Equestrian team hurdles all obstacles

To onlookers, these four Pitt students look like any other group of friends meeting in the… To onlookers, these four Pitt students look like any other group of friends meeting in the Schenley Quad on a Thursday to study or work on a group project.

But Emma Taylor, Margaret Mahoney, Hillary Sell and Sydney Rozek have a different type of night planned.

The four have a long drive ahead of them. First, they’ll battle the usual rush-hour traffic. Then it’s on to the long, winding country roads before reaching their destination: Mingo Creek Farms, which is approximately 50 minutes from Oakland.

These women are part of the Pitt Equestrian Team, and Thursday night means it’s time for another practice. Though they leave campus around 4:30 p.m., they won’t be home before midnight. Long drives out of the city are just a part of competing for an equestrian team on an urban campus.

Pitt is a member of the International Horse Show Association and competes in the largest region in the United States, which also includes Penn State and West Virginia, although Pitt, currently third in the standings, remains the only urban campus.

The IHSA was created in 1967 as an outlet for people who might not have the money or opportunity to ride and show. In competitions, the school hosting the show usually supplies the horses, meaning riders often must show horses they are unfamiliar with. The league has everything from first-time riders to people who have competed in the Olympics.

The team is under the direction of head coach Becki Bloom, who has been with Pitt since 1999 and has worked with horses almost since birth.

“I don’t remember not riding,” Bloom said. “I don’t have any recollection of my first time on a horse, but I’ve been showing since I was six.”

The club is a diverse group consisting of 26 students. Some members have been riding since childhood, but others, like Tomek Loboda, a graduate student from Poland, are only beginners and do not compete at shows. Many members of the club only joined to learn to ride, make new friends, and simply have a good time.

“I’m not thinking about shows,” Loboda said. “That’s not my main purpose. I’m here for fun.”

But some beginners have shown the ability to step right in and compete. Kari Evans, a freshman majoring in athletic training, started riding only after learning about the club at the student activities fair in August.

Despite having no prior experience, Evans has already competed in two horse shows, although when it comes time to tell friends about her experience, she first has to do a little explaining.

“Most people I talk to are like, ‘You’re on what?'” Evans said.

People usually want to know where the club gets its horses, and how it can afford all of the costs associated with owning a horse.

Vivian Harbison, the farm’s owner, has many clients who board their horses at Mingo Creek Farms. Some of those private owners then lease their horses to Pitt. It’s an arrangement that Bloom says works out well for both parties.

“A lot of the boarders are happy to have their horses ridden because it’s actually like having their horses schooled,” Bloom said.

Many schools — like Oklahoma State, for example — have Division I varsity equestrian teams. At OSU, students get top-of-the-line exercise and weight equipment, personal trainers and even rehab equipment.

The Pitt Equestrian Club knows it will never be afforded such luxuries, but team members worry that when it comes time to receive funding from Pitt’s Student Government Board, they will be left out in the cold. And with the cost of just a helmet up to nearly $400, the team needs all the help it can get.

“We just want everybody to have a safe helmet that fits,” Bloom said. “It’s not like we wanted money to go buy designer jeans.”

To compensate for the recent cut in funding that all clubs and student organizations have faced, the team has tried new fundraisers like selling chocolate, T-shirts, Krispy Kreme doughnuts and holding raffles in the union. Harbison even lets the club keep the profits from the concession stand when the farm hosts its summer events.

The fund-raising activities have been successful and, as a result, club dues have stayed low, with the total cost for members being approximately $130 per semester, plus show costs. The equestrian club continues to welcome anyone interested in joining and is holding its next fundraiser Saturday from noon until 5:00 p.m. in the ballroom of the William Pitt Union.