The start of August means many things -- high school sports are underway, school starts soon, fall is almost upon us -- but for Geauga…
The start of August means many things — high school sports are underway, school starts soon, fall is almost upon us — but for Geauga County, it also means The Great Geauga County Fair is right around the corner.
The fair is one of the many events for which the Railbroncs, a youth riding group in Geauga, is getting ready.
Fourteen-year-old Angela Volcensek, of Chester Township, has been a member of Railbroncs since 2012.
“I’ve had a love for horses my whole life, but I was never able to ride as a little girl,” Volcensek said. “Railbroncs gave me the opportunity to show at Geauga Horse and Pony Association shows, gain experience and develop a love for sport.”
Part of the GHPA, Railbroncs was originally started in 1975 by Twin Pines Stables in Newbury Township, and the group is still based there, Patty Sutter said.
Sutter’s father, Fred Schneider, created Railbroncs and Sutter’s daughter, Jaimie, is the current advisor.
Sutter was 15 when Railbroncs was founded, and both her children grew up around horses and were Railbroncs members. She has also been the main riding instructor for many of the Railbroncs participants.
Railbroncs is based on the fun of horsemanship with the philosophy that the ribbon is an added bonus, which makes it stand apart, said Volcensek, who rides at Twin Pines Stables.
“The Railbroncs has always been known for teaching kids all about horseback riding,” Sutter wrote in an email, adding the group is involved with many activities such as shows, trail rides and fundraisers.
Their biggest endeavor is preparing for the fair, where the kids spend five days showing off their horse projects.
Volcensek wanted to spread the message about the group to get more riders interested. Railbroncs has low numbers right now — the group has five kids currently, with two others wanting to get in.
Railbroncs originally started as a small club with five members, but the group once grew to 50 members in its 39 years, Sutter said.
She pointed to the economy as the main reason membership has declined. She is unsure what the future holds for Railbroncs.
To join Railbroncs, one must be a member of GHPA — which has its own requirements — be under 18 years old and pay various entry fees, said Volcensek, who also recommends a background in riding.
“The best thing about it is that it helps you to become a better rider,” Volcensek said, adding you can meet a lot of new people.
“The smaller numbers lets there be more focus on the kids,”?she said. “The best thing is that it is focused on the fun, and the ribbon is the added bonus.
“I’ve learned so much from Rail-broncs and GHPA I’m so grateful, they are wonderful people.”
Bits ‘N’ Beyond
The other GHPA youth riding group, Bits ‘N’ Beyond, was started in 2012.
“My goal is to provide horse education and to teach the kids to work as a group,” said Bits ‘N’ Beyond advisor and GHPA secretary Melanie Young, of Chardon.
Young, who just recently took over the group, co-advises with Jaimie Harrison and Nikki Rider as the youth advisor.
The group does many fun activities like field trips to barns with different distinctions and trail rides, Young said, adding members are always willing to help each other out with practice.
“We do everything together as a group,” she said, adding that, though the members have a lot of responsibilities, the most important thing is they “gotta have fun.”
The group currently has 12 members, from high school-aged to as young as 5 or 6, Young said, adding both her daughters are in the group. She noted she wants there to be more older members who can mentor the younger ones.
“I really want to build up the membership,” Young said. “We’re a young group that is trying to get more people. I want to drive more youth to get involved with GHPA.”
She said she is very upbeat and excited about Bits ‘N’ Beyond, adding she is very active with GHPA and really hopes to improve and grow the whole program for all youth.
Bits ‘N’ Beyond can be seen later this month at the fair, and all the members will be stalled together in the GHPA barn.
To join Bits ‘N’ Beyond, Young recommended filling out the form on the GHPA website, where people can also find Young’s contact information.
GHPA has a meeting on the first Wednesday of every month at the fairgrounds. Bits ‘N’ Beyond meets at 6 p.m. right before the official GHPA meeting, which starts at 7:30 p.m.
For more information on either Railbroncs or Bits ‘N’ Beyond, or to learn more about GHPA, visit their website at www.ghpa.us.
