Garrison Forest School of Owings Mills, MD, won the upper school national championship at the fourth annual Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) national competition held April 28-30, 2006, at the Roberts Arena. The middle school national champion team was the Cheyenne Mountain Equestrian Team from Colorado Springs, CO. The reserve team winner in the upper school class was the Fountain Valley School, Colorado Springs, CO, and the reserve champion in the middle school class was the Patriot Team, of Concord, MA.
The IEA Leading Rider of the Year was Julie Welles (Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT) who won the Varsity Open Championship class. The Victor Hugo-Vidal Sportsmanship Award was given to Emily Fricks (St. Francis High School in Alpharetta, GA).
Riders from across the country competed on horses and tack supplied by the co-hosting teams, Olentangy and West Licking District. The horses are drawn by participants on the day of the event and ridden with minimal or no warm-up. Competition included both team and individual categories. Divisions include Varsity, Junior Varsity and Futures Middle School. Awards given included $10,000 in scholarships, as well as an expenses-paid two-day clinic with Olympian Greg Best.
The school year 2005-2006 marked the first year of western competition through IEA. Forty-five riders on three teams competed on Friday in the first-ever IEA National Western Finals. The riders competed in reining and horsemanship, using the same format of unfamiliar horses and tack as the hunt seat division. Autumn Rose Equestrian Team of Plain City, OH, won both the upper and middle school team competitions. Trevor Dare won the Champion Western Rider Award.
Ninety teams in seven zones throughout the United States competed in numerous shows during the 2005-2006 school year. Those teams and individuals qualfified for their zone finals by accumulating a required amount of points during the year. The top riders from each zone then earned their bearth at the national finals. The finals had a total of 320 individual riders on 19 teams that competed in the upper school classes and 16 teams in the middle school classes.
The IEA, only in its fourth year, has 900 members from all over the country. It is anticipated that membership will continue to grow exponentially in the years to come. The IEA was founded in 2002 by Roxane Rheinheimer and Wayne Ackerer. Both Rheinheimer and Ackerer have dedicated their lives and careers to the horse business. Rheinheimer, is the Equestrian Director at The Andrews School in Willoughby, OH, has credits including the 1996 Olympics, the Winter Equestrian Festival and a variety of other prestigious shows. Ackerer, owner and operator of the Horse Center, Ltd. based in Delaware, OH, has ridden and trained five world champions in working hunter, over 60 year-end champions in USEF competitions and over 40 top ten finalist and 11 first place winners at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress.
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