University of Massachusetts junior Neha
Deshpande, a member of the Western Equestrian Team, circled the indoor arena at
the Hadley Farm Equine Center on a recent afternoon atop a gleaming
chestnut-colored horse named Chico.
Underneath her black cowboy hat, her
expression was serious: if she placed first or second in her advanced-level
class at the regional qualifying show, she would move on to the semi-finals.
She directed her mount around the outside
of the ring in both directions and at three different speeds, cued by the
announcer, whose instructions bellowed out over the loudspeaker.
Thus far, the regional qualifying show,
held on March 15, had been no different than the several other shows Deshpande
had competed in throughout the semester across Massachusetts and
Connecticut. Members of the Western
Equestrian Team compete in only one class per show where they are judged on
their form and their ability to control their horses. They always wear the same entirely black
outfits, with the exception of burgundy silk scarves around their necks, with
the goal of looking uniform.
But the regional qualifying show would
offer a rather unfamiliar challenge to the competitors. After having circled the arena, the riders
lined up at the end, near the crowd of spectators – friends, family members,
teammates and coaches – that stood on the sidelines, and one by one, rode through
a pattern.
Consisting of a series of circles, figure
eights and sudden turns, the patterns are made clear to the competitors at the
start of the show. Each rider receives a
paper with the pattern on it, although the difficulty of the pattern depends on
the level the rider is competing at.
Large orange cones mark transition points, where the riders must cue
their horses to change speed or direction.
Every competitor is expected to memorize
their pattern. Some of the riders are so
serious, that they can be seen before the start of their class practicing the
pattern on foot in the parking lot, using cones that are just a few inches
tall.
Deshpande had done just that, minus the
cones, and she skillfully directed Chico through the series of twists and
turns. Then she waited anxiously to hear
the judge’s decision.
Finally, the anticipation broke and the
final placing was announced. Cheers from
Deshpande’s coach and teammates echoed around the arena when they heard that
she had placed second and would move on to the semi-finals on March 28-30 at
the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio.
Deshpande was one of three UMass riders
who qualified for the semi-finals, along with open-level rider Emily Messing
and novice-level rider Alissa Baldarelli.
This semester, the team’s roster includes
17 people: two men and 15 women. The
majority of the group participated in local shows, and whether first or last
place, whether at a home show or regionals, the UMass Western Equestrian Team
supports all of its members. It provides
them with an environment conducive to improving their riding ability where they
not only have the opportunity to ride many different horses on a regular basis,
but can find encouragement and helpful advice from their teammates and coach.
Deshpande, who started riding when she was
eight-years-old and has been a UMWET member since her freshman year,
appreciates the opportunities being on the team has given her. In particular, she likes being able “to ride
a variety of different horses, which really helps your overall horsemanship.”
The horse that a given rider will use each
practice is a mystery to them. Coach
Michele Carver, a slim 37-year-old woman who rarely stands still and typically
sports a baseball cap, selects mounts for each person based on the rider’s
experience and whether or not they have ridden the given horse before. Because mounts are picked randomly at the
shows, the riders must be prepared to handle any kind of horse, whether
energetic or lazy, and cannot grow accustomed to regularly riding the same
horses.
Sophomore Katie Flanagan, an animal
science major from Wellfleet, Mass. agrees with Deshpande.
“I like riding a variety of different
horses because it helps you improve as a rider,” Flanagan said. “Also, showing on a horse you have never
ridden is a great way to test your ability.”
Flanagan said she learned about the team
when considering which college to attend.
While on a tour for animal science at UMass, a now former member told
her about the Western Equestrian Team.
UMass was the only university of the ones she was considering attending
that had such a team.
Like Deshpande, Flanagan is a longtime
horse enthusiast. Because her mother had
always had horses, Flanagan started riding when she was three-years-old. She now has a golden brown mare named Daisy,
which she keeps at home in Wellfleet.
Junior Maylin Crouss, a hospitality and
tourism management major from Pelham, Mass., said she wanted to join the team
because she was a member of 4H when she was younger and used to love competing
with the 4H team in horse shows.
“I also am always looking for new
techniques to use with my own horses,” Crouss added.
