Bulloch County has hosted Interscholastic Equestrian Association shows for years, with English style riders competing at Evermore Farms near Brooklet. This weekend, Western-style riders get a turn with an Interscholastic show at the Bulloch County Agricultural Complex arena.
From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, middle- and high school horseback riders from North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina and all over Georgia will compete in reining and horsemanship classes, thanks to efforts by local horse trainer and equestrian coach Amanda Pope.
Pope grew up riding American Quarter Horses on her family farm, Flamekissed, in the Aaron community north of Portal. Showing the family horses developed into a career, and now she helps raise and train reining horses as a member of the American Ranch Horse Association.
“Ranch horses do it all,” roping, reining, trail ride and more, she said.
She also coaches young riders from 4th to 12th grades in horsemanship and riding skills.
Eleanor Ellis has taught mostly English-style riding at Evermore Farms for years, focusing on hunter-jumper, dressage and other such disciplines.
Pope expressed a deep respect and admiration for Ellis but said she feels it is time for Western riding to have a spotlight, too.
It is a point of personal pride that her father, Dennis Pope, was one of the charter committee members over 20 years ago who began the decades-long effort to bring an arena to Bulloch County. The show Sunday will be the first Western division IEA show in the area, she said.
The IEA challenge
Usually when a rider competes in a show, they are on a familiar mount, if not their own horse. In the IEA shows, however, riders draw horses and are likely to end up on a horse they have never seen before.
In the horsemanship class, the rider is judged on how well they communicate with the horse, correct hand, leg and seat position and “how well they perform as a team,” Pope said.
In reining, riders put horses through a “series of maneuvers such as spins, stops and rollbacks.”
Competing is tough enough on your own horse, but climbing into the saddle of a horse you likely have never even seen is an entirely new level, she said. “I have a deep respect and admire the heck out of these kids to do this.”
Another regional IEA show scheduled for earlier this year was canceled due to COVID, so the riders are excited over this show and another regional show in February, she said.
The event is open to the public, with no admission fee, but COVID-19 precautions will be observed. Social distancing as much as possible is required and riders must wear masks unless in the ring, Pope said.
The Bulloch County Agricultural Complex Arena is at Arena Boulevard, between Langston Chapel Road and Hwy. 301 South.
For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/bullochag/ or https://www.bullochrec.com/center-for-agriculture/.
Herald reporter Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.