The Black Hawk College Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) Western Equestrian Team recently was named the 2019-20 High Point Western Team for Zone 7 Region 4. This is the 17th consecutive year the college has won the IHSA Regional Championship.
The BHC team had a season total of 272 points, beating the next closest school (Iowa State University) by 71 points. There are eight colleges/universities in Zone 7 Region 4 with Black Hawk College being the only two-year school.
IHSA Regionals differ from a conventional horse show as the student-athletes have never ridden the horse they are showing.
Minutes before their specific class, riders draw for their mount. A key to success is being able to make adjustments with an unfamiliar horse on the rail and in a designated pattern.
The top two riders in every division advance to the March 20-22 IHSA Western Semifinal Championships, and BHC riders filled 10 of the 12 spots.
Black Hawk College will host the IHSA Western Semifinal Championships, one of three semifinals across the country.
The team competing at Semifinals will consist of:
- Reining – Teah Taylor of Amarillo, TX
- Open – Elena Chapa of Maple Park, IL
- Level II – Shelby Trunnell of Kappa, IL
- Level I – Madison Strief of Cascade, IA
- Rookie – Kristi Puckett of Hagerstown, IN
- Beginner – Lacey Terveer of Marissa, IL
Teah Taylor qualified as the overall high point rider for Region 4 and will represent Black Hawk College at Nationals from April 30 to May 3 in Syracuse, NY.
The overall high point rider is automatically qualified to ride at Nationals and compete in the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) cup competition, both reining and horsemanship.
Elena Chapa came in second as the reserve high point rider.
Below are the Black Hawk College results from the Feb. 23 Regionals. An asterisk denotes the students who qualified to compete individually in Semifinals.
Reining
- 1st – Teah Taylor* of Amarillo, TX
- 2nd – Elena Chapa* of Maple Park, IL
- 3rd – Kamryn Woodard of Norman, OK
Open Horsemanship
- 1st – Elena Chapa*
- 2nd – Kamryn Woodard*
Level II
- 1st – McKenna Lindsey* of Mackinaw, IL
Level I
- 1st – Shelby Trunnell* of Kappa, IL
- 2nd – Taylor Trone* of Lewistown, IL
- 4th – Caitlynn Marit of Trivoli, IL
- 5th – Katie Wood of Sycamore, IL
- 7th – Bailey Wight of Bloomington, IL
- 9th – Sydni Nilles of Fox Lake, IL
Rookie
- 2nd – Nicole Welsh* of Milan, IL
- 3rd – Sophie Otto of Gridley, IL
- 5th – Emily Barbknecht of Waseca, MN
- 6th – Grace Wolfington of Sheboygan, WI
- 7th – Anna Marolf of Milan, IL
- Qualifier – Andrea Seabloom of Woodhull, IL
Beginner
- 1st – Teresa Brun* of Edmore, MI
- 2nd – Jayna Trueblood* of Logansport, IN