Sisters rider captures gold in OHSET meet

The Oregon High School Equestrian Teams season wound up at the State meet, held May 15-18 at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center. Sisters was well represented, with riders placing in 11 events.

Courtney Acarregui brought home the gold medal in Dressage in her first year of OHSET dressage competition.

The Canadian Flags team of Leslee Zenich, Christina Holler, Michael Hopp and Taryn Gates captured a silver medal.

The state meet masses around 700 riders, some of them bringing multiple horses. There are eight OHSET districts in the state and they take turns hosting the state meet. It has been in Central Oregon for the last three years and moves next year.

The Central District is made up of 14 schools, one of which is Sisters. Thedistrict took second place in overall points. There are small, medium and large classifications, based on the size of the OHSET team. Sisters competes in the large team division.

Like many OHSET competitors, Acarregui started riding before she could walk, and these days competes in eventing during that sport's season. She spent several years in hunter/jumper competition before switching to eventing two years ago. She also does the OHSET team gaming events and rides saddleseat, using a borrowed horse.

The appeal of the state meet is in the sheer number of riders that fill the classes. For instance, Acarregui might ride against three other saddleseat equitation riders during the district season, but is up against about 30 at the state meet.

"It's good to have the greater numbers," she said. "It makes it a really different experience."

Sisters had several top 10 finishers.

Saddleseat Equitation: Courtney Acarregui - 10th; Keyhole: Jenna Jacobsen - sixth; Stockseat Equitation: Jennifer Ashley - fourth; Showmanship: Jennifer Ashley - sixth; Short Program Drill: Sisters - sixth.

Other placings:

Hunt Seat over Fences: Courtney Acarregui - 12th; Trail: Michael Hopp - 23rd; Shelby Ross - 27th; In-Hand Trail: Courtney Acarregui - 18th.