Shelby French, a coach and the director of Sweet Briar’s riding program, has named the human members of SBC’s 2007 Affiliated National Riding Commission team, and is just a couple of decisions away from inking their equine partners into the lineup.

On the roster are Corinne Davies ’07 riding PHO, Katie Davilli ’09 riding Hattie, Heather McPheeters ’10 riding Closing or Chandler, Alison Sims ’09 riding Ren, and Emily Wiley ’07 riding Casey or Taz.

On Nov. 5 prospective riders tried out for a limited number of spots on the team to represent Sweet Briar in the collegiate series. In ANRC competition, horses and riders are deliberately paired together, and the interplay between the two is factored into the judging. Coaches choose carefully.

“It becomes a real challenge when you are trying to choose from a group of twelve talented and committed riders,” French said. “[You have] to come up with the right group of five or six on the right horses that have a real chance of having a successful experience throughout the process of getting to Nationals.”