For a long time, equestrians have insisted that they are indeed athletes. For many students at colleges and universities, even middle and high schools, horseback riding is now considered a sport, and young equestrians throughout Maryland considered star athletes, as the 2006-2007 season proves!

Goucher Goes National
No surprise here, as the Goucher Gophers Equestrian Team were the highest placed Maryland Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) team again this season. Not only that, but Goucher finished first place in their Region, besting last year’s champs, Mary Washington University (Fredericksburg, VA) by a strong 15 points.

Other Maryland schools faired well in the IHSA also. The University of Maryland finished in third, George Mason University (Washington, D.C.) finished sixth, St. Mary’s College was just one point behind in seventh, Mount St. Mary’s University was eighth, Hood College earned tenth place, while American University (D.C.), George Washington University (D.C.) and the United States Naval Academy finished eleventh through thirteenth, respectively.

Washington College, the only Maryland school outside of Zone 4, Region 1, finished eleventh in the huntseat competition for their region, but had greater success in western horsemanship, finishing strong fourth. In the Western standings back in Zone 4, Region 1, University of Maryland dominated once again this year, finishing 60 points above second placed American University.

Individually, Goucher College again had one of the strongest riders in the Open division. Brittany Martin fi nished in second place in the Open standings for the year, earning the runner-up position for the Cacchione Cup. Martin is a college Junior from Ocean City, Maryland.

This year marked the fi rst year that Goucher qualifi ed as a team for the IHSA Nationals. The team earned this honor by fi nishing second, besting Hollins University, at the Zone Finals. Goucher, as well as the other Maryland schools in its region, are known for being a part of arguably the most competitive IHSA zone in the country.

Two of Goucher’s riders also qualifi ed individually for IHSA Nationals, and they are both hometown Marylanders! Sophomore
Julie Fink, a Garrison Forest School graduate who hails from Baltimore, competed at IHSA Nationals in Open Equitation Over Fences. Meridith Hurd, a Goucher senior from Sykesville, also qualified individually in the Walk-Trot-Canter division.

Competition at Nationals was tough, as to be expected, but a few talented young riders came home to Maryland with ribbons. Goucher College’s Jonathan Cohen fi nished sixth in Open Flat (Team). In the Alumni division, St. Mary’s College graduate Diane Zrimsek earned eighth place in her over fences class. But above the ribbons, the experience was one that riders were sure to remember. This year marked the 40th anniversary of the IHSA. While this alone was enough to make it a special occasion, 2007 was also the fi rst year ever that the Goucher College team earned its way to Nationals, and with this, was qualified to bring a rider for each of the classes offered.

“The students were nervous, but that was to be expected,” said longtime Goucher coach, Patte Zumbrun, who was pleased
with her team’s eleventh place finish, out of the seventeen teams present at Nationals. “I felt like we belonged and deserved to be there,” said Zumbrun. The Goucher coach was also touched by the cohesiveness of her team, and even the zone. “It was so nice, our zone sat together and all rooted for each other,” said Zumbrun.

Graduating senior, Meridith Hurd, agreed. “Our team is a very close team,” Hurd said, “so that made the trip worth it – knowing that no matter what happened [at Nationals], they would support me.” Hurd was also lucky enough to have her parents there to support her. They traveled from their home in Sykesville to Massachusetts for the IHSA Nationals. Hurd was pleased with how she rode, and earned an honorable mention in the Advanced Walk/ Trot/Canter division.

“With going to Nationals, and being a Senior,” said Hurd, “that as the best way to fi nish out the year.” Hurd remained humble
throughout the experience, however, pointing out that her National qualification was “a complete surprise” to her.

Another Marylander, Nora Crist, traveled to IHSA Nationals to represent her school, Centenary College (Hackettstown, NJ). Nora took home the blue ribbon in Intermediate Equitation Over Fences (Team). Centenary coach Andrea Wells praised Crist, saying that the young rider “has a wonderful work ethic and is very dedicated. We are all very proud of her success at this year’s Nationals. Great kid!” Crist still has two years left in the IHSA, as she just completed her sophomore year at Cenetenary.

