Members of the Truman State University Equestrian Team come from a wide variety of backgrounds and experience levels. We have riders compete whose first time on a horse was evaluations, and we have riders who have distinguished A-circuit show careers.
At home, many of our riders ride disciplines and seats other than what IHSA offers. Our Equestrian Team has dressage riders, eventing riders, hunters, jumpers, reiners, western pleasure riders, saddle seat riders, and more.
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- Laurel Silcott is showing saddleseat on A Bay to Remember at UPHA Chapter 5 Horse Show. They showed in the 3-Gaited Junior Exhibitor Show Pleasure Championship class and took reserve.
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- Jessi Hudson learning to vault on horse Trixie
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- Sam Mannon and her horse Sara competing in Hunter Under Saddle
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- Katie Walker is competing cross-country in the Wayne Dupage Horse Trials. Pictured here she is showing Bad Bad Leroy Brown, barn name “Leroy” for the first time competing together in the trials.
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- Molly Gustafson and her horse Riley competing in the jumpers.
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- Haley Johnson and her horse Yankee competing in Western Pleasure.
While the team spends the year together practicing at the University Farm, the team spends the summer season in different ways. We have had students earn internships at racehorse breeding facilities in Kentucky and the William H. Miner Institute in Chazy, New York. Some of our riders work at riding summer camps, and others spend their summers showing their private horses. Many of our members study abroad and find horses to ride in other countries.
Many of the riders on our team are agricultural science majors; however, our riders have a broad range of academic interests, majors, and minors. Are riders are working toward a wide variety of degrees: English, history, biology, chemistry, business, economics, communications, and more. Some of our members have even conducted formal research projects with the horses at the University Farm.
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- Melissa Colby breeding a mare in the Spring 2015 reproduction class.
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- Allison Sterling and Carley Rettke inseminating broodmare Bacardi during Spring 2015 reproduction class.
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- First ever Truman State University Horse Judging Team competed at the 2015 AQHA World show. Pictured here from left to right: Rachael Hoehn, Megan Whitelock, Rachel Hunn, Jessica Nichols, Alexandria Avila.
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- Shannon was the lead student on a project we conducted at Truman in the fall 2014 that investigated the efficacy of an herbal liniment gel solution. Several students helped us with this project! Elizabeth (poster not pictured) received the TruScholars grant and worked on a project in collaboration with New Mexico State University during summer of 2014. Her portion of the project evaluates the methodology of performing digestion studies in horses.
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- Shannon Heibeck conducting her research project looking at back soreness.
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- The Equine Science research group. Left to right: Kylee Short, Elizabeth Miller, Kelly Walter (Equine Science Assistant Professor), Shannon Heibeck.