By Heather Fabritze
Student Life Editor
Washington College’s English Equestrian Team competed in their third event of the season on Sunday, taking home a total of eleven individual ribbons and the Reserve High Point Team ribbon from their University of Delaware show in Townsend, Del.
The riders traveled to C-Line Stables on Sunday, March 5 to compete under the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association, of which WC’s English and Western Teams are members. Each team competes in around 10 shows a year.
The University of Delaware’s event consisted of English teams competing at six experience levels: introductory, novice A and B, limit, intermediate, open, and alumni. Riders fill out a questionnaire to determine which classes they will compete in.
English Team Co-Captain junior Riley Murray said that equestrian is one of the best collegiate sports to get involved in due to the flexibility of its experience levels.
“A big difference between equestrian and other sports is that we love beginners, because we have three different levels that are perfect for beginners,” Murray said.
Freshman Hayley Covington won a third place ribbon in the Introductory Equitation class. Junior Mirabelle White took second place, pointing up into the pre-Novice category and qualifying for IHSA Zone 3 Region 5 Regionals.
WC riders also compete in two Novice Equitation classes. Sophomore Emi Bernstein earned reserve in the standard category and Editor-in-Chief of The Elm senior Emma Reilly, a pre-Novice rider, won the fifth place ribbon. Junior Grace Paquin took sixth in the advanced Novice Equitation class.
Murray competed in both the middle and high school equivalents of IHSA. She took first place in Limit Equitation Over Fences first in Limit Equitation on the Flat. She also earned High Point Rider for the day and qualified for Regionals.
English Team Co-Captain and Equestrian Club President senior Leann Standridge placed fifth in Intermediate Equitation Over Fences and third in Open Equitation on the Flat, the highest class of the show.
Equestrian Club Vice President senior Jodi Eren won the fourth place ribbon for Open Equitation on the Flat and placed second in Open Equitation over Fences.
According to Eren, she was happy with the results of her final show before graduation, as she had not placed second in an over fences class since last year.
It was senior day for the teams three seniors, Eren, Standridge, and Reilly. The team presented each with a celebratory gift.
“It’s sad, especially because I got really close with the team,” Eren said. “I don’t want to leave. But eventually, maybe I’ll coach it, later on. And then they gave me a sign and flyers, and that just made it worse.”
The team, which Eren said is close-knit, took home the Reserve High Point Team ribbon for the second time this season.
The team’s Reserve High Point win at Temple University’s horse show was the first time the team won the title in 11 years, according to Standridge.
In addition to this historic victory, Reilly pointed up into the pre-Novice category and qualified for regionals at the Temple show.
The Equestrian Team will compete in IHSA Region 5 Regionals on Saturday, March 25 in Chadds Ford, Pa. against the Salisbury University, Temple University, University of Delaware, University of Pennsylvania, Stockton University, and Villanova University riders who qualified.
Photo Courtesy of WC Equestrian Team
Photo Caption: The 2022-2023 Washington College equestrian team at the University of Delaware’s horse show with their ribbons.