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Megan Carone atop her horse, Bob
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In its first year, the Peters Township Equestrian Association has been relatively well received, with eight high school riders and five middle school participants. While the team might not have the volume of participants some neighboring teams’ exhibit, what they lack in numbers they more than make up for in unbridled enthusiasm (pun intended).
“I love it because we can actually go to competitions,” says Megan Carone, 17, a junior at Peters Township High School.
“A lot of people don’t realize it’s a sport, but it really is and I believe it is up and coming. It’s nice to get some recognition for it, too.”
The team represents an opportunity for young horse enthusiasts to be part of a competitive team, develop camaraderie and work on their skills, all while having a great time. The team is part of the Interscholastic Equestrian Association, which covers 10 zones stretching across the nation. Peters Township competes in Zone 2, encompassing Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. The team travels to competitions where, following a drawing, each rider is paired up with an unfamiliar horse and must perform a variety of skills. The goal is to amass as many points as possible. In April, the top riders (points-wise) will advance to compete in the Zone 2 finals. If they do well there, they move on to the Nationals.
“I think we have a lot of talented members who can go very far,” says Katherine Halo, a sophomore at Peters Township. “For me, this has been a ton of fun. Being on a team is just great. It’s so much fun to cheer on your teammates and to be cheered for.”
Originally, it was hoped that the team would be part of the Peters Township School District, but that didn’t work out. The district could not take the team on this year and was uncertain about next year. With many riders itching to get started, it was decided to strike out on their own.
“We tried to become affiliated with the school on a club level, but there were problems with that,” says Joni Carone, president of the association. “But it’s okay, because this way the kids who want to join don’t have to be just Peters Township students. Riders can come from anywhere.”
From beginners to advanced riders ranging from sixth through 12th grade, it is the hope of Carone and head coach Becki Bloom, the equestrian coach at the University of Pittsburgh, that the team will continue to grow.
“A lot of people don’t realize that there [are] opportunities to continue riding at the collegiate level,” says Carone. “There are 350 college club teams and 23 Division I and II equestrian teams that compete at the NCAA level.”
Owning horses is an expensive undertaking and one of the reasons more people don’t ride, but members of the Peters Township Equestrian Association don’t have to own a horse
to compete. “It’s so nice to get the opportunity to ride a lot of different horses,” says Megan. “Considering how new we are, I think our team is doing pretty well. I hope to see the program grow.”
Katherine, who oozes excitement about the program, echoes the same sentiment. “I’ve been telling anybody who will listen how much fun it is. Hopefully we can get more and more involvement.”
The team practices one day a week at Mingo Farms in Finleyville under the direction of Bloom. Carone says that if all goes well, they hope to host their first competition sometime in March. Carone is also working on establishing a scholarship for team members as well as creating an alumni team that will allow former high school riders to continue to compete.
“This isn’t something we did on a whim, we want to continue to build on this so it will endure and give the kids a place to pursue their love of riding for years to come,” says Carone.
Those interested in learning more about the team can contact either Joni at 412-997-2604 or Becki at 724-348-0787.
