The day begins before sunrise at the University of Georgia Equestrian Complex in Bishop. It’s just a 20-minute drive from UGA’s main campus, but it feels like another world. By the time the first light reaches the quiet 109-acre farm, the horses that power one of the nation’s most successful collegiate equestrian programs have already been fed, groomed, and turned out for the morning.
For the staff who look after them, the work is a daily labor of love. Caring for nearly 50 equine athletes, each weighing well over 1,000 pounds, is no small task. It takes a dedicated team that operates constantly, well beyond the spotlight of National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) competition days.
And make no mistake. These horses are elite athletes.
“Student-athletes have an athletic trainer and a nutritionist. We are those things but for the equine athletes,” says barn manager Kayla Jaconette. “We make sure that their nutrition matches their athletic performance and that no matter what treatments they need, we’re keeping the horses healthy and physically at their best.”
Jaconette, farm manager Amber Bradley, and a dedicated team of part-time workers and students take that responsibility seriously. They measure diets carefully. They monitor the horses’ physical and emotional conditions all hours of the day. They know each horse’s habits, moods, and quirks so well that they often joke they’re less like caretakers and more like “horse parents.”
“Every horse is different, and it’s up to us to learn their personalities and needs—their likes and dislikes, whether they require special shoeing, if they prefer living outdoors, whether they want pasture companions, and what type and amount of feed suits them best. Understanding all of this ensures we provide the best care possible,” Bradley says.
A United Barn
You can find Bradley and Jaconette in the barn or at the adjacent clubhouse at any given time. But the operation extends well beyond those two buildings.
Will McDaniel is the facilities foreman at the UGA Equestrian Complex. His father was a horse trainer who got him to adore not only the species but also the land they inhabit. Now, he’s in charge of managing the grounds. It’s a seasonless job that requires daily maintenance.
But it helps that there’s no commute. He lives in an apartment above the main barn.
“It feels like my own farm sometimes,” he says. “I’m taking care of the horses, the land, you name it. It’s never ending in the best way.”
Bradley and Jaconette have been riding since 5 and 6, respectively. With a collective 40 years of experience under their belts, the staff know when a horse might need an extra hand.
It’s no surprise, then, that the equine specialists at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine have the farm managers’ phone numbers memorized.
“Once you fall in love with horses, you never fall out of love with them. That’s the case for everyone who works with the UGA horses,” says Dr. Katie Ellis, a clinical associate professor in large animal medicine. “It is just really nice to have people who are willing to use these horses in a way which not only helps benefit the horse in general, but also our students, the next group of equine veterinarians.”
Ellis is part of a dedicated, on-call crew from the College of Veterinary Medicine. They visit the farm at least once a week to check on the horses’ mobility, strength, and any other issues that may require their attention. The graduate-level veterinary medicine students who accompany the instructors for hands-on learning make it possible to treat every animal in a single day.
Randy Eggleston, a clinical professor in large animal surgery, spent more than 20 years making frequent visits to the farm before his retirement this year. Every day was a new experience.
“Having access to the equestrian team provides a tremendous learning opportunity for our students. These groups of students really want to learn and gain as much as possible from their experience with the horses,” he says. “It’s such a valuable relationship to allow students that amount of freedom. After all these years, I still talk to our graduated veterinarians who reference experiences they had on the farm.”
“It’s so much more than just feeding an animal. It’s paying attention to every little thing and caring about every little thing. Our team is of one state of mind, and we couldn’t do what we do without every person.”
– MEGHAN BOENIG, HEAD COACH, UGA EQUESTRIAN TEAM
Meet the Equine-Athletes:
Reining Champions
The culmination of everything behind the scenes can be seen once these steeds hit the competition arena. But it continues win or lose.
Team captain Tessa Brown chose to come to UGA from Connecticut not just to compete with the national champion equestrian team but to be part of the specialized attention riders get to provide to each horse.
“There’s just something about Athens, the culture of this team, the strength of the coaches and the facilities, and the academics,” Brown says. “It’s a pretty fantastic place to be because it makes you step up and learn things about these horses and each other. You can take a breath, slow down, and really be present in the moment.”
UGA’s equestrian team members are up just as early as barn staff and stay at the complex just as late. They must also ensure the horses are ready to compete—even if it’s for the visiting team. In collegiate equestrian, the host team typically provides horses for both squads. Just 20 horses take part in regular season meets, with five per event, but they are randomly selected—so all must be ready to ride across the four events.
That can be a challenge. Because just like their human riders, every horse has his or her own unique personality. You can’t think of any of them the exact same way.
“You have your cliques like in high school. There are your jocks and your skater kids,” Bradley jokes. “There is a wide range of personalities. They’re all individuals and surprisingly clever, which keeps things interesting, and it’s what makes this job so rewarding.”
No matter horse temperament, or the discipline within competition, the women have each other’s and the animals’ backs. With that cohesion, it’s no wonder that UGA is the team to beat.
Still, head coach Meghan Boenig teaches that true success is bigger than each individual win or even the number of team titles.
“We have a team that understands their role so well,” Boenig says. “Whether they are a student-athlete or staff member, they make this group special because they know it is never about one person. We all have this pride in the university and a willingness to be a representative of Georgia in everything we do. You flower where you’re planted, and we see that in every single sense. We’re supporting these student-athletes and these horses in a way that goes well beyond the sport.”
The Year of the Horse is said to symbolize passion, confidence, and most importantly, momentum. Although the zodiac sign won’t return again until 2038, the spirit of the horse is ever-present in Bishop.
(Championship Photos)
