Clark Diaries

23rd Feb, 2009

Equestrian Show at U-Mass

Hello everyone,

This weekend was big for the equestrian team. We had our first horse show this semester at U Mass Amherst on Saturday. On Friday night, the team gathered together to polish boots and iron shirts and jackets. We left at 5am in the morning when it was still dark and got to the Amherst barn at around 7am, being the first to arrive. The show began at 9am after registration and the coach meeting. Everyone was excited and a little bit nervous. There were around 20 teams, including Mount Holyoke College, Becker, Williams, Smith, Holy Cross, etc. The fence jumping, which is the highest level, came first, followed by flat jumping, walk-trot and walk-trot-canter. Six girls on our team participated in the walk-trot and walk-trot-canter class at the show. They did a great job and won two red ribbons (second place), two yellow ribbons (third place), and one green ribbon (six place). It was my first time to watch a horse show. I was excited and also learned a lot through watching those proficient riders ride. Through Coach Frank’s words, I also discovered some flaws of my riding post, such as legs and heels’ positions when squeezing. We finished at around 3pm, which was early because all the girls’ turns were close. Here are the pictures.