This week Campus Insider sat down with Jessie Nash, the president of the Case Riding Team. For those of you wondering, “Since when does Case Western Reserve University have a horse riding team?” the answer is about a month ago, when a post to the CWRU Facebook page assessed general interest in the organization. The responses were quick and larger than expected, and with that momentum Nash was able to make the horseback riding team a reality.

What is the Case Riding Team?

Case Riding Team meets at a barn that is about a half-hour away from campus. The club consists of two groups: one for more experienced riders who want to ride competitively on behalf of CWRU with other colleges in the area, and a second for beginners and people who ride for stress relief.

The more intensive, competitive team will meet twice a week once the club has gotten up to full speed. The second team will meet once a week, but will also be open to members who can only attend intermittently.

The beginners’ team doesn’t require any tryouts or previous experience. Riding lessons with the Case Riding Team currently costs around $35 for an hour.

“It’s really cheap,” said Nash. “It’s usually around $50.”

“In the future we’re definitely going to attend the intercollegiate shows, and hopefully in the next couple of years, we may host shows in the future, which would cool and bring in a lot of money,” she added.

Funding

Most of the fundraisers Nash presented would likely take place next academic year, so they’re still fairly conceptual at this point. Of the many plans mentioned by Nash, the most memorable by far was “Buy an Equestrian Day,” where students can buy the labor of members of the team to do chores and the like. (It must be said that there will be ground rules for this to prevent any awkward situations.) Another possible fundraiser event is a fair at the CWRU Farm, potentially featuring pony rides.

Next semester the team will be able to apply for more funding to help pay for the riding fees. Once the team is eligible for more funding, Nash hopes they can host shows of their own.

“Once we get established and have the notoriety of a sports club, we may host; but as of right now we’ll have to settle for competing at other venues,” said Nash.

Membership

Joining the team only requires liking the Facebook Page and contacting Nash to join the email list. In the future membership will require much more paperwork once the group is officially an intercollegiate riding team. According to Nash, membership is currently in the 20s.

Rides to the barn and funding are limited, so it takes a fair amount of arranging and maneuvering to get transport, but next semester Nash hopes to be able to have more readily available rides. The team’s membership fees will be a lump sum at the beginning of the year, which will help to cover expenses related to lessons, shows and transport. The costs of the competitive versus the casual/beginners’ team will differ so as to be proportionate to the amount of time members will be at the barn.

“Any students and any disciplines [English, Western, etc.] are welcome to join,” Nash said.