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By Anna Kress
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The Rocky Mountain Belles are a group of young women, men, and horses that make up Colorado State University’s first equestrian drill team. The riders and their horses perform complicated and choreographed maneuvers at high rates of speed, for the purpose of entertainment at rodeos, horse shows, and other local events.
Drill team is a unique sport, and drill team horses and their riders are special. The rider must be exceptionally dedicated and focused, perfecting their timing through various maneuvers at high rates of speed. The horse must be completely attentive to his/her rider’s cues, even in the midst of the hectic atmosphere of a rodeo or other event.
Students Anna Kress and Cassidy Smith founded the team in March of 2018, wanting to bring this unique sport and all that it has to offer to CSU. Their goal was to create a team that would promote quality horsemanship, equestrian entertainment, and sisterhood. They also hoped to create a team that would spread a love of horses and an appreciation of the sport of drill team to the general public, as well as promote CSU’s exceptional Equine Science program.
In the past year, the team has grown significantly in such a short amount of time and has worked hard to accomplish their goals. All of the current members are considered founding members, as they have joined within the first year of the team being established. They have performed at various venues in Northern Colorado and are currently gearing up for the 2019 Skyline Stampede, hosted by the CSU Rodeo Team.
Their performances at the Skyline Stampede will be on April 5th at 7:00pm, April 6th at 7:00pm, and April 7th at 11:00am. They are proud to be the opening act this year. The Rocky Mountain Belles practice every Thursday at 7:30pm in the Adams Arena at the CSU Equine Center and are always looking for new, dedicated members to join the team. The Belles hope to become a staple in the equine community at CSU and will continue to promote equestrian drill teams for years to come.
