- Showing members pay $25
- Non-showing members pay $15
- Once-a-week lessons cost $300
- Twice-a-week lessons cost $600
Nikki Campbell, a sophomore telecommunications major, has been riding horses for 11 years.
“My dad and I always watched the thoroughbreds [race] and I just fell in love with one of the race horses, Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner and he just sparked me to get my own horse,” Campbell said.
Once she finally had her own horse, Campbell participated in several different competitions, including barrel racing and pole bending. Now, on the Hunter/Jumpers Equestrian Team, she also jumps.
Being part of the team got Campbell to step outside her comfort zone, which is what the team hopes to offer each of its members. Members also learn about horses and how to ride and show them in different levels of competitions.
“It [the club] is a cheaper alternative to showing,” Campbell said. “You don't have to have your own horse, which has proved to be beneficial to some riders. We have people who have never even touched a horse and joined the team to see what the sport is about.”
Each team member is also able to take lessons from the coach, Amanda McRae. Lessons range from basic riding to more difficult lessons with jumping fences.
The club also participates in about three competitions per semester. In the spring, competitors work to gain enough points to earn the chance to advance to regionals, and eventually nationals.
Some members, however, are just content with learning how to ride and take care of horses.
Tiler Langston, sophomore elementary education major, said anyone should feel comfortable with joining, regardless of their skill level. Langston has found that the club has a lot to offer for anyone involved.
"This team has become like my second family," Langston said. "Everyone pushes each other to be better, not just in riding, but as a better person too."
Langston said being part of the Hunter/Jumper Equestrian Team is an opportunity that is just "too great to pass up."
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