The University of Findlay Western team (pictured) won five of six classes to score a record 38 points at 2007 IHSA Nationals. The Oilers have advanced a full team to Nationals again this season, and for the first time will compete for the championship over the course of four days thanks to a very different order of classes in '08.

RE-INVENTING THE WHEEL: THE 2008 IHSA NATIONALS SCHEDULE

After all the many regular season shows and two layers of post-season drama the field for IHSA Nationals is set. All riders and teams that qualified will travel to the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, California to compete at Nationals over the course of four days starting Thursday, May 8th. And for the first time since Nationals went to a four-day format in 2004 spectators will be able to watch English and Western riding each of the four days.

With minor changes each season, the past four IHSA Nationals had a similar schedule. Hunter seat had day one exclusively. Western did not start until four hunter seat classes had taken place on day two. Then the two disciplines overlapped the remainder of that day. Day three saw the completion of hunter seat up through the parade of teams and awards presentations in the early-to-mid afternoon. Then the remainder of the show was exclusively western. This schedule made life easier as far as operating the actual show itself but seemingly kept the two disciplines away from each other as much as possible. Another issue was the lack of hunter seat classes during weekends. With day one always a Thursday this meant hunter seat riders and their families were forced out of school and/or work for nearly the entire show. Better than 50 percent of Western was however on a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday morning. Also there were years where better than half the alumni classes were on weekdays, including every hunter seat alumni class since the four-day format was adopted.

That was then, but in 2008 the schedule is very different.

The Thursday May 8th session starts off in similar fashion to the past four Nationals, with the over fences classes unchanged so that the jumps can be removed after the fourth division for the entire day. The Parade of Teams follows, taking place on opening day for the first time since 2003! While both flat sections of the Cacchione Cup competition and the individual novice flat remain staples of the Thursday afternoon line-up, two individual western classes and the first western team class, team intermedate western, are also on the itinerary. This will be the first time that Western has taken place during the Thursday session.

On Friday May 9th seven of the 13 classes are the same as on last season's schedule, counting both rail phases of the individual AQHA High Point Rider division as separate classes. The jumping phase of the Cacchione Cup starts the proceedings, with team intermediate fences following before the jumps are removed for the day. Then team open reining is next, moving from where it had been on Saturday afternoon. The rest of the day sort-of alternates between english and western, with the exceptions being when individual novice western follows section B of the individual AQHA open rider rail phase and individual open reining follows team advanced western horsemanship at the end of the day. Moving the individual open reining to the end of the Friday session is a wise move in the opinion of this writer, as the division will likely take place around the dinner hour, which will make it more accessible to spectators who got out of work at 5PM or so. The reining divisions are among the most exciting to watch, and to place them when the audience is the largest is to the benefit of the entire organization.

The schedule for the Saturday May 9th session bears almost no resemblance to that of a year ago. For the first time since 2002 all the alumni divisions will take place on a Saturday or Sunday, with alumni over fences the curtain-raiser on Saturday morning. Tean open fences follows, with the Cacchione Cup work-off phase third. Following the removal of jumps and the presentation of horses the alumni flat takes place. Team beginner western, team intermediate flat, individual open western and individual intermediate flat nearly round out the Saturday schedule in that order. However the management of 2008 Nationals have bravely added a 'Break until Evening' to the schedule. Unless the individual intermediate flat takes place close to 5:00PM Pacific time the show will stop until 5:30PM, when it will resume with the presentation of Scholarship, Sportsmanship and Horse Awards (the latter two voted on by those attending the National show). A Buffet Dinner ($10.00 a plate) will then coincide with the individual AQHA Open Reining phase, after which the Cacchione Cup and individual AQHA Trophy will be awarded to the respective winners. Again this writer says hooray to the management for another high profile reining class scheduled in prime time.

If you are an undergraduate qualified to ride from a school without a full team competing then you can save Sunday for sightseeing! The Sunday May 11th session contains only two individual classes, the alumni reining and alumni rail. Otherwise five team classes (three english, two western) fill out the ledger. After alumni reining starts the day, all of the classes are traditional flat or horsemanship contests. The final team classes are open flat and open western horsemanship, with the presentation of team awards to end the 2008 season after the latter. The best part of the rather original 2008 Nationals schedule is that fans of both English and Western can see the team competition wind down over the weekend.

