LBCC's Equestrain Club- First Commuter Article

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LBCC’s Equestrian Club

Published on January 23, 2012

By Alyse Armstrong/Contributing Writer

                Jenny Strooband has been the Equestrian Team Coach at Linn-Benton Community College, for the last ten years. For the last six of those ten she has coached students all the way to the national competition!  This year’s Equestrian Team Captain is Levi Comerford.

                LBCC’s Equestrian team competes through the Intercollegiate Horse Show Assocaition (IHSA). IHSA is comprised of several different regions that host shows for other teams in their region to attend. Linn-Benton is the only community college in the region, so they mostly compete against universities. The teams in their region are from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. LBCC hosted a contest on November 21^st of this year; the competition is also the team’s fundraiser. Most of the shows are formatted exactly the same and Jenny said each show they attend is a lot of fun.

There are two kinds of equestrian teams; the first is Hunt Seat Equitation, which has eight levels based on experience. The most basic level is beginner for riders with little experience, and the most advanced level is open hunt seat.  LBCC has a smaller Hunt Seat Equitation Team this year with a total of six members .They have competed in a few shows and are looking forward to their two remaining competitions.

                The second team is Western Horsemanship, there are six levels the beginning level is walk/jog and the most advanced is open reigning. The Western Horsemanship Team competes in the fall, and is already done for the year. They were awarded third place out of the nine teams in the region.

                Being a member of the LBCC Equestrian Team is advantageous to students in several ways. First of all, it is a co-curricular team that encourages sportsmanship and teamwork. Team members also get a good amount of  free riding time, professional instruction, and access to well trained horses which is difficult for many college students due to lack of funds.

                Strooband informed me that while being on the Equestrian Team is an amazing opportunity, it can be difficult at times. Most shows are held on back to back weekends, each show generally means a sixteen hour day for contestants. Not only can this be very tiring but it also gives students little time to complete homework.

                For those of you who are interested in getting involved with Linn-Benton’s Equestrian Team try outs for the next competitive year will be the second week of classes for fall term 2012. Anyone is welcome to try out regardless of experience, in fact beginners are encouraged!