Student named national equestrian champion

The second time's a charm for Michelle McDowell who first competed at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Competition as a first-year student in 2014. This year, as a junior, she went a step further and earned first place as the national top high point western rider. 

The competition took place May 7-8 in Lexington, Kentucky, at Alltech Arena. McDowell, majoring in elementary education, qualified for the event by winning the high point rider regional competition in February. 

McDowell, from Wayland, said the high point rider competition category is the highest level because riders compete in two events: reining and horsemanship. She competed with students from Ohio State, Texas A&M and Oregon State universities, among others, "where many come from strong equine programs and attend school to become professional trainers," she said. 

The IHSA competition requires riders to draw a random horse before each event. McDowell rode a stallion named Peppy — a type of horse she had never ridden before — during the horsemanship event where riders are judged on form, style and ability. She drew Vinny during the reining event where riders guide horses through a pattern of circles, spins and stops. 

McDowell has been showing horses since she was 8 years old and said having the opportunity to compete on an equestrian team while in college was a big draw for her to attend Grand Valley. The team includes 25 students who train and compete in hunt and western riding styles. 

"I was proud to represent Grand Valley at this competition and grateful for the opportunity to display my horsemanship to the best of my ability," she said. "It's really exciting to know that I come from a school where we are a club sport and are able to compete with riders from very high-caliber equine programs."

Learn more about the Grand Valley Equestrian Club on Facebook.