By Sarah Evers Conrad
Last week was a major blast from the past. As the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Nationals rolled into the Kentucky Horse Park, which is where I spend my weekdays, I was excited to get to attend some of the event. You see, I am an IHSA alumna, and it was great to be reminded of some great times in my life…all thanks to IHSA.
I attended Western Kentucky University for my undergraduate degree in journalism and equine science, and I chose the school not only for its top-notch journalism program, but of course, the horse program. That was a must for me as a teenager—to make sure horses were also part of the college experience. And WKU had it all…the right education to lead me on my career path, the horse classes to continue my life-long learning about my favorite animal, and a riding program that would allow me to compete in a collegiate sport. And I look back fondly on those years I spent at WKU and on my experiences with the IHSA team.
The Horses
One of my favorite parts was that I got to compete regardless of the fact that I didn’t own a horse. That’s one of the great things about IHSA. Plus I gained so much experience riding a variety of horses. Most of the horses at Western were donated from various sources. We had such a wide range of personalities in the herd. They all had their quirks, but in a way, it made you love them all the more for their little idiosyncrasies—because the quirks were what made you a better rider and handler. I don’t think I remember us ever having the “perfect” horse to ride. But that didn’t matter. They were all fun, and challenging, and great teachers for a group of students with such a wide range of skills.
There was Dusty, the big white butterball, at least when he wasn’t a totally orange mud ball. He was the horse that you had to bathe about four times to get him clean for a show. And I know this well, since he was my assigned horse to care for one year when WKU hosted its annual show. The great thing is that even though he was assigned to me, my teammates pitched in to help. And one funny part about Dusty—he was a registered Paint, but you only got to see the pattern that made him qualify as a Paint when he was perfectly clean. Dusty was one of my favorites though…great at reining patterns and so fun to ride.
And there was Little Bit…a skinnier chestnut that had this weird four-beat lope that you had to try to get him out of to ride him properly in Western pleasure. He was such a sweet guy though. And there was Jack, a gorgeous brown horse that didn’t particularly like to stop, and would probably have liked to run into the wall of the arena if you would let him. I don’t quite get why that was, but he had the best jog in Western pleasure, and then he could turn around and be a hunt seat horse. Riding him bareback in stock seat practice sure did improve the riding skills of many of us.
There was Bobby, a brown horse with a flaxen mane and tail that made her stand out from the herd. Now she was my favorite. It always made my day to see her name written on the board next to mine when assignments were made. Then there was Army, the horse that produced mixed emotions when you were assigned to him. He was a Thoroughbred who was the best jumper we had, and also quite a challenge to catch…and that is putting it mildly. It took the entire jumping team (about 6-10 riders) working together to bring him in from the field. And again, there was that teamwork that I mentioned earlier.
It’s All About the Team
That’s another of my favorite parts from my college riding days—how all of us on the team would band together and do whatever needed to be done. And it was such a great support system at shows. We would all help each other get mounted, share tips about the various horses, assist each other in practice, and sweat together on the farm as we took care of the horses. Plus we all got to work together during special events at the Exposition Center to help earn our way for the trips to the various shows. We built muscles as we hauled in jumps into the arena for the jumping practice, and then hauled them out again for the flat practice. And as we built muscles and also built up our riding skills, we created a cohesive team of friends with a common goal.
Being on the riding team meant you were never alone to struggle through any horse problem. I fondly remember so many teammates, many who I have lost touch with, but who I spent 3½ years with—learning and growing as a person.
There was Rick and Joe, two guys who would help out in any instance to get things done…and their trucks came in quite handy for hauling those jumps around. There was Beth, who was the only one from my high school to also attend WKU. Beth, along with Stacy, helped me improve my jumping skills (they were much better than I was, and I’ll freely admit that one). There was Britney and Deanna, who helped me when my confidence wasn’t quite there. And of course, Laura, one of my best friends now and one of my college roommates; Laura and I might never have met if it wasn’t for the equestrian team (since WKU had around 15,000 students at the time I was there).
And of course, I can’t forget the coach, Dr. Anderson. He gave me a shot at competing in the Western division, something I had never done before. Learning stock seat after being a hunt seat rider and jumper for so many years certainly wasn’t easy. And I’m sure I must have driven him crazy with my tendency to look more like a hunt seat rider, but he never gave up trying to get me to sit up straight and lengthen my leg. Eventually it all clicked into place. But being a coach can’t be an easy job, especially since we had a larger team. So my respect goes out to those intercollegiate coaches who dedicate so much of their time to their students.
So even 10+ years after graduating, I can still look fondly back on all those happy and memorable times with my teammates and the horses. And getting to attend the IHSA Nationals last week, and see the same camaraderie and teamwork among the various equestrian teams, reminded me of what it was all about back then…and now. As IHSA continues to grow and help the students that are a part of it, I don’t think that will ever change.