The Dartmouth equestrian team placed second out of the eight Ivies during the annual All-Ivy competition held at Dartmouth's Morton Farm on Saturday. Brown won the All-Ivy title.
"I was thrilled with the team's performance," said coach Sally Batton. "We finished the day as Reserve Champions behind Brown, who finished with a rare perfect score."
The team entered the show ranked first in the Ivies. The team had a strong performance with five firsts and five seconds in individual classes. Those who earned a blue ribbon include Daisy Freund '08 in open fences, Tim Malone '07 in open fences and flat, Tami Martin '08 in novice fences and intermediate flat, Kate Wooler '08 in intermediate flat and Katherine Scovner '08 in novice flat."I'm happy with my rides over fences and on the flat," said Wooler. "I think my fences round could have been better, especially because I had such a good draw."
The top six riders in fences class across the entire division were also ranked, with Freund winning an overall third in open fences and B.R. King '08 winning third in intermediate fences. The top riders from each flat class competed in a Championship class for that level. In their respective Championship classes, Malone took third in the open level, Martin and Wooler placed first and second in intermediate and Scovner took first in novice.
"I'm not really sure how my first flat ride was because all I could think about was the pain that my boots were causing me," said Scovner. "Riding in the championship class, on the other hand, was fun. I drew a great horse and had boots from a teammate that allowed me to focus on my seat and not the problems I was having with my equipment."
Other riders finished strongly, placing second in their individual classes. These included King and Abby Donahue '06 in intermediate fences, Wooler in novice fences, Lizzy Rauner '06 in intermediate flat and Janelle Moerlein '06 in novice flat. "The All-Ivy Championship was a great show for the team." said Batton. "All eight Ivy schools were able to make it, and the sun was bright on Morton Farm for the first time in weeks."
The All-Ivies are a fun post-season show for Dartmouth Equestrian, as the eight Ivy League schools do not normally compete against one another. It also tests the team's endurance, as they not only compete in the show, but also organize and run the show.
Wooler said, "I think that not only did all the Dartmouth riders ride very well, which showed in our impressive second-place finish, but that also the team did a great and efficient job running such a large show."
The team now looks to their final show of the season next Saturday also at Morton Farm. The New England Classic, a competitive post-season show, will feature 12 different schools from across the New England area. Also, Freund, who qualified for Nationals, continues to prepare for her competition which will be held on May 5 and 6.