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Show-ring success spurs Red Devil riders to increased membership and ambition

by Lauren Davidson

Imagine mounting a 1,000-pound thoroughbred, adjusting the reins and guiding the horse into a ring to compete. You feel the pressure of the competition, the eyes of the crowd, the surge of adrenaline. But there鈥檚 another factor jangling your nerves鈥攜ou鈥檝e never seen, much less ridden, this horse before.

It鈥檚 akin to a varsity baseball player donning someone else鈥檚 glove or swinging a strange bat at every game, or a tennis player wielding a foreign racket during a match. Each sport has tools that are part of an athlete鈥檚 repertoire and enhance his or her abilities. But for riders in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), the horse they will ride in any given competition is determined by luck of the draw.

Well-seasoned riders

Competing in the equestrian arena requires physical strength and athleticism, financial means and an emotional bond between horse and rider. It also appears to be an affinity acquired at a young age, at least for the 33 members of Dickinson鈥檚 Equestrian Team, a subset of the Equestrian Club. Becca Fine 鈥�13 started at 9; Kim Spackman 鈥�11 at 8; Liz Mudge 鈥�14 at 6. Christina Wolf 鈥�13 recalls being first 鈥渢ossed up onto a horse by my aunt when I was 3.鈥�

Those early experiences led to a lifelong love of being in the saddle, and many of the team鈥檚 members came to Dickinson with years of experience and competition under their stirrups. They also narrowed their college searches to schools with equestrian teams.

鈥淚 had to have riding,鈥� says Spackman, a history major and central-Pennsylvania native. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 an option. I also wanted strong academics and study abroad. My mom is a Dickinson alumna, and she said, 鈥楧ickinson has everything you want.鈥� She was right.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檝e been exposed to the professional side of competitive riding, and that鈥檚 not really something I want to go into,鈥� says Grace Glover 鈥�14 from Fairfield, Va., who finished high school a year early and spent what would have been her senior year competing at the national level. She qualified for nationals and competed last fall, placing fifth out of 250. 鈥淪ome of my peers went to schools with NCAA teams, but academics are my first priority.鈥�

Fierce competition

Dickinson鈥檚 Equestrian Team competes in Zone 3, Region 1 of the IHSA, which means it contends with Bucknell, Penn State, Millersville and Susquehanna universities and Gettysburg, Juniata, Lebanon Valley, Wilson and York colleges.

鈥淚n a regular show, you use your own horse and it鈥檚 all individual,鈥� explains Wolf, an art & art history major from Mount Wolf, Pa. 鈥淚n intercollegiate, the host school provides the horses, and it鈥檚 basically drawn from a hat. There are more advanced horses and less advanced horses, but it is judged completely on the rider.鈥�

Before each show, the coach selects a point rider in each class (e.g., over fences or on flat ground, open or novice). The other riders can participate, but their points only count toward their individual accumulation and not toward the team鈥檚 total. At the end of each competition, the judges name a champion and reserve high-point team and a champion and reserve high-point rider.

While Penn State has a tendency to dominate the region due to size and funding, 鈥淭he Dickinson team has been growing each year not just in numbers but in terms of competing better within our region,鈥� according to Spackman.

In fact, this has been a banner season for Dickinson, which has had an Equestrian Club for about 30 years. For the first time in its history, the team placed second (reserve high-point team) in the region, behind Penn State.

Two riders competed in the IHSA National Finals May 5 in Lexington, Ky.鈥擬ary McClintock 鈥�11 from West Bath, Maine, earned seventh place in novice over fences, and Spackman earned sixth in novice on the flat.

Unbreakable bonds

While the success is celebrated, the women are equally excited about the atmosphere and camaraderie the team cultivates.

鈥淗orseback riding in general is just you and the horse,鈥� says Mudge from Nashua, N.H. 鈥淪ure, there are people who help you, like coaches and trainers, but on a team like this, you鈥檙e all helping each other.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a wonderful group of girls,鈥� Spackman adds. 鈥淲e have such different backgrounds鈥攁 lot have grown up riding, some have Western backgrounds, some have never ridden before. But there鈥檚 such a good sense of team spirit.鈥�

鈥淚 remember meeting some of the girls at the activities fair [as a first-year],鈥� says Wolf. 鈥淚 saw how tight-knit they were, like a family. At first I was nervous鈥� would they accept me into their group? After the first horse show, we were united. We鈥檙e all there cheering, helping each other鈥攊t鈥檚 a great bonding experience.鈥�

A key factor in that bond is Coach Lindsay Vulich, a trainer at Outlaw Stables in New Bloomfield, 40 minutes from campus, where the team practices. Vulich has been coaching the Dickinson riders since 2004.

鈥淪he鈥檚 interested in us not only as athletes but personally as well,鈥� says Wolf. 鈥淪he鈥檚 very patient, fair and level-headed, which makes her a great role model for all of us girls. And she has a rule about no cattiness.鈥�
Glover, who worked with several top coaches before Dickinson鈥檚, agrees and adds, 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to know that our coach just wants us to enjoy ourselves. Obviously, success is great, but she understands the pressures of school, of other things in life.鈥�

Whether she鈥檚 shouting encouragement from the center of the ring during lessons or cheering from the sidelines during competition, Vulich鈥檚 passion is evident. 鈥淚 want the very best for the club,鈥� she says. 鈥淪ome teams are cutthroat; some are all fun and games. I think it鈥檚 important to balance being competitive and having fun.鈥�

Overcoming hurdles

The combination of regional success and a strong team dynamic raises questions of what鈥檚 ahead. As one of more than 130 clubs at Dickinson, the Equestrian Club receives limited funding from Student Senate. The women handle their transportation to and from events and practices and purchase and maintain their own tack. Several brought their horses from home to Outlaw Stable.

Being a club also means it鈥檚 open to everyone (including men, although none are on the current roster), and according to Fine, a policy-management major from Medina, Wash., 鈥渢here has been a sudden influx in interest from freshmen. The club had fewer than 20 members last year, and we have more than 35 now. The first-year class almost doubled our size.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 a tour guide, and many prospective students ask about the equestrian program,鈥� Wolf says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a real draw for Dickinson, but we need to get the word out more. Since we鈥檙e not on campus, people don鈥檛 witness us competing. If we were a varsity sport, it would legitimize what we do.鈥�

Spackman agrees, stating, 鈥淧rospective students are looking at Dickinson because it鈥檚 a good school with a good reputation but also because we have a good equestrian program. We鈥檙e doing well with what we have, but we feel worthy of more.鈥�

Jessica Wahman, advisor to the club and associate professor of philosophy, has seen the growth as well. 鈥淭hese students are so dedicated and motivated, more active on campus and in recruiting and getting more competitive in the region,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e got something to keep an eye on!鈥�

Published July 1, 2011