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Darby Downs Equestrian Center
Devoted to the Advancement of Rider
Education
In 2003, Penn Township
resident Monica Hrovath realized her dream of
showing her new horse, River by Bold Spruce, for
the first time, receiving First Place in her
division at a large event held in Middlefield,
Ohio. Each year, students from Plum, Franklin
Regional, Penn Trafford, and Gateway School
Districts participate in local hunter/jumper
shows, or attend the North Eastern Ohio
Mini-Trials Series, adding many brightly colored
ribbons to their collections. Not everyone wins
big, but at Darby Downs Equestrian Center, the
goal is to help students discover new places,
learn new riding and showing techniques, and
make new friends.
Darby Downs is a quiet, well-maintained
Equestrian Center located near Irwin, PA. Its
operations include lessons, boarding, sales,
clinics, camps, and leasing. The facility is
owned by CHA Certified Riding Instructor Karen
Pikovsky, an accomplished rider for over 19
years and a Certified Instructor for nine years.
Riding Instruction
There are many beginning
rider programs in the area, but the focus of the
Darby Downs riding program is the advancement of
rider education. At Darby Downs Equestrian
Center, students receive a great deal of
individual care and attention, assisting
students in becoming confident and independent
with horses. “Horses are 1200 to 1500 lb animals
and know when their handler is nervous,” Karen
explained. “The rider needs to be comfortable
working around the horse so that they gain the
horse’s respect.”
Students at Darby Downs are taught proper
handling, saddling and bridling procedures, and,
after their first few initial lessons, are
encouraged to arrive in enough time to take
responsibility for preparing the horse for their
lesson, creating an environment of independent
horsemanship.
Ongoing lessons are private, 45 minute sessions.
The preference for private lessons and small
classes allows as much attention as possible to
be given to each student. Lessons at Darby Downs
Equestrian Center focus on all aspects of
equestrian education. Students are not limited
to the riding arena in their lessons, but also
experience riding in the fields and on trails.
They are also given the option to attend classes
on equine health care, grooming, showing, horse
breeds, riding disciplines, and many other
topics. Students also participate in work/play
days, horse trivia nights, monthly group riding
sessions, in-house schooling shows, and various
other programs scheduled throughout the year.
Darby Downs is also host to clinics with other
specialized advanced instructors.
Students at Darby Downs do not have to own a
horse to ride; school horses are available. In
addition, Darby Downs offers its students the
option of leasing a horse to prepare them for
future horse ownership. An Adult Pony Club &
Youth Horsemanship Club that meet monthly are
also hosted by the equestrian center.
In order to constantly improve her own skills
and education, Karen also attends many clinics
with internationally recognized riders and
trainers. In doing so she keeps her students
up-to-date on new innovations in riding and
training. A listing of Shows and Clinics in Ohio
and PA can be found on the Darby Downs website (www.DarbyDowns.org).
The Three Disciplines of
Eventing
The focus of training at
Darby Downs Equestrian Center is Eventing. This
is an equestrian sport which encompasses the
disciplines of dressage, stadium jumping and
cross country jumping.
The first discipline, Dressage, is derived from
a French word for training. In Dressage the
horse should show that he freely submits to the
rider’s lightest “aids” or body signals, while
remaining balanced and energetic. Dressage
teaches a horse to be obedient, willing, supple
and responsive. The object of dressage is the
harmonious development of the horse in both mind
and body. This requires the horse and rider to
combine the strength and agility of gymnastics
with the elegance and beauty of ballet. The
result is the best blend of sport and art. In
Dressage competitions, riders are scored from
0-10 on a set series of movements demonstrating
the training horse and rider have achieved to
perform each movement.
In Stadium Jumping riders negotiate a course of
12 to 15 fences. The goal is to maneuver around
the jumping course in the time allowed without
knocking over or refusing any of the fences. The
courses are designed to test the horse’s and
rider’s ability to negotiate a variety of fences
of differing heights, widths and technicality.
Cross Country Jumping is the final element of
eventing. Also a timed event, it is centered on
jumping obstacles such as banks, ditches, drops,
and water, the type of obstructions naturally
encountered in a cross country ride. Scores are
based on course times and whether their mounts
refuse when presented to an obstacle.
History of Darby Downs
Darby Downs will
celebrate its fifth year of operation in July
2004. It has been an ongoing labor of love that
started with Karen in high school. Introduced to
horses through a best friend whose parents owned
a horse farm, Karen would help out at their farm
and accompany them to shows, finally convincing
her parents to give her riding lessons. While
Karen took time off from horses in College to
pursue a degree in Technical Writing from
California University, she never lost her love
of horses, and her spare time was always spent
working at barns cleaning stalls and doing other
odd jobs in order to lease a horse.
In 1990, she married husband Joseph, who may
have been a little unsuspecting as to how far
Karen’s love of the equestrian life would go. At
first she only wanted her own horse, Darby
O’Gill, for whom the equestrian center is named.
Later, as Karen went on to gain her
Certification as an instructor and her client
base grew, husband and wife would set their eye
on the current stable and training facilities
that have come to be a family run enterprise.
Maintaining Darby Downs is a seven day a week,
24 hour a day job, providing many long hours of
work that only horse enthusiasts can understand.
The facilities at Darby Downs include 30 acres
of pasture, three large paddock areas, a 60’ X
120’ indoor arena, a heated lounge/viewing area
and restroom, outdoor jump course and arena,
grass dressage arena, cross country jumps, hot &
cold wash stall with spray boom & rubber matts,
10’ X 10’ matted stalls, high grade fans to
maintain air circulation in the stable, full
size lockers for boarders, and a riding trail
system adjacent to the property.
In October 2003, Karen was presented an award
for “Trainer of the Month,” by Everything
Horses, a Saddlery Store in Mars, PA. What made
the event special was that it was based on
letters written by her students, each stating
why they believed their trainer deserved the
award. Karen was not even aware on her
nomination until she had already won!
Boarding and Sales
Darby Downs operates as a
private boarding stable with the goal to provide
a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere for both
horses and their owners. Boarding services
include the daily feeding, turnout, and stall
cleaning, so that owners can spend their time
enjoying the company of their equine companion.
Veterinary, farrier, equine dentist, and equine
chiropractor visits are scheduled by the barn.
Darby Downs also offers lesson horses, training
prospects, or show-experienced horses for sale.
They can assist riders in locating a horse best
suited to their personal needs.
Westmoreland County has so many Great Places,
from unique shops to renowned tourist
attractions. Still, we found it remarkable that
such world-class training in horsemanship is
available right here at Darby Downs Equestrian
Center.
For more information
about Darby Downs Equestrian Center, including
Lessons, Boarding, Sales, Clinics, Camps, and
Leasing, please call owner Karen Pikovsky at
724-864-6044, visit the Darby Downs website at
www.DarbyDowns.org, or email Karen at
DarbyDowns@Comcast.net
Did you know that revenue from the
Pennsylvania equine industry
in 2001 totaled more than $1.12 billion, that
the industry employs more than 20,000 people,
and that Pennsylvania has the third largest
equine population in the United States, some
215,000 animals?
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