Aggie Equestrians Find Freedom in Competition

Utah State Today regularly highlights work created by the talented student journalists at Utah State University. The following story was published in The Utah Statesman prior to its inclusion in Utah State Today.

You put your foot in the stirrup, hoisting yourself onto the tall horse. Your heart races with adrenaline as you get going. The feeling of freedom setting in. A smile stretches across your face as you make the first leap over the fence. It almost feels like you’re flying. Looking around, your smiles grows as you see all your new friends around you, enjoying the same sensation.

“It’s very comfortable for me, very freeing,” said Brooklynne Wilkinson, a freshman at Utah State University in her first semester in the USU English Equestrian Team. “It’s a really good place to let go of all your fears.”

The USU English Equestrian Team is a group of about 15 students who come together to enjoy a similar passion for riding. They do English riding, as opposed to the more popular Western style you see at rodeos. English style is focused more on form and how you and the horse look and work together.

Western and English also have different equipment. Western saddles have a signature horn, while English saddles do not. But just like Western riders have rodeos and other forms of competition, so do the English riders.

USU’s equestrian team recently returned from their first show of the semester, competing in Colorado Springs. The team placed in at least one of their classes on both days and proved how hardworking Aggies can be.

“We have nine new people on the team, so it was a good learning experience for them,” said Abbey Spencer, the captain of the team. “We don’t take our own horses, we use the Colorado school’s horses, so you have no idea what kind of horse you’re going to ride. It’s kind of luck of the draw.”

In a competition all about your and your horse’s form, this proves to be an obstacle for the riders. However, they don’t see it that way.

“Jumping gives you a good adrenaline rush, but especially when you’re jumping with a horse you’ve never ridden before,” Wilkinson said. “My personal favorite part of the competition was being able to ride different types of horses. I like riding a whole bunch of different horses, rather than just one or two.”

The team competes twice every semester, competing in hunter jumping and equitation on the flat.

“In the hunter jumping world, instead of looking at how fast you’re jumping, they’re focused on how nice you’re jumping. As well as the non-jumping classes, they’re still focused on you,” Spencer explained. “They have a certain way they want you to look when you’re riding, so they’ll ask you to do different gates with the horse, like walking, trotting and cantering.”

The shows last two days, and have a variety of schools in the surrounding area coming together to compete.

“The competitions are fun for me because I’m more of a competitive person in general,” said Cora Day, a new member of the team and USU freshman. “Being able to meet other people that do what I do is a nice perk.”

These riders have been able to make a community for themselves even during the hard times coronavirus has put them through. The pandemic canceled shows back in the spring of 2020, making it difficult for seniors like Spencer to catch up to where they were before.

“Regionals ended up getting canceled when all of the classes started getting canceled as well. So, as a senior, it cleared my points from the competitions,” Spencer said. “Now I have a shorter amount of time to make it to regionals and catch up to where I was.”

Even with these difficulties, the team found positives through it all, and were also able to connect with more people, even through the coronavirus

“It’s been awesome because you see the beginners who join the team who have hardly any experience in riding, and they had time to go out and take lessons from people all over the valley,” Spencer said. “We’ve had a bunch of time to use our resources to become better riders, and I’ve really been able to see that positive effect in our team.”

The coronavirus couldn’t stop these passionate riders from doing what they love. They even found a way to become better because of it, proving even the darkest days can have a pillar of light.

“I wouldn’t get the chance to really meet people that enjoy what I enjoy if I didn’t join this club,” Day said.

They do tryouts every year before fall semester and sometimes before spring semester depending on who leaves. If you’re interested in joining or learning more, you can visit their Instagram @usuenglishequestrians.