Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) of Georgia won the hunter seat equitation phase to clinch the team title at the 28th Annual Affiliated National Riding Commission’s National Intercollegiate Equitation Championship, April 16-17, hosted by Sweet Briar College in Virginia. SCAD junior Jordan Siegel took home the title of individual champion for the second time in her college career.

Siegel, who won the top individual award as a freshman in 2003, was joined by teammates Ashley Kelly and Hattie Saltonstall. Siegel originally prepared for the competition with her 2003 mount, Triple Threat, but when an injury sidelined the junior hunter, she switched to Sculpture, a SCAD-owned horse. “I was part of an amazing team this year,” said Siegel. “We had great coaching and every person was vital to our success.”

The SCAD riders edged out second place team Sweet Briar College by a little more than two points in close competition; the University of Virginia (UVA) was third by only 0.06 points. In individual standings, UVA rider Whitney Roper finished second to Siegel by only one-fifth of a point, and Sweet Briar College’s Erin Gibbs was third.

Although the competition was fierce through the final phase, a hunter trials type course on a rolling grass hillside, the SCAD riders never wavered in their focus. “We try to go into each phase and ride our best in each phase, to ride our plan,” stated Courtney Peterson, who co-coached the SCAD team with Andrew Lustig. “We didn’t keep track of which team was leading. Going into the awards ceremony, we didn’t even know we had won, so it was a very nice surprise.”

The ANRC National Championship is a U.S. Equestrian Federation-sanctioned event. The championship showcases the American forward riding system and the sporting horse. Judged on equitation, it rewards diversified skills in a three-phase competition. Competitors complete a dressage sportif ride, an outdoor hunter trials course and a USEF Medal-type hunter seat equitation course. Riders ride the same horse throughout the competition, and jumps do not exceed three feet in height. They also sit for a written test on riding theory and equine science. This year the competition allowed teams of three riders rather than four, with one score being dropped.

This year the ANRC Nationals presented a Sportsmanship Award, won by Krista Steinmetz from Purdue University. Steinmetz came to the championships alone—no team, no coach—and scored 97 percent on the written test, setting a new record.

Twelve schools sent teams of riders. California Poly Pomona, Delaware Valley, and Purdue came to the national competition for the first time. Cal Poly Pomona and Christopher Newport leased local horses from Virginia colleges. Kip Rosenthal of Brewster, NY, and Rita Timpanaro of Smithtown, NY, judged the riding phases of competition, while Marion Lee of Leesburg, Va., judged the written phase.

For more information, please visit www.anrc.org.
~~~