LEXINGTON, Ky. – Coming off the heels of a pair of national titles in 2019 and 2022, the Intermont Equestrian at Emory & Henry College IHSA Team remains in the elite of the collegiate equine world. The Wasps came up just short of a third-straight national championship on Saturday, finishing third out of 16 teams in the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association Collegiate Cup.
The three-day show was held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.
Emory & Henry posted a strong start on Thursday as sophomore Sierra Smith (Olathe, Kan.) got things going with a third-place finish in Limit Equitation Over Fences. Sophomore Kendall Madison (Westtown, N.Y.) won a blue ribbon in Limit on the Flat. Sophomore Mia Sisson (Warren, R.I.) closed the day, taking third in Intermediate on the Flat as the Wasps held a one-point lead over Skidmore College.
Friday's action saw sophomore Emma Gurley (Rutherfordton, N.C.) place sixth in Intermediate Over Fences while sophomore Thomas Carter (Asheville, N.C.) was fourth in Introductory. Sophomore Maddie Whitley (Stuarts Draft, Va.) also competed for E&H in Novice, earning an honorable mention as the squad sat in first by the slimmest of margins (one-half point ahead of Skidmore).
Open Equitation was contested on Saturday morning. Freshman Derek Holt (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) turned in an eighth-place finish Over Fences with junior Lindsay Shaw (Newark, Del.) taking fourth in Open on the Flat.
Skidmore had enough to overtake Emory & Henry to win the ISHA Collegiate Cup and the National Championship while Savannah College of Art & Design stormed to second place behind a pair of stellar rides.
As the 2022-23 season comes to a close, Intermont Equestrian continues to be one of the top equestrian programs in the country, both academically and competitively. The teams have won 22 national championships since its establishment under Virginia Intermont College, including five since joining Emory & Henry. The equine studies department continues to send forth top-notch graduates into the horse industry further solidifying the program as one of the most influential in the industry.
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