Normally we estimate how long it will take to complete each day. However with the schedule so completely different from anything we have seen this decade we will shy away from any predictions. About the only thing safe to say is that something will be going on in the Equidome (the largest ring at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center) the first three days from 8:30AM to at least 3PM. Don't stray too far from the LAEC at this time or you might miss something good (Campus Equestrian is preparing a story on the Los Angeles Equestrian Center and things to do and places to go in the area. We hope to have this story posted early in the week ending May 3rd - Editor).

Regardless of how long or short each day turns out to be, roughly 400 different riders will compete at some point over four days, and spectators will see 18 individual blue ribbons awarded, a Cacchione Cup champion, a individual AQHA Trophy champion and 18 full english teams (including two from Zone 8, with local high point team Cal Poly - Pomona being one of them) and nine full western teams battle it out for the right to be called the best in the nation for 2007-08.

If there is anything else you need to know about IHSA Nationals and/or the schedule of classes, please send us an e-mail at editor@campusequestrian.com and we will help you to the best of our knowledge. Though Campus Equestrian will not be providing live updates, the official IHSA web site, IHSA Inc. (http://www.ihsainc.com) has provided placings shortly after the conclusion of each class since 2004. These results can be found by visiting the IHSA Inc. home page, clicking 'IHSA Nationals' in the left-hand column and then clicking 'Results.'

---Steve Maxwell

The following is the schedule of 2008 IHSA Nationals Classes taking place at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, California May 8th through 11th. The first class on both May 8th and 9th is scheduled to start at 8:30AM while the first class on both May 10th and 11th is scheduled to start at 8:00AM. Individual classes listed here include the riders who qualified for Nationals through their respective Zones and Semifinals shows. This schedule, which was posted on April 28th, 2008 is subject to change without notice.

Schedule of Classes for Thursday, May 8th:

Individual Intermediate Equitation Over Fences:
Zone 1, Region 1 Julia Gildea, University of Connecticut
Zone 1, Region 3 Ariel Weisman, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Zone 2, Region 1 Rachel Marcotte, Centenary College
Zone 2, Region 3 Aileen McCarthy, Hartwick College
Zone 3, Region 2 Sara Gumbiner, Delaware Valley College
Zone 3, Region 2 Sarah Lessler, University of Delaware
Zone 4, Region 2 Mandy Lynch, Hollins University
Zone 4, Region 3 Brett Flower, Virginia Tech
Zone 5, Region 2 Ashley Phillips, Clemson University
Zone 5, Region 3 Brittany Thaler, Savannah College of Art & Design
Zone 6, Region 3 Jenny Priebe, University of Findlay
Zone 6, Region 3 Diane Silcox, Miami University of Ohio
Zone 7, Region 1 Dominique Delisle, Colorado College
Zone 7, Region 2 Corban Finkbeiner, Southern Nazarene University
Zone 8, Region 1 Erin Broussard, University of Nevada at Reno
Zone 8, Region 4 Kacie Crooks, University of British Columbia
Zone 9, Region 3 Emily Harvey-Serflek, University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse
Zone 9, Region 3 Sarah Korenthal, University of Wisconsin at Madison

Collegiate Cup Novice Equitation Over Fences

Individual Open Equitation Over Fences:
Zone 1, Region 1 Tara Lynch, University of Connecticut
Zone 1, Region 4 Quinn Traendly, Stonehill College
Zone 2, Region 3 Emily Bruschi, Skidmore College
Zone 2, Region 4 Hanna Gelfand, New York University
Zone 3, Region 3 Erin Albert, Seton Hill University
Zone 3, Region 4 Emily Mallory, Lafayette College
Zone 4, Region 2 Kirkland Brown, University of Virginia
Zone 4, Region 2 Lindsay Clark, Bridgewater College
Zone 5, Region 1 Lindsay Maxwell, University of the South
Zone 5, Region 2 Sarah Spainhour, Clemson University
Zone 6, Region 2 Callie Schott, University of Kentucky
Zone 6, Region 4 Rebecca Payne, Grand Valley State University
Zone 7, Region 1 Dana Bronfman, Colorado College
Zone 7, Region 1 Kristina Harkin, University of Colorado at Boulder
Zone 8, Region 2 Savannah Cook, University of California at Los Angeles
Zone 8, Region 2 Hailey Quirk, Cal Poly - Pomona
Zone 9, Region 1 Heather Absalom, Purdue University
Zone 9, Region 3 Marian Michelson, South Dakota State University

