Mt. Spokane Equestrian Team offers camaraderie
Not all school teams practice in a gym or on a ball field. On Wednesday evenings members of the Mt. Spokane Equestrian Team meet at a ranch in Colbert.
Now entering their sixth season, the 11 team members from various area schools compete in district, state and regional meets.
The Mt. Spokane team operates under the sponsorship of Washington High School Equestrian Teams in District 1, as do teams in Cheney and Colville. Teams from Deer Park and Medical Lake are part of District 5. Students participating in the club are eligible to receive a high school letter.
“Some kids do volleyball or softball, this will be my girls’ sport,” said Michelle Crandall. Her 15-year-old twin daughters, Elizabeth and Isabella, attend Gonzaga Prep and joined the club this year.
Isabella Crandall gave her horse, Justice, a pat. “I love it,” she said. “This has been very good for Justice. He’s kind of a nervous horse, but he tries really hard.”
Justice snorted and shook his head.
Team adviser Terry Ziegler said that while competition doesn’t begin until March, the sport is basically a year-round activity. “The two-legged athletes have to be conditioned and so do the four-legged ones.”
Participants compete in individual events like dressage, barrels and showmanship as well as team events like working pairs and short program drill.
“The beauty of this sport is you don’t have to be a star athlete,” Ziegler said. “I tell my kids, in the dirt it doesn’t matter what your social standing is at school – out here in the dirt, we’re all together – we’re a team.”
Being part of that team requires giving back to the community. “We serve meals at Crosswalk and we did a drill exhibition for Morning Star Boys Ranch,” she said.
Elizabeth Crandall enjoys being part of the team. From atop her horse, Sunny, she said, “Everyone has been so welcoming. I love learning drill and dressage and I like the obstacle course, too.”
Kevin Miden, 18, has been part of the Mt. Spokane Equestrian Team for three years. He said he’s been on horseback since he was 3. “It gets boring riding alone. This is a lot more fun.”
Royal, his horse, nodded in agreement. In addition to saying “yes,” Royal does other tricks like lying down on command. However, Miden and Royal’s best events are cattle sorting and pole bending.
The Mead senior is going to miss the team when he graduates. “It’s been great to meet people with like interests,” he said. “This is more than a team – it’s my second family.”
There are still spots available on the Mt. Spokane team. Students from Mead, Mt. Spokane, Lakeside, Gonzaga Prep, Northwest Christian, St. George’s, Newport and Ferris are welcome to join. Contact Terry Ziegler at (509) 209-4841 or terryzig@aol.com. For more information about WAHSET visit www.wahset.org/index.htm.