It didn't take long for the University of Wyoming equestrian club to make its mark in the 2009-10 season.
In its first event of the new year, UW again established itself as a regional force in hunter seat riding, placing second and third, respectively, in the first two shows at a University of Colorado-hosted event at the Fall River Farm in Fort Lupton, Colo.
"We had a really great weekend," says UW Coach Kari Randle-Bright. "There's just no other way to say it: Everybody did an amazing job."
Jessica Ford, a club veteran from Casper, was among UW's standouts. Competing in the novice over the fences division, Ford earned enough points to qualify for next spring's Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) regional championships.
Katie French (Plymouth, Minn.), Katie Hurrell (Golden, Colo.), Megan Koltiska (Parker, Colo.), Liz Webb (Gaithersburg, Md.) also starred for UW.
A national qualifier in western riding last season, French placed second in walk-trot at her inaugural hunter seat competition.
"That girl is just amazing," Randle-Bright says.
In the open riding class, Webb earned high-point rider honors with three first-place showings and Hurrell, a club newcomer, earned one first and two second places.
Koltiska placed first in novice over the fences Saturday and intermediate on the flat Sunday.
In the team standings, UW finished two points behind host Colorado in Saturday's show and placed third by a mere four points in Sunday's show.
UW opens its western riding season this weekend at Colby, Kan.
Posted on Monday, October 05, 2009