Texas A&M hoping to rein in P.A. rider 

Haley Franc stands with her six-year-old gelding Smart Pepinic Chic, or "Lil' G." Franc, who has competed widely in the equestrian discipline of reining, has been offered a scholarship to compete in the sport at Texas A&M University.The soon-to-be Rivier Academy graduate seems well on her way to achieving just that.

Franc has been offered a "very flattering" athletic scholarship by Texas A&M University, one of the top collegiate equestrian programs in the United States. She plans to accept the offer, but is first hoping to secure additional scholarships to help with the heavy financial burden.

If she ends up joining the team in the fall, Franc would become the only Canadian on the Aggies roster.

"The head coach called my mom and she said she'd been watching me for a few years," said Franc. "She thought I was in Grade 11 this year, so she was going to give me a year head start. So everything was kind of squished in but all the paperwork is done. We're just waiting for the other scholarships to be done."

Within the sport of equestrian, Franc competes in the reining discipline. In reining competitions, riders must guide their horses through an exact series of stops, turns and circles.

Her parents as well are competitive reiners, and Haley has experienced plenty of success in the sport. In 2013, she was named as the Equine Canada Junior Equestrian of the Year and she has won at competitions across Canada and the U.S. and competed for Team Canada on three occasions.

She is writing her final Grade 12 exams early next week so as to be able to travel to Oklahoma for a major derby competition and her summer will be filled with more events. With her two horses, Jacs Shy Boy (nicknamed Shy) and Smart Pepinic Chic (nicknamed Lil' G), you can bet she'll be in the winner's circle some more.

The prospect of going to the Texas university appeals to Franc because even when she's not riding, she hopes to be around horses.

"I want to be an equine physiotherapist or an equine geneticist and (Texas A&M) has one of the best animal science programs," said Franc.

As for riding at the collegiate level, she doesn't expect the quality will be much greater than what she's used to. Scoring is different on the university circuit though, and riders do not enjoy the comforts of having horses to themselves.

"You're judged on how you ride, not just how your horse does for you, so you have to be right on that. Your horse can't help you out," said Franc.

Should she attend Texas A&M, she could bring Lil' G with her, but noting that the six-year-old gelding "can get fussy," she likely won't as the horse would inevitably be paired with other riders.

Still, if there is a separation between horse and rider, Franc believes it could help her become a better rider as she will have to get used to other equines.

Franc expects to make a final decision by the end of June.