The Dartmouth Equestrian team won their first national title in program history after capturing the single discipline championship in Ocala, Fl., on April 19. Fourth-ranked Dartmouth topped third-ranked College of Charleston in the final on raw score, 749.67-701.67, after both teams tied with five points apiece.
After the regular season, the nation’s top four teams compete in the single discipline championship in a series of head-to-head competitions. There are four riders in each of the jumping seat events — fences and flats.
Of the teams who qualified, Dartmouth was ranked fourth behind College of Charleston, Lynchburg and, Sweet Briar and College of Charleston.
“I’m very proud of my teammates,.” Cassidy Exner ’27 said. “I think we definitely had that underdog drive going into it.”
Dartmouth is the only school in the Ivy League that competes in the NCEA, setting them apart from their Ivy League counterparts.
“When we’re on the road competing, even at Nationals, the schools we’re competing against often look very different,” head coach Tenley Walsh said. “In terms of geography, the academic experience and different conferences schools may be a part of.”
Part of the challenge when competing in the NCEA is that riders are randomly assigned the horse they will compete with. According to Exner, the riders are given about four minutes to get acquainted with their horse before competition starts.
“As long as we stay really mentally confident in our preparation, it carries over to the horses.” Exner said.
The Big Green took an early lead in the fences portion. Four of the riders won their head-to-head contests: Chloe Terestchenko ’25, Samantha Takacs ’27, Exner and Elise Stephens ’28 – which gave the Big Green a 4-1 advantage.
“Having that momentum, knowing that we’re starting with our strongest event, helped us to have a clear idea of exactly what we had to do in the second half to bring it home,” Exner said.
For her contributions on the fences, Stephens was named the single discipline fences Most Outstanding Player, and made the fences All-Championship Team, alongside riders from University of Georgia and Southern Methodist University. The Equestrian team was also honored as the Richards Group Athletes of the Week on April 21.
Looking ahead to next season, Walsh hopes to keep working on flat while maintaining the team’s outstanding performance in fences. .
This was the second time that the team qualified for the national championship since the team began competing in the NCEA during the 2021-22 season. After a semifinal loss last year, the Big Green was able to clinch the title this time around.
Alexa Strauss ’26, who is a member of the equestrian team, could not be at the competition, but was proud to witness her teammates’ success.
“It’s amazing to see how much our team has grown these past couple of years,” Strauss said. “It was so special to see the culmination of the extensive effort and determination this team has shown. I can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish next year and later down the road.”
