Eberspacher Claims High-Point Rider Championship, Equestrian Team Earns 14th-Straight Top 10 Finish at IHSA National Championship Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Sarah Eberspacher was crowned the Back on Track Western High-Point Rider and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Equestrian Western team finished in the top ten for the 14th consecutive season at the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) National Championships held May 4-7 in Lexington, Ky.
The IHSA is comprised of over 400 schools and 10,000 riders competing overall in competitions.
Eberspacher was joined by 25 other top collegiate western riders in two phases of competition comprised of horsemanship and reining. The combined scores of each phase determined who took the Championship title. Eberspacher rode Wally, a 16h gelding from Albion College (Mich.) in horsemanship, and Slim, a Middle Tennessee State University gelding in the reining phase, on her way to claiming the title. Eberspacher joins Selena Finn (2015) as the second individual in team history to earn the prestigious title. The high point rider has been awarded in IHSA competition since 1982.
Eberspacher also finished in third place in Individual Reining and fourth place in Individual Open Horsemanship at the event.
In team competition, the team had multiple high placings to lead them to their 10th place finish. Christen Curtis was a finalist in Team Level I Horsemanship, while Eberspacher finished in fourth in Team Open Horsemanship. Cadi Wilbeck placed seventh in Team Ranch Riding and eighth in Team Level II Horsemanship, while Tabby Cassidy also placed eighth in Team Rookie Horsemanship. Eberspacher and Hadley Olson both had 10th place finishes in Team Reining and Team Beginner Horsemanship, respectively.
Individual Results
Sarah Eberspacher - Back on Track High Point Rider Champion, 3rd Individual Reining, 4th Individual Open Horsemanship
Team Results
Christen Curtis - Finalist, Team Level I Horsemanship
Sarah Eberspacher - 4th Team Open Horsemanship, 10th Team Reining
Cadi Wilbeck - 7th Team Ranch Riding, 8th Team Level II Horsemanship
Tabby Cassidy - 8th Team Rookie Horsemanship
Hadley Olson - 10th Team Beginner Horsemanship