RIDING with PRIDE

STORY BY RYAN CAMERON

With the relationship between horse and rider crucial to success, that calm demeanor resides firmly at the forefront of Blumer’s skill set.

“In our sport you are dealing with another living being that helps out more than you know. Being consistent allows the horse to relax and process without having to work through your nerves in deciphering what you are trying to tell it to do,” Sanchez explained.

A member of OSU’s equestrian team the past four seasons, Blumer wrapped up her career this past spring as one of the most decorated riders in program history. The Spring Brook, Pa., native elicits praise which should not be taken lightly from head coach Larry Sanchez, head coach at OSU since the program’s inception in 1999.

“(Blumer) has been one of the top riders to ever be a part of our program,” Sanchez said. “She’s one of those athletes that every coach wishes he had multiple just like her.

“If all of them were like her, coaching would be a breeze.”

What Sanchez had at his disposal the past four years was a rider who earned AllAmerica status from the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) each of the past three seasons. She was named the BIG 12’S REINING

“I feel like I am still in shock about it. It really was surprising when thinking about it, and every female athlete we have here,” Blumer said. “It really hasn’t hit me because I never would have thought of myself as being chosen for it because of all of the phenomenal and talented women out there. I am so honored beyond belief.”

Equipped with a rare quality found in high-caliber athletes, Blumer possesses the ability to keep an even keel no matter how grand the stage. It was a trait she repeatedly displayed at the NCEA National Championships, where she completed her career with an unblemished 9-0 mark.

While going through the recruiting process, Sanchez knew he was pursuing a talented rider with Blumer being one of the premier talents within the National Reining Horse Youth Association.

“I knew she was going to come in and be e ective. I JUST DIDN’T KNOW THAT SHE WAS GOING TO BE THAT EFFECTIVE THAT QUICKLY,” Sanchez said. “I just knew that she brought a lot to the table. I was amazed that even during her freshman year she was able to contribute as much as she did and continued to raise the bar for the other riders because of her level of ability.

“She is a very talented individual.”

Talent mixed with e ort usually leads to success, and Blumer is no exception.

Rider Of The Year

following her junior and senior campaigns.

“She is naturally gifted. Some students are just blessed with the ability to do the things required of them to reach a higher level, and that is how she is, not to mention she is a very solid-minded student in that she is the same all the time,” Sanchez said.

Student is a proper adjective for Blumer, who earned Academic All-Big 12 and NCEA All-Academic Team honors en route to being named OSU’s female student-athlete of the year for 2013-14. The latter honor left her nearly at a loss for words even days after receiving the news.

“She is definitely able to process what is going on and not get caught up in everything that is involved with the national championships, and she is able to execute at a very high level without letting that other stu play in,” Sanchez said.

Even with her sparkling record, the humble Cowgirl is quick to downplay any attention that may come with it.

“There isn’t really any secret to it, it just worked out,” Blumer said. “There is a lot more expected, and you want to do that much better because of expectations. The national championships are the last one of the year and you want to keep making it to the next round and, hopefully, to the finals.”

“She is an overachiever to the point where, on and o the horse or in and out of the arena, she is giving 110 percent,” Sanchez said. “You tell her to do it, and she is going to try to execute it to the best of her ability. That was consistent through her four years of college here.”

With all that Blumer has given to Oklahoma State, she is equally grateful for the opportunity Sanchez and the university a orded her.

“I think it was fantastic that I was able to go to school and do something that I love and to get a scholarship for it. I NEVER COULD HAVE IMAGINED GOING TO SCHOOL AND GETTING TO RIDE HORSES,” Blumer said.

“I think it is a great opportunity to get to do that and be on a team with 40 other girls that share your same passion for a horse. You have coaches that really care. Larry has the best heart and has been a great coach, and we have a great coaching sta . It was a great experience to be able to ride but also be able to get a really good education on a great campus. It was more than I ever thought it would be.”

The wheels were put in motion early for Blumer’s opportunity in her native Pennsylvania, where her love of horses developed at an early age.

“My dad had a few horses and I just grew up around them, and I started riding pretty much as soon as I could walk,” Blumer said. “We have a family farm in Pennsylvania and raise about 10 babies a year. I have always grown up with horses.”

Blumer, who was also a member of the North Pocono High School basketball squad, had friends encourage her to continue riding at the collegiate level as her prep career drew to a close.

