BHC Equestrian Team adds Hunt Seat division

East Campus now has an Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Hunt Seat division!

BHC student Kamryn Woodard of Norman, Oklahoma and Buckley (show name DunDeeBarInStitches) jump a fence. Buckley is owned by Kay White.

The BHC Equine Program is well-known for its award-winning IHSA Western division, and BHC Equestrian Team members are excited to compete in the Hunt Seat division this year.

Hunt Seat is an English riding division where the rider has a closer contact saddle, a shorter rein length, and jumps fences or prepares to transition to jump fences.

Horse science instructor Sarah Schobert has a competitive English background and is the IHSA Hunt Seat Equestrian Team coach and IHSA Western Equestrian Team assistant coach.

“There are a lot of talented English riders in the Midwest,” she says. “I hope we can attract more of these riders to our state-of-the-art facility.”

Schobert notes the addition of the Hunt Seat division is allowing BHC students to be more versatile in their riding or to become specialized if they want to continue on with English riding.

Students join the team based on interest and are able to move up competitive levels as they collect points and can show for up to four years while attending college.

“Students can participate on both teams or whichever team they have a heavier interest in,” she says.

In addition to a strong interest in competing, team members must have a good work ethic and be athletic outside of the arena.

Cardio and core workouts are highly beneficial, with competitive team members running and doing core workouts together during the week.

BHC Student Ally Hanna of Wheaton, Illinois, is shown here riding Bindi (show name Sah Giasrawhidedrift). Bindi is owned by Morgan Kaufmann.

Schobert has big hopes that BHC’s Hunt Seat division will be as successful as the Western division.

She wants to see the team win a regional Hunt Seat championship in the next few years, then eventually make it to Zones and Nationals.

On Oct. 27-28, the college will host an IHSA Western Horse Show, defending the regional championship title which has belonged to Black Hawk College for more than 15 consecutive years.

Save the dates to see the Equestrian Team in action! Admission is free. The show starts at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, and 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. East Campus is at 26230 Black Hawk Road, Galva, IL.

While you are there, you may notice that a new building is under construction. This is allowing the college to continue improving facilities and expand the amount of horse stalls on campus.