May 2022 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN May 2022 Page 31 American National Riding Commission Equitation Finals Held at Centenary University The SCAD Bees team coached by Ashley Henry topped the collegiate novice division. By Haylie Kerstetter Centenary University in Long Valley, NJ hosted colleges from around the country for the American National Riding Commission Equitation Champi- onship. At this event, April 14-16, each college and university had the opportunity to campaign both novice and national level teams for the championship title. Established in 2006, ANRC is based upon the American System of Forward Riding and is an affiliate of the United States Hunter Jumper Association, and educational partner of the United States Equestrian Federation. Its goal is to promote the highest quality of educated riding and focus on developing excellence in riding theory topics, as well as horse performance. The competition consists of four phases- a written test based upon riding theory and specific stable management topics, a program ride flat phase which includes USEF hunter equitation tests, an equitation derby course, and a hunt seat medal round. The written test is worth 5% of the overall score, while the flat phase is worth 35%, and the medal and derby phase are each worth 30%. Participants must compete on only one mount for all phases and typically ride school owned hors- es; however, they are welcome to show leased or privately owned horses. Both a collegiate nation- al level and a collegiate novice level are offered, where each has a different program ride for the flat phase, and the national level competes over 3’ fences and the novice level competes at the 2’6” height. Sponsors for the event in- cluded top brands such as Purina and Devoucoux, as well as local companies such as Mountain Point Equine Vet Services and Pinsnickety. “We are so proud to be sponsors of this event,” said Meredith Sanger-Katz of Pin- snickety. “Pinsnickety is all about being traditional but still having a little fun, and that’s just how we think about the ANRC competi- tion.” Though the mounted compe- tition did not begin until Thurs- day, all team members gathered on Wednesday evening to take the written test. This year, the topics included horse health and first aid, as well as portions of Paul Cronin’s Schooling and Riding the Sport Horse: A Modern American Hunter/ Jumper System . Following this phase, the collegiate national level leader was Haylie Kerstet- ter of Centenary University, and Nicole Cantrell of St. Andrews University led the collegiate novice level. Thursday’s competition included only the collegiate nov- ice level, where these students completed their program ride and equitation derby rounds. The program ride was developed and released by ANRC prior to the competition so riders could mem- orize and rehearse it, similar to a dressage test. The derby course was designed by Tim Cleary and was completed in Centenary’s large derby field. Topping the novice program ride was Hallie Eskey of Savannah College of Art and Design’s Black and Yellow team, while her teammate Hattie Bradford took the blue in the derby phase. The collegiate national competition kicked off on Friday morning with the national level program ride, followed by the national equitation derby. Carly Alder of the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) Bees team bested the field of 14 riders in the program ride, and her teammate Celia Cram finished first in the derby. By the end of the show day Friday, Centenary Universi- ty’s team led the way by a small margin. The competition concluded Saturday with both the collegiate novice and national medal phase. This course, also designed by Tim Cleary, was set to test both horses and riders after the work they did in earlier phases. Win- ning the collegiate novice class was Caroline Mancini of Cente- nary University with a score of 87, landing her team a second overall finish for that phase. Celia Cram of SCAD bested the national class with a score of 86; however, Centenary University’s team took the blue ribbon for the medal phase. Following the completion of competition, mounted awards began to name the overall cham- pionship individuals and teams of the week. Topping the individual collegiate novice section was Caroline Mancini of Centenary University who said, “This meant so much more to me than just a blue ribbon. This experience is something I will cherish forever. From day one, I told myself to never give up--self-belief, hard work and dedication always pays off, and it did.” The overall champion team for the collegiate novice section was the SCAD Bees team, which included mem- bers Libby LeStage, Anna Carter, Gracie Robert, and coach Ashley Henry. Celia Cram of the SCAD Bees national team was the overall individual champion of the collegiate national division. “My win at ANRC showed me once again how much hard work pays off. As a freshman, I came in not knowing what to expect, so to win made it that much more spe- cial. I was able to see the incred- ible support from my teammates and coaches that believed in me and my ability,” said Celia. Centenary University was named the overall champion team of the national division, winning three out of the four phases. Team members included Benjamin Hoban, Haylie Kerstetter, and Morgan Munz, along with coach- es Tara Clausen and Michael Dowling. “After a two year hiatus for the ANRC National Champi- onships due to Covid, this year was a return to a competition that both Michael and I love. To see our students achieve that level of success after all the work we put into coaching the riders was the icing on the cake! It really felt like all our hard work paid off,” said Tara. The Centenary University team coached by Tara Clausen and Michael Dowling earned the champion- ship title winning three of four phases of the competition. Photo credit: Gianna Terranova Photo credit: Gianna Terranova