The Lafayette equestrian team placed first out of 10 teams this past Sunday at its semester-opening show. Two Lafayette riders tied for Reserve High Point Rider of the day.
The team recently moved to a new barn where Lafayette can host shows from. Coach Kelly Poff said that the amenities at this location are better and gives the team a home-field advantage of sorts.
“We finished first, which I feel will clinch the region for us,” Poff said. “We were already ahead in the region [before this show] by thirty points. We had a pretty high score yesterday, so I don’t think anyone can touch us.”
The team had been riding since getting back to campus after winter break, getting back into shape and working on drills and jumps.
“They’ve been working very hard because they really did want to do well,” Poff said of the team.
In pre-novice flat, sophomore Shreya Suresh placed first and freshman Angela Tsai got third. Sophomore Harriet Albright finished second in novice flat, and classmate Emma Sylvester was fourth.
Freshman Lily Bentley finished second in introductory flat. In limit flat, junior Anna Paulsen was third and freshman Connor Wood was fourth.
Sophomore Zoe Meyer was fourth in open fences, and Connor Wood was fifth in limit fences.
Junior Grace McEneaney finished first in open fences and third in open flat. Sophomore Kristina Torkelsen finished first in limit fences and third in limit flat.
Both McEneaney and Torkelsen were involved in a three-way tie for Reserve High Point Rider, which was ultimately won by McEneaney. To decide the tie-breaker, the riders were asked about rules of the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association as well as facts about horses, including things like horse illnesses. Sigmond-Warner said that the judges were looking for the competitors to answer the questions confidently and without hesitation.
McEneaney could be eligible for the Cacchione Cup, which involves being the top rider in both open flat and open fences combined in your region. At the end of the season, the rider with the most combined points is eligible to compete in this prestigious class in a qualifier at zones to potentially win the Cup at nationals.
“Right now [McEneaney] is looking really promising for that … She has right now the top combined points of the riders in the top division in our region, and she looks likely to make it to the qualifying cup,” Sigmond-Warner said.
Coming up, the team will close out the regular season with a doubleheader on the weekend of March 24.
Later on this season, individuals who qualify will attend the regional competition. Based on the team’s current standings in the region, it is likely that members will be going to the zone competitions at Centenary College. If they do well there, they will have the opportunity to attend nationals in Kentucky.
“Everybody’s been working really hard, so we’re hoping to send some individuals to Nationals – if not, our team as well,” Sigmond-Warner said.
Poff said that the team will be working on the basics as well as learning how to ride different types of horses.
“We pray for good horse draws because they’re getting on horses they’ve never ridden. They’re fortunate they have several different types of horses they can practice on to prepare them for their competitions,” Poff said.
“They’ve had a really good year, they’ve got a phenomenal board of kids that are putting things together,” Poff said. “Maggie [Sigmond-Warner] is amazing and irreplaceable.”
