Equestrian Team Riding High at Westminster College

Westminster College's Equestrian Team is riding high this year with five of 18 riders already qualified for Regionals.

The Westminster Equestrian Team hosted its first of two shows of the year Oct. 21 at the Little Neshannock Stables. The 18 team members competed against 14 other colleges including Allegheny College, California University of Pennsylvania, Dickinson College, Duquesne University, Fayette campus of Penn State, Indiana University, Juniata College, Pennsylvania State University, Seton Hill College, Slippery Rock University, University of Pittsburgh, West Virginia University, and Wilson State University.

"We currently have five riders qualified for Regional Competition, which is held in the spring," said Mary McKinley, coach for the Equestrian Team. "We've had riders go from Regionals to compete in Zones before, but never at the National level. I'd like to see one of our riders make it all the way to the Nationals because we have good, talented riders on the team. Maybe this is the year for Nationals."

Westminster's Equestrian Program provides students with opportunities for both expert and beginning level riders. Westminster students may begin by earning physical education credit to learn the basics, which is a prerequisite to active membership and participation in competitions.

Students participating in the program do not necessarily have their own horses, because the school hosting the show provides all the horses.

"Horses are usually leased or borrowed for the day because most facilities do not support a string of horses to host a show of this size," said McKinley. "Riders' horses are chosen by lottery, and no rider has the advantage of knowing which horse they will ride."

Qualifying for the Regional meet so far this year are riders: Tammy Bugher, a junior elementary education major from West Middlesex; Holly Daugherty, a senior history major from Mt. Pleasant; Kristen Greenwood, a senior psychology major from Somerset, Mary Kingston, a sophomore exploratory major from Erie; and Gwen Safran, a senior business administration major from Sewickley.

"I've been a member of the team for two years," said Kingston. "Riding random horses at a show is a great learning experience. I've made a number of good friends on the team. It's a really fun thing to do."

Westminster competes in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), which is comprised of over 300 colleges and universities with over 5,000 riders. The IHSA was established in 1967 for competition among colleges for hunt seat (English) and western-style riding competitions. Westminster competes in the Hunt Seat, Region 3, Zone 3 of the IHSA National Zones.