Wofford Equestrian finishes regular season with home show
After competing along the southeast throughout the fall and spring semesters, the Wofford College Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Equestrian Team will host its second annual home show on Feb 23, 2019 at the Foothills Equestrian Nature Center (FENCE).
In its sixth year, the team of 11 has drawn from a wide spread of skill levels to cover the majority of the competitive divisions. New riders and experienced equestriennes alike have trained diligently at Motlow Equestrian Center in Campobello with coaches Ashley Frick and Merimac Dunbar to fine-tune all aspects of their horsemanship skills, from heel to head.
In IHSA competitions, each rider is assigned to a division based on skill level and past competitive experience. IHSA divisions range from Walk/Trot to Open to allow for an environment in which riders of all skill levels are welcome to compete at the college level. When competing, riders are judged primarily on their body position and contact with the horse. The crux of IHSA, which distinguishes it from most other competitive riding organizations, is that, rather than bringing your own horse to each competition, riders are designated a horse from the pool provided by a handful of the competing schools at each show. Essentially, each horse is deemed appropriate for a certain skill level and, at the beginning of each show, horse and rider are matched on that basis. This makes college-level competition more accessible. The IHSA website states: “The association was founded on the principle that any college student should have the opportunity to participate in equestrian competition regardless of financial status, gender or riding level…IHSA eliminates the expense of horse ownership and allows more students to compete…The format fairly tests the horsemanship of the athletes.”
This year, Wofford’s team opened the season at Georgia Southern University in September and has since competed at Clemson University, the University of South Carolina and again at GSU. The team consistently places 7th or 8th out of the 12 competing schools in the southeastern region of IHSA. Individuals have performed outstandingly this year; Betsy Covington, ’19, qualified for regionals in the Walk/Trot division, Jordan Holmes, ’21, qualified for regionals in the Walk/Trot/Canter division and Mary Bradley Cassada, ’19, qualified for regionals in the Novice Flat division. Additionally, Covington has placed in the top four at every show and Abby Britton, ’20, has placed at every show. Riders Lindsey Goan, ’19 and Keeley O’Keefe, ’20, are five and nine points, respectively, from joining the other three in qualifying for regionals. Co-captain Allison Andrews, ’19, said of this year’s team, “I am very proud of the strong efforts from each of the individuals on the team and hope the Wofford community will join me in celebrating and supporting the team as we compete at FENCE.” Co-captain Rhiannon Lemaster, ‘19, added “The equestrian team has been a wonderful experience and I’m glad I’ve watched it grow and look forward to it being even more prevalent on campus in the years to come.”
The show at FENCE will finish out the regular IHSA season. To prepare, the team spent extra time during the month of February at the barn getting themselves in their best show shape and exercising the school horses. Following the show at FENCE, regionals will be held at Lander University in Greenwood, S.C. on March 3, followed by Zones at Auburn University and Nationals in Syracuse, N.Y.
Caption: Betsy Covington, ’19, joined the team last year as a new rider and has quickly advanced through the Walk/Trot division into the Beginner Walk/Trot/Canter.