After tying for second in last weekend's Boston College show, the Tufts Equestrian team is on its way up.
The show was held at the site of Boston College's barn in Westford, Mass.
The team, which competes in New England's Zone 1 Region 4, is now in fourth place heading into its last show of the fall on Nov. 20, hosted by Endicott.
"The fall season has been going really well for the team," junior tri-captain Kate Stewart said. "We have some excellent seniors that have ridden for four years and are really leading the team."
Tri-captain Katie Estes, one of these seniors, has been riding well in the open flat division. Senior Stuart Mueller, who went to nationals as a freshman, has also been a key contributor in the open fences division.
The team has also gotten a boost from its younger riders as well. At Boston College, freshman Katie Wulster won the flat in her open division and freshman Molly Dapice won her advanced walk trot canter division, enabling the team to finish second at the show.
"We have a lot of potential with our younger riders," Estes said. "It's good to know we have up-and-coming riders that will keep the team strong for years to come."
Following the Nov. 20 show, the team will have a layoff until the end of February, when the shows resume.
However, instead of the fall and spring being categorized into separate seasons, the results are combined into one big season that includes about 10 shows. The spring section of the season lasts through April, followed by nationals in early May.
Tufts is coached by Charlotte McEnroe. In her 20th year of coaching, she has led Tufts to the point where it has been the region's high point team or reserve high point team three out of the last four years.
Earlier this year, McEnroe coached Tufts graduate Peter Wylde, who competed in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.
The team moved to a new facility in Holliston this season, and on Oct. 16 it hosted its first show there. It ran smoothly and Tufts finished in fourth place.
Currently in first place in the region is Stonehill, Tufts' main rival. Stonehill won the national championship in 2002 and is a perennial contender.
But while equestrian is a club sport at Tufts, it is a varsity sport at Stonehill, which allows the team to have higher funding and be more successful in recruiting riders.
But despite its status, the squad remains one of the most competitive in the region.
In fact, Tufts finished ahead of Stonehill at Boston College, and the team is expecting even bigger things to come.
"We should move right up in the standings after the next show," junior captain Jessie Partridge said.
The team says that it is gelling and that its chemistry has led to an added passion for the team.
"We have a lot of team spirit," Estes said. "The experienced riders have been making the effort to go out on their own and teach a lot to the younger riders. We are really coming together as a team."
Partridge agreed that this component is a big factor to the team's success.
"The energy is really good between all of us right now," she said. "We all get along really well and we are looking forward to the rest of the season."
