Club Spotlight: Trinity College Equestrian Club

Leah Swope ’22
Contributing Writer

Founded in 1986, the Trinity College Club Equestrian Team has since grown to include 15 dedicated team members who practice regularly and strive to compete against both club and varsity teams. The team competes in the IHSA Zone 1-Region five against a variety of other IHSA teams and regularly places High Point champion or Reserve High Point Champion in competition. With a large enough accumulation of individual points from the season, riders are able to compete in Regionals with the possibility of advancement to Zones and Nationals. Last year, Carin Colebaugh ’20 advanced to Zones at Mount Holyoke and placed third, just one point away from advancing to Regionals. This year the team has nine riders moving on to Regionals which will be hosted at Mystic Valley Hunt Club on Mar. 30.

The Club Equestrian Team openly welcomes all levels of riders ranging from no prior experience to highly experienced. With these variations in levels of experience, the team has created a fun and exciting environment for all team members to learn and grow in their riding. All levels are needed for a strong IHSA team as competition classes range from walk-trot to advanced jumping. Members attend weekly lessons as well as competitions on weekends in the spring and fall according to the show schedule.

This year the team made the switch from Oak Meadow Stables in East Windsor, CT to Folly Farms located in Simsbury, CT (about a 20-minute drive from Trinity’s campus). Times for practice are decided based on class schedules and vary among the team. Upper classmen with cars drive teammates to the barn for weekly lessons. If no upper classmen are available to drive Trinity will reserve a van for the team’s use which an underclassmen can drive to the barn.

Captain Ardyn Allessie ’19 notes that she “loves how the team has been a constant during her time at Trinity”. When asked about her favorite part of being on the team, Allessie added that “anyone can join, no experience needed. It’s so fun to be able to watch new riders experience their first time trotting, then cantering and eventually jumping!”

Trinity’s Club Equestrian Team is a great way to get involved with something new on campus and meet a great group of people. If you are interested in joining the team do not hesitate to reach out to club captains Ardyn Allessie ’19 (Ardyn.Allessie@trincoll.edu) or Erica Heffernan ’19 (Erica.Heffernan@trincoll.edu).