28 SIDELINES NOVEMBER 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
A
t the beginning of each semester, colleges that are
members of the Intercollegiate Dressage Association
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team while in college is a wonderful experience and the
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As the new dressage coach for Mount Holyoke College in South
Hadley, Massachusetts, I am excited to begin the competition
year. The IDA was actually conceptualized in 1995 by a Mount
Holyoke student named Michelle Hoffman whom I had the pleasure
of teaching in one of my USDF Instructor workshops.
The IDA rules are a bit different from “the real world” and it’s
important for prospective riders to review them. They’re posted on
the organization’s website at
.
To be a member of the Mount Holyoke Dressage Team, which is
a club sport at the college, one must abide by the IDA rules and the
constitution of the club, as well as the school’s club sports council.
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of the requirement for membership.
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treasurer, a horse manager, a social manager and the captain. There
are usually four to six shows in each region, each semester, and the
students must be willing and able to travel and put on home shows
for the visiting schools to participate in.
Every rider must meet the requirements of the IDA levels. The
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level. Then they’re split into groups and assigned horses. Next, each
rider rides a test on at least two different horses appropriate for their
level.
In the college competitions, the riders only have 10 minutes to
warm up the horse they’re riding, and therefore they must be good
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have had their own horse and have never had experience riding a
lot of different horses may be intimidated by this, so it’s not always
the rider who is “the best” in the traditional competitive sense who’s
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As the coach, just like a judge at a show, I must weigh in on what
I see in front of me on that particular day. Unlike the way we judge
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I’m looking for a competitive rider who can make the best of the
horse she’s on under the pressure of competition. It’s a challenging
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For more information, visit the Mount Holyoke website at
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dressage coach at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
Meg also has a lifelong background in equestrian pursuits, including foxhunting,
eventing, playing polo, judging, combined driving and show jumping.
DRESSAGE
COLLEGIATE RIDING
Riding on a Collegiate
Dressage Team
By Meg Hilly
Top: First Level rider Laura Phillips during team tryouts at Mount
Holyoke.
Bottom: Mount Holyoke Intro rider Robin Graney after her test
Photos by Meg McGuire
