Meg, Holden, Will, Ryan, Boyd and our own Jenni after a successful yoga session at The Fork
Thanks to the colossal organisation and brainpower of Meg Kepferle and Dana Romano, who collectively make up Howdaa, the generosity and foresight of Theault to get involved in something fun and exciting at the ground level by being the presenting sponsor, and to Will Coleman and Boyd Martin who gave of their time for free, the inaugural Yoga Session at The Fork was a roaring success and raised $1,000 for Area II Young Riders.
Even though the weather didn’t cooperate for the scheduled date and so it was postponed by a day, there was a good turnout of about a dozen or more people ranging from complete beginners to more advanced yogis.
Ryan Stone, the instructor ,managed to teach a class that catered to and challenged all levels, but also found a way to make it fun, and frequently enlisted Boyd and Will’s help to interact with the class. Ryan started yoga about seven years ago whilst teaching English in Japan. “Just being around the Buddhism and the Shintoism made me decide to try yoga when I came back, mostly for the spiritual aspect.” On his return to the States, Ryan spent five years in Charleston, S.C., where he did his teacher training, and he’s now in Chapel Hill.
Jenni, “I was expecting it to be more beginner level, but they definitely pushed us, which is good. It was good to give people an idea of what it’s actually about. There were definitely some poses that I haven’t done before, and I’ve taken yoga for about six months. Some of it was tough, but at the same time I feel so much better. I was super sore and tense coming into this from standing watching dressage in the rain and cold for two days, and I’m so much more relaxed in my shoulders and back and my neck — especially a lot better in my shoulders.”
Amber was doing massage therapy for people in a booth at the event, “I’ve just done a little bit of yoga before, but this was really fun and really enjoyable, and it was actually probably one of the best yoga classes I’ve ever done. I haven’t done very many, and I’ve certainly never done one outside on the grass with a bunch of jokey people before! I’d probably do yoga again now.”
Alissa also gave it a glowing report
All in a day’s work for USEA’s Frankie Theriot
Ryan’s partner, Jes is also an Area II rider and is aiming her horse for the one star at Virginia, “I have a bad shoulder and yoga has been really helpful in strengthening that and for flexiblity.”
Amazing props to Meg, who manages to keep Sinead’s horses looking and feeling fantastic, run a business, (actually, it may be several!) stay smiling, be the life and soul of all the parties, the brains behind creepy videos and God knows what other innovations, Area II’s shining star, a fitness freak, a dancing queen, a hip-hop gangsta … basically the best friend you dream of having but never imagined existed: Meg’s that girl!
Speaking of Sinead…
Chris, “My daughter is in the Young Riders Advancement programme, so of course we want to support that. I thought the class was terrific; I’ve never done yoga before and I might do it again if I had enough time — right?! Too many ponies to ride, but it was fun.”
“Riders can be quite stiff and my goal is to develop an actual sequence specifically for riders, so I’m learning more from Jes and other riders that I talk to all the time,” Ryan said. “I just met Boyd and Will for the first time at Southern Pines a couple of weeks ago, and they’re great guys; I’ve enjoyed working with them. I would love to do more of these, it just depends on how many shows Jes goes to and how many I go along to with her.”
I’m not going to lie, there was definitely a certain amount of competition between Will and Boyd.
But I couldn’t possibly tell you if one was better than the other. You can, however, order a video, beautifully shot, edited and produced by Josh Walker and including interviews with Boyd, Will and Ryan by going to the Howdaa website and practice in the comfort of your own home amongst the company of the stars! It will be available shortly, and we’ll let you know as soon as it is. Howdaa would like to make yoga a staple at events and will also have a presence at Rolex — more news soon.
Many thanks again to Meg, Ryan, Will, Boyd, Theault-America and everyone who showed up. Thank you for reading, and thank you if you donated to Area II Young Riders. Go Downward Dog and Go Eventing!
