William Woods University equestrian team brings home National Championship
When they came home from the October 30 U.S. Nationals Arabian/Half Arabian Championships in Tulsa last month, William Woods University equestrian teams carried with them several impressive accomplishments, including a National Championship trophy.
The William Woods University Judging Team — comprised of two competition teams and seven learner judges, coached by Western Instructor Liz Haben and Equestrian Studies Division Chair Jennie Petterson — held a big presence at the contest.
Competition is tough, as teams from all over the country come out for the contest, and all collegiate teams compete in the same division for judging competitions.
“Liz and I were determined to squeeze in more practices this year, and started a Tuesday night and Saturday morning practice schedule starting in early September. It takes serious dedication to the team from coaches and students in order to prepare for a national contest,” said Petterson, “Each school is limited to sending two competition teams to the event. Students had to work through a vigorous selection process to earn a spot on a competition team.”
The total points possible for the collegiate and senior teams was 2800. William Woods University Team B finished the contest with 2507 points. Michigan State pulled in 2498 points for second and Colorado State and William Woods University Team A tied for third with 2494.
“It speaks to how tough the contest was this year when the second, third and fourth place teams were only separated by 4 points out of 2800.”
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In our next Look Into Equestrian Studies post, we will meet the members of the National Championship team, whose next Judging competition will take place at the American Quarter Horse Association World Championships in Oklahoma City.