In sports, the saying goes it’s not whether you win, it’s how you play the game. That holds for Sweet Briar riding teams, too, but it also matters what games they play in.

“Yes, we do IHSA [Intercollegiate Horse Show Association] shows, but we also go and compete against people across the East Coast who bring their own horses and their own trainers to USEF [U.S. Equestrian Federation] A-rated shows. And we’re competitive,” said Shelby French, director of SBC’s riding program.

In fact, as a regional IHSA points leader at mid-season, Sweet Briar could make the national finals this spring. While sending a team to the nationals would be a coup, French, her staff and riders equally value non-IHSA and non-collegiate competitions, both as measures of success and for the chance to develop as riders.

Every semester Sweet Briar riders enter five or six USEF A-rated shows, such as the Duke Children’s Benefit Horse Show, where Olympic-level athletes compete. “They learn just by watching the top hunters and jumpers in the country,” French said, to say nothing of showing against the best in their divisions.

Not every college riding program provides such opportunities, French said. Often the competitions are practice for Affiliated National Riding Commission (ANRC) shows or upcoming USEF medal classes.

That was the case for senior Katie Parnell, who won the circuit championship in the adult equitation division for 18- to 35-year-olds in the Horse Shows in the Sun (HITS) Culpeper Circuit. She amassed enough points riding in just two of the six contests to win the division.

“I was fortunate enough to have been champion at both horse shows because of the amazing horses Sweet Briar owns,” said the December ’05 graduate. “The first horse show I rode my ANRC team horse for last [spring ’05] semester named Duck Soup aka Vinnie. We were practicing for ANRC finals and everything just really came together for us that weekend. We had been working all semester with Shelby and we had been getting better every time out.”

In the final Culpeper show last fall, Parnell rode her show horse for the semester, Morning Edition (Trevor), to prep for an upcoming medal finals.

“At Culpeper Katie was competing against a big field of people who’ve trained all year with their own horses,” French said. “About forty horses and their riders competed in the adult equitation divisions.”

Parnell’s teammate, Elizabeth Gold ’08, took reserve championship in the same adult equitation division. She, too, had limited opportunities to compete in the HITS circuit, because only the first and last shows occur when school is in session. Yet, Megan Manubay ’08 still took the circuit championship in the low adult jumper division, and tied with Jennifer Gottfried ’07 for champion of the low adult amateur division in the single-show standings. First-year rider Katherine Brock was the fall show’s reserve champion of the modified jumper division.

Successes such as those at Culpeper aren’t unusual for Sweet Briar riders. “Historically, we are very competitive,” French said, citing more examples from last semester.

Riding Sweet Briar’s Lindros, junior Jessica Leonardi won the championship in the finals for the RMWC Medal, the Randolph-Macon Women’s College Fall Festival Horse Show. Riders compete throughout the year in shows that qualify for the RWMC Medal class. Only the top 15 point earners make it in.

“It’s one of three Southwest Virginia [Hunter Jumper Association] equitation championships that people vie for annually,” French said.

“The class is judged fifty percent on the jumping performance and fifty percent on the rider’s flat work. Jessica won jumping over a course of twelve to fifteen jumps and held her own on the flat to win,” French said.

Chrissy Serio ’06 also competed at the Fall Festival show and took the jumper style award on her horse Olympik. French explained that the award goes to the jumper rider with the best overall style, who is also competitive in the jumper division.

“It was a particularly exciting win for Chrissy since it was her birthday and because that same day, Chrissy’s mom, Louise, won the World Champion Hunter Rider Professional Championship at the Capital Challenge Horse Show,” French said.

French said Serio is one of about 10 SBC students who compete seriously in jumper divisions. Jumpers are judged on pure speed and athleticism of the horse as the rider pilots him over fences as much as 4 feet — or higher in grand prix events. Hunters jump lower fences and are judged on style, form and smoothness in negotiating the course.

For more information on Sweet Briar’s riding program, please visit the web site.

By Jennifer McManamay, SBC staff writer