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SouthgateStar.com
OCTOBER 24 - NOVEMBER 23, 2019
Complimentary
Not just horsing around
Anderson’s equestrian riders making a name for themselves TOM TIGANI Southgate Star
Southgate Anderson High School might seem an unlikely place for an equestrian team, until you realize one team member is all you need to start one. So in 2003 when Ashley Clapp asked her mother, Kimberly Clapp, if she could represent the school in Michigan Interscholastic Horsemanship Association meets, mom made it happen. Anderson athletic director Dave Pinkowski agreed, saying he would be happy to support an equestrian team and agreed it could be a varsity sport. Ashley participated in 2003 as a junior and 2004 as a senior. It was a case of the apple not falling too far from the tree; Ashley had been riding since age 9. “She asked if she could start taking riding lessons” Kimberly said. “I guess all the stories I had about my horse-riding years sparked an interest. She took lessons and not long after we bought her a horse.” Kimberly, who grew up in a not-very-rural portion of Flat Rock, has been a Wayne County 4H
Leader for 20 years and the Southgate Anderson equestrian team coach since 2003. She also has served on the MIHA board for three years. “My love for horses began when I was somewhere around 9 years old,” Kimberly said. “I’m not really sure how I became obsessed with horses, but I knew I wanted to ride them. I begged my parents enough that they finally let me take riding lessons. I was hooked from then on.” Kimberly’s dad told her she could have a horse of my own after she learned how to take care of one. “I would go to the barn every day after school and clean stalls and brush horses,” she said. “My dad finally let me get a horse.” Because she lived in a subdivision in Flat Rock, there was no way they could keep a horse at their house, so they found a boarding facility nearby. Kimberly joined 4H and participated at the Wayne County Fair in Belleville for a few years. After some time passed and she had a family of my own with her husband, Tom, and moved to Southgate, SEE EQUESTRIAN, Page 3
Serving Downriver Since 1975
Kate Clapp started her career at Southgate Anderson and at 25 she is still competing at high-level competitions.
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