1) What does the Equestrian Team offer students? Riding experience?
The equestrian team offers students that have had experience previously or not to ride in college and the really cool thing about college riding is that you don’t need your own horse. It’s all done thorough school horses and when we go to horse shows, we just ride the horses that the barn has. It also gives students the chance to get off campus twice a week and bond with girls of all years and ages on the team, so it’s a good way to share your love of horses, how to take care of a horse, etc. We ride at Oak Meadow Farm in East Windsor CT, Trainer is Amy Kriwitsky, and does team lessons. A few girls moved from one barn to Oak Meadow and now with the help of Amy, we’ve really helped to grow the team and give us a stronger presence in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) in our zone and our region. There’s a ton of levels at the shows so there’s really something for everyone to participate in from walk trot to open to even dressage.
2) Are you in a division? How does competition work?
So even though Trinity is technically a club, we still compete against varsity teams. The only difference is the funding. But club versus varsity doesn’t mean anything in competition world. We’re in zone one, region five. Nationals which are going to be in Kentucky this year, so we’ll compete against Stanford, Skidmore…pretty much any school that has an equestrian team and is a part of IHSA.
3) How long have you been riding? Why do you like riding?
I’ve been riding since I was four years old. I started riding when I moved to London because my friend asked me to ride with her and my parents though it would be a one time thing and it turned into a lifelong thing. I like riding because every place I’ve moved, I have been able to ride and there’s always a really strong community. I’m still friends with a lot of the girls I’ve met throughout the years. It’s also so much fun to take care of an animal and having a love them and know that they love you back….And competing and doing well. There’s so much satisfaction when you complete a clear course and potentially win your class. And I currently have my own horse Truffle, who’s the cutest little munchkin ever.
4) How are you hoping to build up the presence of the Equestrian Team at school?
So this is a really big thing that over the summer my co-captain Cayley Moynihan and I have talked about. We’ve gotten in contact with the freshman page and created a Facebook page to upload photos from all the horse shows so people can see what we do, as well as just talking about it. We’ve increased the amount of gear we have that says Trinity College Equestrian Team and just really through social media and through publications like the Tripod and Her Campus just increasing the name and what we do and that Trinity actually has a competing equestrian team that does really well every year.
5) What is something people would be surprised to know about riding?
It’s actually a lot harder than it seems from the ground. A lot of times people tell us that you just sit there and the horse does all the work for you but i can promise you after all my lessons I’m sweating and I’ve worked out hard and it keeps me in shape. It’s not a sport that you can just sit there and let the time go by. You’re constantly doing things and you’re communicating with another animal that has a brain of its own and doesn’t always do what you want it to do. Riding is also a lot more accessible than people think, it’s not just an elite sport, but there’s ways like through IHSA that you can ride and compete. There’s also a great legacy of horseback riders- Reed Kessler, Beezie Madden, Jackie O, the Queen of England rides sometimes. It really is so fun and you don’t need a lot of money to get on a horse and ride.
6) Anything else you’d like to add?
We have horse shows almost every Saturday that might seem long and take time from our schedule but they’re actually really fun. We bond a lot because sometimes it’s like negative seven degrees at these shows so we’re all piled on top of each other in blankets and sweatshirts, and then when you have to take them off to wear specific show clothes it’s freezing but we always have a laugh. I encourage anyone who is interested in riding or already rides to come out and join the team because we have a lot of fun. It’s nice to support Trinity by doing something you love.