The Equestrian club is a new sports organization on campus. President Melissa Chapman and head coach Andy Kocher founded the club.
This newly-formed team already has a large following. The club is in its first year and has 22 members.
The team has only been practicing for about a month and will not participate in any competitions this year.
“Over the course of the next year we will have plenty of time to practice and come together as a team,” said secretary Victoria Benedettini.
The club does not plan on staying only a sports club for long, however. The team is looking to become an Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (I.S.H.A) team.
“If we become an I.S.H.A team, we will do English riding, which is mostly jump and flat work,” Chapman said.
Becoming an I.S.H.A team will allow the club to compete in coed competitions against other schools.
“I feel confident we will get I.S.H.A certified,” Chapman said. “It is just a matter of getting the paper work and the funds turned in.”
The equestrian club is also working to become an NCAA-certified team. Getting this certification will allow the team to play teams like Auburn, who already have NCAA equestrian teams.
“The first thing we are focusing on is getting the I.S.H.A certification,” Benedettini said. “Just being an I.S.H.A team has its advantages. This way we can remain a coed team. If we get NCAA certified, we will have only a girls team.”
The equestrian club has a wide range of talent this year. Chapman and Benedettini have been riding for years, whereas some members are new to riding.
The club holds practice at Kocher’s farm, Westminster Farm, in Northport. Kocher and his family have been in the horse business for three generations. Kocher has a number of excellent horses. At the Grand Prix in Germantown, Tenn., Kocher recently won the Charity Horse Show with his horse, Paramore’G.
Kocher’s skills and the team’s dedication are what will take them to the next level, Benedettini said.
“There is a lot of work that goes into caring for the horses and making a strong team,” Kocher said. “The work is worth. This team is on the track to becoming a popular sport it Tuscaloosa.”
Westminster is where the horses are stabled and cared for. The club also holds practice at Kocher’s farm.
Chapman shares his enthusiasm.
“We have only been a club for [a month],” Benedettini said. “We have 22 riders and the interest can only grow from here.”
The equestrian club has the potential to become a huge sport, Chapman said.
“This club is important because the University has already lost a lot of riders to teams with riding teams,” Chapman said. “There are a lot of talented riders in Tuscaloosa. I would like to see them have a place to compete at the University.”