USEF Cacchione Cup - Flat Section A

Individual Intermediate Western Horsemanship:
Zone 2, Region 3 Corey Hayes, Morrisville State College
Zone 3, Region 4 Joanna Mongelluzo, Bethany College
Zone 4, Region 3 Kayla Hay, St. Andrews Presbyterian College
Zone 6, Region 1 Katherine Hodakievic, Lake Erie College
Zone 6, Region 3 Heather Allenby, University of Findlay
Zone 6, Region 3 Kelly Harmon, University of Findlay
Zone 8, Region 1 Becky Duffett, Stanford University
Zone 8, Region 2 Krystina Snyder, Cal Poly - Pomona
Zone 9, Region 1 Ashley Bruner, St. Mary of the Woods College
Zone 9, Region 2 Marlana Barkow, Black Hawk College
Zone 9, Region 2 Robert Graham, Black Hawk College
Zone 9, Region 3 Trisha Smeenk, South Dakota State University

USEF Cacchione Cup - Flat Section B
AQHA Intermediate Western Horsemanship

Individual Novice Equitation On The Flat:
Zone 1, Region 1 Kimberly Fearick, Johnson & Wales University
Zone 1, Region 3 Amy Donahue, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Zone 2, Region 1 Molly Brown, Centenary College
Zone 2, Region 3 Zoe Samuel, Cornell University
Zone 3, Region 1 Sarah Schubert, Bucknell University
Zone 3, Region 4 Maria Gubbiotti, University of Scranton
Zone 4, Region 1 Sarah Pandolfini, Goucher College
Zone 4, Region 3 Julianne Wilson, Virginia Intermont College
Zone 5, Region 1 Sarah Hamburger, Vanderbilt University
Zone 5, Region 3 Tess Mostyn, College of Charleston
Zone 6, Region 3 Hope Berninghausen, University of Findlay
Zone 6, Region 3 Zoe Steele-Rand, University of Findlay
Zone 7, Region 1 Laura Wynn, Texas Tech University
Zone 8, Region 1 Kaitlin Spak, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
Zone 8, Region 2 Kim Cullip, University of California at San Diego
Zone 9, Region 3 Karen Kearney, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Zone 9, Region 3 Joyce Williams, University of Wisconsin at Madison

Schedule of Classes for Friday, May 9th:

USEF Cacchione Cup Over Fences
Collegiate Cup Intermediate Equitation Over Fences
AQHA Open Reining
Collegiate Cup Walk-Trot Equitation
AQHA High Point Rider - Rail Phase Section A

Individual Walk-Trot-Canter Equitation:
Zone 1, Region 3 Sarah Maxner, Smith College
Zone 1, Region 4 Rebecca Viera, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth
Zone 2, Region 2 Kristen Putnam, St. Lawrence University
Zone 2, Region 3 Billie Taft, Skidmore College
Zone 3, Region 2 Kristin Lawrence, Delaware Valley College
Zone 3, Region 3 Karen Franz, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
Zone 4, Region 2 Cary Smith, Bridgewater College
Zone 4, Region 3 Jennifer Kelly, Virginia Intermont College
Zone 5, Region 1 Meredith Guider, Mississippi College
Zone 5, Region 2 Rachel Besch, Berry College
Zone 6, Region 2 Hanna Toebben, Morehead State University
Zone 6, Region 3 Raffi Kechijian, University of Findlay
Zone 7, Region 1 Laura Wilder, West Texas A & M University
Zone 7, Region 2 Claire Leggett, Trinity University
Zone 8, Region 2 Caroline Macioszek, University of California at Los Angeles
Zone 8, Region 4 Christina Bernards, Oregon State University
Zone 9, Region 3 Katie Martz, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Zone 9, Region 3 Jordan Palubicki, University of Wisconsin at River Falls

