Keeping the water buckets from freezing has been no easy feat for Equestrian Club Coach Heather McCall, but the cold weather hasn’t kept her team from practicing all winter break. While the track the girls practice on is indoors, it does not block out the cold. However, McCall has no sympathy for her riders, having experienced frigid winters growing up in Connecticut.

“I was basically born on a horse. My mom coached at the University of Connecticut which is where I went to school and I have pictures of me riding when I was almost two years old. I competed all through college and I’ve always wanted to be a coach and follow in my mom’s footsteps,” McCall said. “It’s cold out, but I actually think the horses are better in the winter because it’s not hot and there are no bugs, so they’re a lot happier.”

Over winter break the Equestrian Club spent their time getting ready for their first competition ever to be hosted in Tuscaloosa in February, which will take place in Sokol Park. The University of Alabama will be hosting 10-15 other schools including Mississippi State University and the University of Georgia.

“We provide the horses and we do a competition and they come. They’re not necessarily our horses we rent them from surrounding barns, but it will be a big deal,” McCall said. “In April we’re hosting Auburn and we’re doing a NCAA scrimmage against them because that’s their varsity sport, so we’re really excited about that.”

Avery Warner, a junior majoring in marketing, has been riding horses since she was 8 years old and competitively since she was 12 years old. Although she is from Cleveland, Ohio, and is accustomed to the weather, she knows the horses aren’t too thrilled about the cold. Despite that, Warner is still excited to be hosting the competition in February.

“Our show in February is a great opportunity for our team as well as the University. It is truly going to put our team on the map and let other IHSA teams know how serious of competitors we are. The University has been so supportive of our team, I’m excited to show other teams in our region how much our university cares about our team,” Warner said.

McCall suggested the girls practice over break to prevent soreness when they come back to practice the following week. Their regimen includes bicycling, because it works similar muscles as horse riding along with Pilates or yoga. For Elizabeth Allen, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, skipping practice over the break was out of the question.

“Yeah, unfortunately, I have to practice. I’m from Tuscaloosa so Heather didn’t really let me have a break,” Allen said. “With horses and practicing, you’re only going to get better if you’re on a horse. Even after a month my teammates and I are going to be so sore after practice because we haven’t been riding as much as we used to.”

After the Equestrian Club’s season is over McCall is planning on having the girls take their talents down a different avenue.

“We are actually partnering up with a therapeutic riding company that’s called MANE in Montgomery. It’s a great program and they’re really well organized; we’re going to go towards the end of our show season in March. We can at least help out for a couple of days down there whether it’s cleaning the barn or helping with the kids,” she said.