The Big Green Equestrian Team rode away with the Reserve Championship at their first horse show on Saturday, in which they competed against twelve other colleges in the region. Dartmouth ended the day only five points behind reigning National Reserve Champions Colby-Sawyer College, thanks to strong performances from all team members.
Intercollegiate riders compete in two of six divisions, depending on their riding experience. The riders compete in two out of the six levels. What makes intercollegiate riding unique, though, is that each rider must show on a horse he or she has never ridden before. The school hosting the show provides the horses and luck of the draw determines what horse each person will ride, ensuring fairness to all riders.
Leading with ribbons on Saturday was Co-Captain Megan Phillips '99, who won first place in Open Fences and second in Open Flat. Co-Captain Cathy Emery '99 received First in her Intermediate Flat class, while junior Meg Donohue claimed the blue ribbon in Novice Flat. Several freshmen contributed to the team's winning performance, including Sara Irom '02 with a first in Novice Fences, Zoe Landers '02 with a first in Advanced Walk-Trot-Canter, and Julia Hoover '02 with a second in Novice Fences. Rounding out the ribbons with second places were Rory de Wilde '00 in Walk-Trot, Jenny Stevens '00 in Novice Fences, and Jen Preston '00 in Walk-Trot-Canter.
"Everybody worked so hard to prepare for the show, and it really showed in the way they rode," Emery said.
Phillips echoed this by saying, "If we keep riding the way we did on Saturday, there's no reason why we can't make it all the way to Nationals."
The team faces a double header this weekend, as they travel to UVM on Saturday and Middlebury on Sunday hoping to continue their ribbon-winning performance.
