The University of Alabama Equestrian Team concluded its 2016-2017 show season with top honors that included Reserve High Point team for the region, riders qualifying for Regionals and Zones and one rider, Courtney Poist, qualifying for Nationals in equitation on the flat and the Cacchione Cup for the region.
The team closed out its regular season with a meet at Berry College competing with 15 other colleges where they finished as High Point Team for the day. The team concluded the meet with nine riders qualifying that day for Regionals. Four riders later moved on to compete in Zones and one will compete in the 2017 ISHA National Championships.
“We’re really proud of the team’s win at Berry, which is always tough to do,” said Ashley Morrison, coach of the UA equestrian team. “We’re so excited about how much we have grown as a team this season, and proud to have riders qualify and compete individually at Zones, Regionals and Nationals.”
For the first time the UA equestrian team had one rider qualify for the Cacchione Cup. Senior Courtney Poist was Open High Point Rider for the year for Zone 5 Region 2 and by finishing first place in Open Fences and Open Flat for the region, sending her directly to Nationals as the Cacchione Cup qualifier for the region. This is the highest level attainable in the IHSA competition qualifying for Nationals. She will represent UA in the Cacchione Cup and as an individual rider competing in Open Equitation on the Flat in Lexington, Kentucky, on May 3.
“The riders who competed individually this year at Regionals and Zones were not all seasoned riders; some began riding when they joined the team,” said Morrison. “It’s extraordinary to see our program shape new riders into competitors while perfecting the skills of the more experienced riders and giving them all the opportunity to showcase their talents.” Last year, 70-80 UA students tried out for the team with skills that ranged from having previous hunt seat experience to those who had no experience but adapted to riding skills quickly.