The Maryland Equestrian Club Begins Their Show
Image Credit: Edwin Remsberg
For the 91st time, Ag Day, held the last Saturday in April provided an opportunity for Maryland Equestrian Club (MEC) members to demonstrate to the public what they have learned by holding a horse show. A member of the local horse community serves as a judge for the Ag Day show classes, which range from Showmanship, where members show off their braiding skills and handling of the horses, to Advanced Jumping, where the most experienced riders in the club complete a complex jump course.
MEC begins its preparation for the biggest event of the year early! Ag Day requires weeks of preparation for all members, but it is especially time consuming for members that participate in the Showmanship portion of the show. Members are given a clinic on the basics of Showmanship, which result in the student being able to lead a perfectly clean and braided horse through a simple pattern in the presence of a judge. Members then team up to share the work of grooming a horse for the class. This year junior Ashleigh Naude and freshman Becky Remsberg selected Diva, a small Palomino Quarter Horse, for the Showmanship class. Ashleigh and Becky spent a total of six hours at the farm bathing, clipping, trimming, and braiding Diva in preparation for the event held April 30th in the show ring at the back of Campus Farm.
An exciting aspect of MEC is how the club brings together people with all levels of horse experience to learn from each other. Ashleigh began riding when she joined MEC her freshman year and thus has limited horse experience, but Becky, although new to the club, has grown up with horses and has many years of farm experience. Becky, an agricultural business management major, and Ashleigh, a music education major, also represent how MEC brings together individuals from all majors and colleges across campus, uniting them in their shared love of horses. As a team they placed first and fourth with Diva in the Showmanship competition.
Preparing the horses for the shows is not the only work that MEC members put into Ag Day. Tori Dougherty, MEC’s Head of Training, spent countless hours in the weeks leading up to Ag Day organizing classes, assigning horses, securing a judge, checking tack, designing courses, and insuring all the horses were in top shape for the event. Other directors organized the MEC merchandise, food items, raffle baskets, and horseshoes, which were all sold at Ag Day to raise funds for the club. Members spent many hours working to make the barn and farm spotless in the weeks leading up to Ag Day and also volunteered much of their time on the day. In spite of the gray horse who decided to roll in mud Friday night before Saturday’s big show, the many hours spent preparing for Ag Day paid off as the event went off without a hitch!
Looking to the future, both Ashleigh and Becky have joined the Executive Board of MEC, with Ashleigh assuming the position of Herd Health Director, responsible for the day-to-day care and well being of the horses, and Becky taking up the responsibility of Finance Director for the club. Graduating seniors know that that MEC is in good hands and acknowledge that Ag Day remains the most exciting and significant day of the year for the Maryland Equestrian Club, as it provides a unique chance for the public to connect and engage with its members and horses.
