Rodeo Daily

NCEA Competitors Take Pride in Pulling Western Double-Duty

Being able to ride in both the horsemanship and reining events is a rarity in Division I equestrian – so how do the few who do it succeed?

Alex Riley

From left, TCU's Shea Graham, UT Martin's Lexi Bailey, Delaware State's Claire Andrews and Auburn's Alexia Tordoff are four of the eight riders to compete in both Western events at a meet this season.
From left, TCU's Shea Graham, UT Martin's Lexi Bailey, Delaware State's Claire Andrews and Auburn's Alexia Tordoff are four of the eight riders to compete in both Western events at a meet this season. / Photos courtesy of TCU, UT Martin, Delaware State and Auburn athletics

The reality of the situation didn’t hit Shea Graham until the text. 

Last spring, the TCU standout was in class when All-American honors from the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) were revealed. She found out she was a first-team selection in both horsemanship and reining. 

As soon as the social media posts went up, congratulatory messages poured in. Then came a text from an opposing coach from another Division I program, someone Graham has known for years. It detailed the rare air she had literally ridden into.

“Then it kind of really set in and I was just really appreciative,” Graham said. “I felt like last year, everything just fell into place and I know that was kind of a fairytale year for me and I’m just grateful. I’m really just grateful for the coaching staff we have here at TCU because they work really hard with us and it’s fun to represent them when the All-American statuses came out.”

In the NCEA, there are two riding styles and four total events. Jumping seat riders can take part in fences and flats, while Western riders have the opportunity to compete in reining and horsemanship.

In each event, a rider is given four minutes to warm up with a horse before entering the arena. When a team is on the road, it means they are riding a horse for the first time. 

It’s not uncommon for jumping seat riders to take part in both events as the similarities between them make it easy to transition from one to the other. 

The same cannot be said for the Western discipline. The difference in body positioning, leg use and direction changes are entirely different, requiring unique skills for each competition.

As of October 31, the 13 NCEA Division I programs fielding dual squads have a combined 557 student-athletes listed on their respective rosters. Of those, 292 are western riders. So far this season, 39 jumping seat riders have competed in both events at a meet at least once. Only eight have done it in the two Western events. 

Last year, 53 total riders pulled double-duty at some point – 41 were in fences and flats, while just 12 were in horsemanship and reining. 

“The difficulty is having to adapt so quickly. Horses think very fast and you kind of have to always think one step ahead of them and always feel what’s going to happen,” said Auburn senior Alexia Tordoff, a two-event Western competitor. “I think the more time I’ve been on the team it’s definitely helped me become a better rider. But there’s definitely a gear shift going from the reining to the horsemanship.”

Experience plays a big factor in what a rider feels comfortable taking on. For many Western competitors, there is an early focus on reining or horsemanship, which is sometimes determined by what type of horses and training are available to them at a young age. Even those who have the skills to do both note they often feel more at ease with one event over the other. 

Which is what makes student-athletes capable of both so rare, especially in the NCEA world.

TCU equestrian director Haley Schoolfield notes that specializing, specifically in a Western discipline, is the industry standard now. Schools often look at a prospective student-athlete for what they can contribute in a specific event, evaluating their talents on that focus. 

However, the Horned Frogs have Graham and Jessica McAllister taking part in both Western events. In fact, of the eight riders who have ridden in reining and horsemanship this year, six are pairs from the same schools – Delaware State (Claire Andrews and Aniela Cortina), UT Martin (Lexi Bailey and Kate Davis) and TCU. Like Auburn’s Tordoff, South Dakota State’s Ada Hirschfeld is a solo Western rider doing both at her institution. 

For Schoolfield, it’s a daily reminder that specializing is good but seeing people talented enough to do both makes them truly elite. 

“We call that riding off of feel. You’ve got to figure out what that horse that you drew best needs in four minutes. And that takes an incredible amount of feel and talent and thoughtfulness,” Schoolfield said of Graham and McAllister. “Both of these women have more of that in their pinky than most people would ever hope to have.”

While the role is not easy, the responsibility of pulling double-duty is something every rider takes pride in. Many said they would be uncomfortable dropping an event as the mentality to do both has become ingrained in them. 

When she arrived at UT Martin, Lexi Bailey was asked to do horsemanship during the first semester of her freshman year. As the second semester started, she transitioned to just reining, as the team had a need in the area. 

By the start of her sophomore year, she was doing both. Now, she can’t imagine anything different. 

“Switching over, for me at least, it’s a little bit of a release because I find more enjoyment in the reining. But I also find a lot of confidence in horsemanship because it really is like there’s a spotlight on you,” Bailey said. “Even though you’re in the arena by yourself the whole time, the horsemanship is just that much more eyes on you, looking at everything you’re doing and your body. Whereas the reining you can relax a little bit, I can go have fun”

But wouldn’t it be easier to just focus on one? And has that ever come up in conversations between a coach and rider? 

If the notion ever popped into Auburn coach Jessica Braswell’s head, it’s quickly disregarded. Tordoff’s desire to do both is easy to see, as she has proven to be coachable and adaptable rotating between the disciplines. 

That makes doing this difficult assignment look far easier than it actually is. 

“Lexi has so much drive to want to be in both events and is willing to put in all the practice it takes to ride both events and wants to continue to get better in both events. She’s talented and a good rider, but also just her competitiveness and having that in both events is priceless,” Braswell said. 

When those All-American accolades came out last season, five different riders earned a spot in two different categories. On the jumping seat side, three were named to either a first- or second-team squad or earned honorable mention in both. In Western, Graham was first-team in each, while Andrews from Delaware State was a second-team selection in both events. 

Could they scale back and focus on one event versus the other? Absolutely. 

But these young ladies are embracing the chance. And they wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“I think it’s a great opportunity to do both since it's such a different world, the AQHA and NRHA. Having a place like the NCEA to get to do both, I think, is a really cool experience,” Andrews said. 

We’d like to introduce our Captains leading us in the 2024-2025 season! 💙❤️ - Claire Andrews - Paityn Holm - Grace Mangrum - Chloey Prichard #dsueq // #makeaSTATEment

Posted by Delaware State University Equestrian Team on Monday, July 29, 2024
Published
Alex Riley
ALEX RILEY

Alex Riley is a writer for Sports Illustrated's feature, Rodeo Daily. Formerly working at news outlets in South Carolina, Texas, Wyoming and North Carolina, Alex is an award-winning writer and photographer who graduated from the University of South Carolina.

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