Sonoma State’s Equestrian team is one of the many hidden gems of the university. Established 13 years ago, the team has won many prestigious awards and trained many Seawolves in the art of handling a horse. Current member Paige Hara even went on to earn the title of a national champion just last summer.

Equestrian is an umbrella term for any activity that involves skill while both mounted and unmounted on a horse. The Sonoma State equestrian team competes in two different disciplines: English riding and Western riding. Although the teams have completely different riding styles and show styles, they both primarily focus on equitation, which is where the athlete makes their ride look as effortless as possible. The English team uses a smaller saddle and practices skills such as jumping, catch riding and flat classes. The Western team, however, uses bigger saddles and practices horsemanship and reigning. 

The team welcomes Seawolves without any prior riding experience to join and encourages students to step out of their comfort zone. Emma Williams, the equestrian team’s treasurer said, “If you’ve never ridden a horse or if you’ve never even been near a horse, you can come with us and we’ll teach you everything you need to know.”

The teams’ overall purpose includes teaching and strengthening the correct riding styles and disciplines of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). They also advocate for good sportsmanship, healthy lifestyles and inclusion within the equestrian community. The Captain for the Western team, Paige Hara, said, “Our goal is to bring in anybody and everybody that is interested in horses while also being as open and accessible as possible.” 

Joining the Sonoma State equestrian team is a good starting point for anyone interested in riding horses, as the costs of lessons and shows are cheaper than what most have to pay for individual lessons. However, because the equestrian team is a club sport and they get very little financial support from the university, the members recognize that the cost may act as a barrier for students interested in joining. Caroline Evans, the president of the club and stand-in English captain said, “One of the things about our team is that we’re individually funded so we as individuals pay for everything. We pay for lessons, for apparel and for shows. It’s all student run.” 

The team prides themselves on the wide variety of athletes on the team and are looking forward to bringing in some diversity within the equestrian community. This year, they welcomed a record number of four men to the team as the members have been predominantly women. The team is additionally working towards ending the stigma and misconceptions that surround those that love these animals and this sport. Hara said, “ A lot of stigma comes with being the weird horse girl and a lot of people think we are typically Conservative or closed off people, but that’s not at all what our team is.” 

The English team’s first show is Oct. 23 and 24 at Stanford, and the Western team is scheduled to compete at College of the Sequoias on Nov. 6 and 7. For many riders, this will be the first time they compete. Christopher Sonntag, a first year, only started riding horses at the beginning of this school year. Sonntag said,  “I love the team, I like everything that we’re doing and I’m excited about the future, especially the shows.” 

To learn more about the Equestrian team, head to their instagram page, @ssuequestrian.