SLIPPERY ROCK — Aubrey Braham always wanted to be part of the Slippery Rock University equestrian team.

The Grove City resident always felt like she was.

“I grew up feeling like I was that team's little sister,” Braham said.

She was in middle school when her mother, Tammy Braham, formed the SRU equestrian team in 2009. Because the team practiced on her family's farm, Braham was around the team members often.

“I looked up to them. I always wanted to be one of them,” Aubrey Braham said.

Braham went on to Delaware State University, where she went undefeated as a sophomore on the DSU equestrian team. She wound transferring to SRU.

Her mother is glad she did.

Aubrey Braham wound up as the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association's (IHSA) Region 5 High Point Rider this season, accumulating 52 points. SRU was the region's high point team and advanced to the national semifinals in Reedsville, W.Va., last month.

West Virginia University hosted the semifinal — one of three in the nation — and The Rock placed a program-best sixth out of 28 teams. There were 128 total riders.

SRU had 10 of them.

“We have an extremely small team, relatively speaking,” Tammy Braham said. We go up against teams like Findlay, Ohio State, Arizona, Penn State 1 well-establish programs that have as many as 50 riders.

“I also coach (equestrian) teams at Clarion and Grove City. All of my teams practice together at our farm. The kids all know each other and make each other better.”

The system seems to work. Five times in the past seven years, SRU has had the high point rider in its region. Ginger Ullrich of Butler and Kate Greenwood from the Natrona Heights area have been two of them.

Besides being high point rider, Aubrey Braham earned the title of Reserve Champion in Individual Open Reining at the semifinals. She placed sixth in the finals of Individual Open Horsemanship.

A junior statistics major at SRU, Braham will compete at the IHSA National Finals at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg May 3-6.

She serves as her team's captain.

“This whole season means a lot to me,” Aubrey said. “To play such a part in our program's best year yet ... I've been dreaming about stuff like that.”

Other SRU riders placed in the semifinal team competition. Kristen Glenn was Reserve Champion in Team Beginner Horsemanship, Hanna Norman took fifth in Team Open Horsemanship, Megan O'Hara sixth in Team Intermediate Horsemanship, Kaylee Rea sixth in Team Novice Horsemanship, Katie Rauenzahn seventh in Team Advanced Horsemanship and Braham seventh in Team Open Reining.

“Collegiate equestrian is a level playing field,” Coach Braham said. “You show up at a competition and you draw a horse. You don't know what horse you'll be working with until you get there.

“It's all about the skill of the rider in college. You can't buy a winner. You have to be a winner.”

Her daughter agrees.

“I've shown so many different horses in equestrian competitions,” she said. “It's easy to get used to certain ones or to buy a high quality horse to compete with.

“I love the college concept. There are no politics. I love the challenge of building a rapport with a horse you've never seen and to draw the best out of that horse. It's awesome.”

And it's been working for her.

“I scored 52 points this year. My goal next year is to go over 60,” Aubrey said. “I want to be high point rider again and help our team do even better. I've been training for this my entire lifetime.”