Fairfield, CT (July 19, 2016) Coined the “Ultimate Catch Ride,” the 2016 NRHA Collegiate Reining Championship, July 1, at the NRHA Derby, saw Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) qualified reiners Dylan Dombrowski (Cazenovia College), Leah Piper (Middle Tennessee State University), Kelsey Wilson (West Texas A&M University) and Sara Yu (Ohio State University) leave spectators in the Jim Norick Arena at the Oklahoma State Fair Park impressed with how well full-time college students catch solid reining scores.
Dylan Dombrowski (Cazenovia) put in the best IHSA run of the evening, scoring a 212 to tie for third overall with Hannah Jechow (NCEA/WTAMU) after entering the pen sixth in the draw on Nics Rooster owned by Daniela Bernabeu. Placing fourth, on a score of 211 was Kelsey Wilson (WTAMU) on Que Bueno Nic owned by Drumclog Ranch. Ninth in the draw, Leah Piper (MTSU), piloted Randy Reecer's HR Dun By Whiz to a 207 score for ninth place, and Sara Yu (OSU) rode Kristen Jacobson's Smokin N Boon Light to a 202 score for 11th place.
“It was a great group across all three divisions and well represented. These students went into the pen and made the best ride they could with the horse they were given. Every rider should be proud of their role delivering an exceptional event,” said Hayley Eberle, marketing and communication manager for NRHA. “We are also appreciative of the people who truck in and donate horses to provide student riders with such quality and caliber to their draws.”
“This was a tremendous opportunity with great quality Horses, and seeing our riders place so well spoke volumes about IHSA. We're very proud of Cazenovia and all our schools,” said Carla Wennberg, St. Andrews University coach and IHSA Western sponsors liaison. “Dylan will be 'somebody' in this horse industry. He's a great rider and one of those team members who is everyone's teammate. What I love, as an NRHA and AQHA judge as well as IHSA coach, is seeing organizations work together for the young people coming up in our industry.”
Established in 2002, this was the 14th year for NRHA to host the Collegiate Reining Championship, which hosted four riders each from three (IHSA, NCEA, NRHA) organizations catch riding on reining horses generously donated for the event.
IHSA promotes competition for full time student riders of all skill levels, who compete individually and as teams at regional to national levels based on the principle that any college student should be able to participate in horse shows regardless of financial status, gender or riding level. In 2017 IHSA celebrates the Golden 50th Anniversary of its founding in 1967 by Fairleigh-Dickinson University sophomore Robert E. 'Bob' Cacchione and today serves more than 400 member institutions and 10,000 riders annually. Visit www.ihsainc.com and follow IHSA on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about its teams, scholarships and alumni riding program.