It may not sound like the typical tale of love at first sight, but sophomore English major Lindsay Bosse admits she knew she would have a life-long leisurely affair with horses the first time she laid her eyes on one.

‘As a child, I can remember being one of those kids that would throw a fit every time I saw mechanical horses outside of the grocery store, until my dad would give in and let me ride,’ Bosse said. ‘The first time I got on one ‘- I told my mom that I was going to be a horse girl.’

As predicted, Bosse pursued her love for horses through much of her childhood, participating in horse shows as early as age three, and beginning to ride and show horses independently when she was just five years old.

With such compassion, it’s no surprise when she met junior undeclared major Emily Boden, who also spent much of her childhood competing in national horse shows, the pair began seeking a means to continue the recreational hobby throughout their college career.

Thus, the idea of the Northern Kentucky Equestrian Team (NKET) was spawned.
Bosse, who was a member of the equestrian club at University of Cincinnati, where she attended before transferring to NKU, said that her involvement with UC’s club was primarily responsible for the idea of establishing a similar student group at NKU.

‘I was vice president of the club at UC and saw how much fun it was to be surrounded by people who shared the same passion,’ Bosse said.

She wanted to find a channel to afford NKU students, with interest in showing horses, the opportunity to compete at a collegiate level. She approached Boden with the idea of forming a sports club to accomplish the feat during the fall 2008 semester.

A mere semester later, the club is in full-swing and competing at a considerably successful level.

The NKET participated in two Intercollegiate Horse Show Association-sanctioned competitions ‘- both of which were hosted by the Morehead University club at the Derrickson Agricultural Complex at Morehead ‘- during the spring 2009 semester.

At each competition, the NKET representing members competed amid members of equestrian clubs from schools such as UC, Morehead, University of Kentucky, and University of Louisville. Moreover, NKET members have returned from each competition with an award from their respective division in hand, Boden said.

According to Boden, although the pair was able to quickly generate enough interest to start the club, expansion has been an ongoing process.

‘We had a really slow start at first, but this semester the club has really taken off,’ she said. ‘We currently have about 20 members.’

A misunderstanding of the club’s functions, activities, and requirements played the predominant role in the recruitment woes, Boden added.

‘It has been very rough recruiting new members because many people are unsure what we do as a club,’ she said. ‘A lot of people think you need your own horse, which is not true at all. You don’t even need any prior experience with horses; just the love and desire to ride.’

Slow start and misconceptions aside, though, Bosse has a positive perspective for the outlook of the NKET.

‘I think with the dedication of our members we can continue to grow,’ she said. ‘And with the warm welcome from the horse community in the area, I can see nothing but progress in our future.’