​​Battle Ground Equestrian Team finishes recent meet strong

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The Battle Ground Equestrian Team finished its recent meet strong as seniors Angel Halle and Miah Fultz placed first in team sorting, while two teams placed second in the Canadian flag race and freestyle fours.

There are many competitions and the riders must complete all of them in the span of three days.

“There’s very different disciplines and possibilities for these kids, everywhere from being slow and collected, to running timed events and doing barrels, or working cattle,” head coach Jenna Anderson said. “There’s so many variances of what these kids can do in these three days.”

One of the events the team competes in is an in-hand obstacle relay. The team consists of four athletes and their horses who take part in a timed trail course. There’s also the drill team, which is made up of four to six riders. They do maneuvers on horseback to music, with their drill coach putting the pattern together. Then there’s Canadian flags, which is another relay where four riders race from one end of the arena to the other as they grab a series of four flags and attempt to beat the clock. Cow sorting is another event. Riders herd cows in a figure eight into a pen, sorting cows one at a time as they try to secure the fastest time.

In terms of riders, Anderson highlighted Gracie Kemp, who is a senior that “started off being a very timid rider who rode a borrowed horse.” Kemp grew her skills and now rides two different horses. She rode one of them for the past three years, and the newer horse is described by Anderson as a “powerhouse” who is fast and “takes a lot of rider to ride.” 

Anderson said Kemp has grown leaps and bounds. She built a great amount of confidence to win her best personal times this year and also served as a leader for the team.

She also talked about Halle, who is also a senior. Halle had to take on a new horse after her old one developed health issues. The new duo work well together despite not knowing each other long. 

“We’ve seen her making personal strides that we’re so proud to see her do, and also becoming a huge leader and taking on the newer kids that came in and taking them under her wing. She’s been a huge asset to the team,” Anderson said.

Anderson said the team’s greatest challenge has been the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically the “limitations” it brings. 

“Overall, the kids have really come together with what we’re allowed to do and have really made the best of their restrictions compared to what we’ve been able to do in the past,” she said.

Some of the limitations the team faces include the type of arenas they can ride in and the amount of people they can have in the arenas to practice, according to Anderson. Since many of the riders practice as many as four times a week, “it’s really a huge commitment for these kids and their families to participate in things like this,” said Anderson.

The equestrian team’s next meet will be March 11-13 at the Grays Harbor Fairgrounds in Elma, followed by another meet on April 22-24 at the Grays Harbor Fairgrounds. The state competition will be held on May 19 to June 2 at the Grant County Fairgrounds in Moses Lake, and regionals for the The Pacific Northwest Invitational is from June 16-19 at the Grant County Fairgrounds.