College of Charleston Equestrian Continues March Towards Region Crown

CLEMSON, SC Feb. 14, 2013 – The first-place College of Charleston equestrian team returns to the ring with an Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) competition at the Clemson University Equestrian Center on Saturday, Feb. 16. The Cougars will look to expand upon their lead on the IHSA Zone 5 Region 3 standings as the regular season draws closer to an end.

College of Charleston Cougars equestrian

The team has been nagged by inclement weather which has limited practice time, but head coach Bob Story is confident that his riders will overcome the conditions and continue to ride at a high level.

“This weekend will certainly be interesting,” said Story. “We haven’t ridden since Wednesday of last week due to the weather. With the wet ring, the footing could be sloppy and unsafe – although it was supposed to be sunny today!

“Having said all that, the girls will be fine this weekend. They will just stretch out and be mentally prepared to compete. If they ride to their potential, then they will build on the lead in the region. They just have to be mistake free and ride smart – wins every time!”

Last time out, the Cougars were denied victory for the first time on the 2012-13 season as they finished second at a show hosted by Georgia Southern at Evermore Farm. Emily Rhodes, Zoe Merritt, Eliza Hay and Evelyn Lewis were all best-in-class for the Cougars, but the team finished six points behind Georgia Southern on the day.

Prior to that, the Cougars had claimed four-straight first place finishes to sweep the fall portion of the schedule and build an impressive lead on the region. The Cougars built on the lead yet again at Georgia Southern and now lead second=place South Carolina by 37 points.

The Clemson show is the penultimate show of the season with the regular-season finale being hosted by the Cougars at Storybook Farm on Saturday, March 2.