The has had an extended string of successes, and the team鈥檚 43 riders hope to add a sixth consecutive regional championship this spring. Even better, they鈥檙e aiming for a second national championship appearance, after last year鈥檚 seventh-place finish.
鈥淎ll of our lives we鈥檙e taught that horseback riding is an individual sport, but in college, you鈥檙e not only riding for yourself鈥� your points count for the team,鈥� said Jen Blazy, a senior pharmacy major and president of the team. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been fun to be a part of a big team that鈥檚 like a family to me.鈥�
Intercollegiate horse shows are quite different from the shows most riders participated in when they were growing up. For instance, the team hosting the show provides all of the horses, which are assigned randomly to the riders. So the rider gets little time to become acclimated to the horse.
“All of our lives we鈥檙e taught that horseback riding is an individual sport, but in college you鈥檙e not only riding for yourself鈥攜our points count for the team.” Jen Blazy, team president
鈥淵ou have no idea what your horse鈥檚 personality is going to be like,鈥� said Jackie Romero-Bourassa, a sophomore pharmacy major. 鈥淎ll we get ahead of time is a description of the horse, and based on that, you just get on and go.鈥�
Riders compete in one of eight classes, based on their experience and skill level, including a category for those with less than six months of riding experience. So the team recruits beginning riders during the first week of school each year.
鈥淵our beginning rider is just as important as your best rider. They can each earn us seven points,鈥� said Coach Wendy Brayman. 鈥淪o we take people who have never ridden before. We need people in every class.鈥�
The team鈥檚 top rider, Lauren Henry, placed fourth at nationals last year and earned second place in the Cacchione Cup, which is awarded to the rider who scores the most points in his or her region in the open division, the highest level of competition.
鈥淢y personal goal for this year is to qualify for the Cacchione Cup again,鈥� said Lauren, a junior management major. 鈥淚鈥檇 really like to win my class at nationals, since coming in second last year left me a little hungry for the win. And it would be great if the team could qualify for nationals again, too.鈥�
Not everyone has such high expectations. For many of the riders, being part of the team and encouraging their teammates is as important as winning.
鈥淟ast year I was very unsure of myself, so my goal for this year is to make sure all the freshmen are included and to encourage people to care about the team,鈥� said Jessy Peterson, a sophomore psychology major. 鈥淔or the team, I just want everyone to put their best effort in.鈥