Sweet Briar College has named 21 riders to its 2005-06 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association team.

“This year’s is by far the biggest and most competitive group of riders we have seen in the past decade,” said Shelby French, SBC riding director. “The decision-making process was tough.” Forty-four students vied for a place on the team.

Sweet Briar riding program faculty and staff made the selections based on a four-hour tryout. After completing an IHSA questionnaire to determine her division level, each rider competed against others in the same division. Evaluators look for the student to display elegance and finesse on an unfamiliar horse, and a strong position that demonstrates effective communication with the horse.

The ability to communicate distinguishes her in competition, French said.

“A rider’s position – her body and its controlled use – is how she communicates with her horse. A rider who sits quietly and has a position that is harmonious with the horse’s movement absolutely stands out. That rider catches the judge’s eye because her horse looks happy, does what is asked of it willingly and there is no obvious effort on the part of the rider to make this happen. This stillness and synchronization make the pair stand out.”

The following students were named to the 2005-06 Sweet Briar Intercollegiate Horse Show Association team:

Kathryn Bird ’09
Chelsea Capizzi-Walsh ’08
Alison Carr ’08
Teresa Daley ’08
Kathryn Davilli ’09
Jennifer Doherty ’08
Leela Dyer-Doyle ’08
Alexandra Hiniker ’09
Meghan Kaminski ’09
Amber Lubeck ’09
Jessica McCarthy ’08
Lindsay Mills ’09
Rebecca Penny ’08
Micaela Scarpulla ’09
Rebecca Schneider ’09
Alison Sims ’09
Jennifer Summerfield ’07
Jennifer Walkiewicz ’09
Jodie Weber ’06
Erin Wittle ’09
Kelly Young ’09

The SBC community congratulates each rider on making Sweet Briar’s IHSA team. For more information, please visit the SBC Riding Program or the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association web sites.