Meet the Riders!
Current Members:
Andrea Moe
Hi! My name is Andrea Moe and I am Junior Nursing Student at UWEC. I am originally from Centerville, Minnesota. I grew up loving (obsessing 
over) horses. Nobody in my family ever owned any horses so my parents thought it was something I would grow out of, well 21 years later lets just say I haven't grown out of it! I showed WSCA and 4-H, and did MN High School Rodeo for 3 years. High School rodeo was the best experience, I did barrel racing, pole bending and goat tying, and it definitly helped me as a competitor to step up my game. I love showing IHSA in college because it gave me the opportunity to show in an area that I did not have much experience in and I'm able to grow and learn from my coach and teammates. Currently I own one quarterhorse named Garth who is the love of my life and I continue to barrel race and rodeo with him in the summers.
Nicole Holzem 
Hey! My name is Nicole Holzem and I'm a senior majoring in Organizational Communications with a Management minor. I’m originally from Hartland, WI, and rode my first horse at 5 years old and fell in love with it! Through years of English and dressage lessons, I started to become a stronger rider when I was riding different horses, not just my own. I enjoy the UWEC equestrian team, because it’s a challenge each and every ride because we are on a different horse each practice and at competitions! I took jumping lessons all summer and found it exhilarating! When I joined the team as a freshman, I instantly became involved and now I’m the team President. This season, I look forward to growing as a rider, building new friendships, and making old friendships stronger with my fellow teammates! :]
Kayla Braun
Hi my name is Kayla Braun and I grew up on a small farm in Le Sueur, MN. I'm a junior in college, biology major with an art history minor and a pre-vet student. I started riding when I was five and my parents knew nothing about horses and when I turned 11 I got my first horse. I showed a lot of western pleasure and gaming with some english classes thrown in there and have now started doing some competitive trail. I've had tons of fun being on the team and hope to have tons more!
Shandi Siegl
Hello, my name is Shandi Siegl and I am a Sophomore Environmental Geography Major at UWEC. As most little girls do, I too, dreamed of someday owning a horse and rescuing the wild mustangs in the west. As life would have it I haven't done either of those things, yet. So in the mean time I am eager to learn as much as possible about becoming a better rider and learning how to show off my skills at competitions for the first time in the fall. This up coming semester I have stepped up to the position of historian so you'll see me with my camera snapping pictures at practices and shows. While I've only been in the horse world for the last semester with the team, I have loved every minute of it and can't wait for the first practice in the fall.
Megan Hess
I am from Greenville, WI and grew up loving horses. I have been riding and showing horses all my life and have never stopped loving them. I was very active in the 4H horse project, both at the State and county level, I was also involved in Horse Bowl and currently teach the Outagamie County teams. I am also a senior at UWEC and spent Spring of 2010 attending Lancaster University in England.As well as being involved in AMA and working at Texas Roadhouse. This fall I am interning at Mavrick Media. The things I love besides horses are traveling, photography, motorcycles, and the Greenbay Packers.
Alexandra Eghdam-Zamiri
Brittany Nygren
Hi! My name is Brittany Nygren and I am a senior Elementary Education major with a Language Arts minor. I am originally from Whitefish Bay, WI and began riding when I was six years old. I immediately fell in love with horses and the sport from my very first lesson. I had my own horse through high school where I showed jumpers and eventing. My horses' name was Charlie and he was a quarter horse/thoroughbred cross. I love the opportunity of showing with IHSA here on the Eau Claire Equestrian Team because it has already given me a chance to make great friends and have a blast trying to grow as a rider with going to these shows and riding horses I never have before. It is a challenge I really enjoy having. I cannot wait to continue this wonderful experience with a really great group of girls.
Katie Lederer 
Hey! My name is Katie Lederer and I'm a sophomore at UWEC. I grew up in the tiny town of Hancock, WI on a small farm. I've been riding and showing horses since I was 9 years old! I grew up riding a fat little white pony named Traveller (he's the cute pony in the picture with me!) and he taught me a ton about riding! Since then I have had a few horses and mainly been showing Dressage and Hunt Seat. I've also been showing through 4-H and I love all the opportunities that comes with 4-H! When I found out that UWEC had an equestrian show team I was ecstatic and have had so much fun so far! Being on a team with a bunch of girls who are just as horse crazy as me makes college so much better! I love showing through the IHSA and it has been really challenging but totally worth it for the experience!
Marta Ulrich
My name is Marta Ulrich, and I am a freshman this year at Eau Claire. I am a Biology major, with a focus on Pre-Vet medicine. I still have yet to decide on a minor. I was born and raised in Richfield, MN, which is just south of Minneapolis. I first began loving horses because my older sister was into them, and I am thankful for that every day. I started taking lessons just before the 8th grade, and have taken them on and off since, along with working with two horses at my cabin for the last two summers. I've only taken lessons in English hunt seat, but I have been trail riding and pleasure riding western since before taking lessons. I'm excited to be showing IHSA, and I plan on showing and riding for the rest of my life (and owning my own horses!).
