Equestrian club: Saddle up partner

The Equestrian Club at the University of Cincinnati is more than just another student organization. It’s a close-knit team of hard-working, fun-loving and dedicated girls that is gaining recognition with every show they compete in.

“I love the experience,” said Meaghan Shinkle, who joined the team in her sophomore year. “We learn a lot from our coach and from each other, and we are one of the closest teams in the region. We are all really good friends.”

Shinkle, a senior at UC, heard there was an equestrian club but never knew how to get involved. Then she saw a flyer advertising the team near her apartment, made some phone calls and joined the team.

“All you have to do to join is call our coach [Missy Hollingsworth] or the president of the club, Shannon Carr,” Shinkle said.

There are approximately 40 women in the club this year, a growing number, but still no men.

“Last year there were only about 25 of us,” said former member Allison Becker. “With all the people this year, it’s really more of a team than a club. It’s awesome to see it get this big.”

The members of the club have to purchase their own gear, but transportation and hotel costs at long shows are covered by their dues. A one-hour lesson each week is also covered by their dues. The club has meetings once a month where they discuss fundraisers, upcoming shows, training and other general information.

The coach of the equestrian club, Hollingsworth, owns Saddle Lake Equestrian Center in Kentucky where the team practices.

“Missy provides the horses and you sign up for a trainer to ride either Western or English,” Becker said. “You take your lessons at the stable and we all practice really hard to make sure we ride well in the shows.”

During a typical season, the team competes against other local college clubs including
Miami University, Midway College and the University of Kentucky. Then they move on to semi-finals, regional and national shows.

“UK is one of our biggest competitors and we beat them not too long ago, so that was really cool,” Becker said.

When competing at the shows, the riders earn points with their wins, both individually and collectively as a team. In order to advance to  higher level shows, teams must earn a certain number of points, so it is crucial for each rider to compete their best  at every show.

The team won semi-finals in Western riding this year, beating out all the other teams, including rival UK. Club president Carr competed in the national show this year, a great honor for the team.

“It was really cool sending someone to nationals this year,” Becker said. “It shows that they are improving and hopefully they can keep it up.”

Overall, the team just wants to have fun and do what they love while competing at an increasingly higher level.

The club is always looking for new members to continue growing and improving.

Next Fall quarter tryouts are Monday, Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 “We want all levels of riders, from very beginner to very advanced. The way the competitions are set up, everyone competes against riders with similar capabilities and
riding experience,” Carr said.

Carr suggests that potential members contact Hollingsworth and begin riding this summer before tryouts in the fall.

“This way they can meet the coach and the girls on the team before tryouts,” Carr said.
 For more information, visit the team’s Web site at www.ucequestrianteam.com.