A Look At What They Started
Equestrian Charter Members Reunite for Glimpse at Program’s Growth By Megan Price
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bout 14 years ago, as Lander President Daniel Ball was beginning his tenure at the university, a group of students approached him with a request for funding to revive the university’s long-dormant equestrian club. President Ball obliged, and for the first time since the late 1950s, Lander’s equestrian program galloped back into existence. A few years later, an article about the club caught the attention of James M. Barnes, of Summerville, whose late wife, Delene, had attended Lander College in the 1930s and later devoted her time to raising horses. As a tribute to her memory, Mr. Barnes established the Delene B. Barnes Equestrian Fund, providing $200,000 through his will to support Lander’s equestrian program and establish scholarships for deserving team members.
Thanks to the generous bequest, the students’ initiative and the university’s support, Lander’s equestrian club has grown into a multifaceted program featuring an equestrian team with nationally ranked riders, a burgeoning therapeutic riding program, and a 37-acre center with a covered arena, barn and classroom space. In October, the university invited the club’s charter members back to campus to see what their initial efforts years ago have helped to create today. The two-day reunion included a reception at the president’s home, a special recognition ceremony at the IHSA Hunt Seat Show at Lander’s Equestrian Center, and a tour of the facility with Equestrian Center Director Nancy Poston and Equestrian Team Coach Mary Weaver.
“We really enjoyed having these alumni back on campus,” Ball said. “We want them to remain engaged in the program, since they are the ones who helped restart it.” One of the reunion attendees, Caroline Beasley Andrews, a 2009 business administration/health care management graduate, served as club president from 2006-07. She fondly remembers her time as an equestrienne at the university, including when she qualified to compete in the IHSA National Championship in 2007. She even met her husband, Keith, a 2012 Lander alum, through his participation with the equestrian team. The team, she said, always enjoyed a special closeness. “The bonds you make while participating in such a close group are wonderful. You always know that you have your own cheerleading group in the stands,” Andrews said, adding that it was delightful to see many of her old teammates again, as well as retired Lander Nursing Professor Dr. Barbara Freese, who served as the club’s adviser. Reba Reynolds Bodie, a member of Lander’s original equestrian club from 1950-51, also attended the reunion. When Bodie was a student at Lander, the school’s stables were behind Chipley Hall, she said, though Lander had only three horses at the time. One of those was Bodie’s own – a Tennessee Walker named Frank. Bodie said she enjoyed meeting the students responsible for getting the program restarted. “It was nice to see a lot of the young faces.” For Andrews, who now lives in Lexington and is still an avid horse owner and rider, the equestrian program’s success has been fun to watch – a sentiment the other alumni also feel, she said. “We came from a team of eight students riding at a privately owned farm, and most of the time, no one even knew Lander had a team. It is really quite a joy to see the program finally being recognized, and with such an absolutely beautiful facility. I couldn’t be more proud to say we helped start that dream.” Among those attending the two-day equestrian reunion in October were, standing, from left: Kristle Argo Banks, ’06; Jennie Stewart Hudgens, ’04; Kristin Cirelli Moseley, ’03; Nicole Phelps, ’08; Caroline Beasley Andrews, ’09; Keith Andrews, ’12; and Dr. Barbara Freese. Kneeling, from left: Ashleigh Meggs Kinard, ’10; Jennifer Vance Sansbury, ’05; Elizabeth Evatt Lockwood, ’08; and Kendel Scott, ’07. – photo by Russell Martin
Lander Magazine • Spring 2014
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