Lauren Evins has been showing horses for five years; on March 29, she put her horse aside to cheer on her younger sister, Bonnie, during her first show.
This was the first horse show that Lauren would attend where she would not ride herself, after she passed on her horse for Bonnie to learn the skill. Bonnie won her first awards in the youth division on the same horse her older sister had learned to ride on. Clad with first- and second-place ribbons, the two sisters shared a smile.
“It's really cool to get to see him teach her and their progress together when she learns something or finally figures something out,” Lauren said.
The Texas Tech Equestrian Center was donated to the university in 2004 by the Griffith family. Due to unpredictable Lubbock weather, the family built the indoor riding arena so their daughter would be able to ride despite West Texas winds.
John Pipkin was named executive director in September of last year. Though his parents weren’t horse people, they encouraged him and his older sister to start riding by getting horses for the two. He continued working with horses throughout college and, eventually, professionally.
“For my view, this is an extracurricular or co-curricular kind of training that our students can get while they're in college, and that this is partly an advancement in their education, that we want to try to provide support for that,” he said.
The original 40-acre center has now grown to support four riding teams and a therapeutic riding center and has plans to keep making improvements to the grounds.
Outdoor and indoor stalls house the rodeo, equestrian, ranch horse, and horse judging teams, each composed of students from all disciplines.
But the center also offers an important asset for the community. Families like that of Lauren and Bonnie are able to attend clinics and improve their riding because of the equestrian center and the students who work events.
The therapeutic riding center also serves the community through what Pipkin refers to as an alternative kind of therapy.
Hippotherapy uses the horse as the modality for physical, occupational, and speech therapies. Therapeutic riding can also benefit those with emotional or social disabilities.
Pipkin mentions a quote he once heard: “What’s on the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.” But he is also quick to mention the work that goes into caring for the animal.
The Equestrian Center offers stalls for students as well as community members looking for a place to house their horses. During the academic year, the facility may house up to 300 horses.
Each horse may produce up to 15 pounds of manure a day, making for a pretty heavy clean-up.
Pipkin refers to the horses as athletes who need care to perform and feel better.
“Sometimes people forget they're not machines, you know, and that they undergo some of the same kinds of musculoskeletal kinds of injuries or strains,” he said.
Veterinarians are just the tip of the iceberg. Pipkin says there is a whole industry of both professionals and equipment that are working toward therapies for horses with injuries.
But the impact far outweighs the management for many who choose this lifestyle.
Lauren learned to ride with the help of the equestrian team coach Danica Jorgensen, who recently passed away from cancer.
“She really was part of the glue that held us together and always encouraged anyone she came in contact with,” she said.
Jorgensen began coaching the equestrian team in 2009, where she grew the team from 10 riders to over 20.
“It’s like a big family,” Lauren said. “Everyone, even though you’re competing against each other, is so supportive, and even if someone beats you, you're still cheering them on.”
The Equestrian Center will be hosting their spring round-up on May 9 starting at 5:30 p.m. More information on events from the Equestrian Center can be found here.
If you are looking to support the programs the center offers, you can find the link to purchase tickets through their Facebook page.
