BRISTOL, Va. – The Intermont Equestrian at Emory & Henry College teams are coming off four national championship performances last year and are primed for another successful season in 2016-17. The Wasps will have their first taste of competition on Saturday when they travel to Baltimore, Maryland for the first of four Tournament of Champions series shows. This first event will be hosted by Goucher College.
The next two Tournament of Champions events will be held on Saturday, December 3 at Ohio University; Saturday, January 21 at Bridgewater College. E&H will wrap up Tournament of Champions competition on Saturday, January 28 hosting a show at the Emory & Henry Equestrian Center.
The Wasps will compete in a new Region for IHSA shows this year, moving from Zone 4 - Region 2 to Zone 4 - Region 5. Some of the Z4-R5 competitors include: Ferrum College, Averett University, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest University and High Point University. The first IHSA competition will be at Averett on Saturday, September 24, while E&H will host back-to-back shows on Saturday, February 4 and Sunday, February 5.
Emory & Henry has won the past three Intercollegiate Dressage Association National Championships and has been crowned Region H Champions in each of the 16 years that the IDA has been in existence. This year, the Wasps will put their titles on the line with eight IDA shows. E&H will host three shows - including the season-opener - on Sunday, September 25; Saturday, November 19 and Sunday, March 26.
The championship season begins on Saturday, March 18 with the IHSA Zone 4 – Region 5 Championships at Averett. The IHSA Zone 4 Championship will be on Saturday, April 8 at St. Andrews University while the IHSA National Finals are set for Thursday, May 4 through Sunday, May 7 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Affiliated National Riding Commission Intercollegiate Championship is set to take place at Savannah College of Art & Design between Wednesday, April 19 and Sunday, April 23. The IDA National Championships will return to Centenary (N.J.) College for a second year in a row on the weekend of Thursday, April 27 through Sunday, April 30.
With 19 team national championships and 30 individual national championships in its history, Intermont Equestrian is one of the most decorated programs in the country. Since the program was absorbed by Emory & Henry in the fall of 2014, the Wasps have accounted four six of those titles (two team, four individual).
Check out the full Intermont Equestrian at Emory & Henry College schedule here.
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-photo courtesy of Lynlee Dutton