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s a little girl, Aurie Engel Schmieding had one goal– to reach 40 pounds. She would weigh herself again and again, squinting at the needle on the scale, willing it to rise to the number her mom said she had to be to take horseback riding lessons. Finally, at five years old, the needle rose enough. Ecstatic, she ran to her mom yelling “Momma, I 40!” Horses were familiar territory for her mom, Robyn Schmieding. A horse rider in her younger years, and passionate about the sport, Robyn enrolled her eldest daughter, Ali Clynes, in classes at Black Bottom Stables in Summerville at a young age. Twenty-two months younger than her sister, Aurie Engel toddled around the barn and stables while her sibling was taking lessons, earning her the nickname “The Black Bottom Baby” around the property. Her mom kept her promise, and when Aurie Engel reached the necessary weight, she began training twice a week at Black Bottom Stables. Within a year, she was participating in horse shows and riding at every opportunity. As she grew up, the family went to riding meets together, sleeping in a small camper and sharing stories with fellow equestrian families. For eleven years, Aurie Engel trained at Black Bottom Stables, later attending University of South Carolina riding camps in order to hone her athletic abilities. In her freshman year of high school, Aurie Engel began attending
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AZALEAMAG.COM / SPRING 2013
Schmieding at Black Bottom Stables
Pinewood Preparatory School and immediately became involved with the varsity equestrian program, coached by Chad Crosby. The team is comprised of western and hunt seat-riders, and is part of the International Equestrian Association (IEA). Formed in 2012, the IEA is an organization of over 5,000 student-riders across the US, around 500 of whom make it to the national championships yearly. During the equestrian season, riders from schools in 10 zones across North America compete against one another in five regional meets, gaining points for blue, red, and yellow ribbons. Pinewood is part of zone four, which also includes all IEA equestrian teams in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The riders who accumulate 15 points over the course of the season attend Zone Finals, where they compete against one another in their chosen equestrian discipline. The first and second place winners in each division then go to the IEA National Championship–the Superbowl of the middle and high school equestrian world. One of the most unique factors about the IEA competitions, both local and national, is that none of the riders are permitted to use their own horse or tack. Instead, horses are selected in a “blind draw” where riders are paired with local horses trained in their specific discipline. As a result, no rider has the advantage of using a familiar horse, and is only given about 10 minutes with their equine partner prior to the competition. Experienced competitors like Aurie Engel