On Friday, Sept. 24, the top seven riders from the Massachusetts Equestrian Team participated in the University’s first appearance in the Pre-Season Tournament of Champions.
Seven equestrian athletes made the 12-hour drive to Otterbein University’s Equine Science Facility in Westerville, Ohio for a show typically different than those on their normal season’s schedule. The tournament is put on by the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) and consists of 14 schools, including UMass’s regional rival, Mt. Holyoke.
The host school provides horses for the competing teams and no riders are allowed time to warm-up on their horses in order to create an even playing field where the rider’s skill is being judged rather than his/her horse’s. Riders are judged for their equitation, which is the rider’s positioning and effectiveness on the horse.
Divisions in the show range from Novice – riders who are generally new to the sport – to the Open Division – seasoned riders who have mastered the art of equitation.
The teams accumulate points by adding up the totals that each individual rider has earned by placing in his or her class. First place equates to seven points, second place receives five points, third place gets four points, fourth place is awarded three points, fifth place equals two points and sixth place is good for one point.
In the tournament, the Minutewomen competed in the Walk-Trot-Canter and Flat/Fences events. Secretary Margaux Sarin won the Advanced walk-trot-canter class, captain Kari Searls came in second place in the Novice Flat class, Alyson Murphy won her Intermediate Flat class, and captain Courtney Bryggman won Open Flat and placed sixth in the Open Medal class.
The squad totaled 26 points by the end of the tournament and took home the third place ribbon. Miami (Ohio) and Virginia Intermont won first and second place, respectively.
While the equestrian team may not be one of the most popular teams on campus, the riders are out to prove that they aren’t just casual horseback riders. The athletes commit to eight service hours per week at the barn caring for and raising their horses and go through weekly workouts just like any other athletic program. One main distinguishing factor about the team, however, is that it rides throughout the year, even during the winter months.
Yet, most students don’t know about the squad, or even that the sport exists.
“Many students don’t know about the team or know that we breed Bay State Morgans here,” said Sarin.
“A boy in my English class thought that the equestrian team was the same as the Diving Team,” added team treasurer, Meaghan Laprade.
While they don’t compete on campus, the farm, located in Hadley, is less than a 10-minute drive from UMass and is open to the public for lessons or tryouts.
Currently the team and coaches are fundraising so that they can send the squad to the Holiday Tournament of Champions in Long Valley, N.J. later this semester.
“We would love for more students to support us or even know that we are a team here that does very well,” said sophomore Caitlin Schumann.
The team has eight scheduled shows for the semester against the eight other schools in their region: Amherst College, Hampshire College, Landmark College, Mt. Holyoke College, Smith College, Springfield College, Williams College and Westfield State University. All nine schools are present at every show.
“We’re feeling really confident about our shows this season after the Tournament. We have a really solid team this year,” said team captain Courtney Bryggman.
Solange Elkallassi can be reached at [email protected].
