Rainier equestrian team has first competition

The Rainier OHSET (Oregon High School Equestrian Teams) recently finished its first meet. Taking place Thursday, Feb. 5, through Sunday, Feb. 8, the meet saw both student and equine athletes competing in many events. Friday, Feb. 6, saw "working pairs" (team/pair) events like dressage, trail, western horsemanship, english horsemanship, and more. Saturday, Feb. 7, featured speed events like barrels, pole bending, key hole, figure eight, and versatility. Saturday also featured a grand entry where students carried flags for their team. Some students also carried specialty flags like OHSET, state, and The United States flag. Afterwards, teams competed in drills. Drill is an event where the team comes up with their own pattern, turns it into the judge, and has to complete it as quickly and accurately as possible. This event also has music to go along with said pattern. Drill can be a really fun event to watch. The athletes put in lots of work to memorize the pattern and make sure it can be completed in the time limit. Sunday was cow day and had events like working rancher, roping, daubing and, lastly, cow sorting. Everyone did absolutely amazing at the meet. Rainier OHSET had multiple athletes place in the top three. We are very proud of how everyone did and how everyone overcame even the rougher situations. If you would like to support your local OHSET team, the next meet is Friday, March 6, through Sunday, March 8. We are still doing our bottle and can fundraiser. If you would like to donate to the OHSET team, please contact us by emailing ohsetbottledrive@gmail.com. You can also get in touch with an athlete or their parents.