The University Of Kentucky Has Established A Winning Tradition

A national championship and a newly established equine program are two reasons why the Wildcats celebrated in 2008.

For a team that had only been to the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association nationals for the first time in 2007, winning the following year’s national championship was like a fairy tale ending.

“When we went the year before, that was very overwhelming,” said Michelle Zimmer, coach of the University of Kentucky equestrian team. “My girls got there and got very star struck. We ended up ninth overall, which if you look at the numbers at the beginning of the year and how many teams start and how many kids start, to even make it to nationals, I was just ecstatic with that.”

The team went into the following season with high hopes, especially after they came home with high-point honors from every horse show and a reserve championship finish at zones.

When they arrived in Los Angeles, Calif., for nationals in May, they were much more confident than the year before. In addition, all but one team member returned from the 2007 team, so they were hungry to improve their performances.

While teammates Louise Bowden, Sarah Bybee, Allison Davidson and Rebecca Wichard had good rides, Ali Cibon made the difference for the Wildcats.

“You kind of gamble,” said Zimmer of Cibon’s ride in the intermediate fences class. “Do you go in just to get a ribbon or do you go in and try to win it? Ali didn’t go in and ride for second. When there’s 18 kids out there, you have to take a little bit of risk.”

When Zimmer and Cibon walked the course, they both decided that taking an optional inside turn, as well as performing a long gallop to a single jump, was the key to success.

“When Ali went in and laid down that beautiful trip, Callie [Schott] and I looked at each other and said, ‘We have a shot,’ ” said Zimmer. “It was that kind of feeling that we belonged there. It wasn’t just an accident that we were there.”

The championship was decided when Schott won her open flat class after winning her open fences, sealing the title for UK.

“Callie didn’t go in for second pace either,” reflected Zimmer. “She went in to win, and she rode with that presence. Callie put it all together.

“We were looking at the program as they called [riders] out and we’re like, ‘Oh, my God, we’re in the top five. Oh, my God, we’re in the top four!’ ” Zimmer added. “At that point it was very exciting. The kids were ecstatic. Callie’s mother was ecstatic, everyone was going, ‘Did we really win nationals?’ Is that really what just happened?”

More Than A Coach

The University of Kentucky has been at the forefront of the horse industry since the opening of its veterinary science department in 1919, but until about 20 years ago the school didn’t have a riding program. Betsy Buchanan Fishback, who died in January, started the program in the late 1980s. Likewise, the school didn’t have an equine science major available until 2008 (see sidebar).