USU students saddle up
The USU equestrian team is preparing for the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA)
competitions.
The Equestrian team was started three and one-half years ago for students to be able to compete in equitation events. The 2003 team is the largest ever. The team consists of 24 Western riders and 12 hunt seat or English riders, said Tiffany Day, equine professor at Utah State University.
When students compete they are judged on how they ride and the way they handle the horse, Day said.
“It has taken a lot of hard work to get where they are,” she said. “Second place in the region is a great accomplishment.”
Ian Malcolm, a senior in family and human development, said, “It’s not like any other sport out there. You learn a lot about horses, a lot about yourself, and you learn how to deal with
people.”
The riders on the USU equestrian team are especially challenged because when they travel to compete; they arrive at the host school without their horses or tack. All equipment and horses are supplied by the host school. They compete on unfamiliar horses, in an unfamiliar place.
“It makes a more versatile rider,” Day said.
Riders compete in beginner, intermediate, advanced and open classes for each discipline. The students draw numbers out of a hat and the horse matching that number is assigned to them. A card is given to students describing their horse and it’s temperament which gives them slight insight on their mount. Students are only allowed on their horse to adjust their stirrups before entering the ring.
“I really enjoy being part of the equestrian team,” Malcolm said. “[Competitive horseback riding] is a totally different world, entirely its own.”
Kerry Stephens, a freshman majoring in horse production, has been riding for 16 years in Western and one year in English. Stephens said being on the team is a great stress relief for her. It is a mental break from the everyday academic studies.
“People who say horseback riding is not a sport are lying. It is a really physical activity, especially in English riding,” Stephens said.
Malcolm said being on the equestrian team is a really good experience to improve your riding skills.
“There are different people with different backgrounds that are willing to help you a lot,” he said.
USU equestrians are in zone 8, region 3 of the IHSA’s nine zones. They compete against Southern College of Idaho, Alberston College in Idaho, Montana State University, University of Montana and University of Montana-Western. The team will compete at U of M on Feb. 15 and 16, U of M-Western on Feb. 22 and MSU March 1 and 2. Regional competition will be at SCI after Spring Break.
Day said all the team’s members are hard workers and she hopes their hard work is awarded by good placing.
“We really want to tighten the gap between CSI and USU to be the number one team in region,” she said.
For more team information contact team president Becky Hurst at 787-0378.
–kassrobison@cc.usu.edu