The bond between horses and humans grew last week, as five members of NSU Equestrian brought home awards from a regional horse show at the University of North Florida.
The competition, which took place in Jacksonville, included 15 teams from around the state. This was one of 10 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) shows in NSU’s region between September and April.
All five competing members placed in events. In the novice fences event, Courtney Steiger, junior biology major, placed second and Nicole Alvarez, senior English major, placed third; in novice flat, Steiger and Alvarez both placed sixth; in walk-trot-canter, Nina Argibay, senior biology major, placed fifth; and in walk-trot, Danielle Pierce, sophomore primary education major, placed fifth.
Fence events involved students jumping their horses, and events “on the flat” were for competitors who demonstrated how they execute the walk, trot and canter gaits of the horse.
Pierce said that she never expected to become a part of a team in college, but being a part of the club has allowed her to explore something that she’s always found interesting.
“We have riders of all levels who can choose whether or not they want to attend competitions,” she said. “I am currently competing at the lowest level, and I am excited to be able to advance in the sport.”
UNF provided horses for students to ride at the competition. Before competitive events, attendees are assigned a horse they will work with for the day.
Maryann Tobin, associate professor in the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and club advisor, said that students have very little preparation time and are judged on horsemanship, equitation and how well they perform tasks. She said she was very pleased with the awards NSU’s students brought home.
“To come home with second- and third-place ribbons at our first horse show is unprecedented,” she said. “These other teams have competed all year, and we just showed up to the game and gave them a run for their money. NSU Equestrian has a really bright future, and I can’t wait to see what is in store for next year.”
IHSA, a national organization for equestrians, includes over 350 colleges and universities. They provide horse riding competitions for riders of all levels, and students don’t have to own their own horse to compete or be a part of NSU’s organization.
Tobin said that, until this year, NSU was the only major university in Florida without a team.
“The bond between horse and rider is so difficult to explain,” Tobin said. “It is an experience that is completely reliant on your intuition, your intelligence and your physical ability. I think everyone should get to experience [the relationship between a rider and his or her horse] in their lives.”
The organization plans on sending eight students to the University of Florida for another competition in March. Aside from attending future competitions, the organization also hosts social events, such as trail rides, trips to horse races and rodeos, and philanthropic opportunities with therapeutic riding centers.
“Although we are a new organization, we have some big goals for the future,” Pierce said. “Bringing NSU students who are interested in horses and riding together, being recognized as a team, traveling around Florida to compete against other colleges and, of course, having a lot of fun in the process.”
For more information, or to get involved, contact the organization at nsuequestrian@gmail.com.
