Daisy Freund '08 is the co-captain of the Dartmouth equestrian team. She leads her squad, comprised of both humans and horses, through various competitions that require skill, grace and constant attention to detail. Generally, most people would not put their trust in a non-human teammate to ensure victory, but this is exactly what Dartmouth's riders do week in and week out. Although some may not consider this sport as residing within the realm of better-known Big Green programs like football and hockey, equestrian is a full-time co-ed varsity sport that practices out of nearby Morton Farm. Last weekend, Freund and the rest of the Big Green riders grabbed the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association regional championship. Freund sat down with The Dartmouth to talk riding, ponies and hip new music.
The D: Not many people on campus know too much about your sport. Can you give us a brief overview?
Daisy Freund: Sure! First of all, we try to ride about three times per week at Morton Farm. We practice with groups and also have individual lessons on the weekends. Horse shows are a lot like track meets, in that we don't compete against a single school, but rather five or six at once. Teams in our region include Vermont, Mount Ida and Colby Sawyer. Shows are generally a full day event. There are different events which reward teams that have a lot of depth.
The D: What are the events?
DF: They are open, intermediate, novice, walk trot canter, walk trot advance and walk trot. A successful team has good members at each level. There are events with fences, jumps and flat land events. The top regional teams go onto zones, and the top teams in zones go on to nationals.
The D: Is there a big home field advantage in equestrian?
DF: Even more so than most sports, there is a huge advantage to hosting a horse show. The visiting team has to use the host team's horses. The home team is familiar with the horses, which is a great advantage.
The D: How did you get started in it?
DF: That's a long story. I started when I was two.
The D: You started when you were two? Wow. I don't think I even learned how to color by the age of two.
DF: Haha, yeah. My mom just sat me on a pony and I liked it. I was always pretty serious about it. I horse showed from the age of five on, and rode every day for like two to three hours. When I was 12 I went to the nationals.
The D: So what's up for this weekend? Tails? Chi Gam dance party?
DF: Well, coming up on Sunday is regionals, hosted by Mount Ida. This is an individual competition. If you come in first or second in your respective division, you move onto zones and then maybe to nationals. As a team, we've already won regionals for the second time in school history.
The D: Wow, congrats! Do you feel a lot of pressure when you ride in shows, or are you more laid back?
DF: Well, I try to be laid back, but I'm not a very laid back person. I don't feel any pressure from my team. They are all so supportive of me. I put the pressure on myself more than anything.
The D: So what is the team dynamic like?
DF: We definitely have a fun-loving team. Every other team comes to shows all dressed up, but we always arrive head-to-toe in flair. It's just our way. Offbeat, you know? We like to keep things light and fun.
The D: That does sound cool. The last time I tried to show up at a crew race in flair I got beat up, but that's another story. Anything else you'd like to add?
DF: Well, I'd just like to say that my co-captain Tim Malone '07 has already qualified for nationals in Springfield, Mass., which is awesome. There will probably be like 3,000 riders there. He's having a great season.
The D: Ok, moving away from sports. What are the first three songs on your playlist right now?
DF: Well it would have to be "Pieces Don't Fit" by James Morrison, "I'm Throwed" by Paul Wall and "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse. I like all sorts of music, so it's kind of all over the place.
The D: Cool. Hey, do you mind sending me those songs? My computer was stolen over break and I don't have any music.
DF: Sure thing! Just a warning, you might not like all of them.
The D: Don't worry about it, I'm flexible.
