Yale rides to the top at home

Judging from the chaotic scene at the Westbrook Hunt Club in Westbrook, Conn. last Sun., Feb 25, it may be hard to believe that the Yale equestrian team's first home meet in over two years was, in the eyes of the team's riders, something of an oasis of normalcy. One hundred and 50 riders on 25 horses hurried in and out of the cramped ring for their two minutes in the spotlight, but, after all the galloping had faded into a canter, two key events had taken place.

COURTESY YALE EQUESTRIAN TEAM

First of all, the team won, and quite convincingly at that. Besting a field of 10 schools, the Elis easily claimed the high-point team award, racking up 43 of a possible 49 points—a full seven points more than their closest competitor, SUNY Stony Brook. Yale won 10 individual classes, qualified two new riders for regional finals, and ended the day with two of its members tied for high-point rider of the day at 14 apiece. (In equestrian competetion, a team wins points through its individual riders' finishes at each level of competition, with a win in the Novice class garnering as many points as a win in the Open, or most experienced, class. And within each class, there are multiple sections depending on the number of riders entered in the show. Accordingly, a successful team must emphasize depth at each level.)

At the Open level, standout Vanessa Haas, ES '04, an experienced Grand Prix rider, notched 14 points for the team by managing to win both the fences and flat classes. The Open classes show first, so Haas' performance started Yale's day out on a solid note.

REBECCA ROSENTHAL/YH Equestrian team show manager Margot Sanger-Katz, BR '02, cleared the jumps with ease on her way to a first place finish in her Open class.

However, Haas was not the only Open rider to compete successfully. Yale riders practically swept the division with Whitney May, ES '04, winning her section over fences and placing second on the flat. Captain Elizabeth Sheehan, CC '02, and show manager Margot Sanger-Katz, BR '02, also won Open sections on the flat. These multiple early wins set the pace for the show and effectively blocked competing teams from staying in contention.

As the day wore on, more of Yale's pointed (or less experienced) riders followed through with impressive point-garnering victories of their own. Kumi Smith, PC '03, claimed victory in Intermediate Fences, and Laura McCargar, PC '02, dominated in the Novice Fences class. McCargar went on to win her Novice Flat class as well, tying her with Haas for high-point rider. Team Secretary Aaron Modiano, PC '03, the team's lone male participant, was able to put another seven points on the Yale score card with his win in the Walk Trot Canter division. The second place finish of Walk Trot rider Paulina Grossman, BK '01, secured the team's victory. "Everyone rode their best," Sanger-Katz commented. "It was exciting to see everyone do so well at our own show."

Because of their impressive performances, two individual riders cemented their bids to regional finals at the begining of April. Team President Elaine Whitton, DC '02, qualified in Novice Flat, while Modiano qualified himself in Walk Trot Canter. At regionals, these two will join Elizabeth Livingston, BR '01, Smith, and Leah Sartorius, ES '02, who had previously qualified. Sanger-Katz's and Sheehan's strong performances also moved them up to third and fifth places in the region's year-long Cacchione competition, the winner of which will be invited to nationals to compete in intercollegiate riding's most prestigious event. Sheehan summarized the team's successes. "This win indicates just how far the team has come in the last few years; our membership has tripled and our skill level and competitiveness have increased enormously," she said.

While the team and individual victories were sweet, the team perhaps took even more pride in hosting a well-attended event that ran without glitches. Since the team has had to hop from barn to barn over the last two years, Sunday marked the first time in three years that Yale has hosted a show alone (and, coincidentally, the first in two years that the Elis could claim an all-out victory).

The team has indeed struggled over the past few years to define itself and its relationship with the University, resulting in its first move in 1998. Following a huge growth, the team was forced to move the majority of riders away from the Yale-owned Polo and Equestrian Center, which could no longer accommodate the team's expanded needs.

After a successful 1998-1999 season, which landed the team in third place in the region, the Yale team submitted a petition to the athletic administration requesting a change to varsity status, as well as a separate proposal requesting a rehabilitation of the aging Polo and Equestrian Center. The team believed that the Yale-owned barn, which has not undergone significant renovation since the early '20s, posed a danger to the horses, who were injuring their feet on the unstable footing. The polo team continues to practice at the barn since polo does not require such intense footwork on the part of the horses, but the quick jumps and wear and tear of equestrian riding prove harder on the horses. The equestrian team also noted that Yale's horses themselves were of a slightly sub-par quality. The team's two petitions are currently under consideration—the University has secured the services of an architect to draw up plans for possible renovation of the barn.

But in the meantime, the team has contented itself with bouncing from barn to barn in search of better conditions. First, team found that its practice base of Lion Hills could not accommodate its needs, so this season it has been splitting its practices between Westbrook Hunt Club (the show site) and River's Edge Farm in Bethany. "Although the difficulty of finding a home barn this year almost prevented us from hosting a show at all, the team really came together in the last couple of weeks to make it happen in spectacular style," Sheehan said. "We were thrilled with the show and with the win."

"We have two remaining regular season competitions before the regional finals on [Sun.,] Apr. 1," Sanger-Katz explained. "This win was important because it proved the team could overcome our facility problems, and now we just have to keep things going the way they are and see if we can send some riders to nationals."

Back to Sports...