WWU to Host Saddle Seat World Cup Selection Trials

3/21/2012 Mary Ann Beahon
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (573) 592-1127

 

Every other year, the top saddle seat equitation riders in the countryconverge on William Woods University   s stables to participate in the United StatesSaddle Seat Equitation World Cup Trials.                                                          

The trials, which are freeand open to the public, will be held in theequestrian science UPHA indoor arena at WWU March 31. The three-gaited trials will be held 8 a.m.-1 p.m. and thefive-gaited trials will be held 1:30-6 p.m.

"From the hundreds of letters andapplications the USEF received, 32 riders were chosen: 12 five-gaited ridersand 20 three-gaited riders,    said Sarah Track, WWU   s saddle seat instructor.
 
Three-gaited riders are Brooke Boyer,15, Johnston, Iowa;Morgan Brison,17, New Bloomfield, Mo.; Aleia Brown,14, Dayton, Ohio; KathlynCamacho,19, Pleasant Prairie, Wis.; Hunter Chancellor,16,Evansville, Ind.; Emily Chapman,17, Tucson, Ariz.; Sarah Delisi,17, La Grange,Ill.; Alex Holloway,19, Edmond, Okla,; Chloe Holmes,19, Scottsdale, Ariz.;Brooke Jacobs,31, Georgetown, Ky.; Ali Judah,22, Louisville, Ky.; CameronKay,14, W. Bloomfield, Mich.; Alexandra Lawson,18, North Salem,Ind.; Nick Maupin,18, Sussex, Wis.; Courtney Mc Ginnis,15, Fishers, Ind.;Abigail Mutrux,16, Saint Louis,Mo.; Alexandria Ryan,16, Boulder, Colo.; Kristen Smith,18, Smithfield, Ky.;John Stutts,43, Louisville, Ky.; and Zane Sullivan,18, Albuquerque, N.M.
 
Five-gaited riders are Ashley Baird,18, Hinsdale, Ill.;Morgan Brison,17, New Bloomfield, Mo.; Hunter Chancellor,16,Evansville, Ind.; Angela Darrow,20, Hartland, Wis.; Drew Taylor Hewitt,16,Advance, N.C.; Brooke Jacobs,31, Georgetown, Ky.; Ali Judah,22, Louisville,Ky.; Marjorie Townsend,17, Kansas City,  Mo.; Nick Maupin,18, Sussex, Wis.; BrittanyMc Ginnis,19, Fishers, Ind.; Mary Mitkish,18, Emmaus, Pa.; and Rachel Rafolski,20, Brunswick, Ga.                                                            
The event features amateurathletes 14 years of age and older who compete onhorses that are unfamiliarto them and are supplied by the host competition. In 2012, USEF will field a team of 10athletes and two coaches to represent the U.S. in  Parys, South Africa.

Having the World Cup selection trials on campus offers a unique opportunity for William Woods University students whoact as grooms forthe riders and scribes for the judges. They hold the gates, work the concessionstand and sell event t-shirts, as well as many other jobs behind the scenes.

The trials were firstheld at William Woods University in 1996. WWU was chosen because of its outstanding facilities, large number of saddle seat horsesand students who are willing to help.
 
The Saddle Seat World Cup competitionoriginated in the early1980s with an informal exchange of saddle seat athletes in the United Statesand South Africa.Teams from as many as five nationscompete for the coveted World Cup titles in three-gaitedand five-gaited.
 
In 1995,representatives from American HorseShows Association, theUnited Professional Horseman   s Association, theAmerican MorganHorse Association, theInternational Arabian Horse Association andthe National ShowHorse Registry met and expanded the concept to create the World Cup Saddle SeatChampionship.
 
The inaugural World Cup competitionwas held in Louisville,Ky., in 1996. GayleLampe, WWU professor emeritusof equestrian studies, coached the U.S. team, which won firstplace.
 
Anothercompetition was staged in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1998.Madison, Wis., was the site for the World Cup in 2000, andLampe was one of three judges for thatcompetition.
 
Robertson, South Africa,was the 2002 site. In 2004 and2010, the competitions were held in conjunctionwith the Kentucky FallClassic Horse Show at the Kentucky HorsePark in Lexington,Ky. The 2006 and 2008 competitions were held in South Africa.
 
The 2012 World Cup Team efforts aresupported by USA EquestrianTrust, United Professional Horseman's Association(UPHA), and Shelby Horse Supply.