CALLICOON -- It's two o'clock on a Saturday afternoon and 12 girls have arrived at the barn of Diehl Me In Performance Horses run by lifetime horse maven Megan Diehl Blumenthal for their weekly team practice session.

Their experience at Diehl Me In, open to students from grades 4-12, will be so much more than learning to ride a horse. It will include a weekly lesson, having to tack up the horses, learning control, balance and developing strength to manage horses which can average about 1000 pounds. They will compete in horse shows that assess their skills and progress. For the past two years the girls from Diehl Me In Showcase Horses have been members of the Interscholastic Equestrian Association, an enterprise whose mission statement avers, “To provide competitive and educational opportunities through equestrian athletics. Good horsemanship and honorable participation are priorities at every event.”

IEA participants are expected to “help foster a spirit of belongingness, an atmosphere of community enjoyment and a mutual respect for all participants and their equine partners.”

In preparation for the shows the young riders will compete in, Coach Megan seeks to develop those facets that will be judged, most notably, equitation (posture). Correct position of hands, upper back and total poise in the saddle will garner points from the judges.

Coach Megan, who has been riding since she was six years old was a Special Education Teacher for twelve years. But given the demands of her career, her lifelong interaction with horses was always consigned to an afterschool opportunity. She presented the idea of running her own enterprise to her husband Ian and her parents (Bill and Carole Diehl) and through their combined family effort it became a reality.

Coach Megan's mentorship is incredibly positive and life-altering. “I want this to be a social/family type environment for the kids where everybody learns to do things by doing them. In some places kids arrive to find the horses already tacked up and ready to go but I want them to have the total horse experience,” she notes. “My key words are problem solve.”

Upon their arrival at the barn, the girls begin tacking up the horses that will be ridden on the beautiful enclosed riding facility, the upkeep of which is a family assisted enterprise. Overall there are approximately 35 horses on site, some of which have become the mainstay of the riding school. On a piece of ground, once the site of her father's garden, Megan and her husband Ian saw to the construction of the facility that has become the nexus for the equestrian aspirations of her young charges.

The name Diehl Me In is derived from Megan and Ian's names. At present, half of those young women enrolled are from local school districts, the others are the children of second homeowners whose families have been nearly ever-present since the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic with the kids navigating their studies online from their schools back home.

After tacking up the horses, they lead them into the riding arena and there draw lots to see which horse they will ride that day. Adjusting to different animals will be part of their showcasing experience at the horse shows they will be attending. As with any enterprise there are an ascending level of skills beginning with first managing a walk and trot.

From there that walk and trot goes on to include a canter and ultimately navigating jumps. Only a small percentage of the girls have their own horses. The horses they ride at the shows will be completely unfamiliar to them.

As Coach Megan notes, “riding and especially jumping is a big mental game. Not only are you trying to be the best person you can be, but you're riding an animal that has a mind of its own with good and bad days. In a matter of seconds you have to manage all of that,” she notes.

Sullivan West eighth grader Ryann McElroy has been riding for about five years. Her brother rode when she was very young but she started taking lessons with Megan after he decided to no longer continue. Diehl was instrumental in McElroy's purchase of her two horses.

As with other local students, the cancellation of their school sports season has ramped up their interest in Diehl Me In. McElroy was a three-sport athlete participating in soccer, basketball and softball.

Seventh grader Gracie Sarner, originally from NYC has been riding for two years. “I like being on the horses and being around the barn.” She is a relative newcomer to jumping. “It was scary at first but I got used to it and I love it, ”she notes. Megan adds that the key to jumping is lots of practice, balance, control and strength.

Sullivan West sophomore Lucia Kennedy only participates in skiing as a school sport. “I ride in spring, summer and fall. There will probably be a ski team this winter but I won't be upset if it's canceled. I'll just ride,” she notes. The season for the Diehl Me In team begins in September but riding goes on all year long no matter what the weather. To compete in an IEA event requires a specific number of practices and a year of show experience. Garnering points can enable riders to go beyond their regional competitions to zones and ultimately nationals.

Many of the riders at Diehl Me In have placed well in their shows which have been held in Orange, Ulster and Dutchess Counties. The girls work on Hunt Seat described as follows on the IEA site: “Hunt Seat is the largest discipline of the IEA, and competitions offer over-fences opportunities at every event. With a history based in foxhunting, modern day hunt seat riding has adapted to a forward seat style to allow the rider to easily stay in balance with the horse on the flat or over a course of fences. In equitation, a rider's position, ability to clearly communicate with the horse and overall performance are being judged.”

The next show will be held on November 1 at Greystone Stables in Middletown.

Despite the abeyance of school sports, these girls have found their niche. Their riding is not a season venture and the experience they garner will no doubt become a lifelong asset.

Middle School Team: Grades 4-8

Rozalyn Passante-Sullivan West CSD

Grace Sarner: Robert F Wagner Middle School- Manhattan

Noa Denver-The Hewitt School

Roya Khalili-Tassi: MS 88- Brooklyn

Ryann McElroy-Sullivan West High School

Shelby Stephenson Tri Valley Central school.

Abigail Haff Sullivan West CSD

Skye Cruz Sullivan West CSD

High School Team: Grades 9-12

Chezzy Hanofee Liberty High School

Elizabeth Chellis Sullivan West High School

Sophie Flynn Sullivan West High school

Lucia Kennedy Sullivan West High School