Western Equestrian club puts on a show

If you like horses, new friends and the smell of ranches, the Western Equestrian Club may be the perfect place for you. 

The club hosted its first Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association show in over three years at the Sam Skaggs Family Equine Education Center on Saturday, Oct. 14.  

Utah State, Montana State, Rocky Mountain College, and University of Montana Western participated in the show. Riders were judged on horsemanship, ranch riding and reining. 

“It was a big deal hosting the event for the club as a whole, for the university and also for our equine science program. It was a big step for us,” head coach Gary Bayles said. “A lot of work went into it and a ton of help from not only students who are members of the club but also those who are in our equine science management program. Overall, it was a huge success.”  

Throughout the two-day show, skill levels increased. Reining is the highest skill level, followed by ranch riding for intermediate riders and horsemanship for participants of every level. 

Junior Courtney Carlson, a third-year team member who has been riding horses since she was six years old, participated in horsemanship and ranch riding.  

“Horsemanship is riding on the rail, and they’re looking at how well you ride your horse in your position,” Carlson said. “Ranch riding is about a pattern and how fluid your horse can be throughout a pattern, and reining is about all the above combined.” 

The team went through a period of growing pains as shows shut down during the pandemic. They were left without a coach or resources to help the club grow. Now, the club has 33 members, the biggest team they’ve had.  

After a few hard years, Carlson says the team is “all sold in.”  

“We’re just like a really close-knit group. It’s just fun to have such a good environment and even the shows are fun to come and watch,” she said. “It’s a fun environment, and we are actually a good, strong, competitive team.” 

Piper Savage, another a third-year member, has been riding for 20 years. She joined for the horses but stayed for the team. 

“We’re all best friends and we hang out outside of it too, which is really fun,” she said. 

Savage placed first in her group, riding cool and calm around the pen on her assigned horse. 

“It’s kind of hard because you just randomly draw a horse, and you can’t touch them before you go in to show. Your mindset is you’re trying to figure out the horse but you’re also trying to keep your posture good and trying to get the right leads,” she said. “My brain is all over the place just trying to do all the things.” 

A major challenge when hosting IHSA shows is finding enough horses for all the participants. Utah State worked with families, community members and local horse owners in preparation for the show.  

Before competing, riders are randomly assigned a horse they are unfamiliar with to maintain fairness.  

“They want to level the playing field as much as possible. It’s about how good of a rider you are because we’re going to put you on whatever horse,” Carlson said. “It’s testing how well you handle a horse and how good you look doing it. It should look effortless, but you’re doing so much.” 

Similar practices are held at tryouts for the club team where each contestant is assigned a random horse. For the past few years, more than 40 people have tried out. 

“We put them in the arena on a ride and then they decide who comes on. There are different levels, so as far as how many people make it, it just depends on how many people we need per level,” Savage said. 

Ray Steele is a first-year member who, unlike most other members, didn’t grow up with horses. Hailing from Arizona, she joined FFA, Future Farmers of America, in high school, a decision that led to a part-time job at a local ranch and a love for equines. 

“A lot of people think if you’re not born into it or if you’re not super experienced, you don’t have a shot. But I think that’s the wonderful thing about this club,” she said. “It’s something where we can all find that common ground of being passionate about equine. We just learn with each other. I mean, nobody’s ever an expert on anything.” 

Steele’s mom flew in from Arizona for the show, feeling nervous for Ray and the horse. 

“It’s always a little nervous when you have a kid competing. But she loves it; this is her thing. I’m just really glad that she gets to do it,” Tara Steele said. “I mean, I didn’t honestly even know this existed. So when she said she wanted to try out, we were of course supportive. Just thought this was a perfect fit for her. I still don’t know what they’re judging, but you know, all these participants and riders look great.” 

Ray was happy with how her first show went and even happier when the first show nerves were out. She said having a random horse was a challenge, but her coaches prepared her for it. 

“She was a little hot at the gate, and so obviously that made me a little nervous, but she was good after that. The biggest thing is just to breathe and just to be chilled. These horses never mean anything bad. I decided to just take it slow work with her, and we did fine the rest of the time,” she said. 

Bayles tries to prepare the team so they don’t have to worry about every detail when it’s time to show. He expressed the importance of being mentally ready before entering the arena. 

“When it’s their turn to actually show, I take a moment and talk to each of them as they’re getting ready to go in the ring. It’s one of those things that happens really fast,” Bayles said. “I want to be available for them to kind of ease their nerves a little bit because some of the students have never shown before. This might be their first experience in the pen, where others have probably been showing that all their lives.” 

Unlike other sports competitions with screaming fans and screeching whistles, horsemanship requires strength, poise and calmness for the athlete and the horse. 

“The atmosphere of being around horses is something that I really love. It’s just calming and feels like I’m out of the real world for a little bit,” Carlson said.  

Last season, Carlson qualified to represent USU at the IHSA Nationals. She placed tenth in a competitive level 1 horsemanship class. 

“I really like competing because it makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something. It’s fun just to ride but competing, my work is actually paying off and doing something,” she said. 

Ray said a big part of the mental aspect is being connected with the horses. 

“Horses are just super understanding and very emotional, and they really help you control your own emotions. People say horses are therapy, and it really is true because you have to be very in tune with your own emotions,” she said.  

Above all, team members want USU to know the club exists. They are a family where veterans and newcomers can bond together through a love for horses.