When this photo was taken before the first class, Temple open riders Alex Hird (left) and Emily Haas had no idea the owls would finish as High Point Team and that Hird would be High Point Rider.

TEMPLE WINS, PENN LEADS REGION AFTER TWO SHOWS

Hilltown, PA - For the first time in eight days the sun was shining. And when the October 15th Temple University horse show at Red Wing Farm was over the sun shone brightest on the hosts and on the Penn Quakers. For the hosts may have never been high point team prior to today's show while the quakers had never led their region through two shows in the 20-year history of the University of Pennsylvania team.

The Temple team has an odd history. There may have been a team briefly prior to the 1995-96 season but no one we have met can confirm this. In mid-1995 a University of Georgia rider from the Philadelphia area named Kim Brookreson transfered to Temple's Ambler campus and started a one-woman team. Within two seasons she had teammates Liz Sines-Lauts, Kim Baker and Shannon Campbell. Then Kim's younger sister Sayre transfered over from Kutztown and became the Region 2 Cacchione rider in 1996-97 and 1998-99, placing second in the country the first time. Though the team was only four riders strong in 1998-99 (Sara Fierman had joined and was the only rider on the team below the open level), Temple scored 28 points on several ocassions. In Spring of 1999 all but Fierman graduated, and the team dissapeared the following season (those who are reading this who rode in the region during the 1970's and 1980's should be told that Temple was coached from 1995-99 by Judy Stephens, the Coach at Beaver College from 1973-97 and still the operator of Timberedge Farm).

Then a University of Pittsburgh rider from the Philadelphia area named Jeanine Pierson transfered to Temple. Pierson, who unlike most of the 1995-99 entourage that attended classes in Ambler, went to the main campus in Center City. She started the team back up, enlisted the services of Dee Jones to coach the team, and saw the owls get closer and closer to a full point card. Upon graduation, Pierson was briefly the Coach last season. At today's show, Pierson was a steward for half of the day.

The University of Pennsylvania team has been around slightly longer. The 1985-86 Penn Team was their first, and the quakers made headlines their first time out. One of the most respected young 'A' circuit riders in the nation agreed to ride in their open division. His name was and still is Greg Best, and he would finish the season being judged best at IHSA Nationals in the individual open flat. The future olympian was only on the team that one season, but Penn would remain an upper division Region 2 school through the early 1990's. However 1993-2001 was a lean period for the Quakers, finishing no higher than eighth in both 1997-98 and 1999-2000. The 2001-02 team was seventh, but then Zone 3, Region 2 was seven schools lighter thanks to Region Re-alignment. The 2002-03 team remained in seventh, but the 2003-04 team moved up to fifth, and included several riders such as current Region-leading open rider Katie Carssow who would elevate the team a notch. Last season's U. of Penn team finished third, currently the school record.

At today's show, the quakers got off to a hot start. Carssow won the lone section of open fences, while teammate Jess Schatz proceeded to win the section of intermediate fences that followed. As the day progressed, Pam Schreier and Katie Eichner would both win novice flat classes, giving Penn four blue ribbons in total. The Penn card added to 31, a two-point improvement over their effort a week earlier.

Delaware Valley had won the Penn/Rider show on the 8th, and won eleven blue ribbons at today's show. Yet overall the aggies scored 26, five fewer than the week before. Emily Lantszch (intermediate flat), Becky Ogg (same), Brittany Malinoski (intermediate fences), Casey Arbogast (novice flat), Diane Rogers (same), Jennifer Rowe (same), Laura Wirth (novice fences), Amanda Guralski (same), Amanda Hopson (advanced walk-trot-canter), Tara Wilhelm (same) and Faye Bader (beginner walk-trot-canter) won their respective classes for Del Val.

They come from all directions: With the graduation of Melisa Voytershark last May, Delaware Valley was in need of some new open riders. Del Val Head Coach Cory Kieschnick (second left) has three new additions to help out in levels 7 and 8. Kristin Rosinski (far left) is a freshman while Kerri Bender (second right) transfered from Virginia Intermont and Rachel Church (far right) transfered from Findlay. Bender and Church finished second in their open flat classes on this day.

The University of Delaware scored 28 at the first show. The fighting hens nearly did as well, scoring 25 today. Kristina Christiansen (open flat), Brittany Hitz (intermediate flat), Stephanie Moran (novice flat), Jess Munyan (novice fences), Chelsea Rogers (beginner walk-trot-canter), Rachel Smucker (same) and Caitlin Nichols (walk-trot) provided Delaware with seven blue ribbons. With several walk-trot riders scratching before the show, two scheduled walk-trot classes were combined into one, giving Nichols the only blue ribbon in this division awarded on this day.

