Equestrian Team Improves Skills While Bringing Friends Together
It’s 4 a.m. The sun still sleeps, and yet the members of the University of Oregon Equestrian Team rise. Groggy, they grab their bags and head off to the van, which will take them to the weekend horse show. After stopping at Dutch Brothers to load up on caffeine, 10 slightly more chipper girls begin the hour-long journey to the Benton County Fair Grounds in Corvallis, Ore. The equestrian team shows up to five times per term and is part of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association.
Once there, the excitement rises as they enter the humming barn. The cold metal building is like an ice chest, and no matter how many clothes they put on, the cold still seeps in. Teams from all over Oregon and Washington put aside their differences and huddle together for warmth and socializing. The barn becomes a family reunion as friends from far away come together to chat about the happenings of their lives.
Suddenly the chatter quiets as the rusty barn doors scream open and the horses are led in. Members of the equestrian team do not ride their own horses during competition. Host teams gather horses from around the community and are responsible for the saddling and warming up. Horses’ names are drawn out of a hat and riders must mount and head off to the ring without having a chance to work with the horse. Performances are judged on how well the rider rides while on a horse he or she have never been on before.
“IHSA shows are great for teaching riders to deal with different types of horses,” said Carol Douglas, long-time horse trainer and equestrian team coach. “They have to be very aware of their bodies and the cues that they are giving the horse.”
After their horses are drawn, the weekend warriors prepare for battle. Bathroom stalls and car backseats become dressing rooms for these stars of the IHSA. Racks of custom rhinestone outfits are wheeled to the bleachers next to rows of cowboy hat boxes and boot bags. The fearless warriors smooth makeup over tired eyes and dirt smudged cheeks. Look again and the harried girls dressed in sweats have transformed into a sea of cowgirls. Every jewel is in its place, every cowboy hat has a head. Against all the odds each girl has been transformed into a beauty queen.
Hooves pound rhythmically as the horses orbit around the judge. Riders sit perfectly still, their cues invisibly directing their mounts around the ring. Horse and rider have become one. Each stride is synchronized like waves on a shoreline. As the class comes to an end the riders, are rewarded with colorfull, fluffy ribbons, but this is not what is important to the riders. More than just a ribbon, the riders are here to test their skills and share their passions for horses with other college students. These shows are where lifetime friends are made, and where riders learn respect for the horse.
As the valiant warriors make their way back home, their makeup gone and their outfits neatly tucked away, they are thinking not about what placing they earned or the patterns they forgot.
They are thinking about next weekend when they get to do it all over again.
The U of O Equestrian Team is a club sport and is open to undergraduates of any riding level who share a love of horses.
Stephanie Land is the student coordinator for the University of Oregon Equestrian Team. She studies public relations and has been riding horses for longer than she can remember.
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