MTSU's Hunt Seat team hosted the first show of the semester, held February 12th and 13th, taking home an overall Reserve High Point on Saturday and an overall High Point award on Sunday. The team competed against 9 other IHSA teams including Maryville College, Murray State University, Tennessee Tech University, Rhodes College, University of Arkansas, University of the South, Belmont University, Vanderbilt University and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. So far, MTSU is second to Vanderbilt University by 13 points in the team standings.

Team manager and Advanced Walk, Trot, Canter rider, Lauren Rieuf, touched on some of the struggles MTSU faced during the first show-

"Saturday was really stressful, 13 horses got fired that day and more than a few classes had to be re-drawn. We were very behind and naturally draw table is the face of the show so we had to keep a positive attitude when people brought us their completely understandable frustrations of the day."

She then explained the importance of Sunday's win after the team recovered from a hard day of showing just the day before.

"I think it was a really proud accomplishment from a show management perspective because it showed that even after a day where everything went wrong we were able to turn it around the next day by winning the show AND hosting a really smooth show day. All of our members kept their best attitude and kept working hard and it paid off..."

Not only did she feel accomplished as a team manager, but as a competitor as well. Though she was carrying the stress of Saturday's show on her shoulders and considered scratching her ride, Rieuf decided to stick it out, which lead her to a win for her team.

" My first horse had to be excused from the arena due to her spooking several times. The second horse I was put on was a saint and I immediately relaxed and ended up winning first in the class. To have my first collegiate first [place] on a day like that really showed me a lot about myself and my progress. My take away from the whole weekend is that when you are in the ring nothing else matters except for the communication between you and your horse, a stressful rider is going to create a stressful horse and I'm sure being tense in the beginning I did no favors to relax the horse that was spooking. If you can let everything else go and focus on what you know, it might turn out to be one of your best rides ever. Judges also notice when you push through things. The way you handle a bad situation with a draw could really hurt you or help you."

Several other MTSU students won a first place ribbon, including Open Flat and Open Over Fences rider, Kelsey Sloan. Sloan not only boasted a win during the first show of the semester but also qualified for Regionals in both classes and is the leading the High Point Rider standings.

She gave a brief overview of the differences in the horses she drew throughout the weekend-

" I drew Belle and Moviestar over fences- both of which I've drawn before and would love to draw at every show. They are both great. Belle was a little fresh the first day, but we worked through it and pulled out a super nice round. I drew a horse named Zara on the flat Sunday that can be a little tough to get along with. Typical mare- it's a fine line between too much and not enough. It's such a great feeling when the judge sees that and rewards you for riding a difficult horse well."

With such an accomplished season, that is far from finished, Sloan reveals her secret to success-

"At the beginning of this semester, I watched all of my old show videos religiously and took notes on what I wanted to fix for this semester. I have a post-it-note in my tack trunk with these things written down so I remember to focus on them. Before I go into the ring, I always have a plan, but it's extremely important to be able to adapt that plan in case something doesn't go quite like you thought it would. For example, I always walk multiple options to jumps in case the horse I draw can't make the inside turn. I like to get dressed early, just so I know I'm prepared and then I do a few stretches to loosen up my shoulders and get my heels down."

MTSU will compete again March 3rd and 4th along with the other 9 teams, this time at Murray State. The team will then go on to compete at the Regional Show, held March 17th followed by Zones held in Ocala, Florida, on April 1rst.

Both the Western and English teams are on fire this year, boasting many wins and several competitors to compete at the Regional Show. Stay updated with news on who will be heading to the National show!

All photos courtesy of Robin Duff