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One day soon, The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) intends
to have the best equestrian team in the country. They want the
best equestrian facility in their region, and they want the best
riders and the best horses, with the best coaches and the best
overall program.
Just a dream? Probably not.
You see, SCAD has proved itself skilled at visioning and accomplishing goals,
and no one mocks when the college comes up with a serious game plan.
Twenty five years ago, SCAD was founded by a handful of serious innovators
who dreamed of creating a prominent art college in the Southeast. Today, thanks
to their quest for success, the private, not-for-profit school owns a chunk
of historic Savannah, Georgia, having restored dilapidated buildings into beautiful
restaurants, stores, art galleries, classrooms and studios, libraries and more.
The establishment that opened its doors in 1979 with 71 students has grown
into an international campus, with 5,500 students pursuing one of its four
degrees and 18 majors designed for a variety of art-related careers.
Two years ago, SCAD founded an equestrian program, and the group is already
one of the strongest collegiate hunter seat programs in the country. SCAD is
proud to have top riders on board, like freshman Jordan Siegel, who hails from
Flower Mound, Texas. Jordan currently leads the nation in the prestigious Intercollegiate
Horse Shows Association’s (IHSA) open division and has secured high point
rider honors at numerous IHSA-sanctioned shows. Other competitive team riders,
like Ansley Grainger, captured reserve national champion honors last year in
the IHSA’s intermediate equitation division, which led to Ansley being
named SCAD’s 2002 Athlete of the Year.
The Team
SCAD equestrian program director Andrew Lustig, a nationally respected
and accredited judge for USA Equestrian, brags, brags, brags
when he talks about the talented young women on his team. Turns
out, they can do more than ride well – they’re all
artists, too.
“Jordan can sing,” he says. “Did you know that? She sings the
national anthem at our horse shows. In her riding clothes, of course.”
Jordan, in response, blushes, but she does confer that it’s true. SCAD
doesn’t have an equestrian studies major, so all the team members are
art majors of some variety. Jordan’s niche is performing arts, and she’s
toying with the thought of becoming a professional actress. Then again, she
might follow the footsteps of her mother, hunter-jumper trainer Laura Hightower.
“I’ve always wanted to act,” Jordan says, explaining how SCAD’s
programs fit her needs. “But I’ve ridden horses really all my life,” Jordan
says. “I started competing mostly when I was about 15. I’d come home
from school and ride five horses. On the weekends, I’d ride 10. I’ve
never really done anything other than horses.”
Jordan has her sites set on eventually winning the exclusive Cachionne Cup,
founded by IHSA President Bob Cacchione. Recipient of the Cacchione Cup essentially
holds the title of best IHSA hunter seat rider in the nation. Finals for the
cup take place at the IHSA Nationals, held this year May 2-4 at the Tennessee
Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
“I’d like to win it,” Jordan says quietly of the title, trying
not to jinx herself. As of press time, she led her region by a long shot, and
she’ll almost certainly be competing at the Nationals this year.
Jordan’s teammates are not to be taken lightly, either. In addition to
Ansley Grainger, other headline riders include Lily de Sousa, Ashley Kelly,
Jessie Lambert, Jessica Brown, Patty Ormaza, Karen Carter, Kristina Ahearn,
Rissy Fiora, Larissa Carpenter, Ben Mathis and Nikki Makar. Even Steven
“
The interesting thing about the IHSA is that there are different
levels,” Andrew says. “The IHSA is very leveling. One
rider is doing very advanced riding, and another is in beginner-type
classes, and they are each on the same team competing for points.”
That’s the idea behind IHSA – to promote competition
for riders of any skill level, regardless of financial status.
Students compete individually
and as team members, and according to the IHSA, competitions develop sportsmanship,
team enthusiasm and horsemanship. As a recognized member of USA Equestrian
(USAE) and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), the IHSA is actively
involved with the top professionals in the industry, and all horse shows are
judged by USAE/AQHA recognized officials.
Individual colleges host IHSA-approved events throughout the year, and host
colleges provide horses for competitors. Like an uncertain catch ride, exhibitors
aren’t allowed to use their own tack, nor are they allowed to school
or warm up the horses they are assigned to ride.
According to the IHSA rules, horses and riders are paired up randomly by drawing,
which enables riders to compete on an “even keel and truly test their
horsemanship ability.” Classes, whether hunter seat or western, are judged
solely on equitation.
The Perks
SCAD’s equestrian team is a varsity-level sport funded by the college,
and it is the only known institution in America that will foot the bill
for its best riders to show at major A-rated hunter shows. So, on certain
weekends,
you’ll see the SCAD team at top-rated shows around the Southeast, competing
with one of their college’s donated horses, such as “Art History,” “Sculpture,” “Tapestry,” “Art
and Design,” “Industrial Design,” and other artsy names that
help brand SCAD as a serious force in the equestrian community.
Another perk of being on the SCAD equestrian team? Free use of the school gym,
access to a personal trainer (whom has acquired a reputation among the team
as “boot camp drill sergeant”), sports medicine staff, academic
advisement and tutoring. Show clothes (except boots and hat) and a per diem
on competition and travel days, are also part of the package. Team members
are required to attend at least three one-hour riding lessons weekly, plus
scheduled gym workouts.
Think you’d like to attend an art school? Interested in riding for SCAD?
Tryouts for the SCAD equestrian team are held during the first two weeks of
the fall quarter. The
Program’s Future
SCAD’s current equestrian facilities, located about 10 minutes
from campus, are suiting them fine, but soon the horses and riders
will spend their training time at an even nicer place in Savannah.
The goal? To acquire a new, much larger property with state-of-the-art
facilities soon, which could host large shows and clinics throughout
the year. The college is securing show dates to follow the premier
Horse Shows In The Sun (HITS) Ocala Circuit, which ends in early
March.
Keep your eyes on SCAD – their vision is strong.
SCAD equestrian program director Andrew Lustig, USAE-approved judge,
has trained two horses that achieved Horse of the Year titles
by the Chronicle of the Horse: Monday Morning and Conversation
Piece. Andrew is assisted by team coach Courtney Petersen, a
past IHSA Cacchione Cup finisher from the University of Florida’s
equestrian team. In the future, SCAD will incorporate a western
team into its program. The institution is currently seeks a nationally
respected and qualified coach. Visit www.scad.edu, e-mail alustig@scad.edu,
or cpeterse@scad.edu, or call (912) 966-1670 for more information
about the SCAD equestrian program.
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the forage package.