Spring Valley Equestrian had a great program-building year, doubling the team’s size, growing great relationships and qualifying to compete at State in Madison.

Spring Valley won Division B of four divisions to qualify. Of nine District 5 teams, Spring Valley had the most points in the qualifier with over 1,000. They went on to compete at Alliant Energy Center in Madison for State in late October, wrapping up a memorable stretch.

When you begin your showing, it’s just the rider and their horse out there to make every second count. Spring Valley riders have one more piece to that puzzle, bringing the whole team to the gate to watch and cheer for each of their teammates.

“Yes, it’s individual, you and your horse and these pattern classes,” senior Lana Erickson said. “But because it’s points combined as a team, that’s kind of what makes it a team sport. Everybody helping everybody, making sure that they know their pattern, making sure that they’re ready to go in the ring.”

There is no internal drama, no battling for spots, just pure encouragement. The only two connections that matter in the sport are with your team and your horse.

“I’ve been riding horse now for about 14 years and showing for a majority of that time as well,” Erickson said. “Not only is your horse an animal, but it’s also your partner, your companion. It’s you and the horse in the show ring.”

There are dozens of different classes of competition in equestrian, each bringing different skill sets to the table. With a team of eight, that means Spring Valley’s riders are tasked with competing in multiple events. The willingness and versatility of the team to take on less popular events to secure high placements was a big part of what made the team special.

“If there’s hardly anybody entered in it, somebody’s going to get first place,” Head Coach Lisa Bigaouette said. “We’ve had a couple girls go, ‘I’ll take one for the team,’ and they would do their best and they would end up getting 10 points, which is more than what [they would have gotten] in their favorite class, because there’s so much competition in there they might have gotten two points.”

One of the top challenges of competing in equestrian is receiving performance patterns a day or two before competing, a different one for each event, memorizing them and perfecting each one during competition.

“You have to have confidence not only in yourself, but your horse,” Erickson said. “The horse knows what it’s doing. Let them take care of their job.”

Junior Afton Danielson has been a versatile rider for the squad, learning the ranch riding class for the first time this year. She went on to some great finishes.

Bigaouette learned about the Wisconsin Interscholastic Horsemanship Association around 2016, and with some interested students in the community, decided to help lead the charge by starting a program to call their own in Spring Valley.

After having a team of four a year ago, Spring Valley has grown to eight riders. The team has four seventh graders and an eighth grader, making for a young roster as 6-12th graders can compete.

“In other sports, some people can be rude or you can get intimidated, but I don’t feel that with anyone [here],” Danielson said.

Danielson said being a part of the team has taught resilience and confidence for life in general.

“It’s just good to be part of a team. There’s different disciplines, and if you don’t understand one, you get to learn it,” Danielson said.

Members of the team gave a massive thank you to the community for helping raise $5,000 in 10 days for the team to attend State. With stalls costing $125 per horse and hotels coming with their share of cost, the community stepping in through door-to-door donations made a difference.

Bigaouette said they found out through the door-to-door conversations that many in Spring Valley, including students, did not know they had an equestrian team. All Spring Valley students within the age range are welcome to join the team.