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past time
Not just horsin' around
With no coach, one horse, and limited funding,the KU equestrian team prepares for its second season of intercollegiate competition.
Valerie Bontrager / KANSAN
By Delin Cormeny Kansan staff writer
n addition to being a full-time student and working 30 hours per week at Taco John's, Jackie Bonderson dedicates at least 20 hours per week riding and watering horses and cleaning stalls—all seah
can be a part of KU's equestrian team.
"You just make the time," she said. "When you are showing and you get that ribbon and everybody's cheering, it's the greatest. It's plenty worth it."
Bonderson, Kansas City, Kan., senior, is only one of 15 dedicated KU equestrian team riders caught between the desire to ride and the constraints of the team's budget.
This is the second year the riders will compete intercollegiately, both years with no coach, no facilities and very little money.
"Lack of funding is always an issue," said Nancy Andervich, Kansas City, Kan. senior and president of the equestrian team. "There's never enough to go around."
own horses. Those who don't, she said, usually trade work for ride time in local stables, pay $100 to $200 per month to lease a horse, or pay $10 to $20 per hour twice a week for personal lessons.
Bonderson said, "It's frustrating. If you are a football player, you don't have to pay for anything. I just don't think it's fair. It's so hard when you're doing something you love and the University doesn't support you."
Some take discounted lessons through one of the University's two horsemanship courses. Enrolled students can take lessons twice a week at Triple J Arabian stables for $175 per semester.
Andervich said most team members took riding lessons and estimated that two-thirds were beginners.
Cheryl
agnapoulos, Chicago graduate student in psychology, and her quarter horse, Jake, work on their jumps at Triple J Arabian Stables outside of Lawrence.
"A lot of people have ridden, but they haven't had experience in the show ring," she said.
But one team rider, Katrina Culp-Heil, qualified for regional stock seat competitions last year.
The do-it-yourself team has never had a coach and instead relies on advanced riders and personal trainers for instruction.
"It would be so neat to have a coach." Bonderson said. "You need someone standing on the side yelling, 'Chin up! Heels down!' It really affects your riding sometimes if you don't have someone there."
"We're going up against teams that have 60 or 70 riders and a full equestrian program to back them up." Andervich said. "For our first year, we were pretty happy to have just one person qualify."
"It would be nice if we had a facility," said Mary Roth, Overland Park junior and vice president of the team. "But we think that asking for an equistrian program would be a little much. I don't see how it could happen at KU."
Riders are also without a stable to practice in, and they end up spreading themselves out among Lawrence and Kansas City area stables.
None of the personal trainers travel with the team.
She said that team riders coach each other if they practice together, but that in intercollegiate competitions only official coaches are allowed close enough to the arena to shout advice.
All team members have access to the club's leased horse, which is at Triple J Arabian stables south of Lawrence, but only two people can ride it per day.
Roth said one horse is plenty, however, because most of the riders who don't own their own horse take lessons and don't need to ride the leased horse.
The team travels to five competitions a year and competes in
Andervich estimated one-third of team members own their
Many equestrian team riders also participate in the equestrian club. The organizations work closely together and have a lot of overlapping memberships, said Andervich, but they are separate entities.
Club members compete among themselves at the two local shows they sponsor each year.
The host school must provide horses and equipment for all participating teams. Andervich said.
The club and team meet together once every two weeks to hear speakers talk about some aspect of horsemanship, Andervich said.
"We'd like to hold a show, but it would require a lot of work to get somebody to lend us a stable and horses and equipment," Roth said.
The KU equestrian team does not host any intercollegiate shows in Lawrence because it has neither the facilities nor the horses.
stock, hunt seat and jumper shows. The season starts late October and tryouts will be held within the month. Andervich said.
Valerie Bontrager/KANSAN
Cheryl Anagnopoulos warms up Jake at the stables.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SEPTEMBER 8, 1992 PAGE 5
KU Canjons
People and places at the University of Kansas.
calendar
Exhibitions
Spencer Museum of Art
864-4710
Hours: Closed Monday;
Tuesday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-5
p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.
Contemporary Japanese Prints and Ceramics, through Sept. 25.
Baldwin Lee Photographs, through Sept. 27.
Seeking the Floating World: The Japanese Spirit and Turn of the Century French Art, through Oct. 4.
Keith Haring Prints, Williams Burroughs Text,
through Oct. 11.
KU Museum of Natural History 864.4540
Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m; Saturday,
9 a.m.-3 p.m; Closed Sunday.
Venus Unveiled: Images from the Magellan Mission, through Sept. 24.
Horse Crazy, Saturday, 1:30-4:30 p.m.
What's Buzzing, Sunday, 1:30-4 p.m.
Calendar continues. Page 6.