 |
| Lauren Kramer helps prepare a horse for riding. |
By Rebecca Wyatt, OU Web Writer
Oakland University’s club sports have been very successful in recent years, and one of the newest clubs is no exception. The equestrian club, under the leadership of Christopher Ewing, began competing last October and one member finished third at the regional competition in a field of competitive equestrian clubs.
After a group of students attempted to start the club last summer, Ewing, a coach at Foxwoode Farms in Holly, Mich., realized riders in the area could benefit from a local college team. He organized the OU team in August 2005.
Sophomore Katie Krauss was cleaning her riding boots on a newspaper when she saw an article about OU trying to form an equestrian club. Club treasurer Lauren Kramer found information about the club while browsing the Internet.
The team began practicing once a week in August and competing in October against 14 other schools and more than 200 riders including Michigan State University, Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan. OU’s team is small by comparison, with six riders to many teams’ 13-15 riders.
 |
| Trista Reno, a team member with very little riding experience, demonstrates her skill. |
“I didn’t know what to expect going into our competitions. It was much more competitive than I expected it to be,” junior Tiffany Lutkenhoff said. “A lot of people weren’t expecting Oakland University to do so well because this was our first year.”
Lutkenhoff helped her team gain recognition by placing third in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association’s regional finals and helping the team secure a team reserve champion title at their last meet in February.
“The competitions are open to riders for different types of levels,” Ewing said. “It’s very fair and gives everybody a chance to compete.”
OU’s team is made up of riders from varying levels. Lutkenhoff has been riding since she was 7 and competed throughout high school. Krauss has been riding horses for 13 years and Kramer, too, has been at it for a while, showing horses through high school. However, junior Trista Reno joined the team because she was interested in riding, but had very little experience.
“I rode horses in grade school and always wanted to really get into riding,” Reno said.
During the competitions, riders are divided up into levels. The riders then draw lots for the horses, which are provided by the host schools.
“The riders really have to be on their game because there is no warm-up and no practice with these horses. Sometimes they pull great horses and others are more difficult,” Ewing said.
Individual and team points are awarded and accumulated over the season. The point totals determine which riders move on to post-season competitions. OU had two riders with enough cumulative points this season to move on to the regional championships, Lutkenhoff and Cortney Glass. Next year, Ewing expects more riders to make it.
“Every one of the girls on the team is a great rider in her division,” he said.
The team is done training for the season and plans to start again in August. For more information on OU’s equestrian club, visit the Equestrian Club Web site.