Local family filled with horse sense

Tag : horse chestnut
The sibling team of Katie, David and Maggie Oberkircher scored bigat Skidmore College Saratoga Classic Horse Show in New York lastweek and at the Devon Horse Show in May in Chester County.
The Oberkirchers compete in about three shows a month and beganriding about eight years ago. They practice together at Cedar RidgeFarm in Worcester.
Katie Oberkircher, 16, is a junior at Germantown Academy and ridesa chestnut-colored Hanoverian horse named Cover Girl incompetitions. Katie said she and her siblings usually show inPennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Virginia or New Jersey. Thefurthest they have shown is Saratoga, New York.
"It's really fun and I really like riding," Katie said of the horseshows.
At the Devon Horse Show, Katie placed as the local hunter divisionchampion and was named champion of her section and division ofriders. Katie rode in the jumping classes and a hack class event.At the Skidmore College Saratoga Classic Katie scored two eighthplace spots and one first place win in the hunter division.
"It felt really good. I got Cover Girl in November and I hadn'tbeen riding her for that long so it was nice to have it all cometogether," Katie said of winning at the Devon Horse Show.
Katie said she hopes to continue riding in competitions when shegoes off to college after graduating from Germantown Academy.
David Oberkircher, 13, is an eighth-grader at Germantown Academy.David was the reserve champion in the local hunters division at theDevon Horse Show.
Kathy Oberkircher, David's mother, said he was one of the youngestriders in the division. David rides a dark bay brown, warm bloodHanoverian horse named Loretta and a Welsh quarter pony namedWayward Wind. Recently at the Skidmore College Saratoga ClassicDavid was the hunter division champion on Loretta and was thereserve champion on Wayward Wind.
Kathy said she rode horses as a child and her sister teaches ridingclasses. She passed on the tradition of riding to her children andshe said they enjoy it.
"It's a family sport. Their cousins ride as well," Kathy said.
Maggie Oberkircher, 14, a ninth-grader at Germantown Academy, wasthe reserve champion in her local hunter section at the Devon HorseShow and scored second, third and fourth in the hunter division inSaratoga. Maggie's horse is a bay brown, Dutch warm blood namedJukebox Hero. Maggie said it was surprising to win and said sheenjoys riding because it is something that was passed down in herfamily.
"It's something our mom always did with us when we were younger.I've always loved it and we have done it ever since," Maggie saidof horseback riding.
This week the Oberkircher siblings will compete in the StateCollege Horse Show Series.