MTSU sends four riders to national equestrian event in New York

Four riders from MTSU’s equestrian program have qualified for the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association nationals, which will be held starting Thursday, May 2, in Syracuse, New York.

The riders, all horse science majors, will be competing in Open Reining, Intermediate Horsemanship and Beginner Horsemanship in Western categories at the New York State Fairgrounds Expo Center.

All riders have advanced to the nationals by having high finishes in the regional held at MTSU’s Miller Coliseum in February and a semifinal held in Ocala, Florida, in March. After a tremendous season in 2018, MTSU did not qualify as a team this year, said second-year coach Ariel Herrin. The IHSA nationals end Sunday, May 5.

MTSU’s participants include:

• Mary Catherine Wade, a junior from Memphis, Tennessee, who will compete in Open Reining.
• Jenna Seal, a senior from Meridian, Mississippi, who also will contend in Open Reining.
• Kailey Vande Kamp, a senior from Gallatin, Tennessee, who will be a contender in Intermediate Horsemanship.
• Kaylee Hayes, a junior from Woodbury, Tennessee, who will compete in Beginner Horsemanship.

“The semifinals are a pretty competitive event to prepare them for nationals,” Herrin said.

Wade earned Reserve Champion (second place) status at the regional, with Seal placing third in Open Reining. Hayes and Vande Kamp also were Reserve Champions.

Herrin said Andrea Rego coaches riders who compete in Western reining.

Following a third-place finish at the nationals in 2018, Herrin said this season “was a new year with a new challenge. We had such a great year in 2018, but we had to rebuild.”

“We’ve got some really great freshmen in (this year),” Herrin added. “This season has been a good lesson in having a strong, competitive mindset. All of our upperclassmen are showing at nationals, which is a great way to finish their college careers.”

Including horse science, MTSU has more than 300 combined undergraduate and graduate programs. The School of Agriculture is one of 11 College of Basic and Applied Sciences departments.