rush, especially in the Freestyle. I think my horse knew she was dancing. My team had a great time.”
    “We went down to have fun and we did much better than we thought,” added Levesque.
    Needless to say, MRPC has a lot to be proud of. For more information about Pony Club or USPC Championships, contact Mary Beth DiMarco or Anita Levesque.