MTSU Western horseback riders repeat as IHSA national champions [+VIDEO]

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raider equestrian Western team has “ridden” to the occasion once again.

For the second consecutive year, stellar team and individual riding performances have helped them earn the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Horse and Rider-sponsored Western discipline team national championship.

Middle Tennessee State University Western team members, from left, Simone Allen, Sadio Barnes, Mackenzie Latimer, Jordan Martin and Monica Braunwalder lift the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association national championship trophy earned for the second consecutive year. This year’s competition was held May 3-5 at Tryon International in Mill Spring, N.C., and was an outstanding team and individual effort by the Blue Raider riders. (MTSU photo by Andrea Rego)

Team member Jordan Martin of Murfreesboro, after finishing second in 2023, rode a horse named Gunador to win the coveted Back on Track USA-sponsored Western High Point honor in the event held May 3-5 at Tryon International in Mill Spring, North Carolina. Martin also captured the American Paint Horse Association-sponsored Horse and Rider Team Open Horsemanship, this time aboard a horse named Robin, provided by St. Andrews University in North Carolina, and National Champion Team Open Reining.

Along with the qualified team, the Blue Raider riders had an individual qualified in all seven Western divisions, a Western high point rider, as well as one hunter seat rider. MTSU riders won with 47 points. St. Andrew’s University earned reserve honors with 38.5 points.

Team members also included Mackenzie Latimer, Simone Allen, Sadio Barnes, Monica Braunwalder, Kenlee West, Louann Braunwalder, Regan Black, Shelby Amanns and Alyssa Davis.

“There was a lot of pressure going into this year, but (fellow coach) Andrea Rego and I tried our best to lessen those tense moments with preparation and also some fun and laughs any time we could,” said Ariel Higgins, MTSU equestrian teams coach and director.

Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Founder Bob Cacchione, left, joins Middle Tennessee State University Western coaches and team members, who captured their second consecutive national championship in the competition held May 3-5 at Tryon International in Mill Spring, N.C. Along with the qualified team, the Blue Raider riders had an individual qualified in all seven Western divisions, a Western high point rider and one hunter seat rider. (Photo by Hannah Foreman)

Ariel Herrin, director of equestrian programs and coach of the MTSU Equestrian Team in the School of Agriculture — Ariel Higgins

“All of the team riders are so mentally strong that they were able to dial in and focus on riding to the best of their ability when it mattered,” Higgins added. “They have practiced for as many situations as we could think of so that they could take it all in stride in the arena. I was so impressed by all of them. They all helped each other prepare for their classes and were there to cheer each other on. Those moments were special to watch unfold.”

With many team riders graduating, Higgins and Rego look to rebuild for the 2024-25 season “with the current and upcoming talent on the team,” Higgins said. “The challenge of performing consistently at the top does not escape us. We will put in our best effort and, right now, we are all just enjoying this honor.”

The Western discipline originated from ranch work, but has since evolved to highly specialized events that require skill, timing and a great level of knowledge from both horse and rider to perform, Higgins said.

To follow the equestrian team on Facebook, go to https://www.facebook.com/MTEqTeam/.

Martin’s quest

Martin, a senior horse science major who will graduate in December, said “hard work, riding a lot and a lot of help from Ariel and Andrea” led to her success and the team’s, too. “The combination of good horse and rider and the luck of the draw are important.”

Jordan Martin, a senior horse science major from Murfreesboro, Tenn. — Jordan Martin

Accomplishments for Martin always “require you to be really focused and have a plan before the show and be able to adapt during the show. … The national championship was a real goal, and I’m glad to be a part of the team,” she said.

Martin led the horsemanship phase and secured the national championship following an outstanding performance on Gunador, a bay gelding provided by Team Need A Hand of Murfreesboro and a horse with whom she enjoyed past success.

This summer and after graduating, Martin will be an assistant trainer at Sam Schaffhauser Performance Horses in Princeton, Kentucky.

Riding a horse named Gunador, provided by Murfreesboro, Tenn.-based Team Need A Hand, Middle Tennessee State University rider Jordan Martin won the Back on Track USA-sponsored Western High Point class during the competition held May 3-5 at Tryon International in Mill Spring, N.C. Aboard a horse named Robin, provided by St. Andrews University in North Carolina, Martin won the American Paint Horse Association-sponsored Horse and Rider Team Open Horsemanship. (Photo by Hannah Foreman)

Additional MTSU team results

• Mackenzie Latimer, senior from Millbrook, New York — fifth place in Team Ranch Riding.

• Simone Allen, junior from Mt. Juliet — third place in Team Level I Horsemanship.

• Sadio Barnes, senior from Miami, Florida — fifth place in Team Rookie Horsemanship.

• Monica Braunwalder, sophomore from Lascassas — Champion in Team Beginner Horsemanship.

Individual results

• Martin — sixth place in Individual Reining; eighth place in Individual Open Horsemanship.

• Kenlee West, junior from Tuscaloosa, Alabama — 10^th place in Individual Ranch Riding.

• Louann Braunwalder, senior from Lascassas — fourth place in Individual Level II Horsemanship.

• Latimer —seventh place in Individual Level I Horsemanship.

• Regan Black, junior from Lebanon — Reserve Champion in Individual Rookie Horsemanship.

• Shelby Amanns, senior from Knoxville — third place in Individual Beginner Horsemanship.

• Alyssa Davis, junior from Florence, Alabama — fourth place in Individual Limit Flat.

For more information about the MTSU Horse Science program offered by the School of Agriculture within the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, visit https://www.mtsu.edu/program/horse-science-b-s/.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)