The NC State equestrian dressage team made sure to finish strong while the spring 2022 semester drew to a close. The Pack cleaned up at the TheraPlate IDA National Championships Friday, April 22 in Lexington, Virginia. The competition was fierce among the 22 teams competing.
The Wolfpack earned a few individual wins. Club President Devin Dolan took home the national championship for first level, and Vice President Talia Brooks earned sixth place in upper training level.
Each show requires 30 horses, and neighboring universities that specialize in programs for riding and working with horses provide larger and more high-quality facilities. Brooks explained the format of the competition.
“The team has six riders in each class,” Brooks said. “The way we qualify for nationals is based on how we do throughout the season. We had seven regional shows this year, and we competed against six to eight people in each class, and in order to qualify for nationals for this class, you had to be either champion or reserve champion. We get seven points every time we win first place, five points for second place, etc. Ultimately, whoever has the top two highest scores in your region gets to go to nationals.”
The club holds weekly lessons and requires all team members to attend. Participants are assigned a lesson partner and a specific day of the week, during which they practice at Panther Lake Stables, a farm in Willow Spring, North Carolina, about a 30-minute drive from campus. Lessons are organized by Brooks, and she highlights her intention to match up levels of experience.
“When they go in for their lesson they’re riding at similar type levels,” Brooks said. “For example, if we have a higher-level rider, they’re riding with the higher-level riders.”
On top of rigorous weekly practices, riders are encouraged to schedule extra lessons to improve upon certain skills. The team was excited to welcome their new trainer Bridget Newman, who recently agreed to host and coach the club in her barn. Oftentimes, riders on the team choose to continue practicing over winter and spring breaks to prepare for upcoming competitions and shows which are scheduled two to three times a semester. Some riders even have their own horses and participate in local shows in order to gain the performance experience essential to qualify for nationals.
NC State offers a variety of equestrian teams, including the dressage, hunt seat, western and eventing team. Dressage involves training a horse in a manner that develops obedience, flexibility, and balance, or what is often referred to as “horse dancing.” Hunting teams focus more on jumps, while dressage and western emphasize more graceful patterns of horse training. Ultimately, all of the teams function similarly other than variations in saddle types, excelling in their respective disciplines and performing at shows.
Regarding the process of accepting new members to the team, Brooks said applicants need to have prior experience with dressage in particular. They welcome western riders as well and enthusiastically teach dressage to new members.
While the club sports department funds all of the equestrian teams, there is a $25 club fee to join the team. Brooks explained how the lessons are the most expensive part, and with the dressage trainer charging $40 per lesson, they ask riders to pay upfront. In total, lessons cost $400-$500 a semester, although members can pay either in one or two payments. Additionally, there is a fee to be a part of the riding association, IDA (Intercollegiate Dressage Association), which runs the shows and arranged Nationals this year.
Reflecting on the difficult period of COVID-19 throughout 2020 and 2021, Brooks described the frustration with the lack of in-person shows following the return home of students and remote classes. However, the IDA constructed a digital horse show series in which each rider filmed a video of themselves riding their own horses and submitted it. This creative solution to a prevalent setback allowed for a completely digitized version of nationals, including judges and awards. The NC State team participated in three of those digital shows last year, and with the start of the semester in fall 2021, tryouts and in-person competitions returned.
Looking ahead, the team intends to grow the team and possibly expand their barn considering that NC State is currently unable to host their own shows due to space constraints. This year, the club won third in the region, with hopes to strive for second or first place in the future. Through struggle and success of the season, NC State rides on — leaving their mark at nationals and in the hearts of each rider.
