The Dartmouth equestrian team rode to second and third place finishes in two weekend shows up north at the University of Vermont and Middlebury College.
The shows were the first of the season for the Big Green who will compete every weekend until early November.
At UVM on Saturday, Samantha Parsons '10 won Open Flats and Sarah Spangenberg '11 placed first in the Novice Flats. Linda Cummins '10 finished first in Walk Trot Canter, while Lucretia Witte '10 won Walk Trot. Additionally, Witte gained enough points to compete in Walk Trot Canter in future shows.
Overall, the defending Ivy League champions finished four-points behind Mount Ida College, last year's regional winner.
"I was really proud of all our new riders," Coach Sally Battton said. "It was their first time showing at an [Intercollegiate Horse Show Association] competition."
There are five different levels of equestrian competition. Walk Trot is for new riders; Walk Trot Canter is for more advanced athletes; Novice Flat is for riders who have previous horse-showing experience; Intermediate Flat is for riders who have significant amounts of show experience; and Open Flat is for the most advanced riders.
At Middlebury on Monday, the Big Green finished in third place. Kelley Crisp '12 won Open Fences while Parsons won Open Flats again. Elizabeth Wilkerson '11 won Novice Flat and Witte won Walk Trot again. Spangenberg was another second-time winner, placing first at Novice Flats. Spangenberg was named the Reserve High Point Rider, as the competition's most outstanding rider.
In addition, three Dartmouth riders placed second at Middlebury. Amanda Watson '09 finished runner-up in Intermediate Flats, while Erica Anhalt '09 and Cummins tied at second in Walk Trot Canter.
The 14-rider squad has riders from each class all contributing to the final results. Batton was especially pleased with the poise shown by the entire team.
"We had a few tough spots at Middlebury with some rough draws," Batton said. "But I'm really happy. They rode their best."
Competitions away from Hanover can be difficult for the Big Green as the team does not bring its own horses to competitions.
"In IHSA competitions, we have to ride the host college's horses, with no time to warm-up or to get familiar with the horse," Batton said.
The IHSA was founded in 1967 on the principle that any college student should be able to participate in horse shows, regardless of their financial status. All horses used at IHSA competitions are from the host college, and horses are assigned to riders by sortition to ensure fairness. Neither personally owned horses or tack is allowed.
The Big Green hopes to stay in good form this weekend when it travels to New London to compete at the Colby-Sawyer College show on Saturday. The team competes in Hanover at the Dartmouth Home Show on Monday, Oct. 20.
