LAURINBURG, N.C. – Intermont Equestrian at Emory & Henry College will compete in the American National Riding Commission's (ANRC) Collegiate Championship this weekend on the campus of St. Andrews University.
Emory & Henry will enter six horse/rider combinations - three each in the National and Novice Divisions. In the National Division, junior Emily McBee (Cartersville, Ga.) will ride Agincourt (barn name Lupi), junior Bailey Halverson (Concord, N.C.) will ride Samson and senior Morgan Sollenberger (Concord, N.C.) will be atop Tobasco. The Novice Division will have freshman Billie Henard (Kingsport, Tenn.) on High Noon (Wyatt), sophomore Nick Martino (Bel Air, Md.) on Tiffany La Silla (Tiffany) and junior Karissa Donohue (Benson, N.C.) riding Anastasia (Annie).
Emory & Henry riders will begin the weekend on Thursday with a written test on horse science, theory of riding and stable management. Each horse/rider combination will show in three phases, staggered over Friday, Saturday and Sunday: a flat phase, a medal-style over fences course and a hunter derby phase which will be on an outdoor course with natural obstacles. All four phases are scored to culminate in a team average, dropping the lowest score.
The ANRC was established in 1936 to initiate a standardized method to educate riders and a system to assess riding ability based on the teachings of Captain Vladimir Littauer, a Russian who came to the United States during the 1930's and established a riding school. Littauer's Forward Riding System has influenced many if not all of the great American riders. The ANRC uses the concepts of the Forward Riding System as a foundation for its educational programs reflecting the changes and developments that are ongoing in today's world of Equestrian Sport.
The goal of the ANRC is to focus on a contemporary systematic approach to riding that is aimed towards riders, trainers, or instructors who want to improve equation and teaching skills, gain an understanding of riding theory, and improve the performance of a field hunter, show hunter, jumper or pleasure horse.
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