The Albion hunt seat riders are back in the saddle after winter break, and they started the semester off with a huge win at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association doubleheader hosted by the University of Michigan Jan. 24-25.
The first day of competition had multiple top finishes by Albion riders. First-year student Brittany Steele led the team with wins in both novice flat and over fences, and she was the high point champion of the day. Cayla Dupuis won first place in novice flat and second in her over fences class. Co-captains Claire Tillman and Taylor Macielak both captured first places in intermediate flat and open flat, respectively. Second place ribbons were awarded to Tess Hayward (novice flat), Emily Galka (novice flat), Madeline Beattie (advanced walk-trot-canter flat), and Natalya DiCiacca (advanced walk-trot-canter flat). The team ended in third place for the first day.
By the second day, the Britons came back determined to improve, and that they did. Dupuis earned another first place in novice flat and second over fences. Galka won first in novice over fences, and Steele again cleaned up novice on the flat. DiCiacca and Megan Reilly both earned first in advanced walk-trot-canter flat, and Megan Winkler won first in walk-trot. Second place finishers included Macielak (open flat), Beattie (advanced walk-trot-canter flat), and Paige Beliveau (intermediate flat). At the end of the day, the Britons rode away as the champion high point team.
Two more riders also qualified for the IHSA Regional Championships: Dupuis and Beattie will join the other six Briton hunt seat riders already headed to regionals.
The next show will be a doubleheader co-hosted by all of the schools in Region 4. It will be at Willowbrooke Farms in Plymouth, Mich. on Feb. 14-15.