First there were 16 – eight riders representing the National Collegiate Equestrian Association and eight representing the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association – then the ranks of 16 were cut down to eight for the November 19 semi-finals of the AQHA Collegiate Horsemanship Challenge at the 2014 AQHA World Championship Show.
The final four progressed to Round 3, featured November 20 in the legendary Jim Norick Arena. For this collegiate competition, riders were mounted on unfamiliar horses, donated to the event by AQHA Professional Horsemen and -women.
And in the final round of competition, South Dakota State University’s Elizabeth Niewojna was mounted on Ginnin, Texas A&M University’s Logan Pluhar on Invest Ina Machine, Texas Christian University’s Megan McMullen on Zippos Petite Prince and New Mexico State University’s Lauren DeVoe aboard RA Undisputed. Interestingly enough, RA Undisputed, owned by Katherine Tobin, has been the champion mount all three years that the challenge has been offered – first with Texas A&M’s Carey Nowacek in 2012, then with Oklahoma State University’s Katy Krshka in 2013, and now with NMSU’s Lauren DeVoe.
CLICK HERE for scenes from the competition, plus an exclusive interview with Lauren, as well as AQHA Professional Horsemen Jim and Deanna Searles, who train RA Undisputed for owner Kathy Tobin.
