FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Aug. 24, 2009
Contact:
Lalena Price,
Communications Coordinator,
304-746-1989;
or
Bille Rae Graham,
Marshall University
Equestrian Team Coach, Royal
Winds Farm, 304-208-3130
Marshall
University’s Equestrian Team
schedules tryouts last
weekend in August
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall University Equestrian Team (MUET) will have tryouts beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at Royal Winds Farm in Ona.
Team coach Bille Rae Graham says all undergraduate students – beginner, intermediate or advanced – are eligible to join the team, which focuses mainly on hunt seat style riding. Tryouts for the 2009-2010 academic year are mainly to help Graham place riders in the appropriate division, she said.
“We have something for riders at every level, so tryouts are more of a formality,” Graham said. “Mostly, I think it’s just important for students – those who have been riding throughout their lives as well as those who are just getting started – to know that just because they are coming to college, it doesn’t mean they have to pack their helmets and riding boots away in the attic. There is an opportunity at Marshall to continue your equestrian pursuits.”
Students must schedule a time to ride during the formal tryout or, if they have a scheduling conflict, they can set up another day and time. Graham may be reached at 304-208-3130, raverajax@aol.com, or through the MUET Facebook page.
MUET is recognized by the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, which promotes competition for riders of all skill levels that compete individually and as teams at regional, zone and national levels. The association was founded on the principle that any college student should be able to participate in horse shows regardless of his or her financial status or riding level. Emphasis is on learning, sportsmanship and fun. Students do not have to bring their own horses to participate.
“A club like this is a great way to meet fellow students with similar interests,” Graham said. “And if students don’t ride hunter style riding, this is a great opportunity to learn something different and stretch themselves as riders.”
To prepare for competitions, team riders are required by IHSA to take one weekly lesson with Graham and pay membership fees and team dues for the club sport. The IHSA attempts to eliminate the expense of students owning horses, so team members ride horses that are furnished by a host college and chose their mounts by drawing lots. The theory behind this structure is to equalize variables of the competition and test the true horsemanship of the contestants. Classes range from Walk/Trot for first-year students to the Open Division for the more experienced.
During the past academic year, the fledgling MUET had two members that rode to a fifth-place finish in its region, which includes Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana region. Other colleges in Zone 6 Region 2 are Midway College, Morehead State University, Northern Kentucky University, Ohio University Southern, University of Cincinnati, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville and Xavier University.
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