AQHA High Point Rider - Rail Phase Section B

Individual Novice Western Horsemanship:
Zone 2, Region 2 Megan Moehling, Cazenovia College
Zone 2, Region 2 Shelly Youmans, State University of New York at Oswego
Zone 3, Region 2 James Hobbie, University of Delaware
Zone 3, Region 2 Shilpa Deshpande, University of Delaware
Zone 5, Region 1 Sarah McKee, Middle Tennessee State University
Zone 6, Region 1 Meghan Masterson, Ohio University
Zone 6, Region 4 Amanda Deaton, Grand Valley State University
Zone 7, Region 2 Kayla McCullough, Redlands Community College
Zone 8, Region 2 Alice Gifford, Cal Poly - Pomona
Zone 8, Region 4 Adrienne Smith, Oregon State University
Zone 8, Region 4 Courtney Littlefield, University of Washington
Zone 9, Region 2 Natalie Soderborg, Black Hawk College

Individual Open Equitation On The Flat:
Zone 1, Region 1 Whitney Keefe, Brown University
Zone 1, Region 2 Daisy Freund, Dartmouth College
Zone 2, Region 2 Katharine Hankin, St. Lawrence University
Zone 2, Region 3 Megan Martin, Skidmore College
Zone 3, Region 2 Megan Spilatro, University of Delaware
Zone 3, Region 4 Jess Engle, Lehigh University
Zone 4, Region 1 Lauren Campbell, University of Mary Washington
Zone 4, Region 1 Jessica Van Brocklin, University of Mary Washington
Zone 5, Region 1 Lindsay Maxwell, University of the South
Zone 5, Region 3 Julia Nichols, College of Charleston
Zone 6, Region 3 Becky Baumel, University of Findlay
Zone 6, Region 3 Matt Piccolo, University of Findlay
Zone 7, Region 1 Whitney Fouts, West Texas A & M University
Zone 7, Region 2 Mimi Willard, Rice University
Zone 8, Region 1 Erin Broussard, University of Nevada at Reno
Zone 8, Region 2 Hailey Quirk, Cal Poly - Pomona
Zone 9, Region 2 Allison Cornman, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Zone 9, Region 2 Michael Lenard, Northern Illinois University

Individual Beginner Western Horsemanship:
Zone 2, Region 2 Jennifer Keefe, Cazenovia College
Zone 4, Region 3 Kelly Barber, Virginia Tech
Zone 5, Region 1 Alyssa Vieth, Murray State University
Zone 5, Region 2 Amber Palmer, Berry College
Zone 5, Region 3 Kate Gainey, Florida State University
Zone 6, Region 1 Danielle Nichter, Ohio State University
Zone 6, Region 2 Jenna Dailey, Morehead State University
Zone 6, Region 3 Rebecca Fournier, University of Findlay
Zone 6, Region 3 Spencer Zimmerman, University of Findlay
Zone 7, Region 2 Scott Case, Southern Nazarene University
Zone 8, Region 1 Javier Aliver, Stanford University
Zone 9, Region 1 Brittany Eyer, St. Mary of the Woods College

Individual Walk-Trot Equitation:
Zone 1, Region 1 Samantha Morse, University of Connecticut
Zone 1, Region 2 Jessica McLavey, Colby-Sawyer College
Zone 2, Region 1 Megan Tritsch, Centenary College
Zone 2, Region 3 Ariana Bray, Hartwick College
Zone 3, Region 1 Taylor Jaros, Penn State University (State College)
Zone 3, Region 1 Lily Walter, Dickinson College
Zone 4, Region 2 Stephanie Ostericher, Hollins University
Zone 4, Region 3 Jamie King, Virginia Intermont College
Zone 5, Region 1 Jenna Crowder, Maryville College
Zone 5, Region 2 Elissa Ferguson, Berry College
Zone 6, Region 1 Rachel Saunders, Ohio University
Zone 6, Region 3 Briana Ambrosic, Bowling Green State University
Zone 7, Region 1 Leslie Kennedy, Laramie County Community College
Zone 7, Region 1 Katie Sorensen, West Texas A & M University
Zone 8, Region 1 Lisa Fowler, University of California at Davis
Zone 8, Region 3 Alex Evans, University of Montana Western
Zone 9, Region 2 Maria Hossain, Washington University (MO)
Zone 9, Region 3 Lydia Sorenson, University of Wisconsin at Madison

