Junior Equestrian

The Site
Our purpose
The Site
Submission Info
Contact
Affiliates
Home | FAQ | Forums | Subscribe | Contact

Riding in the IHSA
by Sally Spickard, University of Georgia

Although the University of Georgia's IHSA team experienced some setbacks at the beginning of the semester with the withdrawal of several team members (including myself, for academic reasons), the executive board and the remaining members are confident that the team will be successful again this season. UGA prepares to begin the Spring 2005 competition season, which will commence in February at Berry College, which currently leades the zone by 78 points, with UGA in second place.

One of the challenges the team experienced during the colder months of November and December is inclement weather and the lack of an indoor arena. Many lessons had to be cancelled when rain rendered the outdoor arena useless for riding. The girls, however, did not get discouraged and used every opportunity the weather gave them to ride. Stephanie Nickell, a freshman at UGA who rides in the Intermediate Hunt Seat division, kept a positive attitude about the interruption in her riding schedule. "I can tell a difference in strength because I'm not as strong as I should be...but I know that catching as many rides as possible will bring me back up to where I was. Also, sometimes it's good to get a mental break from riding, so I get extra excited." She, along with most other team members, plans on taking extra lessons as the first show of the season approaches so as to prepare herself mentally and physically for competition.

The team will also be holding try outs for the spring season in order to attract more interest and help the team to grow. The girls have also been working on finding and acquiring new team horses to use in their lesson program, and more fundraisers are being organized to help fund the cost of maintaining the team and its horses.

Up until I joined the team here at UGA, I never really comprehended the work that was required to get an organization off the ground. I was fortunate enough to get to work on the public relations aspect of helping the team grow, and I was quick to realize how much effort was needed on the part of all the members to make the team successful. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity I was given to help out in beginning what I believe will end up being a very successful and competitive IHSA team on a campus that had gotten away from IHSA competition.

For those of you out there who would like an IHSA team at your school, I would encourage you to go to www.IHSAinc.com and look up what you can do to start your own team. Trust me, it will not be hard to find people who share your interests and want to help, and all of your hard work will definitely pay off in the end!

>> Archived "Riding in the IHSA" Articles

Topics
Hunter/Jumper
Eventing
Dressage
Education
Riding in College
Industry
Training
Health

Columns
Fun Stuff
Ringside Critique
Q&A: Life & Horses
Life in the USPC
Riding in the IHSA
The Equine Life


The Site Our purpose The Site Submission Info Contact Affiliates	Home \| FAQ \| Forums \| Subscribe \| Contact Riding in the IHSA by Sally Spickard, University of Georgia Although the University of Georgia's IHSA team experienced some setbacks at the beginning of the semester with the withdrawal of several team members (including myself, for academic reasons), the executive board and the remaining members are confident that the team will be successful again this season. UGA prepares to begin the Spring 2005 competition season, which will commence in February at Berry College, which currently leades the zone by 78 points, with UGA in second place. One of the challenges the team experienced during the colder months of November and December is inclement weather and the lack of an indoor arena. Many lessons had to be cancelled when rain rendered the outdoor arena useless for riding. The girls, however, did not get discouraged and used every opportunity the weather gave them to ride. Stephanie Nickell, a freshman at UGA who rides in the Intermediate Hunt Seat division, kept a positive attitude about the interruption in her riding schedule. "I can tell a difference in strength because I'm not as strong as I should be...but I know that catching as many rides as possible will bring me back up to where I was. Also, sometimes it's good to get a mental break from riding, so I get extra excited." She, along with most other team members, plans on taking extra lessons as the first show of the season approaches so as to prepare herself mentally and physically for competition. The team will also be holding try outs for the spring season in order to attract more interest and help the team to grow. The girls have also been working on finding and acquiring new team horses to use in their lesson program, and more fundraisers are being organized to help fund the cost of maintaining the team and its horses. Up until I joined the team here at UGA, I never really comprehended the work that was required to get an organization off the ground. I was fortunate enough to get to work on the public relations aspect of helping the team grow, and I was quick to realize how much effort was needed on the part of all the members to make the team successful. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity I was given to help out in beginning what I believe will end up being a very successful and competitive IHSA team on a campus that had gotten away from IHSA competition. For those of you out there who would like an IHSA team at your school, I would encourage you to go to www.IHSAinc.com and look up what you can do to start your own team. Trust me, it will not be hard to find people who share your interests and want to help, and all of your hard work will definitely pay off in the end! >> Archived "Riding in the IHSA" Articles
Topics Hunter/Jumper Eventing Dressage Education Riding in College Industry Training Health
Columns Fun Stuff Ringside Critique Q&A: Life & Horses Life in the USPC Riding in the IHSA The Equine Life