UDEC was founded by passionate equestrians at University of Dayton in 2014 with the hopes to be able to share the love of horses with as many students as possible. In 2016, our IHSA team was founded and we began to compete in our region, and quickly became competitive against much larger schools we showed against.
We have called Sunnybrook Training Center in Troy, OH our home for our hunt seat team since 2022 and train under the guidance of Madeline Davis and Noelle Mumpower-Davis. They provide us with amazing lesson horses and the knowledge we need to be successful athletes!
The western team has been under the guidance of Lynne Puthoff and Anna Ritzi of Puthoff Performance Horses since 2022. Located in Laura, OH, Lynne and her team provide the western team with an abundance of knowledge and experience to be able to compete at high levels across the region.
Showing is not a requirement for our team, although many of us choose to show. We usually attend 4 or 5 weekend IHSA shows a school year, with the opportunity for other shows like Sunnybrook's own academy shows. We compete in Zone 6, Region 2 of IHSA, competing against Ohio State University, Ohio University, Otterbein College, Wilmington College, Kenyon College and more!
In order to be a showing member of the club, you must be enrolled in a weekly lesson at Sunnybrook or Puthoff Performace Horses, depending on your discipline, and regularly attend those lessons.
We have members who had never ridden prior to college and others who were recruited for D1 equestrian teams, so all experiences are welcome!
Madeline Davis started riding at the age of 4 with Noelle Mumpower-Davis. At the age of 12 she started riding for former IEA coach Jim Arrigon of Beckett Run Equestrian Team. Madeline rode for Beckett Run for 7 years and was the only rider in IEA history to qualify and compete at IEA Nationals every year. Madeline was an IEA National Champion and placed in the top 6 at Nationals several times. Madeline continued her riding career at Randolph College in Lynchburg Virginia on their IHSA team for 3 years before transferring to Ohio University to ride for her former coach Jim Arrigon. While attending Randloph College Madeline was a 2017 IHSA Reserve National Champion. Madeline competed in several Tournament of Champions, riding against the top equitation college riders in the country, winning Open Fences twice and Reserve Champion High Medal. Madeline received her Bachelor's degree in business from Ohio University in 2019. After a 2 year battle against a rare type of brain cancer, Madeline has continued her passion for horses as a professional rider at Sunnybrook Training Center. She is currently a riding instructor at Sunnybrook and she and her mother, Noelle, coach the Sunnybrook IEA, Interscholastic Equestrian Association, team. Madeline is a member of USEF and OHJA. Madeline is excited to be back with IHSA and coaching the University of Dayton Equestrian Team.
Noelle Mumpower-Davis started riding at the age of 4 in Dayton Ohio under Florence "Smokey" Thornbury and Carolyn Knab-Klum, founding member of OHJA. She attended the University of Cincinnati and earned a degree in education and later earned her masters in education. Noelle has been teaching at Miami East High School for 32 years. She has been riding and showing hunters and hunt seat equitation for many years. Noelle started a riding program at Sunnybrook Training Center, her family owned farm, 20 years ago with 3 riders and the program currently has over 40 riders. Noelle currently is the Director of Operations of Sunnybrook and she and her daughter, Madeline, coach the Sunnybrook IEA, Interscholastic Equestrian Association, team. Noelle is a 4-H advisor and a member of USEF, OHJA, AQHA, and APHA. Noelle has enjoyed much success in the hunter and equitation rings and is looking forward to coaching the University of Dayton Equestrian Team.
Bio coming soon.
