The equestrian team made a strong return to competition in its first show since winter break, coming in second place at UConn on Saturday. The Bears nearly knocked off the Huskies, missing out on a first place finish by only two points, with a score of 37-35.
"We did very well," said Dakota Gruener '11. "We would have loved to have won, but it is always tough to win against the host team because they're familiar with the horses, so for us to have come so close to beating UConn was great."
While playing on the road is certainly hard for any athletic team, it is especially difficult for the equestrian team because the host school provides the horses. The visiting riders are given horses that they are unfamiliar with, and must compete without any chance to practice or get comfortable with the horses.
"It was tough for us to go to UConn for our first show back from break because UConn has some really funky horses," Gruener said. "We had to figure them out and we did a good job of it overall."
The Bears came into the show as the Region 1 leaders, but their early season lead in the standings has been diminishing since Thanksgiving, so it was important for the team to have a strong showing to open the spring season. Bruno's point riders - the riders selected before the competition to count towards the teams score - got off to a slow start, as Open and Intermediate Flat competitors Whitney Keefe '08 and Emma Bogdonoff '10 both finished in fourth place. But Brown bounced back after a strong performance by Rachel Griffith '10, who took first place in Novice Flat. She also pointed out, qualifying her for regionals.
In Walk Trot Canter, Katie Eng '11 finished in fourth place, but when Kona Shen '10 took the blue ribbon in Walk Trot, the Bears regained momentum. Keefe followed with a second place finish in Open Fences, and then Bogdonoff stepped up to take first place in Intermediate Fences, pulling the Bears to within three points of the Huskies. Griffith took fourth place in novice fences to end the scoring for Brown, pointing out of the Novice division and qualifying for Regionals in that event as well.
But the highlight of the day for Brown may have come from a non-point rider. After taking blue ribbons in both Novice Flat and Intermediate Fences, Gruener went up against UConn's Tara Lynch, the current Open Rider Point Standings leader in Region 1, in a ride-off for High-Point Rider honors. Gruener was able to upset the favored Lynch, making a statement as the Bears head into the final few shows of the season.
"The ride-off didn't count for points, it's more just for bragging rights at the end of the day," Gruener said. "I was up against the star from UConn, and I didn't really watch her ride because I was focused on doing my own thing but I heard her horse acted up or something and I ended up winning it."
Brown's next show is this Saturday, hosted by Wesleyan. After the Wesleyan show the Bears only have two more regular season shows. They must maintain their 19-point lead over UConn if they want to compete in Zones, a postseason competition, for the chance to go to Nationals.
"We know Wesleyan's horses pretty well, so it's definitely a show we want to win," Gruener said. "And we really want to beat UConn. Our goal for the remaining shows is to maintain our lead so we can have that chance to go to Zones and Nationals."
