Dead week is right around the corner, which for most students means dusting off textbooks and preparing the coffee pot for the late nights of studying ahead.
But for members of the LSU equestrian club, it means getting ready for the biggest show of the year.
LSU will saddle up for the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championships in Harrisburg, Penn., from May 2 to 5, and according to psychology junior Katie Kuder, finding time to study will not be much of a problem.
“Horse shows are notorious for having a lot of dead time,” Kuder said. “I think with all of us there motivating each other, the studying will get done.”
The women of the equestrian club earned a spot at IHSA Nationals for the second time ever by finishing as the runners up, or Reserve Champions, at the Zone VII Championship on April 6 in Amarillo, Texas. They brought home seven top-five finishes, including four first-place blue ribbons, and were only one point behind show champion Purdue.
“I honestly thought we would make nationals all year,” Kuder said. “We really had a talented team and nobody [on the team] who would slow us down.”
The club went into the zones with high expectations after spending the semester as the dominant team in region II.
Upon reaching zones, competition breaks into two separate fields — team and individuals. While any team that wins a region can advance to zones, individuals have to earn their spots by scoring a large number of points over the course of the season.
Kuder was one of a handful of LSU riders competing as individuals but is the only one moving on to nationals by placing Reserve Champion in both of her classes. Kuder said having the rest of the team at nationals will be an advantage for her over some of her competitors, who often come alone.
“Having the rest of the team [at zones] helped my confidence a lot,” Kuder said. “It will be nice to have them all [at nationals] there supporting me instead of just having to travel with our coach.”
To many of the members, making nationals as a team is gratification for a club that has come within one spot of nationals each of the last two years.
Junior president Corrine Plough, who has been a member since her freshman year, said this year’s success should not be tied to where they place next week.
“We might not have the best odds for winning, but we’re definitely going to try,” Plough said. “And no matter how we place, we’ll remember that we competed at nationals as a team. Even if we get last place, we’re still the No. 16 team out of 400 in the whole country.”
