Brandt to Represent Goucher at IHSA National Horse Show

Zone IV Champion One of 16 Collegiate Riders Competing in Open Flat

TOWSON, Md. — Amory Brandt (Saratoga, Calif./Lynbrook) departs tomorrow for Lexington, Ky., where she will represent Goucher at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association's National Horse Show at Kentucky Horse Park.

The junior will be putting more than a decade's worth of riding experience to the test when she competes against 15 of the nation's top collegiate riders in open equitation on the flat. Brandt qualified for nationals by placing first in open flat at last month's Zone IV Championships and will be joined in the competition by the first- and second-place finishers in each of the eight zones.

Brandt credits much of her success in getting to this point to the hands-on approach to riding Goucher's equestrian program focuses on. "One of the main reasons we do so well is based on a set of rules developed by our Equestrian Director, Patte Zumbrun, who basically wrote the book on riding theory. We can apply the things we are learning while riding much more than we could if we were in a classroom setting," Brandt explained.

In order to best prepare for the competition, which involves riders randomly being paired with horses, Brandt has looked to vary her riding experience. "I've been working with horses I don't normally ride and ones I don't ride very well," she said. "I think the biggest thing is just to ride as often as I can."

The show, which opens Thursday and runs through Sunday, brings together the top riders from the over 370 colleges and universities which sponsor equestrian programs.