Irene Boehm, Sports Editor
Despite its home being tucked away, far from the hustle and bustle of University Avenue, the Sewanee Equestrian program has been making waves across campus in recent years by breaking records and clinching titles. Now, the Equestrian program is headed for a new level of competitiveness, led by a new partnership: Second-year Director of Equestrian Alice Coke and First-year Equestrian Head Coach Savannah Mannes. Together, they hold nearly 50 years of combined experience in the professional equestrian industry and have brought it all home to the mountain.
Last year, the team welcomed program director Alice Coke. Coke was an “R” United States Equestrian Federation judge and has experience traveling across the United States, Canada and Europe for over 30 years, judging at the highest level of competition. Coke also has experience owning and operating farms, as well as training at home and competing at top-level events. In addition to her expertise, Coke brought a vision of what Sewanee Equestrian could be. In just over a year, she has transformed the Equestrian operations and facilities to match the talent found within. Under Coke’s inspiration, and with former head coach Aelin Hill’s hard work and support, the barn has received renovations to make the already beautiful Equestrian Center the most functional and horse-friendly it’s ever been.
These changes have been reflected in both the riders’ and horses’ performances last year, where both the Interscholastic Horse Shows Association and National Collegiate Equestrian Association teams had phenomenal seasons— reaching new heights in all levels of competition. Highlights of the 2024-2025 season include claiming the Year-End High Point Rider and Cacchione Cup rider awards and the IHSA team as a whole winning the regional championship by a record-breaking 84 points. Additionally, NCEA upset nationally ranked #1 Lynchburg and clinched the Conference Rookie of the Year titles for both fences and flat. Additionally, Sewanee’s string of equine talent had great success in both IHSA and NCEA competitions. Highlights from the horses include Sewanee’s very own “Tuck” providing the ride that won the national Caccione Cup title- the highest honor in all IHSA competition. On the NCEA side of things, the Tigers’ own “Leo” was named the Horse of the Tournament at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Conference Tournament of Champions.
This summer, Sewanee athletics announced the hiring of Savannah Mannes as the next head coach for the Equestrian program. With industry expertise, Director Alice Coke strongly recognizes the assets Mannes brings to the Mountain, stating, “Coming from the horse show industry at the highest level, she is bringing that understanding of what it takes to win at the highest level, which is a great asset.” Mannes brings nearly a decade of professional experience in coaching, riding, and barn management, as well as a standout college riding resume and experience as a member of Team USA in the Student Riders National Cup. Most recently, she has worked as a coach and professional rider at Back Country Farm in Greenwich, CT, and Wellington, FL, where she taught riders at all levels to top placings and championships.
Mannes is also no stranger to collegiate riding. Mannes graduated with a major in sports management from Cazenovia College, where she served as captain of the IHSA Equestrian Team and earned numerous honors, including two Open Flat regional championships and two Cacchione Cup regional reserve championship finishes. But it was more personal than the trophies for Mannes. Growing up as someone who didn’t have the money or backing to compete in the AA circuit, college riding made a huge impact for Mannes, who claims she wouldn’t be at the professional level without it.
With the role it played in her career, it seems like fate that Mannes would find a way to give other young, talented riders the collegiate experience for which she was so thankful. Over the years, colleges have recruited Mannes for coaching positions, but she claimed Sewanee was the first one she was excited about. With the bones of the program put in place by Coke, Maness knew, now, more than ever, the talented team was waiting to be led to victory- this time all the way to a national championship; “The opportunity for trajectory is huge, and I’m so excited to work with Alice who really opened the door to set me up to continue to improve the program,” Mannes remarked. The ring has been dragged, boots are polished, and indeed, the door is open for big things to come for the Equestrian team this year. YSR.