By: Meghan Daniel, contributing writer

This past weekend was an exciting first for the Wofford Equestrian team. On Saturday, Feb. 24, the team hosted their first home show— no small feat for a relatively new sport at Wofford with limited resources. The team, consisting of 12 riders and two coaches, Ashley Conkle and Merrimac Dunbar, has been preparing for this big event for months. Team captains Allison Andrews and Rhiannon Lemaster, both juniors at Wofford, have worked hard with their coaches in collaboration with Wofford’s Marketing team, Student Activities Committee, and Athletics Media team to make this event successful.

The show was hosted a short distance from Wofford at Foothills Equestrian Nature Center, commonly known as FENCE, in Tryon, N.C. The team, with the help of barn owner Sally Frick among others, trailered 14 horses from the facility where they train in Campobello up to Tryon. Furman University, Converse College and Clemson University also provided horses for the show.

Although most of the physical labor for the show went into effect early Saturday morning, the team’s chores really began the day prior. When classes dismissed for the day, the work for the team had really just begun. Team members headed out to Motlow Equestrian Center to complete a series of tasks that included grooming horses, shining tack, packing supplies and making sure all the last-minute details were in order.

In order to run the show smoothly, the team was grateful to haveextra sets of hands. Thanks to Wofford’s Marketing team, news of the show spread quickly. Posters were made, which team members hung around campus to publicize the event to students and faculty. Friends, family and other members of the Wofford and Spartanburg communities showed up to support the team for this premier event.

In addition, riders from the Spartanburg Day School IEA (Interscholastic Equestrian Association) team volunteered to be warm-up riders at the show and members of Wofford’s Pi Kappa Phi fraternity volunteered to provide whatever help they could offer for the day at FENCE.

This event was special for many reasons. It was not only the first home horse show that Wofford Equestrian has hosted, but it also represents the increased support that Wofford College has pledged to the team this year. While Wofford’s Equestrian Team continues to grow, this year will certainly be a mile-marker in the team’s development. The year began with a new facility, new coaches and five new members to the team.

With the developments, the team now prominently asserts itself as an important part of the many sports and attractions that Wofford has to offer. Second, third, and even fourth-year members of the team would never guessed that they would be recognized at a Terrier men’s basketball game, as they were on Feb. 20. It’s also likely that they never imagined having a professionally made hype video created by Wofford’s Athletics Media team, which was shown at the basketball game.

In short, the Wofford Equestrian Team is proud to represent Wofford and is thankful for the support they have received from the college and the community. They hope to continue developing Wofford’s Equestrian program and are eager to live out the future of the team.