Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) Team
Dressage is a sport of skill and subtlety which is often likened to ballet on horseback. It is a test of harmony between horse and rider. Under Intercollegiate Dressage rules, the host school provides mounts for all of the riders. Riders select a horse in a random draw, watch the horses go and then have 10 minutes to warm up their horse before entering the ring for their test. The challenge of the competition is to create a seamless partnership with an unfamiliar horse in a limited time span. The UNH IDA Team competes intercollegiately against local New England schools.
Riders for the UNH Dressage Team must be riding in a ANSC 402 Horsemanship class or ANSC 653/654 Principles of teaching equitation. Tryouts for the team are held at the beginning of each semester.
On April 18th & 19th, 2009, the UNH Intercollegiate Dressage Team won the IDA National Championship held in Findlay, OH.
UNH finished 10 points ahead of reserve champion Virginia Intermont. In the team
competition, placings were:
Kim Guyer -- 4th at First Level
Kat Williams-Barnard -- 3rd at Upper Training
Casey Hoatson -- 1st at Lower Training
Bridget Shea -- 3rd at Intro
Casey Hoatson was Reserve Champion Highpoint Rider on Team Day
On individual day:
Casey Hoatson -- 8th at Lower Training
Bridget Shea -- Reserve National Champion at Intro
