Special to the News Advocate
The arena was void of the reverberating echoes of a basketball being bounced on a gymnasium floor.
No screams and shouts of players and cheerleaders could be heard, either.
Yet there was an absolute sense of wrestled competition, an air of athletic struggle that could not be denied Saturday as the Onekama High School equestrian team rode high in the saddle at the Ludington Fairgrounds.
The team of Portager riders – seniors Sierra Warner and Morgan Brown, along with junior Kayla Kosiboski – finished third behind Grand Haven (1st) and Ludington (2nd). While the latter two high schools have a storied history in equestrian success, the Onekama team is still young and just in its second season.
“It’s nice that students can have an option of being involved in a competitive sport like this,” said first-year varsity coach Nikkol Ingelright. “It can be very hard to train a horse to perform well, and see the rider work their best as well.”
Jon Sorrells coached the team last year and Ingelright worked with him as a volunteer, before she took the reins this year.
“The competition is governed by the Michigan Interscholastic Horsemanship Association (MIHA),” Ingelright said. “We’re in District 9 and we competed in the C Division, which includes three to four riders per school.”
Equestrian competition can be demanding in time, Ingelright said, with riders preparing their horses the night before. They then get up early to finish grooming their mounts, before getting themselves ready. Grooming their horses include washing them, sometimes braiding their tails and manes, and even shaving them.
Riders and their families often travel to the competition grounds the day before, where they set up camps so that they can be ready for the next day’s competition.
“Daily competition consists of Showmanship, Saddle Seat, Hunt Seat, Western, Western Riding/Reining, Jumping, Trail and Speed and Action events,” Ingelright said. “Riders are judged primarily on their equitation and how well they ride their horse. Equestrian team competition has a lot of pattern work and the patterns do have a degree of difficulty.
“Preparation work the night before consists of packing all the tack and wardrobe for the event. We also travel a distance so we camped at the Mason County Fairgrounds. We stalled the horses overnight. Horses are bathed and groomed the night before.
“We are up late, memorizing patterns, then up early in the morning to finish getting the horses ready for the day,” Ingelright said. “Typically, students work all year to prepare for equestrian team, practicing with their horses daily.”
COACH PROUD OF THREE YOUNG RIDERS
“Sierra joined the team this summer,” the coach said. “She has ridden for many years, competing in Mason County 4-H and Open Shows. She competed mostly in the Saddle Seat, Hunt Seat and Speed and Action events.
“This was Sierra’s first year also riding ‘Irish,’ her Lippizzan gelding. The two have improved a lot this year and Sierra plans to continue showing him in Mason County.”
Ingelright said Brown also joined the team this summer.
“Morgan rides an Arabian gelding named ‘Wave of Justice,’” Ingelright said. “Morgan was an all-around rider competing in Showmanship, Saddle Seat, Hunt Seat, Western and Speed events. I was happy to have the flexibility of placing Morgan in different events each day. Morgan also shows in Mason County 4-H and Open shows.”
