Kansas State University - The Royal Purple Yearbook

“K - STATE HOSTS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION HORSE PLAY McFrye Flyte nudges heads with Immanual Nikfit as their riders, Susie Morrill of the United States and Hanne Hollander of Denmark, wish each other good luck before the start of the 19 96 FEI World Championship Equine Endurance Race Sept. 21. The race began and ended at Rock Springs 4-H Center near Junction City. (Photo by Ivan Kozar) BY BARBARA HOLLINGSWORTH It did not take money or class credit to persuade students to help with the 1996 Federation Equestre Internationale World Championship for Equestrian Endurance Sept. 16-22. For nearly 150 veterinary-medicine and 20 animal-science students, the championship was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. " I ' ve always been a big believer in community involvement, " Christine Hafer, third-year student in veterinary medicine, said. " It ' s something I ' m always going to remember. " Jerry Gillespie, professor of clinical sciences and chair of the organizing committee, said volunteers raised more than $500,000 to finance the championship and attracted about 20,000 people to the race. He said without the 200 student volunteers, the results would have been different. " The teams went away absolutely stunned by how well organized it was, and we wouldn ' t have done that without the students, " Gillespie said. Student volunteers helped produce the High Plains Art Festival, assisted the organizing committees, set up a communications system or worked as time keepers. Students on pulse and respiration crews worked with veterinarians from around the world doing preliminary exams on horses. " I learned a lot about organizing and about how much goes into putting on such a large event, " Kendra May, third-year student in veterinary medicine, said. " When we first started, I thought, ' This is going to be a piece of cake. ' " Hafer, who organized 300-350 people to watch 112 gates, said the time commitment was exhausting. The course ran through private property, and gatekeepers worked to keep livestock from escaping th e gates. " I was glad it was over. It all turned out well, " Hafer said. " You ' re excited about it the whole time it ' s going on, but then you ' re ready to get back to the rest of your life. " equestrian ENDURANCE 13 ”