Richards becomes 1st Culver rider to win IEA national championship

Rising second classman Elijah Richards became the first Culver Academies student to win a national championship in an Interscholastic Equestrian Association competition, finishing first in his Western division in Fort Worth, Texas last month.

Richards, a 16-year-old from Valparaiso, Indiana, said he thought he had a shot at contending for a top spot even though he finished second at the Region 5 championships, because it is one of the country's most competitive regions. There are 12 regions overall, and Region 5 includes Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

“My biggest worry was the girl who beat me at regionals,” Richards said.

Coaches Melissa Alexander and Elizabeth Van Herk, both horse instructors at Culver, point to Richards’ consistency and composure as key strengths.

"He has a really nice seat and he's a quiet communicator with his horses," Van Herk said. "He just does a nice job when he's riding."

Riders in the IEA compete on unfamiliar horses through a random draw system known as catch riding. Competitors receive information about the horse before mounting, but they do not ride their own horses.

Richards rode a horse named Tucker that had been nervous during competition earlier in the day and proved difficult to keep settled during portions of the competition.

"He was a 3-year-old and he was quite young and he also was quite bouncy at the trot," Richards said. "It was hard, but I had a good time and I did it fairly well."

Richards said remaining calm under pressure was key.

"When a horse freaks out, I'm calm and I just deal with it," he said. "So I don't freak out because I know if I freak out too, the horse will freak out more."

Riders are evaluated on posture, balance and communication with the horse while executing required maneuvers.

The national title marks a milestone not only for Richards but also for Culver's Western riding program, which began in 2009 and joined IEA competition during the 2011-12 school year.

When the final placings were announced, Richards was stunned.

"By then it's just me and another girl," he said. "I’m thinking, ‘She definitely won. I don't think I got first place.” They announced her name for second and I'm like, ‘Wow, I just won nationals.” How did I do that?"

Richards said he prefers Western riding over English because that’s the way he learned when he started riding two years before enrolling at Culver.

“I can feel the horse better and I also like the style more," Richards said.

The championship provides additional recognition for a growing Western program at Culver that currently carries between seven and 10 riders. Because the team lacks competitors in all five IEA divisions, Culver has not yet been able to qualify for national team competition.

Next season, Richards will move up to a higher competitive division under IEA rules. He also hopes to add jumping competition to his schedule while continuing to pursue Western riding.

Richards plans to study aerospace-related fields in college. For now, however, Richards is attending Culver Summer School and returns to Culver this fall as a national champion and proof Culver’s Western riding program can compete with the nation's best.

"Now the Western team's starting to make a name," Richards said, "which I'm happy about."

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