Now in their second season, the Villanova wildcats moved up from 22 points scored in their opener to 25 today. "We had 13 riders last season," says Villanova Head Coach and alumni rider Sara McCoy. "This season we have 30." Save for the open fences (where they have no riders as of yet) and the open flat (where they have one rider, Emily Lawless, who was third in the division today), the wildcats have MORE than one rider in each division, which will help them block points and perhaps protect them when a rider points out somewhere. Wildcat juniors Christina Marazza and Monica Fiss won intermediate fences classes, the latter being a new member of the team in 2005-06.

Though Villanova may have brought twelve of their 30 riders to show, the ten riders that Temple brought proved to be the winning combination. Though 16 classes passed before Alex Hird won the first blue ribbon of the day for the owls (finishing on top in open flat), four red reserve ribbons apparently made the difference. Stephanie Schneider earned the only other blue ribbon of the day for the owls, placing first in advanced walk-trot-canter in the third-to-last class of the day. Temple's 33 points were even more remarkable given that they did not have a walk-trot rider on their point card.

Quakers can jump!: Katie Carssow (left) and Jess Schatz (right) won the first two classes at today's show. Penn Head Coach Dawne Morrone (center) is not only happy about this, and that the quakers won their first three jumping classes at the season opener. Morrone is happiest that Penn jumped into first place in the team standings, the first time ever the quakers have led their region two shows into the season.

Coupled with 21 points in the opener, Temple now has 54, which surprisingly puts them third in the region, one point ahead of the University of Delaware. However it should be noted that the difference between first place and fourth place is only seven points. Penn, without having won either show, leads with 60; Delaware Valley, the two-time defending Region 2 Champion, is close with 57; Temple has 54 and the University of Delaware 53. Some would say Villanova is still a threat for the region title with 47 thus far. Once a wildcat rider points out of intermediate fences and the owls have a walk-trot rider ready, the race will get even more interesting.

Don't forget us: Other riders with blue ribbons on this day were Susan Hale of Washington College (novice fences) and a pair of West Chester riders. Christy Hau (intermediate flat) and Ashleigh Tillotson (novice fences) placed first for the golden rams, who host the next Region 2 hunter seat show this coming Sunday (the 23rd).

I'm tired of guessing games. Let me ride for it!: In the opener a coin toss was used to settle who received the individual High Point and Reserve High Point ribbons. University of Pennsylvania teammates Carssow and Schatz got the ribbons, with Carssow winning the toss. This week there was a six-way tie for high point, as no rider received two firsts. Since the show ran somewhat late, the same decision was made not to have a ride-off but rather a 'selection process' to determine High Point Rider. Guralski, Lantszch and Ogg of Delaware Valley joined Tillotson of West Chester, Hird of Temple and Schatz to pick the winner out of a hat. Six slips of paper were thrown into a baseball cap and each of the riders with a first and a second picked one out. Hird got the one for High Point while Schatz once again got reserve. Schatz, whose second in intermediate flat moved her into the open flat at next week's show, will hopefully get to actually ride in a ride-off for the blue ribbon before the season is complete.

Mast tied for the lead in one alumni division, close in another: Delaware Valley graduate Jamie Mast made sure to tell this writer that she won her flat class last week. Mast did this because she has always been known as a better rider over fences. This weekend Mast was second over fences and fourth on the flat, giving her exactly ten points through two shows in each hunter seat alumni division. Former Kutztown Cacchione rider Mindy McCaulley, who as Mindy Velasco kept Sayre Brookreson from four straight Cacchione rides at Nationals by snagging first place within the region back in 1997-98, is tied with Mast at ten on the flat. While Virginia Tech graduate Blair Barbieri has yet to have an exceptional ride on the flat, her first over fences last week still gives her a one-point lead over Mast in that category. McCaulley won the alumni fences at today's show while Villanova Coach McCoy, who rode for the University of Delaware some of the seasons that McCaulley was at Kutztown, won the alumni flat.

Region 2 through 2 in a nutshell: Everything is close, there is a long way to go, and given the parity that has arisen in Region 2, many questions will likely not be answered until the final hunter seat show in March!

--Steve Maxwell

Show Incidentals: Sunny skies, with temperatures rising to the low '70's. Entire show held indoors but not in an enclosed environment. Start time: 9:53AM. Finish: 4:55PM - includes two separate schooling breaks totaling 67 minutes. Coaches & Captains meeting held prior to show. Point cards posted in this region? No. Alumni classes held in this Region? Yes. Judge: Ron Smith. Stewards: Coniglio/Delaware Valley College, Vogt/West Chester University and University of Delaware, Pierson/former Temple University Coach (AM Only) and Morrone/University of Pennsylvania and Rider University (PM Only).

Team Totals: Temple University (High Point Team) 33; University of Pennsylvania (Reserve High Point Team) 31; Delaware Valley College 26; Villanova University 25; University of Delaware 25; Washington College 21; West Chester University 14; Arcadia University 11; Bucks County Community College 8 and Rider University 5.

High Point Rider - Alex Hird, Temple University
Reserve High Point Rider - Jess Schatz, University of Pennsylvania