Emilie Ross entered the barn at the University of Wisconsin at Madison April 13 with less than 24 hours notice. The Weinberg sophomore was the first member of Northwestern’s equestrian team to qualify for Zones, a regional competition for the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, and only found out a space had opened for her the day before the competition.
Having placed third in her level in the qualifying show before the regional competition, Ross was a reserve rider, which made her the next eligible rider. Ross and Erica Luboyeski, a University of Connecticut alumnus and rider, drove to Madison to represent NU’s equestrian team.
Luboyeski, who is in Loyola University of Chicago’s graduate clinical program and competed at the Zone level as a junior at the University of Connecticut, joined NU’s team last year. She returned to Zones this year and finished fifth in the alumni class.
“It’s really challenging and competitive,” Luboyeski said. “It was my goal to try and go again. Hopefully I’ll make it to nationals next year.”
The structure of the regional horse show is the same as the four other annual shows NU riders compete in, but the level of competition is more intense, Ross said.
“It’s literally the best of the best in your zone,” she said. “The judging is a lot harsher, and they catch you on everything. It’s intense.”
Riders choose a horse’s name out of a hat and then ride in a course in front of judges, Ross said. Judges score riders based on their control of the horse, their memorization of the course and their skill level.
“You’re riding a horse you’ve never ridden before, you’re nervous, you’re in cold weather and you have to perform,” team co-president Jenna Fischman said.
When the horse that Ross chose got spooked, the judges took off points, but Ross said she knew she had ridden well and placed sixth in the walk-trot class.
Getting a chance to compete at Zones was impressive for NU’s team considering some of the challenges it had to overcome, Ross said. Unlike some other sports teams, NU’s team is not funded by the school, does not have a barn on campus and can only compete at four shows because of the cold weather, Ross said.
“To go to Zones is a huge deal because we’re competing against schools who have varsity teams,” she said. “We’re a club sport so we don’t get the funding and it’s hard to get to a high level because we’re having to pay for our own lessons and our own show clothes.”
NU’s equestrian team has competed for 11 years and consists of 12 competing team members and eight members who take lessons once a week, Fischman said. The team is currently in transition between instructors.
While riders compete individually to gain points to move up to more advanced classes, their scores contribute to the overall team score as well, the Loyola student Luboyeski said.
“Typically horseback riding is an individual sport, but this is a good way to compete for yourself as well as compete with a team too,” she said.
Fischman and the team’s co-president, Weinberg junior Samantha Kleinfield, have worked the past two years to improve the team, recruit more members and encourage team solidarity, Fischman said.
Sending riders to Zones was the first of many achievements to come for the team, Fischman said.
“I was just tickled pink,” Fischman said. “It was one more step toward building a stronger foundation and growing.”