AQHA Advanced Western Horsemanship

NRHA Individual Open Reining:
Zone 2, Region 2 Katie Mix, Alfred University
Zone 2, Region 2 Perry DiCiccio, Cazenovia College
Zone 2, Region 3 Todd Bednarek, Morrisville State College
Zone 3, Region 4 Renae Burks, West Virginia University
Zone 4, Region 3 Kelsey Moody, St. Andrews Presbyterian College
Zone 4, Region 3 Sarah Woody, Martin Community College
Zone 6, Region 1 Keith Ceddia, Ohio State University
Zone 6, Region 3 Ryan Sims, University of Findlay
Zone 7, Region 1 Whitney Agee, West Texas A & M University
Zone 9, Region 2 Katie Bree, Black Hawk College
Zone 9, Region 2 Kelsey Ragsdale, Missouri State University
Zone 9, Region 3 Abby Knobbe, South Dakota State University

Schedule of Classes for Saturday, May 10th:

Alumni Equitation Over Fences:
Zone 1, Region 1 Nicole Hunsicker, University of Connecticut
Zone 1, Region 3 Laura Tarko, Mount Holyoke College
Zone 2, Region 1 Lisa Tomaselli, Virginia Tech
Zone 2, Region 3 Audra Ravo, Ithaca College
Zone 3, Region 2 Genna Weissner, Delaware Valley College
Zone 3, Region 4 Sabrina King, University of Scranton
Zone 4, Region 1 Jennifer Mehalko, Hood College
Zone 4, Region 1 Alicia Salo, Virginia Tech
Zone 5, Region 1 Jaclyn Cradduck, Middle Tennessee State University
Zone 5, Region 3 Erin Boles, College of Charleston
Zone 6, Region 1 Allison Park, Hiram College
Zone 6, Region 1 Melissa Ochal, Miami University of Ohio
Zone 8, Region 2 Sarah Titlow, Pepperdine University
Zone 8, Region 3 Rebecca Lewis, Morrisville State College
Zone 9, Region 1 Jeannine Bullion, Indiana University
Zone 9, Region 3 Joanne Numrich, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

Collegiate Cup Open Equitation Over Fences
USEF Cacchione Cup Work Off Phase

Alumni Equitation On The Flat:
Zone 1, Region 1 Nicole Hunsicker, University of Connecticut
Zone 1, Region 3 Christine Gunn, Mount Holyoke College
Zone 2, Region 1 Kristine Kennedy, Drew University
Zone 2, Region 3 Angela Netoskie, Pace University
Zone 3, Region 3 Nicole Duncan, California University of Pennsylvania
Zone 3, Region 4 Ashton Phillips, Virginia Intermont College
Zone 4, Region 1 Jennifer Mehalko, Hood College
Zone 4, Region 1 Alicia Salo, Virginia Tech
Zone 5, Region 1 Carrie Barske, University of the South
Zone 5, Region 1 Jaclyn Cradduck, Middle Tennessee State University
Zone 6, Region 1 Erin Barritt, Miami University of Ohio
Zone 6, Region 1 Allison Park, Hiram College
Zone 8, Region 1 Kat Bechtel, Stanford University
Zone 8, Region 2 Dana Montgomery, Cal Poly - Pomona
Zone 9, Region 1 Jennine Bullion, Indiana University
Zone 9, Region 3 Jenny Aplin, University of Wisconsin at Madison

AQHA Beginner Western Horsemanship
Collegiate Cup Intermediate Equitation On The Flat

