Two Dartmouth equestrian riders competed at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Zone I Championships over the weekend, but despite respectable results, neither qualified for Nationals. Natalie Colaneri '12 finished fifth out of eight in the Walk-trot competition, and Katherine Lindzey '13 finished seventh in the Novice Flat in a field comprised of the best riders in New England. Nina Crossley of Stonehill College won the Walk-trot and teammate Christine Dwyer won the Novice Flat.
Colaneri is a contributing columnist for The Dartmouth.
Colaneri and Lindzey qualified for the Zone I Championships by finishing first and second in their respective divisions at the Zone I Region II Championships on March 28. This weekend, the competition hosted at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass. featured more competitive riders, as the show consisted of all of the top riders in Zone I.
Although neither Dartmouth rider finished in the top two to qualify for nationals, both were pleased with their performances and happy to have the chance to compete at such a high level, Colaneri said.
"It was really exciting just because it was at Mount Holyoke it's great place to ride," Colaneri said. "It was great to compete against new riders with new horses, and the judge is very respected in his field. Even though I didn't do as well and don't get to go to nationals, it was a very good experience, and I'm glad to have the opportunity."
Colaneri's strong performance was the result of two seasons of work and improvement, according to head coach Amy Patton.
"[Colaneri] did everything that she was suppose to," Patton said. "Sometimes I think she can be affected by nerves, but she really just looked to be a much higher level rider. She really represented Dartmouth well."
Patton added that she was proud of both competitors for riding well despite having bad luck. According to Patton, both girls rode on horses that were more difficult than their competitors'.
"It's luck of the draw as far as what horses you get, and if you get a more difficult horse, it's very difficult, and you need all the stars to align," Patton said. "Katherine rode very well but had a very difficult horse. She did a good job but unfortunately was unlucky."
Although Colaneri and Lindzey were the only Dartmouth riders competing, the rest of the Dartmouth team attended the show to support their teammates.
"I was very appreciative that the entire team came out to support us, and they cheered for us," Colaneri said. "It's annoying to wake up at 5 a.m. on a Saturday to travel to an event that you're not in, and I'm really grateful they did."
Although the IHSA season is over, the team will conclude its season by hosting two postseason shows over the next several weeks.
Next weekend, Dartmouth will host the Ivy League Show, when the team hopes to claim its first Ivy League title since 1997. Last year, the Big Green finished second to Cornell University by a mere five points.
"It's a fun show because we don't compete against the Ivies in the regular season," Patton said. "We have a really strong team, and we have a lot of strong riders. This year, it's on our home turf, so hopefully that gives us a little advantage, knowing our own horses."
On May 1, Dartmouth will conclude the season by hosting the Dartmouth Classic, which will be the last show for seniors Sam Parsons '10 and Sam Wright '10.
Parsons advanced to nationals last season and also became the first rider in recent memory to win the Open Flat, the Open Fences and Cacchione classes at the Zone I Championships.
The Ivy Championships will be held this Saturday at the Dartmouth Riding Center.
