Saturday marks the last show of the season for the newly reformed SFA Equestrian team. The girls will be battling it out in the West Texas A&M arena in Canyon against teams twice its size in hopes of taking home the top prize.
After budget cutbacks in 2008, both western and English riding teams struggled to remain part of the SFA athletics programs. The Equestrian team was stripped of its varsity status in April after competing in the Varsity Equestrian National Championships in Waco. The Stock Horse of Texas team and the Horsemen's Association avoided being cut.
Dr. Joe Gotti, equine science professor and coach of the two riding teams, said he believes the main reason the team was cut because of failures to recruit new riders.
According to Robert Hill, SFA athletic director, the decision was made in response to a campus-wide budget reduction plan. In a press release in April, Hill attributed the high cost of operating the program and the lack of an NCAA championship as leading factors in the decision.
"The cost of operating the program was more than we could handle under the current economic times," Hill said in the release. "We were also under the impression that there would be an NCAA championship for the sport because other schools were going to add it, including some Southland Conference members, but that has not happened."
Equine sports are considered by the NCAA as "emerging sports" because of a lack of supporting institutions.
Kristen Landes, Dayton, Va., junior, said the new club status gives everyone a chance to compete, versus the varsity level team which was "very selective."
Riders can compete in classes ranging from Walk-Trot to Open on the Flat and Over Fences.
"Our team is different from the last team because we accept riders with various levels of experience," Anna Reynolds, Marble Falls sophomore, said. "Riders can show with us if they've been riding their whole life or just a few months."
At the team's first show in New Orleans, all six riders who competed received ribbons, and Landes received High-Point Rider in the morning show. SFA received fourth place overall in both the morning and afternoon shows.
"It's actually a pretty big deal that our team, with two people short, went to an IHSA show for the first time and took fourth out of ten schools, most of which have been doing this for years," Alex Fincher, Cypress senior, said.
Each school can have a maximum of eight point riders per show.
Landes and Kelly Loerwald, Carrollton junior, dominated the Intermediate classes with Landes receiving first on the Flat in both shows and first and second Over Fences and Loerwald placing second and third on the Flat and fifth in both Over Fences shows.
Fincher placed sixth and fifth in her Open on the Flat classes and sixth in Open Over Fences.
Cindy Hinojosa, senior, and Reynolds received honors in the Novice classes. Hinojosa placed second and third in her Flat classes and fourth and fifth Over Fences while Reynolds placed fourth on the Flat and third and fourth in Over Fences.
Paige Hayter also placed sixth in Walk-Trot-Canter.
The Equestrian Team, Stock Horse of Texas team and the Horsemen's Association run mainly off the funding they receive from sponsors and the riders. Competitors are required to pay entry fees, hotel and food costs, and stall fees out of pocket.
"I am riding on the team because it gives me a great experience to interact with people that share the same interests as me, which is riding and competing," Landes said. "The competitions are definitely my favorite thing, because I like to represent my school and win for my teammates."
Landes was ranked 12th in the nation when she rode for the Varsity Equestrian Team in 2007.
The riders compete through the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association at varying host schools who supply the horses and tack.
The objective of the IHSA is to allow all levels of riders to "participate in horse shows regardless of his or her financial status or riding level," according to the official website www.ihsainc.com
Anyone who is interested in riding for the Equestrian Team can contact Landes at (540) 810-2890 or come out and ride during the team's practice Monday afternoons at the Walter C. Todd Agricultural Research and Equine Center.
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!