Individual Open Western Horsemanship:
Zone 2, Region 2 Perry DiCiccio, Cazenovia College
Zone 2, Region 2 Katie Mix, Alfred University
Zone 3, Region 2 Nicole Sorgie, Delaware Valley College
Zone 4, Region 3 Kelsey Moody, St. Andrews Presbyterian College
Zone 6, Region 1 Keith Ceddia, Ohio State University
Zone 6, Region 3 Ryan Sims, University of Findlay
Zone 6, Region 4 Emily Monacelli, Western Michigan University
Zone 7, Region 1 Whitney Fouts, West Texas A & M University
Zone 8, Region 1 Ashley Hoffman, Stanford University
Zone 8, Region 3 Blake Weiss, Rocky Mountain College
Zone 9, Region 1 Allison Kralovansky, St. Mary of the Woods College
Zone 9, Region 3 Bailey Eisinger, St. Cloud State University

Individual Intermediate Equitation On The Flat:
Zone 1, Region 3 Lisa Risso, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Zone 1, Region 4 Chelsea Conant, Endicott College
Zone 2, Region 2 Charlotte Kramer, Syracuse University
Zone 2, Region 3 Vicky Wright, Skidmore College
Zone 3, Region 2 Taylor Adolph, University of Delaware
Zone 3, Region 2 Jennifer Rowe, Delaware Valley College
Zone 4, Region 1 Veronica Bruce, University of Maryland
Zone 4, Region 3 Jessica May, Virginia Intermont College
Zone 5, Region 1 Ashley Eggersdorfer, Murray State University
Zone 5, Region 2 Lorrin Mortimer, University of Georgia
Zone 6, Region 1 Courtney Glass, Ohio University
Zone 6, Region 3 Katie Kurtz, Miami University of Ohio
Zone 7, Region 1 Erin Downey, University of Wyoming
Zone 7, Region 2 Danielle Taylor, Louisiana State University
Zone 8, Region 2 Jenny Matthews, University of California at Los Angeles
Zone 8, Region 3 Elizabeth Behrens, University of Montana Western
Zone 9, Region 1 Audrey Fisher, Purdue University at Carbondale
Zone 9, Region 2 Heather Perelgut, Northern Illinois University

Schedule of Classes for Sunday, May 11th:

Alumni Reining:
Zone 3, Region 2 Alexis Plavacos, Bucks County Community College
Zone 3, Region 2 Whitney Eisentraut, Delaware Valley College
Zone 3, Region 4 Kaley Riel, California University of Pennsylvania
Zone 3, Region 4 Sarah Wells, California University of Pennsylvania
Zone 5, Region 3 Melissa Williams, Wesleyan College
Zone 6, Region 1 Ryan Ceddia, Ohio State University
Zone 6, Region 1 Michael Pancoe, University of Akron
Zone 8, Region 3 Becky Raven, University of Montana Western
Zone 8, Region 4 Carrie Kolstad, Oregon State University
Zone 8, Region 4 Claire Winterscheid, Oregon State University
Zone 9, Region 2 Codi Burris, University of Wyoming

Collegiate Cup Walk-Trot-Canter Equitation

Alumni Western Horsemanship:
Zone 3, Region 4 Kaley Riel, California University of Pennsylvania
Zone 3, Region 4 Sarah Wells, California University of Pennsylvania
Zone 5, Region 1 Susan Shemwell, Middle Tennessee State University
Zone 5, Region 3 Lacey Wercaynski, University of Kentucky
Zone 5, Region 3 Melissa Williams, Wesleyan College
Zone 6, Region 1 Rebecca Dingus, Ohio University
Zone 6, Region 1 Liz Gombash, Ohio State University
Zone 8, Region 1 Tricia Huerta, Stanford University
Zone 8, Region 3 Jeff Miller, College of Southern Idaho
Zone 8, Region 4 Carrie Kolstad, Oregon State University
Zone 8, Region 4 Erin Wheeler, Washington State University
Zone 9, Region 2 Codi Burris, University of Wyoming

Collegiate Cup Novice Equitation On The Flat
AQHA Novice Western Horsemanship
Collegiate Cup Open Equitation On The Flat
AQHA Open Western Horsemanship