Interscholastic Equestrians Travel to Ohio
Th e Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) functions much like the IHSA in its structure and rules. Like the IHSA, riders in the IEA do not ride their own horses. Unlike the IHSA, the IEA is for middle and high school students.

This year, the 2007 IEA Nationals brought Maryland schools Garrison Forest and Oldfields to Lake Erie College in Ohio for stiff competition against young riders across the U.S.

Garrison Forest finished as Reserve Champion IEA team. Team members also fared well individually: Jackie Smith was third in Junior Varsity (JV) Novice Over Fences, Jennifer Naylor was fifth in Varsity Open Flat, Emily Randolph was second in Varsity Intermediate Flat, and Braelinn Frank was second in JV Beginner Flat.

Oldfields also finished strongly. Besides earning several impressive scholarships (see Junior News), the JV Beginner Flat class was won by Oldfields’ own, Jin Yoon. Lauren Simmons rode away with a pair of seventh place IEA National ribbons: one for her Varsity Open Over Fences trip, and another in Varsity Open Flat.

Inter-School Series’ Season
The Inter-School Series teams vary greatly – some schools bring just one rider, while others have a full team. But all are welcome,
regardless of the team size, and have the option to either bring their own horse, or “rent” a horse from the hosting school for the day.

Devereaux Raskauskas, founder of the Inter-School Horse Show Series, said that the shows have grown enormously since she first
started them, twelve years ago. Raskauskas compared on the first Interschool show (20 riders from a total of four schools and just two shows per season) to today, where the series averages approximately 150 riders per show, now held monthly September
through May. Still, Raskauskas marvels at how the series still maintains its “small” show feel. “I really stress the sportsmanship,” said Raskauskas. “The team spirit is a wonderful thing to witness. Parents are cheering for everyone. It’s very encouraging to riders who are nervous.”

Furthermore, the Interschool Series prove that horseback riding isn’t an elitist sport – something Raskauskas was careful to address when forming the shows. With the first shows, held at Potomac Horse Center, Raskauskas made sure that there were enough horses for riders who did not have their own. Today, both Oatlands and Nothing Fancy Farm, the two main hosts of Inter-School shows, offer horses for young riders to “lease” for the day’s competition. Such facilities must have 26-30 capable horses for the show, and must be able to set aside a day for the show. For this reason, Raskauskas says that it is difficult to find barns that are willing to participate in Interschool shows, and she is thankful for the ones that she has.

“My only regret is that it [the Interschool Series] is growing so much that I don’t have enough facilities to accommodate it,” said Raskauskas, who then reflected, “ I guess that’s not such a bad thing.”

This year, the Barrie School (Silver Spring) finished as the Interschool Series champions, while Holton Arms (Bethesda) earned the reserve position. Other schools that finished with high point tallies include Academy of the Holy Cross (Kensington), North Bethesda, Glenelg, South River (Edgewater), and Richard Montgomery (Rockville).

In addition to the team competitions, the ISHS offers prizes for top-riding individuals; after all, they aim to be a series of shows for riders from all schools, regardless of team size. The series also holds a High School Medal class, and offers a yearly Sportsmanship award.

Elsewhere, at Horsey Schools...
The Butler School (Darnestown), as well as McDonogh School (Owings Mills), and St. Timothy’s School (Stevenson) also had successful show seasons. Though these schools do not compete as part of the Inter-School or Interscholastic Equestrian Association show programs, they are schools that offer in-depth riding programs and competed successfully this past year. The Butler School focuses more on balanced seat and dressage riding, versus the hunt seat focus of the aforementioned show programs. Coach Lynn Woods says that riders in this year’s program finished second in a 2nd Level Young Rider Dressage test, and fourth and seventh place finishes at Difficult Run.

Looking To Next Year
No doubt, Maryland schools had a fantastic 2006-2007 season. So how does next year look? Goucher’s coach, Zumbrun, said, “We will have another strong team next year.” While most coaches and students preferred to bask in the success of their just-finished show years, all anticipated that next year will be another great one. So, no pressure kids, but you better spend your summer vacations practicing!