June 26, 2015

Former University of South Carolina equestrian Layla Choate will compete in the NRHA Collegiate Reining Championship on Saturday in Oklahoma City.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Former Gamecock equestrian Layla Choate is one of 12 riders that will compete for the 2015 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Collegiate Reining Championship on Saturday. The event is being held in the State Fair Park Coliseum in Oklahoma City, Okla. as part of the NRHA Derby.

Choate, who earned her degree last month, is one of four riders representing the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA). Four other riders have been invited by the NRHA and another four from the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).

Choate earned First Team All-America honors as a senior, going 12-3 for the Gamecocks with three MVPs. At the National Championship, Choate went 2-1 for Carolina. She was named the Most Outstanding Performer in reining at the National Championship and earned a spot on the All-Championship Team.

She posted a winning record each season at South Carolina. During her freshman campaign, she went 9-6-1 with three MVPs. As a sophomore, she went 8-4-4 with one MVP. As a junior on South Carolina’s back-to-back SEC Championship team, she posted a 13-4-1 record with a pair of MVPs. She finished her career as a Gamecock with a record of 42-17-6.

The NRHA Derby runs for one week each summer in Oklahoma City and showcases the world’s best reining horses in the four to six year age range. Thousands of spectators, exhibitors, and horses attend the event each year. The Derby is one of two major events presented by the NRHA each year in Oklahoma City. For more information on this year’s Derby, visit www.nrhaderby.com.