AQHA Collegiate Horsemanship Challenge

Sixteen collegiate riders, including AQHA world champions, face off November 14 at the AQHA World Championship Show.

By Tara Christiansen
The American Quarter Horse Journal

Katy Lynn Krshka riding for Oklahoma State University Women's Equestrian Team

AQHA member Katy Krshka of Yukon, Oklahoma, will represent Oklahoma State University in the AQHA Collegiate Horsemanship Challenge. (Journal photo)

Mounted on unfamiliar American Quarter Horses, 16 collegiate equestrian riders will square off November 14 in the AQHA Collegiate Horsemanship Challenge. The competitors are afforded four minutes of warm-up time before they ride for the inaugural Challenge championship.

Eight student-athletes from the National Collegiate Equestrian Association and eight from the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association will compete in the Wednesday prelims. The Challenge preliminaries, held in conjunction with the AQHA World Championship Show in Oklahoma City, will follow the junior western pleasure prelims, or at approximately 11 a.m., in the Performance Arena at State Fair Park. With the exception of the AQHA World Championship Show Sale on November 11, the Performance Arena is a ticketed arena; learn more about purchasing tickets for the AQHA World Show.

The top four riders will be invited to the Thursday night finals, set to kick off at 7 p.m. in the Jim Norick Arena. The inaugural Challenge roster is peppered with AQHA world, high-point and regional champions, so for many, the walk through the Gateway of Champions will be déjà vu.

The following riders will represent their school in the AQHA Collegiate Horsemanship Challenge:

Ashley Frappier, University of Findlay – IHSA
Elizabeth Whitman, Oregon State University – IHSA
Addie Davis, West Texas A&M University – IHSA
Jarrod Bush, University of Findlay – IHSA
Hali Jorgensen, University of Nebraska-Lincoln – IHSA
Shannon Voges, North Dakota State University – IHSA
Andrea Smith, Berry College – IHSA
Catherine Howland, Morrisville State College – IHSA
Julia Roberts, West Texas A&M University – IHSA alternate
Johnna Letchworth, University of South Carolina – NCEA
Megan Hawkins, University of Georgia – NCEA
Katy Krshka, Oklahoma State University – NCEA
Carey Nowacek, Texas A&M University – NCEA
Indy Roper, Auburn University – NCEA
Lauren Crivelli, Fresno State University – NCEA
Alexie Estrada, Texas Christian University – NCEA
Parris Rice, Baylor University – NCEA
Kelly Bouvaird, Kansas State University – NCEA alternate

Not only will the 16 riders be competing for their school’s honor and glory, but also for the title of the first-ever AQHA Collegiate Horsemanship Challenge champion and a championship plaque custom-designed by Award Recognition Concepts, AQHA’s new trophy company.

Spectators are encouraged to sport their favorite school’s colors and come ready to cheer for the best collegiate riders in the country.

Stay tuned to www.aqha.com/worldshow for official AQHA Collegiate Horsemanship Challenge coverage from The American Quarter Horse Journal. Be sure to follow @AQHAJournal on Twitter for Challenge updates, and use #AQHACollegiate and #AQHAWorld when you tweet.