Hoofer Riding Club kicks off season

The Hoofer Riding Club is jumping right into a new season with several early events in the fall semester. The club, which began in 1939, will hold its Fall Kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 2, at 7 p.m. in Memorial Union. Check the Today in the Union listing for the exact location.

A few days later, the club will host a combined Test, Dressage and Jumping Schooling Show on Sunday, Sept. 5, at the Hoofer Equestrian Center, the club’s stable, located near Paoli.

Later in September, renowned dressage rider and trainer Jessica Jo (J.J.) Tate will return to Hoofers to conduct a two-day clinic at the Hoofers Equestrian Center. Tate is a UDSF gold-medalist Grand Prix rider who hopes to qualify for the Intermediate Championships next year, and the World Equestrian Games in 2006. Tate is part owner of and co-head trainer at Wyngate Dressage Center in Walworth, Wis.

To round out the early season events, the riding team’s first show is on Sept. 25 at Carlton College in Minnesota. The riding team last year placed eigth at nationals.

“There has been a lot of interest recently in the club and equestrian center, some of it driven by the … Olympic riding events,” says club member Johanna Wilbert. “On top of the dressage clinics and schooling show, we also offer regular classes for riders of all levels, from beginning to advanced, and stables for area owners to board their horses.

Wilbert added that the stable is sporting a brand new roof, just one of many improvements the club has made to the HEC in the past few years.

For more information about the upcoming Hoofer Riding Club events, visit their web site, www.hoofers.org/riding. For more information about the other five Hoofer Clubs (scuba, outing, mountaineering, ski & snowboard, and sailing) contact the Outdoor Program Office, (608) 262-1630.