Wednesday, April 1, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
9
Outlaws ride in equestrian competition
The warm sunny week-
end made for perfect condi-
tions for the second meet of
the Central District Oregon
High School Equestrian
Teams (OHSET). The Sisters
Outlaws were in fine form as
they rode their trusty steeds
for three days at the Redmond
fairgrounds.
On Friday, the English
events are held first. Team co-
captain Ellie Chandler started
the meet off with a first-place
in Equitation Over Fences.
Chandler then followed it up
with another first-place in
Saddle Seat Equitation, with
freshman Liberty Harig plac-
ing third. Dressage was next,
and Chandler placed second,
securing her place at state in
three performance events.
Harig had an outstanding run,
placing 17th in one of the most
competitive classes. Junior
Cammi Benson then took
the stage, winning another
first-place for the Outlaws
in Hunt Seat Equitation,
with Harig placing 13th.
“We are always strong in
the English events,” said head
Coach Yvette Chandler. “Ellie
and Cammi are very com-
petitive for the top placings
in their classes. They have
already qualified to compete
at state in all their English
classes. And as a freshman,
Liberty has qualified for state
in Saddle Seat in only two
meets.”
The team events began
with the In-Hand Obstacle
Relay. Competitors lead their
horses through an intricate
course of obstacles includ-
ing serpentine poles, trot-over
poles, backing around bar-
rels, and a teeter-totter bridge.
Sisters entered two teams
of four. The team of Ellie
Chandler, Emma Nicklous,
Rebecca Rubbert and Rylee
Hurtley placed 9th, and the
team of Cammi Benson,
Liberty Harig, Betsy Ausman
and Chawndra Craig placed
10th.
The next team event was
Working Pairs, where Sisters
again had two teams compet-
ing. Working Pairs is an event
for two horses and riders,
where the athletes are judged
on their precision and correct
execution of the given pat-
tern. Freshmen Liberty Harig
and Rebecca Rubbert placed
15th, and Betsy Ausman and
Chawndra Craig placed 16th.
Saturday’s competition
started off with Working
Rancher, where athletes must
maneuver a series of ranch-
like obstacles including rop-
ing, dallying, dragging a log,
picking up objects and car-
rying them, and working a
cow along a fence. “Working
Rancher is very difficult
because it involves many
different types of skills, it’s
actually a western versatil-
ity event,” explains Coach
Chandler. Cammi Benson
added another first-place
in Working Rancher to the
Outlaws’ collection of wins.
The Western events con-
tinued with In-Hand Trail.
Freshman Rebecca Rubbert
had an outstanding pattern,
and placed fifth.
“Our freshmen have done
an amazing job this year. It
is unusual for underclassmen
to bring in so many top plac-
ings. They are a real asset for
the team,” Coach Chandler
commented after Rubbert’s
pattern.
The next event was
Showmanship, where Sisters
had three competitors. This
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event is judged on the abil-
ity of the handler to complete
a pattern by leading their
horse on foot. Cammi Benson
brought home 3rd, Rebecca
Rubbert tied for 18th, and
Betsy Ausman was 32nd.
The next event on Saturday
was Western Horsemanship, a
class judged on the accuracy
of a pattern performed in tra-
ditional Western style. As the
sole Sisters competitor for this
class, Cammi Benson took
fourth-place in the largest per-
formance event at the meet.
The final Western perfor-
mance event was Reining,
where the rider performs a
pattern that includes high
speed and precision maneu-
vers which would be used to
work a cow. Cammi Benson
had a stellar ride, taking home
second-place, and Emma
Nicklous placed 17th.
The timed events began
with Steer Daubing, where
Sisters senior and team co-
captain Chawndra Craig
placed ninth.
Team Penning was the
final event for Saturday, with
two Sisters teams compet-
ing. Betsy Ausman, Rylee
Hurtley, and Chawndra Craig
placed 7th. The team of Ellie
Chandler, Emma Nicklous,
and Tessa Georges placed
24th.
More timed events were
held on Sunday. Barrels had
the most competitors of the
meet, with seven placings for
the Outlaws. Rylee Hurtley
placed ninth, Chawndra Craig
placed 20th, Tessa Georges
placed 34th, Emma Nicklous
photo by Julie benson
the outlaws equestrian team made a good showing in a three-day
competition at deschutes County Fairgrounds.
placed 35th, Betsy Ausman
placed 41st, Rebecca Rubbert
placed 54th and Liberty Harig
placed 56th.
Pole Bending was the next
event on the schedule, and
Sisters had five athletes who
placed. Emma Nicklous came
in 16th, Betsy Ausman was
37th, Libery Harig came in
43rd, Rebecca Rubbert was
46th and Chawndra Craig
placed 50th.
The Figure 8 event had six
Outlaws contributing points
to the team. Rylee Hurtley
placed seventh, Tessa Georges
was 10th, Chawndra Craig
came in 17th, Emma Nicklous
placed 20th, Betsy Ausman
was 30th and Rebecca
Rubbert was 49th.
Individual Flags had three
Outlaws who placed. Ellie
Chandler was seventh, Tessa
Georges placed 10th, and
Rylee Hurtley came in 20th.
There were three Sisters
riders who placed in Keyhole.
Rylee Hurtley placed 11th,
Emma Nicklous was 13th,
and Chawndra Craig came in
17th.
In the team timed events,
Sisters had one team compet-
ing in Canadian Flags. Ellie
Chandler, Rylee Hurtley,
Chawndra Craig and Tessa
Georges placed 6th.
There were four Birangle
teams representing Sisters.
Ellie Chandler and Emma
Nicklous came in 12th, Rylee
Hurtley and Tessa Georges
were 20th, Betsy Ausman
and Chawndra Craig came in
23rd and Liberty and Rebecca
Rubbery placed 35th.
In the overall team plac-
ings, the Sisters team placed
second in the medium-sized
category.