Meet The Boise Pony Club Instructors
Lindsey Burns
Lindsey trains horses for a living, specializing in preparing OTTBs (Off Track Thoroughbreds) for new careers, as well as starting young horses under saddle. She loves coaching riders and working hard to help grow their confidence. She also helps at her husband's race stable. She graduated a few years ago with a degree in biology, but decided that living a passionate life doing what she truly loves was the better direction.
She was a trainer for the 2017 RRP Thoroughbred Makeover and ended up 8th of 300 for the Thoroughbred Ambassador Award. She competes regularly in local dressage, jumping, and eventing shows, and is always keeping her eye out for that special horse to 'take all the way.' She competed through the USEA preliminary level eventing and USEF first level dressage, participating in competitions on both the east and west coasts. She is also the vice president of the largest chapter of the Idaho Dressage and Eventing Association.
Nancy Roché
Nancy Roché grew up in Massachusetts, where she was a “B” Pony Clubber and competed as an eventer through Preliminary level, before moving on to Equitation and 4’6” Jumpers, under the tutelage of Brian Flynn. She went on to win the New England Medal Maclay and many prestigious ribbons on the “A” circuit.
Fast-forward 17 years to Boise, where Nancy once again took up eventing and got more deeply into the study of dressage, becoming very active in the community through the Idaho Dressage and Eventing Association. Nancy has served as President of the Les Bois Chapter-IDEA and President of the IDEA for many years. She has won numerous USDF, USEA and IDEA awards. Feel free to visit www.nancyroche.com for more information!
Nancy enjoys teaching students of all ages the value of good horsemanship, with dressage as the solid foundation of every endeavor. It is her goal to bring along her students such that they achieve a common thread of confidence, kindness, elegance and subtle effectiveness in their riding and as human beings.
Midori Bennett
Midori started showing at age 4 in Connecticut under the instruction of Wayne Carroll and was the youngest to win a championship at the Rhode Island International Jumping Derby at age 7. She then moved onto riding at the Fairfield County Hunt Club in Westport, CT where she entered the pony ring under the instruction of Emerson Burr. There she had the wonderful opportunity to learn the “pony ring” and the importance of the fine tuning and discipline needed in the hunter ring.
Her family moved to Boise for a brief time in the early eighties where she learned about Pony Club and the local circuits. In the mid eighties she began riding and showing in the Seattle area under the wings of Brad Laird and then onto Mike Crooks, entering the Junior Hunter and Equitation rings. Midori then spent her last junior year back at the Fairfield County Hunt Club under the instruction of Bruce and Sari Burr and Brian and Leslie (Burr) Lenehan. There she competed up and down the east coast in all three rings qualifying her junior hunter for the indoor circuit and after placing 17th at the Maclay regional’s, for all of the Medal and Maclay finals.
Her young amateur years consisted of strengthening her skills in the jumper rings and showing several Pre-Green hunters. After a short hiatus to go to college in NC for Special Education, she began teaching lessons in the Pacific Northwest and quickly loved being on the ground in the middle of ring. After successfully teaching in the Seattle area for 6 years she and her son moved to Boise to be closer to family. Having so many years both in the saddle and on the ground, Midori is confident and comfortably enjoys teaching those just learning how to groom their first pony up through Grand Prix jumpers with all the rings in between, at both the local level and A circuits.