The Dartmouth equestrian team won the reserve championship at its first competition of the season on Saturday at Middlebury College.
The Big Green beat out six other teams to secure its second-place finish, falling only to the University of New Hampshire. Top performers were co-captain Cristina Herren '12 in the intermediate division, who placed first in jumps and fourth in flats, and Helena Witte '13, who won the walk-trot-canter division.
Other point riders were co-captain Sam Parsons '10, Natalie Colaneri '12 and Liz Wilkerson '11.
"I am so unbelievably excited about the show," Parsons said. "I was just really impressed with everyone's performances."
Overall, six Big Green riders secured first-place finishes this weekend at the Middlebury Intercollegiate Horse Show. First-place performers, along with Herren and Witte, included Faye Keegan '12 in open flats, Linda Cummins '10 in novice fences, Anne Peale '10 in beginning walk-trot-canter and Abigail Franklin '13 in advanced walk-trot-canter. Dartmouth also had two second-place finishes by Parsons in open flats and Gabby Sauza '13 in beginning walk-trot-canter.
Head coach Sally Baton said that she was particularly happy about the rookie riders' performances this weekend.
"I was very excited, and I think it was a great first showing," she said. "I'm especially pleased with our new riders. They did an excellent job."
New riders, who constitute a substantial part of the team, were crucial to the success of Saturday's showing. On the 15-person roster, only six women are returning members of the Big Green.
"We don't have a lot of depth as far as returning riders, but we really have some talent that will really help our team earn points at the shows," Baton said.
First-time showers Witte, Keegan, Peale and Franklin brought home four out of the six first-place finishes, and rookie Sauza placed second at the season opener.
Baton and the more experienced riders worked with the new riders to help them prepare for their first showing, Parsons said. Although the team had been practicing for just two weeks before this weekend, the new riders are fast learners, she said.
"It was the first showing for our new members," Herren said. "Our goal was to make them feel comfortable in a situation that is nerve-wracking, even for people who have been around the sport their whole lives."
Although she had never before performed on a collegiate level, Witte was designated as a point rider in her first showing. By placing first in her division, she was able to score much-needed points for the team.
"There was a little bit of added pressure being a point rider, but I wanted to do my best no matter what," Witte said. "It was really nice to have the older riders helping me through."
While the team is young and relatively inexperienced, the members said they are very pleased with both the tangible results and the positive team dynamic.
The seasoned riders have been able to impart their advice on the new members, while the first-time riders have brought a newfound sense of enthusiasm to the team, creating a much closer squad than in previous years, Herren said.
After this strong start, the Big Green is hoping that its momentum will carry over to next week's invitational at Dartmouth.
"It was good for everyone to get to know the format and to get to feel comfortable, especially going into our home show next week," Herren said.
Dartmouth has won its home show the last two years in a row. The team will be take on Mt. Ida College, the University of New Hampshire and the University of Vermont, among other teams, on Saturday at Morton Farm.
