Three Cal Poly Pomona Students Earn Prizes As Equestrian Team Finishes Sixth At National Finals

Cal Poly Pomona’s Equestrian Team brought home four national prizes from the 2003 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Finals at Middle Tennessee State University.


Nine Cal Poly Pomona students took part in the 3-day competition. Animal science major Coleen Thorndyke (Glendora, Calif.), won the national championship in the Walk-Trot-Canter division. Animal and veterinary science major Mallory Salcedo (Alta Loma, Calif.) was the reserve national champion in Individual Beginning Western Horsemanship. Shawna Winfrey (Santee, Calif.) was the reserve national champion in the American Quarter Horse Association Team Beginning Western Horsemanship class. In addition, the Western Team placed sixth in the nation, represented by team members Brianna Vermeulen (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), Megan Saul (Temecula), Jessica Evans (Cupertino, Calif.), Salcedo and Winfrey.

The Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) was established in 1967 to promote competition for riders of all skill levels regardless of financial status. Students compete individually and as team members at regional and national levels with individual colleges hosting each event and providing the horses for the competition. Cal Poly Pomona's team is a member of Zone 8, Region 2, which includes USC, Mt. SAC, UC San Diego and more.

Coach Jerry Liberatore and assistant coaches Kelly Taylor and Krista Jimenez help prepare Cal Poly Pomona’s Equestrian Team.

Aside from memories of competition, the Cal Poly Pomona delegation will also remember the shock of being only miles from a deadly tornado that ripped through Murfreesboro, Tenn. on May 4, the last day of competition, with 100-200 mph winds and hail the size of quarters.