Behrend is full of clubs and student organizations that are little known by most of the campus. One of these hidden gems, founded in 2003 by a group of students eager to find others who shared their interest, is the Equestrian Club.

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At first glance, most people assume the club exists just for students who have been horseback riding their whole life. But under the Equestrian Club lesson program, anyone who’s interested in trying the sport is welcome to try, even people who have never seen a horse before. The lessons are given at Brenric Stables in Edinboro, about 25 minutes from campus. The club sets up carpools weekly for students who are unable to drive themselves there, allowing anyone to ride in the weekly lessons. Behrend shares the facilities with Edinboro University, where the show team coach, Lew Trumble, teaches both of the teams.

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Behrend’s show team is the smallest in their IHSA, Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, division, consisting of just 5 members. The team is considered separate from University Park’s team, as they are in a separate division. They compete over the course of the year against many local colleges, such as Slippery Rock University, the University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University. Each rider is evaluated before they start showing by the team coach, allowing them to be put into classes at their proper skill level. The challenge to college riding teams comes from the fact that you cannot ride your own horse in competition. All teams come to the shows and are drawn a horse at random before the show begins, and receive no practice time on their given horse before they just compete. It tests skill on a variety of horses instead of allowing someone to become accustomed to the habits of just one. Each show comes with a list of the possible horses and some personality traits of each, but besides a minor description, each rider goes in blind.

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The first show of the season took place at Slippery Rock University on October 1st, and was co-hosted by both the Behrend and Edinboro equestrian teams. 4 Behrend riders attended, bringing home two second places and a first. The second, and most recent event of the season took place on October 8th at Seton Hill University’s equestrian facilities. 3 members of the Behrend team attended, and came back with two fourth places and a first.

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Though some experience is required to join the show team, they are always looking for new interested members who are willing to work their way up. If interested in joining the team or just in participating in lessons, the Equestrian Club and important information can be found on Orgsync.