Equestrian Club take reins, bond in competition

Some members of the IU Equestrian Club perform at shows and events with their animal companions. Others just ride for fun.

“I am involved in the club because I actively compete on the team, am president this year and was treasurer last year,” President Kristin Ayres said in an e-mail. “I joined the club because I have been riding horses since I was a kid and enjoy it as a competitive sport and just as exercise.”

There are generally two types of competitions: western pleasure or hunt seat, Audrie Nuckols, hunt seat team co-captain, said in an e-mail.

In western pleasure competitions, riders are judged on their form while keeping the horses at a slow, comfortable pace. In the hunt seat shows, riders are judged on their form while taking their horses both over fences and on flat ground. The competitive members of the Equestrian Club compete within the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, which can be found at www.ihsainc.com.

The members of the club also get together to bond and build better team qualities.
“We always go out to dinner and go out, like girl bonding stuff,” Secretary Karey Bussinger said.

Of course, the team also trains for upcoming competitions.

“We ride random horses at the shows we compete in, so we are judged on individual style and form,” Ayres said in an e-mail. “We prepare for these shows by having individual lessons with our coach every week,” 

Nuckols said when they prepare, team members take lessons with professional instructor Nadeem Noon, the club’s founder.

Noon’s advice isn’t the only thing members said they get out of the club.
“I have learned a lot about teamwork, communication skills, leadership skills and organizational skills,” Ayres said in an e-mail. “I have also developed a lot as a rider since our coach is one of the top trainers in the U.S.”

The club is open to any student willing to try out. Club dues are $50 each semester, and lessons cost an additional $30 each. There is an additional cost for those who compete.

Club members competed in a hunt seat shows on Nov. 20 and 21. Taylor University and Ball State University will play host to the competition at Black Dog Farms in Upland, Ind.

“It is addicting,” Bussinger said. “I rode all through middle school and high school, and it is a good way to keep well-rounded.”