Michelle Sparks
Hi! I’m Michelle Sparks. I’m currently a freshmen, pre-nursing student at UWEC. I’m originally from Mankato, Minnesota. My dad was the person who taught me everything I know. He had horses all his life and transferred his passion for them to me. I’ve been riding since I can remember, and don’t know what my life would be without horses. I’ve shown WSCA my whole life, and barrel racing was my favorite event. Showing IHSA is very different riding than I’m used to which I love. It’s a new experience that changes every time. I enjoy riding IHSA while continuing showing WSCA in the summers with my quarter horse, Lucky. I can’t wait to get to know my teammates more and advance my riding skills!
Bryanna Hoeper
My name is Bryanna Hoeper and I am from Spencer, Wisconsin. I am a freshman this year and majoring in Nursing, but some day I want to be a Nurse Practioner. My parents own a small ranch so I have grown up loving horses my whole life. I love to trail ride, barrel race, and do some western/english showing. I have done many fun shows over the years and a little bit of time in the NCWHA showing circuit. But I love to barrel race, it has to be my favorite thing in the whole world. This spring my foal, April, was born and it was hard to leave her to come to college because she is my pride and joy. I joined the team to become a better rider and to continue being around horses while at college. I hope the team has a great year and I make some awesome friends.
Hilary Wiltgen
Alumni:
Andrea Moe
Hi! My name is Andrea Moe and I am Junior Nursing Student at UWEC. I am originally from Centerville, Minnesota. I grew up loving (obsessing over) horses. Nobody in my family ever owned any horses so my parents thought it was something I would grow out of, well 21 years later lets just say I haven't grown out of it! I showed WSCA and 4-H, and did MN High School Rodeo for 3 years. High School rodeo was the best experience, I did barrel racing, pole bending and goat tying, and it definitly helped me as a competitor to step up my game. I love showing IHSA in college because it gave me the opportunity to show in an area that I did not have much experience in and I'm able to grow and learn from my coach and teammates. Currently I own one quarterhorse named Garth who is the love of my life and I continue to barrel race and rodeo with him in the summers.
Nicole Holzem
Hey! My name is Nicole Holzem and I graduated in December 2011 with a degree in Organizational Communications and a Management minor. Originally from Hartland, WI, I rode my first horse at 5 years old and fell in love with it! Through years of English and dressage lessons, I started to become a stronger rider when I was riding different horses, not just my own. I enjoyed the UWEC equestrian team because it was a challenge each and every ride since we were on a different horses each practice and at competitions! I recently began jumping lessons and found it exhilirating! When I joined the team as a freshman, I instantly became an active member, then found myself moving up to VP and finally President my senior year. I made great friends while on the team and love hearing how the team is continuously growing and improving their methods. I will always have a place in my heart for this organization...Good luck to all the new members who join each year :]
Sami Gruber
Hi, my name is Sami Gruber. I am a sophomore nursing major here at Eau Claire. I
grew up on a small farm in Arena, Wisconsin, about a half hour west of Madison, and I have been riding my whole life. I have gained all my horsey knowledge from my mom and through the numerous 4-H teams I have competed on, such as judging and horse bowl teams. Right now I have three horses of my own: a 7 year old draft cross, a 10 year old quarter horse, and a 24 year old thoroughbred. I have done all the training with my Belgian/paint cross mare since the day she was born, and we compete at some local jumping shows as well as open shows. I also enjoy trail riding through our property and at local state parks in the summer. Right now I am working on getting my judges card to become a state horse council certified show judge. When I’m not in the barn I work at a nursing home as a CNA. I also enjoy anything that involves being outdoors: water skiing, cross country skiing, fishing, gardening, or just relaxing by the pool.
Nicole Bartsch
I’m Nicole Bartsch from Wausau, Wisconsin. I’m 19 years old and majoring in Nursing. I have always loved horseback riding since I was a little girl and started getting more involved with horse events when I leased a horse, Shabbah, and later bought my own horse, Smokey. Unfortunately I had to sell my horse and the equestrian team allows me to ride and still do what I love. The equestrian team has allowed me to improve my skills and will help me to keep working on them in the future. The team was a great way to meet new friends and have a lot of fun while learning new things.
Amber Traska
Amber Traska graduated from UWEC spring of 2010. She majored in Kinesiology with an emphasis on physical education teaching, health, and adaptive PE. She is from Wausau, Wisconsin. She enjoys showing her horse Redford western pleasure, hunt, and a variety of games. Amber has shown at 4-H and local open shows for 10 years. She is a volunteer for Trinity Equestrian Center's Healing With Horses program. Amber also currently helps coach the Chippewa Fall High School Equestrian Team.
Danielle Lemke
Hello! My name is Danielle Lemke. While at UW – Eau Claire, I was a Biology major and Psychology minor, eventually graduating with a Bachelors of Science Degree in May 2010. I was a member of the UW – Eau Claire Equestrian Show Team since my freshman year and was President of the team during my junior and senior years. I have been riding and competitively showing horses since the age of four. I primarily show Western pleasure/equitation, Saddle Seat pleasure/equitation, and Hunt Seat pleasure/equitation (shown with my horse, Eli), but have also jumped in the past and was the 2006 Lincoln County Rodeo Queen. Since Eli is now a retired show horse, my current project is training his three year-old nephew, Doc. Since my start at UW – Eau Claire, joining the team and having the opportunity to be the president for two years was a huge asset to my college career. Going to the barn to practice was definitely an escape from homework! I wish the UW – Eau Claire Equestrian Show Team the best of luck in the upcoming years as it continues to grow and dominate the IHSA!!!
