Elise Lewyckyj '10, who earned the top point total at the Dartmouth show, had the highest team score over the weekend in the intermediate flat event.
This was a significant accomplishment for the Big Green riders, as the University of Vermont has won the team regional championships for each of the last three years prior to Sunday's performance. Other schools in Zone 1, Region 2 include Colby-Sawyer, Bates, Bowdoin, UNH, Colby, Middlebury, Mount Ida and Maine.
Junior co-captain Daisy Freund '08 said the weekend had an element of pleasant suspense for the Big Green.
"It was not until the end of the show on Sunday that we knew we had won the region," she said, adding that the biggest shocker of the two-day campaign was the wide margin of victory over UVM, traditionally an equestrian powerhouse. UVM has historically been the most competitive adversary for the Big Green equestrian squad.
According to Freund, the Big Green had to fill half of the roster spots on the team with walk-ons from the co-ed varsity team's tryouts.
Accomplishing such a lofty goal with a team of novice riders involved significant work; the more experienced riders had to teach the freshmen and other new members how to be competitive in a region with many strong equestrian teams.
Senior co-captain Timothy Malone '07 described the next step for the Big Green, now that they have the regional title under their belts.
"The team won the regional championship based on our performance throughout the season, advancing us to zone finals as a team," he said.
The zone finals, which take place this weekend at Mount Holyoke, will provide a stiff challenge for Dartmouth in the form of a talented Mt. Ida squad and perennial zone power Mt. Holyoke.
Along with the team championship, several individual Big Green riders turned in performances that earned them opportunities in future competitions. In all, six of Dartmouth's riders qualified for individual regional championships that took place at Mt. Ida on April 1.
Captains Malone and Freund qualified in the highest division for the events of flat and fences. Team manager Elizabeth Bissell '08 qualified in the intermediate division with a strong showing in intermediate fences. Ashley Hannebrink '07 qualified in the intermediate division for the flat competition.
Two of the more inexperienced members of the team also finished the season with a strong showing. Katherine Scovner '08 and Sam Parsons '10 had solid seasons in the novice divisions.
Of the Big Green's qualifying riders, Malone, Freund and Bissell all had strong shows at the individual regionals. As a result of their solid performances, these three qualified for individual zone championships that will be held at Mt. Holyoke next week.
Malone has already qualified for the Cacchione Cup at nationals. He said he has a special drive to win this year, as he came close in last year's competition.
Malone outlined some of his aspirations for the zone team final in the upcoming days.
"My biggest goal for zones [this year] is to have the team finish in the top two and qualify as a team for nationals, which we've never done before," he said. "It will be a challenge, but we've got the talent to do it."
While practice and talent are obvious factors in equestrian success, there is also an aspect of riding that relies on the luck of the draw: Every IHSA meet uses the same horses, and riders draw horses from a hat.
A truly versatile rider will be able to adapt to any horse he chooses, since at one meet, he may select a horse like Percy, a well-trained gelding, while at the next show the rider might pick a more skittish horse. So when the Big Green travel to Mt. Holyoke this weekend, the team may have to adapt quickly to different situations.
The zone championships will be held at Mt. Holyoke in South Hadley, Mass., on Saturday, April 7. The start time of the competition has not yet been announced.
