LP equestrian back in the saddle

Special to The Tribune The team rides under the umbrella of the Interscholastic Equestrian Association.  Their goals are to introduce middle and secondary school students to equestrian sports; promote the equestrian as an athlete; provide organized competitions and opportunities to earn scholarships for college.  Their membership is divided into 12 zones with Lewis-Palmer competing in Zone 8 (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico) against teams from Fountain Valley, Cheyenne Mountain and more.  Riders compete as team members as well as individuals.  The uniqueness of the competition is that the Host school provides horses, saddles and tack; riders draw their horses prior to their class and are given only minutes to become acquainted with their horse before entering the ring to compete.  Top teams and riders can qualify for an invitation to Nationals of which Lewis Palmer was represented well last year at Nationals in Massachusetts.  The team hopes to qualify for Nationals which will be in Ohio this year.