Having won the Championships at Dartmouth last year, co-captain Kelly Tropin '13 said riders thought they were capable of claiming the title for the second year in a row.
Tropin, who topped her class in the Open Flats, said the team's ability to compete in different events contributed to its high placing. Big Green riders at all levels posted strong performances.
Both Rochele Brown '13 and Sarah Spangenberg '11 were Reserve Champions in the Advanced Walk-Trot-Canter and Intermediate Flat championships, respectively.
Tserenbaljir Baatartogtokh '12 took first in her class in the Beginner Walk-Trot-Canter. Tropin said she was excited to see Baatartogtokh win because the junior rider had just recently advanced to the higher division.
Baatartogtokh's success, however, came after she was forced to swap horses after her first horse shot frenziedly around the ring.
The rest of the show did not occur incident-free, as Abigail Franklin '13 was bucked off her horse and taken to the hospital with a concussion, according to Baatartogtokh.
Difficult horse draws also plagued Spangenberg in her Intermediate Fences class, although she rode a more agreeable horse in the Intermediate Flats.
Spangenberg said she was still using momentum from her performance last weekend at Zone Championships, where the senior rider clinched a bid to Nationals after topping Novice Fences and taking second in Novice Flat.
"I'm thrilled to be qualified for Nationals, especially since it's my last year to compete," she said.
The entire team is excited to support Spangenberg at the next level of competition, Tropin said.
"We were all so proud of Sarah and so happy for her," she said. "When she was announced as the Champion and Reserve Champion of her division, we all started screaming and hugging her. It's so nice to see one of our seniors go to Nationals. I think she has a really good chance of doing well, so we are all very excited to hear how she does in Kentucky this May."
Tropin said she was also impressed by Danielle Baez '12, who took fourth in the Walk-Trot her first event as a Dartmouth rider.
In preparation for the Championships, the Big Green practiced four times a week, following several weeks of intense training for Regionals and Zone Finals earlier this month, according to Tropin.
Although Dartmouth placed well this year, it may have suffered from a lack of familiar horse draws. Before each competition, riders are randomly assigned to horses used by the home team.
Meets are usually divided into jumping and flat riding. Many Dartmouth riders drew the same two horses for the jumping portion of the show, neither of which offered an easy ride.
Tropin attributed last year's victory to Dartmouth's familiarity with its own horses.
"Overall, we felt good, but recognized that we would not have the same home-team advantage we had last year," she said.
The Big Green took the draws in stride, however, and the riders received the best results under the circumstances, according to Tropin.
"It was very rewarding to see how well we did on those horses compared to the other teams," she said.
The Championships gave Dartmouth the opportunity to compete against less-familiar riders, as the Big Green typically rides against teams from its region that are not necessarily in the Ivy League, Tropin said.
The team will next compete at the Dartmouth Classic, which the Big Green will host on Saturday.