Senior Caroline Eng, an animal science
major from Westhampton, N.Y., said she only heard about the team last year from
a friend who was a member. She was
interested in joining because she was familiar with riding but missed having
the opportunity to ride during the school year.
She explained that riding is one of the ways she’s able to stay active.
Eng also commented on the team’s spirit,
adding that she loves “how nice and easy going everybody is and how everyone
helps each other out.” This helpfulness
can take many forms, whether it be giving each other pointers on how to handle
a horse or doing each other’s hair in preparation for a show.
The shows, at all levels, are organized
through the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. According to the IHSA website, www.ihsainc.com, almost 400 colleges
throughout the United States and Canada are IHSA members, sending more than 9,000
riders to competitions.
The UMass Western Equestrian Team
regularly competes against Mount Holyoke College out of South Hadley, Mass., Sacred
Heart University out of Fairfield, Conn. and the University of Connecticut out
of Mansfield, Conn. The schools are
qualified under IHSA as competing in Region 1.5, Zone 3, according to UMWET
President Emily Messing.
There are six divisions at which riders
can compete, ranging in difficulty: beginner, intermediate, novice, advanced,
open and open reining.
To prepare for shows, UMWET practices once
a week in groups of five or six under Coach Carver. Two groups ride Tuesday evening and a third
group rides Friday afternoons.
Practice is held at the Hadley Farm in two
hour intervals. However because the
riders must groom and tack up their horses before practice, they only spend
about an hour to an hour and a half of that time riding.
Members of UMWET are also required to
travel to Carver’s personal stable in Broad Brook, Conn. once a month for a
private lesson.
The Hadley Farm also is the home of two
other riding teams: the UMass Equestrian Team and the UMass Dressage Team. They ride and show separately from the UMWET
because they specialize in different disciplines.
Whereas UMWET uses Western equipment, like
what is used on the horses in old Western films featuring cowboys like John
Wayne, the other two teams use English equipment which is usually lighter and
less bulky.
When the Equestrian Team shows, they participate
in classes similar to that of the Western Equestrian Team, where they are
judged on their form and their ability to handle the horses. However, the style of their disciple calls
for them to encourage their horses to go slightly faster at each gait and they
must position themselves differently in the saddle. The riders on the Equestrian Team also guide
their horses over jumps.
The Dressage Team guides their mounts
through intricate patterns, which they must have memorized, using large black
letters located on the sides of the arena to pinpoint exactly where in the
arena they should be. Each member on the
team rides separately in front of the judge, saluting him or her before and
after their ride, which lasts about three to four minutes.
Although the three teams practice different
riding styles, they frequently help each other out. When one team hosts a home show at the Hadley
Farm, members of the other two teams will volunteer to help clean the barn or
hold horses at ringside throughout the day.
Because the upkeep of horses is costly,
Hadley Farm requires that each member of UMWET pay $200 at the start of each
semester to help fund the facility.
In addition, Carver receives $25 per
lesson from each member in exchange for her instruction. This $25 fee carries over to horse shows as
well, where Carver advises her students from the sidelines. A $36 entrance fee is required from each
competitor in order for them to participate in a show.
On an organizational level, UMWET functions
similarly to many other campus teams and clubs with a president/captain, a
vice-president/co-captain, a treasurer and a secretary. This year, Deshpande holds the position of
secretary and Messing, a senior, is president.
Senior Katie Rinaldi is vice-president and senior Alex Raftopoulos is
treasurer.
According to the team officers, there is a
possibility that the team will relocate from the Hadley Farm in the upcoming
semester.
Such a change wouldn’t be new to
UMWET. Founded in 2008, UMWET originally
practiced at the Crimson Acres Equestrian Center in Orange, Mass. In 2011, they made the transition to the
Hadley Farm, according to Messing.
The team will most likely begin holding
all of their practice sessions at Carver’s facility. Though it is a lengthy drive from campus, it
would save the team money compared to practicing at the Hadley Farm.
After this semester, five senior team
members will graduate, leaving several open positions. According to Deshpande, who has already been
voted in as next year’s president, anyone who is interested in trying out for
the team should like the UMass Western Equestrian Team page on Facebook. Deshpande says information about tryouts will
be posted on the page early next semester.
By Shelby Ashline
