New Norwich dressage team competes locally

Last spring, a new and unique club came onto the Norwich campus: Dressage. The team hopes to become a national competitor, according to the co-captain.

"Historically, dressage was training that evidenced the obedience of the horse and the relationship that the horse and rider have as a team and it was actually military based," said Judi Whipple, the Norwich dressage coach and instructor.

Whipple explained that dressage was originally created to test a horse to see if it was compliant enough for war; it also tested the rider's ability to handle the horse.

The riders do not simply ride a horse. They have to be precise and follow a specific pattern, while controlling the movements and speed of the horse. Dressage is the foundation of riding styles.

"Dressage is an Olympic-level sport and through the years it has also become a civilian sport," Whipple said.

Lisa Belisle, a 21-year-old senior civil engineering major from Southampton, Mass., is the captain and founder of Norwich dressage. She sets up the lessons and shows and makes sure that everything goes smoothly.

She established this club in the spring semester of 2010 through the Student Government Association (SGA).

Originally, students didn't have a full team, according to Whipple. "They competed as individuals."

"Colleges have wanted to introduce the dressage competition as a sport and so now there is actually an Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA)," Whipple said. Norwich competes against six local schools in the most basic level of dressage.

"(Before a show) we have 10 minutes. We go to a school and get on this horse we just met, and have 10 minutes to get (it) ready to respond to us," said Brittni Bartholomew, a 21-year-old double major in political science and education from Delmar, N.Y. Delmar is the club's co-captain.

When selecting members to show, Belisle said, "If you can ride then you're in the club, but for competitions you have to practice a pattern. If you can ride the pattern really well then we'll show you."

Confidence is also important when selecting riders to show, according to Whipple. The rider must be able to sit in the saddle properly in front of a large audience and not second guess themselves as they go through a riding pattern.

The team tries to limit the number of people on the team because it takes a while to get everyone in the barn, and "(we) can only show four to eight people a show," Belisle said.

Norwich hosted the IDA show on Sept. 25. Twelve teams participated; Norwich placed fourth. The next weekend at the University of Connecticut show, Norwich placed fifth.

For home shows, the team competes at Breckenridge Farm, which is Whipple's farm. The University of Vermont team also hosts at Breckenridge.

The dressage team needs to pay for lessons and clothes, and they are self funded, according to Whipple.

"They raise the money," she said.

According to Bartholomew, the team pays for its jackets and T-shirts, as well as the lessons.

According to Whipple, "Dressage has a military base, and the original Olympic teams were men. It isn't just a feminine sport. It's for both men and women."

"We have five male riders on the team and we have two that compete and usually they place every show," Belisle said.

As well as being open to both males and females, the dressage club is for everyone, according to Bartholomew. "There have been a few cavalry members who have competed prior. It is important to know that we are not cavalry, we are our own thing. Both civilians and corps can do it."

Beginners are also welcome to join the club, but it is a difficult sport to learn.

Ryan Thompson, a 20-year-old junior history major from Rockland, Mass., one of the male competitive riders, said, "It's a lot more difficult than people think. I just started riding when I got here, I didn't really get serious about riding until last year. It's not the easiest sport to pick up."

This new club has high expectations for the upcoming years. Bartholomew said that her "ultimate goal is to beat Mount Holyoke, because they are a national champion."

"If we keep getting experienced riders, I'd like to think we could we'd start competing at the point where we could qualify for nationals," Thompson said.