Britons Find Success at IHSA National Championship

The 14 hour drive to Raleigh, North Carolina didn't seem to have an effect on the riding abilities of Albion stock seat riders Katie Petchell (Pinckney/Pinckney) or Morgan Carey (Hemlock/St. Charles Community), as both girls made their debut appearances at the IHSA National Championship show May 2-4.Junior Katie Petchell drew Peppy for her Open reining ride at the 2012 IHSA National Championships.  (Photo credit:  Mark King)

Both riders qualified as individuals for the event, which featured 400 college equestrians from 189 colleges and universities across the country.  Petchell, a junior, finished eleventh in the Open reining event and Carey, having just completed her first year at Albion, finished seventh in Intermediate horsemanship.

Albion's stock seat team is the youngest of its three intercollegiate teams and its strong showing during the 2011-2012 competition season was undeniable.  Three individuals from the team - Petchell, Cary, and first-year rider Chantal Chuba (Grosse Pointe Park/Grosse Pointe South) moved through IHSA Regionals to compete in the Semi-Final competition at Florida State University in March.  While there, Petchell and Carey drew the same horse for their respective classes and had the same level of success when they stamped their tickets to Nationals in Raleigh.

After a summer hiatus, the Albion College stock seat team will return to action in the new school year this fall.

Watch video from Petchell's ride here and from Carey's ride here.