Equestrian Team Riding High on Hog

The Harvard equestrian club team completed its most successful season in recent history three weeks ago, finishing sixth in Zone 1, Region 2 of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. The team of men and women riders competed in four horse shows this fall, finishing as high as fourth in individual competition standings.

The equestrian club was founded almost 10 years ago. The team joined the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association after forming. It annually competes in a fall and spring schedule of four events each season sponsored by other colleges in its division. The four shows this fall were held at the University of Vermont, Dartmouth College, the University of New Hampshire and Boston University.

Each sponsoring team traditionally supplies the staff, horses, judges and prizes for each meet. This system would seem to impart a hefty advantage to hosting schools, especially considering that familiarity with a particular horse contributes greatly to the performance of the rider. However, riders are randomly assigned to their horses through a pre-competition drawing, eliminating much of the perceived advantage of the host.

Each meet is divided into two different areas of competition--jumping and "flat" riding--where each individual area consists of different skill levels. A team may enter any number of riders in a skill level but must designate a rider whose points will actually count towards the final team score in the meet.

The jumping portion of the competition is judged by how well a rider and a relatively unfamiliar horse navigates a series of jumps and obstacles in a given time frame. Riders are judged on equitation (how they present themselves on the horse) and on handling skill. Of course, dressage comes into play here as well, although the individual rider ultimately has no control over how well their horse has been trained.

The flat portion of the competition is judged by how well a rider handles a horse in a group situation and at different paces.

Since the team has only club status at Harvard, the riders have to raise their own funds to subsidize transportation costs to the shows, and to also pay for practice facilities and coaching. The team currently practices at a farm in Concord and is coached by Alyce McNeil, an employee of the farm.

Considering both its financial independence and lack of local practice facilities, the team is more than happy with its sixth-place finish out of a field of 12 schools.

The success of the Harvard team this fall is due largely to the fact that this was the first year in recent history that the Crimson was able to field a rider in every skill level.

"Other years we haven't been competitive because we didn't have depth," senior captain Hilary Cloos said.

With a core group of over 30 riders to choose from, the Crimson managed to send an average of 10 riders to each of the four shows, allowing the team to post impressive finishes against better-funded and larger varsity squads.

One rider in particular shined during the season. Senior Sarah Benjes, a member of the team since sophomore year, was the reserve champion high point rider at the show hosted at Dartmouth College. Benjes tied for first place in overall points in both the jumping and flat competition, taking second place in a ride-off.

Such individual success has prompted the Crimson to ponder the possibility of sending riders to the regional championships for the first time in recent years.

With such a promising fall season behind it, the equestrian team looks to practice hard during the winter in preparation for its spring competitions.

And the Harvard equestrian team is about more than just competition.

"We all share the same love of horses," Benjes said.