The SJHS equestrian team

This year marked the first year since 2014 that SJHS’s equestrian team competed at the state finals. This year’s team consisted of seven riders, eleven horses, and 17 events, competing as a part of District Three. 

The first show of the season was a district meet on August 25 at the Berrien County Fairgrounds. The next competition, another district meet, was a two-day event, again at the Berrien County Fairgrounds, on September 14 and 15. At the conclusion of district meets, St. Joseph were the champions of the B division. 

“The top two teams at Districts advance to Regionals. District Three combines with three other districts to form Region A,” Ms. Danielle Countryman, the equestrian team’s coach, said. 

Regionals was next for the team; another two-day meet was held at the Berrien County Fairgrounds on September 28 and 29.

“It was muddy and a miserable mess. However, the girls prevailed to be crowned co-champions with 369 points and qualified for the MIHA State Championships. Over the course of the competition, the team earned nine first places in an extremely competitive division,” Coach Countryman said. 

The State Championship was a four-day event held in Midland, Michigan. This competition was also double-judged (two sets of judges whose scores are averaged). Here the team finished fourth place in the B Division, scoring 214 points in total. Seniors Leah Barlow and Ellie Purchase scored the most points as individuals, with 78 and 61 points respectively.