MOUNT HOLYOKE DRESSAGE TEAM WINS NATIONALS FOR THIRD YEAR IN A ROW

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – For the third year in a row, Mount Holyoke College's dressage team reigns as national champions after turning in a stellar performance at the Intercollegiate Dressage Association's national championships, held April 24-25 at Cazenovia College in Cazenovia, N.Y. Not only did the team from Mount Holyoke win top honors, but Mount Holyoke riders competing as individuals won grand championship honors in two out of four divisions.

Dressage is a riding discipline that emphasizes precision of the horse's movements, balance, and responsiveness to the rider's commands, which are subtly transmitted through leg, hand and seat. Like figure skating, dressage is judged on technical proficiency as well as artistic presentation. While dressage originated from European cavalry training, it has been steadily growing in popularity in the United States.

Mount Holyoke has dominated IDA competition since the organization was founded in 1995. Mount Holyoke alumna Michelle Hoffman came up with the concept for the association and its competition structure and point system, most of which is still in use today. Mount Holyoke was among the 11 charter members that included Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. While the IDA started as an informal group of schools in the northeast, it has grown rapidly into a national organization comprising more than 30 college and university teams.

Mount Holyoke's team riders were Katy D'Ambly '05, from Raynham, Mass., riding 1st level, the highest level of competition; Cathrine Tauscher '06, from Clinton, Wash., at upper training level; Christiane Benzing '04, from East Wakefield, N.H., at lower training level; and Nina Akerley '04, from Durham, Conn., at introductory level. Team captain Lindsay Whipple '06, from Barre, Vt., was 1st level grand champion, while Nadine Krause '07, from Newtown, Conn., won grand champion in the introductory level. Coach Rebecca Schurink, a prominent dressage competitor and trainer from Amherst, Mass., has worked with the Mount Holyoke team since 1998. "This was not an easy win," Schurink said. "Our riders had to work for it consistently with determination all year, and this past weekend they had to put in flawless test in order to come out on top."

IDA held its first national competition in 2002 at Johnson & Wales. Mount Holyoke won that competition and the 2003 nationals as well, giving it a three-for-three record as IDA champions. Carol J. Law, program director at the College's equestrian center, is proud of the dressage team's continuing success. "I am extremely impressed with how well the team did. It can be really hard to get the championship twice in a row, but three times a row is extraordinary. It shows what a talented and hardworking group of women they are. As a board member of the Intercollegiate Horseshow Association, I often hear people refer to the Mount Holyoke dressage team as a 'powerhouse.' Mount Holyoke was a driving force behind starting the IDA and I think it's great that we are continuing to be so successful."

Johnson & Wales took second place in the 2004 team awards. Virginia Intermont College placed third.