“A couple of girls I used to show with were a couple of years older than me — Lyndsey

Jordan was one and Nichole Grant was the other,” Blumer said. “Lyndsey went to Auburn and was very successful there, and Nichole went to Georgia. They always would say how much they loved it and how much they loved riding for the team and said it was something I should look into.”

While the road from the Keystone State to Oklahoma is one less traveled, it was not as much of a stretch as it may seem. In fact, Stillwater’s location may very well have played in OSU’s favor when it came time to choose a college.

“In the horse industry, a lot of people are from the Oklahoma City area. I knew people here in Oklahoma and also we have a training facility here in Oklahoma so I get to go there and ride and help manage that for my dad,” Blumer said.

“I have friends out here so it wasn’t like I was thrown somewhere where I didn’t know anyone.”

Already familiar with the state, the everimportant recruiting trip provided the reassurance that north-central Oklahoma was the place to be.

“With Oklahoma State, my visit was great, and Larry was great. The girls were very welcoming, and it just seemed like a great place to go to school. I also loved that the campus isn’t huge,” Blumer said.

Blumer was obviously a mammoth factor during OSU’s recent run that has included THREE-STRAIGHT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DURING HER JUNIOR YEAR.

As her career progressed and she moved to the forefront of the program, she subscribed to the theory of leading by example and made it a point to let her body of work speak for itself.

“Jenna is not a big talker, and she always led by example,” Sanchez said. “She is one of the quieter ones on the team but always did everything at the highest level. The girls were able to see how she was executing and followed that. Her being a quiet leader like she was and being able to lead us in the way she did to the accomplishments that the team had while she was on it was pretty incredible.”

Ever the humble leader, Blumer undoubtedly wrote her own chapter in the story of the Cowgirl program with her prowess in the arena, but her impact goes beyond athletic prowess.

“She has proven through her achievements to be a very accomplished rider. I wish everybody really knew how good of a person she is inside. She is the type of young lady that every father and mother would want their daughter to be,” Sanchez said.

Those traits were on full display at the National Reining Horse Association Collegiate Reining Championship in Oklahoma City during her sophomore season. After winning the event, it was Blumer receiving and then promptly presenting the trophy to the proud owners of the horse.

“They were the absolute best and were so supportive and so nice. After I won, they were so excited. They are just genuinely sweet people and when I saw how excited they were and how much it meant to them that their horse was able to go do that, I wanted to give them the trophy because it meant so much to them,” Blumer said.

With individual accolades aplenty, winning on the team level proved to be the pinnacle of Blumer’s distinguished collegiate career. In April of 2013, winning the NCEA Western National Championship provided a significant moment in an already special career.

“I remember the next day everybody was hoarse, and we all had sore throats because you are so excited and cheering for each other,” Blumer said. “It is everyone working together, and there is so much support. It is better to do it as a team than an individual, especially since we had such a close team. For it to work out that way was great.”

With her collegiate eligibility exhausted, Blumer will continue to do what she loves, competing in events across the country.

“The National Reining Horse Association hosts events all over the country. The major ones are here in Oklahoma City. I am just going to keep riding and get back to showing as much as I used to,” Blumer said.

In the mold of a true studentathlete, finishing school remains a priority as well. Blumer is currently completing undergraduate work on a degree in elementary education as well as her master’s degree in special education.

“The only thing I had left to do was student teaching, but I was unable to do that being on the team because we travel so much. That is why I postponed that and started my masters in January. I will graduate with both of my degrees next May,” Blumer said.

When her coursework is complete it is only fitting that the opportunity to intertwine her two interests may present itself.

“I HAVE WANTED TO BE A TEACHER FOR QUITE A WHILE NOW,” BLUMER SAID. “I JUST REALLY ENJOY SCHOOL AND KIDS. Through my undergrad and my observations, we had a choice of which classroom to be in, and I chose a special education classroom to see what it was like and fell in love with it.

“I am really interested in the whole idea of therapeutic riding. I see how much these kids react to horses, and that is already a huge passion of mine so I have wanted to do that.”

Spending a weekend in nearby Guthrie at the Make Promises Happen Camp evolved into what she described as the “experience of a lifetime” and helped provide the potential blueprint for life after college.

“It was amazing. I had such an awesome time and loved all of the kids I got to interact with there,” Blumer said. “A lot of my observations have been with special education and I have enjoyed it. I figured ‘Why not?’ So that is what I am going to do.

“I am going to stay here in Oklahoma and apply for jobs here. I would really like to get involved in the therapeutic riding center.”

A welcome addition to her adopted home state no doubt.