Wildcats' senior Alyssa Freeman, who will also be competing on the individual level, is ranked fifth nationally in the horsemanship division — the highest- ranked Wildcat.
Last year was Freeman's first year on the K-State squad after transferring from Northern Illinois University.
"This year we had some frustrations in the fall — we had a lot of bumps," Western head coach Casie Williamson said. "But we found in the spring that we were getting better and better, and I think we're beginning to peak at the right time."
Williamson said the momentum is in the Wildcats' favor after a win over Baylor in the Big 12 Championships and a tie with Texas A&M, which is going into this week's competition as the top-seeded team in the Western division.
"We've got big expectations going down there," Williamson said about Waco. "We've got a really talented, seasoned squad, and they are very capable of winning a national championship."
A big piece of that puzzle is Freeman, who has a 12-3 record in horsemanship and one MVP honor, is 14- 11 overall, with two MVP on the season.
Freeman, a Sycamore, Ill. native, brings a lifetime of equine knowledge and experience to K-State and like Williamson, believes the pieces are coming together at the right time for nationals.
"The work that both myself and Casie have been putting into it is really going to pay off," Freeman said. "I'm really happy were I'm riding right now."
In Freeman's horsemanship event, she, like the rest of the KSU riders in their events, must draw a random horse that she will ride in a predetermined pattern consisting of seven to nine maneuvers.
Scoring is based on the rider maintaining correct position while guiding the horse along with the quality and precision of the maneuvers.
Other events in the Western side include reining, a more athletic performance of the horse that consists of faster speeds, spins, and abrupt stops — all of which the rider maintains in a set pattern.
"When you first get on a (new horse) the first thing I try and figure out is how the horse communicates with you," Freeman said about the draw system.
All riders are allowed just four minutes to "break the ice" with their horse.
Freeman said finding each horse's subtle nuisances is key.
"I try to find out if the horse takes just a little bit of pressure or if it needs a lot of pressure," she said. "I find out if I need to be aggressive, or if I need to be soft.
"This program has taught all of us how to quickly adapt our own riding styles to the horse, because you're not going to get on a horse and adapt to its riding style in four minutes — you have to be the one that can change."
The 40 horses KSU riders practice with are, by and large, university owned and kept at the team's 160- acre facility west of Manhattan at Fox Creek Farms.
Approximately 26 of K-State's horses will be featured in the national competition, where each competitor will draw randomly from a pool of more than 100 horses.
On the Hunter Seat side head coach Ashley Foster said their seeding paves a good road for the team.
"We've played all the teams that we will be playing," she said. "And the first team that we play, we've beaten before, so things are set up pretty well for us.
"Our riders, when they practice, ride absolutely fabulously. We've been working on the mental aspect of when they're in the ring, to show up and to be there. If they are there and focused, they can go really far."
