BRISTOL, Va. — On the heels of winning Reserve Championship in the 2012 Overall Tournament of Champions National Series, Virginia Intermont College equestrians took first place in both home shows Feb. 4-5.
VI’s Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Riding Team achieved a perfect score of 49 on Feb. 4 and scored 47 points on Feb. 5 to clinch its 13th consecutive IHSA Regional Championship.
The IHSA teams complete the regular season on Feb 11 at Virginia Tech. The regional competition for individual riders takes place on Feb 12 also at Virginia Tech.
Virginia Intermont will host the IHSA Zone Finals on Mar 31 at the VI Riding Center, where VI’s team riders will compete against three other teams yet to be determined from Zone 5. The zone competition includes intercollegiate equestrian teams from throughout the Southeastern states.
The top two teams from zone finals will progress to the National Championships. VI has won the IHSA Hunter Seat National Championship three times, in 2004, 2005 and 2007.
“VI has advanced teams every season from May 2000 to May 2011 and has the current longest active streak of consecutive appearances at IHSA Nationals with a full Hunter Seat or English Team 12 years running,” said Steve Maxwell of campusequestrian.com, an online publication that tracks collegiate equestrian events.