Westminster equestrian team hosts13-team competition
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- The Westminster College equestrian team will host 13 colleges and universities at a riding competition today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Little Neshannock Stables. "Riders compete in Hunt seat equitation on the flat and over fences, with the jumping classes beginning at 9 a.m.," said Evan Garrison, instructor of English at Westminster College and faculty advisor to the team. "Flat classes begin in the afternoon." Schools scheduled to compete are Allegheny, Bethany, California (Pa.), Duquesne, Edinboro, Mercyhurst, Penn State Behrend, Penn State Fayette, Slippery Rock, Seton Hill, West Virginia, Westminster and Washington and Jefferson. "Hunt seat is the traditional style of riding inherited from Europe, also called the forward seat," Garrison said. "The flat classes in these horse shows are judged by professional and accredited judges who evaluate a rider's position in the saddle at a walk, trot, and canter. Jumping classes are usually more advanced riders who mount horses they do not know and take the horse over a course of jumps." The event is free and open to the public, and a concession stand is available. Contact Mary McKinley, owner of the stables, at (724) 946-2399, for more information. Little Neshannock Stables is located 1 mile east of Westminster College. Two members of Westminster's team are Anna Montgomery of Cortland and Susan Soroka of Boardman. Montgomery, the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Montgomery, is a sophomore molecular biology major from Lakeview High. Soroka, the daughter of Daniel and Tamara Soroka, is a sophomore elementary education and Latin major from Boardman High.