Mt. SAC to Host First Ever IHSA Horse Show

October 26, 2022 - 11:03 AM

This Saturday will mark Mt. SAC’s first-ever Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) competition on its campus. Mt. SAC’s own six-member Equestrian Team will be in competition. The event is free to the public and will be held at the Equine Center next to the Farm, and adjacent to Parking Lot F. There are two shows. The first runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and the second will take place from noon until 4 p.m.

Mt. SAC is in the Southern California region; however, due to the pandemic, the college competed in the more competitive Northern California region last year, with team member Sara Gonzales ultimately taking the regional championship. In this video profile of Sara and the Equestrian Team, she talks of her steps to the top.

This weekend, Mt. SAC will face off against Cal Poly and other Southern California colleges with Equestrian Teams. 

Charlie Piche, an Animal Science major and new member of the team, says “A lot of work has gone on behind-the-scenes to set everything up and make everything nice.”

“It was a lot of work,” explained Gonzales. “From dealing with bureaucracy, paperwork, how we are going to pay for it, finding judges, ordering ribbons, buying prizes, setting up which horses are going to which class, and then schooling the horses, it’s a long process. We’ve been working on this for months.”   

For Brooklyn Davis, another Animal Science major, this Saturday will be her first competition on the team.  “I’ve been riding for 10 years and horses are my greatest passion. Mt. SAC recruited me for the Livestock Team, but I love being competitive with horses, so I can’t wait to start competing.”

Piche said, “Not a lot of colleges, especially community colleges, have the opportunities and resources to do this (work with horses/have an Equestrian Team).”  

Learn more about the Equestrian Team and the Equine Center at their website.