Liz Perry ’04 and her horse have jumped to horseback riding competitions on a national level in the past couple of weeks.
Perry is one of the captains, along with Meredith Pensak ’04, of Wesleyan’s 16 year-old English-style Hunting Seat riding team.
Funded by the WSA, the Wesleyan Equestrian team is a non-varsity sport and a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). Participation in the IHSA allows members of Wesleyan’s team to compete with students from other colleges in regional, zonal and national competitions, as well as horse shows.
Perry accumulated enough points at qualifying competitions to enter the regional show where she won first place on April 3. From there, she advanced to the zonal competition where she won second place on April 10. Now, Perry is set to compete in the national horse show, a tremendous accomplishment as she will be the first member of the Wesleyan Equestrian team to have gone this far in the IHSA competitions. The national tournament will be held at Middle Tennessee State University, outside of Nashville, May 6 through 9.
“It actually feels strange to be getting recognition for riding because I never really consider [riding] to be one of my talents,” Perry said. “It’s a skill that I have to work hard at and has always been a humbling experience for me. I admire so much the people who devote their lives and excel in their horsemanship, so it’s exciting for me to become a part of that group.”
Unlike many of its regional competitor schools (including Brown, Conn College, Uconn, University of Rhode Island and Trinity) the Wesleyan Equestrian team does not have a school coach or its own farm, like Uconn does. For this reason, Perry’s ascent to the national competition is that much more impressive.
The Equestrian team counts about 30 students as consistent riders; however, not all of them compete in the IHSA shows throughout the year. Every participating IHSA college must host a show once each semester, since horse-riding is an all-season sport; Wesleyan hosts its horse shows at the Windcrest Farm where they go to practice.
As the college teams compete, every rider also competes as an individual and can accrue points at competitions.
“It’s sort of like gymnastics,” Rachel Adler ’04 said. “Each gymnast competes for herself but at the end their points are pooled together for their country.”
It seems that the team is moving on a very positive track this year.
“I think [the team] is fantastic,” said Ariana Mufson ’03 a five-year veteran of the Equestrian team who is now studying at Wesleyan as a Ford Fellow in the Creative Writing Program. “Liz and Meredith have really rejuvenated the team, they are organized and they welcome all levels of riders. Even though Liz is only a sophomore, she brings a huge presence.”
Every Friday, members of the Equestrian team practice at the Windcrest Farm in Hebron, Conn., a 30 minute drive from Wesleyan. Because of the varying skill levels among team members, the riders are divided into one-hour, instructor-led group lessons based on their ability. The riders receive a discounted rate of $23.50 an hour per person.
“It’s really an expensive sport, so students have to pay,” said Adler. “But the WSA tries to support us so that all students who are unable to pay can still ride.”
To receive more information on the Equestrian team, contact either of the co-captains, Meredith Pensak or Liz Perry.