Chloe Burdette
Sports Editor
At The College of Wooster, club teams are an avenue for students, at whatever grade and experience level, to have the opportunity to explore and play a sport without the potential time commitment of varsity level athletics. Most of these club sports are not offered at the NCAA level, allowing newcomers to try out a new hobby or more experienced athletes to continue their activities at a higher standard.
The equestrian team, created in 2003, is an example of a College of Wooster club sport offered for beginner or advanced athletes. Although the team is not heavily covered in the media, this does not reflect their performance and achievements. Many of the team members have qualified for regional and national competitions.
Carolyn Lee ’19, the equestrian team president, has the club sport to thank for reigniting her passion in horse riding. “For me, I’ve been riding since I was five, but I took some time off of riding during high school. However, when applying to Wooster, I saw they had an equestrian team, and I decided this was the perfect opportunity to get back into riding. I have seen the same trend with many other members of the club. It’s unfortunate that many people do not know we have a team on campus, but there are also people that come to Wooster knowing they want to ride,” Lee stated.
Rider Bryce Knopp ’21 was determined to find a school in her college search that offered the sport. “I have always been passionate about horses so I knew that riding in college was something I wanted to do. I did know that Wooster had an equestrian team; it was actually part of my college search. I wanted to go to a school that fit academically and also had an equestrian team,” Knopp revealed.
For many at the school, equestrian competitions happen without much fanfare. Most probably aren’t aware that the team exists and probably don’t know the fundamentals of the sport. Lee and Knopp explained the basics of the activity here at the College. “There are actually two barns … club members can go to practice depending on whether they choose to ride hunt seat; incorporating jumping, or dressage, which is based on riding patterns,” Knopp said.
More specifically for competitions, Knopp explained that “riders are typically judged on how correct their position is, along with how well they navigate their horse through a hunt seat course or dressage test. In addition, riders are assigned a random horse they have never seen before which adds an extra challenge since horseback riding is very much a partnership.” It is important to note that members do not get to practice or warm up with the same horse that they will ride when competing. Lee explained that the members “just get up and ride.”
On ranking in competitions, judges are very particular. “Riders are awarded ribbons as they are placed first through sixth, with each place earning a set number of points,” said Knopp. “When a rider has earned 36 points, they are allowed to move up to a more advanced division. If riders compete successfully throughout the year, they have the opportunity to advance to regionals, zone finals and nationals. Though riding is judged individually, IHSA [Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association] and IDA [Intercollegiate Dressage Association] are very much a team activity. Every school has a point rider for each division, and only this individual’s points are considered when calculating a team’s results from a show.”
Knopp also explained that the team is extremely lenient and can fit into her academic timetable smoothly. “Equestrian club is not a huge time commitment compared to other sports. We typically meet once or twice a week to practice for about two hours, and though shows take up the majority of the weekend, we only compete about three times a semester.”
The sport is not all about the competition scores, though. “My favorite part of being on the team is meeting people who share a common interest in horses. We all have different experience levels, but we all come together and support each other,” Lee said. “I have made many lifelong friends in this club. It’s also nice to get off campus, relieve some stress and do something that I love.”
The College of Wooster equestrian team has their first hunt seat show at the University of Findlay on Sept. 29 and 30. Show your support, and roll Scots!