SAM PIKE
Staff Writer
Two years after it ended with only a single member, Pepperdine’s Equestrian Club Team is being revitalized by freshman Samantha Harris, who is bringing a fresh face to the unique campus sport.
“I’m starting this club because I love horses,” Harris said. “I want to welcome anybody who feels the same way — whether you’ve never sat on a horse, or you’ve won a Grand Prix.”
This year, Harris hopes to enroll at least 10 members on the team, the number of members needed to compete.
The Equestrian Club will offer three different membership levels, to allow students to find a commitment suitable for their horseback riding experience and financial capabilities. Club dues range from competitive levels at $325 to club members at only $30.
“I’m hoping to offer different levels for people to join in, just like they used to [in the 2005 program],” Harris said. “[But] that possibility really depends on how many people sign up.”
Because of the expensive nature of the sport, Harris is also hoping to offer scholarships for students that are unable to afford the competitive membership fees.
Weekly practices will be held at the Foxfield Equestrian Center in Westlake Village and members will be able to use practice horses at the Foxfield property for lessons.
While the competition schedule has not been completed, monthly competitions are planned against schools as far north as Stanford. The first competition is scheduled for Oct. 13 and 14 and will conclude with a national competition at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank.
Pepperdine has a deep equestrian heritage, as the school used to have its own horses and on-campus riding club. However, the former equestrian program dwindled down to one member, 2006 Pepperdine alumni Sarah Tiltow, and eventually closed. The new creator is reintroducing horseback riding to Pepperdine and focusing on making the new club approachable to all students interested in horses.
“When I graduated there was no one who wanted to keep it going,” Tiltow wrote in an e-mail. “I was very involved. I went to all the shows and even represented Pepperdine University at the 2006 IHSA Nationals in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, competing for the Cacchione Cup.”
Harris decided to rekindle the Equestrian Club team at Pepperdine after she spoke Seaver Dean of Admissions, Dr. Paul Long.
“I met Sam in her senior year of [La Reina High School in Thousand Oaks, Calif.],” Long wrote in an e-mail. “She asked about an equestrian program and I said to her, ‘Why don’t you start the program at Pepperdine?’”
The club is open to students attending all five Pepperdine schools, including the West Los Angeles campus.
“I think clubs are an excellent way to foster community among our students,” Long wrote.
The time spent practicing and traveling to competitions is also a highlight of Harris’ past experience.
Harris declared the Equestrian Club “an amazing opportunity to improve [oneself] by having a connection with an animal.”
10-04-2007
