The varsity equestrian team rode to a second place finish with 35 points Saturday at the University of Rhode Island Show — their sixth of the season.
Mystic Valley Hunt Club in Gales Ferry, Conn., hosted Brown and 10 other teams. Bruno came into the weekend after a fifth-place finish the previous weekend at the University of Massachussetts - Dartmouth Invitational.
Co-captain Meg Hassan ’15 said the team “ended really strong” Saturday and added that there were a lot of “solid rides.”
The team showed with 22 girls Saturday. Co-captain Amanda Picciotto ’15 said those chosen to show are picked based on “riding ability and also how many individual points they have accumulated.”
Co-captain Charlotte McGoldrick ’14 said a critical part of Saturday’s strong finish was the great showings of the non-pointed riders. In every competition, one team member is “pointed” in each category before the horses are drawn, and only this person’s finish will count for team points. Good showings by non-pointed riders help block other teams from earning high scores.
After finishing six competitions, Picciotto characterized this season so far as very “touch and go.” Hassan also said this year has had “a lot of ups and downs.”
But the team “was a lot better than we have been,” McGoldrick said. The competition next weekend will also be at Mystic Valley Hunt Club, which Hassan said is a huge advantage.
Brown will now have experience with those horses, creating a sort of “home-field advantage” for this coming weekend, Hassan said.
McGoldrick said she is “confident about the next show.”
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