Student and Coach Meet Years Later to Clinch NCEA National Championship Title

By: Brittany Bevis

A 6-year-old Avery Ellis, tentatively taking her first riding lessons on a longeline, likely never imagined she would one day be part of the team that would make history by winning the NCEA National Championships in spectacular style. Not only did the now college junior do just that as part of the Texas A&M Equestrian Team, she did it with help from her coaches, particularly the Assistant Coach in charge of Horsemanship, Jessie Weisinger.

Like any good coach, Jessie is well acquainted with her student’s riding capabilities, her strengths, and her weaknesses. But this pair has a bond that goes deeper than most due to their shared history. You see, Jessie was Avery’s very first horse trainer.

“I remember going with my friend to one of her horseback riding lessons, and that’s when I first met Jessie,” Avery says. “My friend eventually stopped riding, but I never did! She helped me for a few years and started taking me to my first few shows. Jessie is super easy and very personable, so we connected early right away.”

Jessie eventually moved out of state to pursue professional goals, including spending time in Colorado as an assistant horse trainer for Mark Guynn. But Jessie left behind her Half Quarter Horse, Half Arabian mare, Mariah, so Avery could continue honing her skills. When it was time for the Ellis family to purchase Avery’s first show horse, they once again sought the guidance of Avery’s first horse trainer.

When Jessie first started training Avery, she was a member of the Texas A&M Equestrian Team, alongside fellow teammate and college roommate, Quincy Cahill. Jessie connected Avery with Quincy’s mother, Nancy Cahill, who became Avery’s longtime horse trainer, guiding her through a very successful AQHA youth career.

Then, fate stepped in when Avery signed a national letter of intent to join the Texas A&M Equestrian Team while she was a senior in high school. Avery’s mother, Deborah, became aware of a vacancy in the coaching staff and immediately called Jessie to suggest that she apply. “Deborah was the first person who called, even before the job opening was posted, and she told me I had to apply!” Jessie says. “There were so many worthy applicants; I’m honored that I was even considered.”

So, former coach and student were once again reunited. While Jessie’s training style has evolved over the years and Avery’s riding abilities have developed, some things will never change. “She has a different approach with every rider, but with me, since she worked with me as a child, she knows that she can push me and be hard on me,” Avery says. “Sometimes, on the slow days, we will partner up and ride bareback on a longeline. The first time we did that it was definitely deja-vu back to my first lessons!”

Jessie explains that she utilizes occasional longeline work to strengthen her Horsemanship riders’ balance and leg strength. It’s a technique she used with Avery many years ago to create a strong foundation. “One funny thing I remember about Avery, in the beginning, is that she was afraid to lope on the longeline. She would only trot. I had to get in the saddle behind her. Then, when she discovered it was more fun to lope than trot, she was fine on her own.”

Now, any time Jessie breaks out the longeline, it brings back memories of those first lessons. “I learned how to have a good seat before anything else,” Avery says. “I had to ride in an English saddle without touching the reins. We did all of these weird balancing exercises, where you would bend down and touch each toe while the horse was trotting.”

Fast forward years later, Avery and Jessie joined the rest of the team in a bid for the 2017 NCEA National Championship title. Not only did the ladies clinch a victory, it was a historic one. “We’re the first team to win that didn’t have a first round bye,” Avery says. “Because we were ranked fifth going in, we had to compete in all the rounds.”

Texas A&M defeated Delaware State in the first round, followed by another win against Oklahoma State in the second, giving up only three points for a combined score of 27-3 heading into the semifinals. The Aggies then shut out TCU, who had upset the #1 seed, Baylor, the day prior, sweeping all four events for a score of 16-0. In the final round, the Aggies faced Georgia, who they dominated with a score of 11-5.

“We had already won the National Championship before the third event even went in. That was pretty amazing,” Avery says. “I was crying so hard. Jessie and I are so close. It’s so cool that she was on the team when she first started teaching me, and then I’m on the team now and she’s my coach. Winning was amazing. The team really came together. The biggest thing that we talked about was you can’t win unless you’re a team.”

Now that the season is complete, Jessie is working with Head Coach Tana McCay and English Coach Caroline Postoak to determine how they can recreate that dynamic feeling with the incoming recruits going into the 2018 season.

“We had a meeting this week where we talked about how great this year was and what we can do to ensure that success next year and make the incoming freshman feel part of the team,” Avery says.

As for Avery and Jessie, they have one more year of competition together, Avery’s Senior year, before graduation. After such a successful and history-making 2017, we wonder what they have planned for an encore.

Click here for a recap of Texas A&M’s NCEA National Championship win.