AMPING UP FOR NATIONALS At the close of the Mustangs’ regular season, we ranked 5 th in the nation and had amply qualified for National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) Championship.  With a potential roster in place, the show girls’ practices intensified to meet the demands of the impending competition. We scrimmaged the weekend before Nationals on our own horses so coaches could make one last assessment and finalize the roster.  On Monday afternoon we packed up the trailer and on Tuesday morning we shipped out to Waco with four horses and eleven teammates. DAY 1 Obviously I’d gotten way too accustomed to my classes starting at 10AM because my 6:45AM wake-up seemed preposterously too early.  In retrospect of the week, or even an average horse show, 6:45 is sleeping-in. Too tired to remember breakfast, I lugged my duffel, backpack, boot and helmet bags across campus to meet my teammates at the van that would take us to Waco

In college, I am constantly meeting new people. When they find out that I am on the equestrian team, inevitably they ask, “How does that work exactly?” Even fellow riders ask this question. NCAA riding uses a system concocted specifically for the purpose of judging athletes’ equitation on an even playing field.

When I first stumbled upon Southern Methodist University the summer before my senior of high school, I immediately identified with the school’s iconic mascot, the Mustang. I tallied all the ironies associated with this mascot if I actually ended up going to SMU