By Bailey Knecht, sports editor

The Northeastern University equestrian team had a strong showing in its set of competitions this weekend. The 30-member team held a show at home on Saturday at River Wind Barn in Pembroke, in which it placed fourth out of 13 teams. Northeastern then came in fifth in a show hosted by Boston College (BC) on Sunday.

“We ride in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association,” third-year Emily Moore, vice president of the team, said. “We compete against other schools in the New England and Boston area, so against schools like [Boston University] and BC, and it’s all college kids.”

The competition consists of three different levels:  open, the most advanced level; intermediate, the second highest; and novice, the third highest. The three divisions compete in both fences and flat. The fences section utilizes jumps, while the flat competitors follow the judge’s instructions of when to walk, trot or canter, and the judges critique their form. Other divisions include advanced walk-trot-canter, beginner walk-trot-canter and walk-trot, which only compete on the flat. The teams compete in equitation riding and are scored by judges.

“The goal is to make the ride look effortless, even if you end up on a horse that you are having trouble with,” Moore said. She added that in this type of competition, riders are assigned to a random horse, which makes the events more difficult.

A number of Northeastern riders earned top places in Saturday’s show. Moore received first in novice fences, while junior Sara Engel and sophomore Irena Kuzma earned first and second in novice flat, respectively. Junior Stephanie Coe came in third place in the advanced walk-trot-canter category.

“The Saturday show went really well,” Laura Stiers, a sophomore member of the team, said. “Our girls all rode really well and it’s exciting to host a show and have all of the teams come.”

Hours of work went into preparing to host Saturday’s event, according to Moore. In the weeks leading up to the event, the team had to complete paperwork, buy prizes and plan events.

“On Friday, we went to the barn to groom all of the horses, pull their manes, clean the tack [and] prepare the course,” Moore said.

Sunday’s competition also saw a number of impressive individual performances from Northeastern.

Sophomore Shannon Kaupp received third place in open flat, and senior Jennifer Li placed second in intermediate fences.

According to Stiers, the team dynamic is very strong.

“We’re like one big, giant family,” she said. “It’s great.”

Now that the weekend’s events are over, the team has completed its six fall competitions and will start back up in the spring.

Photo by Maria Amasanti