For many student-athletes, hearing classmates cheer them on from the sidelines is a major plus. The men and women who travel up to an hour away to represent the Jumbos in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) tournaments do not get such fan support, but they don't let it get them down. They have a long-standing tradition of supporting each other and a championship record to rival any other team at Tufts.
The Tufts Equestrian (TUEQ) team, a Tier I club sport team, is on the rise, almost doubling in size this year with twelve freshmen joining this fall, according to junior co-captain Michelle Zackin. The team consists of a show team and a more general team, with mixed levels of experience in each group. With an open leadership structure and a bonding trip to the Loj, the new members were immediately made to feel a part of the team, according to co-captain Daryl Cooley.
"The freshmen have been a key part of our team in our competition, but there are also some freshmen who come to just watch the horse shows," Cooley, a senior, said. "They're far away, and I think that really speaks to the social aspect of the team, that they're willing to come all the way to support us."
The competition structure is complicated to those newly interested in following the sport. According to Zackin, new members are placed into one of eight different classes depending on prior experience, and each class has a point rider, meaning only one member from the team in each class gains points in the competition that count towards final group scoring. Individual riders do accumulate scoring over time, however, and can move up to the next tier. Cooley pointed out that the lowest class counts just as much in competition as the highest.
The unique structure of horse shows are allows for a wide range of skill levels on the team, with representatives from each level competing. Not every single member of the team gets to compete, according to Katie Schaaf (LA '00), head coach of the team. As a result, riders of all levels have a chance to participate in TUEQ even if they do not get to show.
"No experience is required, and there is a whole division for people who don't have any experience, and their points count just as much," Cooley said.
Each team member makes a significant time commitment, in addition to a financial commitment, to TUEQ. Even though the team received $11,000 from the club sports budget this year, an increase from previous years, the costs of the team are not even close to being entirely covered, leaving a large financial burden on the members, Zackin said.
"We pretty much have to pay everything ourselves," she said. "$11,000 sounds like a lot, but every team has to host a horse show, which costs almost the entire sum to pay the coach, the judge, the [Emergency Medical Technician], a facility lease fee as well as a lease fee per horse."
TUEQ's practice schedule is very individual, with each member deciding how often he or she wants to take lessons depending on his or her level of commitment and competition. One unique aspect of TUEQ is that it is one of the only sports for which practice is an individual cost, with members paying for lessons.
"If you are part of the show team it's $50 per lesson, and if you are not, it's $60," Cooley said. "It adds up really quickly. The way we've done it this year is if you commit to the show team you are expected to be free for all the shows. If you just want to take lessons and just want to ride you have to pay a little extra. Commitment is where you get a discount."
According to Schaaf, the commitment from the team pays off.
"Last year we were Region Champions," she said.
Schaaf said that the team is off to a good start this year and is hoping for a winning season as exciting as last year's.
"The season is going well," she said. "We are currently in second place in Zone 1, Region 4. ... We're hoping to repeat [last year's success], but it's going to be an uphill battle. We are currently ten points behind the team in first place and are exactly halfway through the season. It's definitely possible but it's going to take a little bit of work."
Schaaf said she has gotten to see the team evolve since her time as captain in her sophomore year at Tufts. She became assistant coach and then head coach for the team after attending law school. Schaaf pointed out, however, that even only 15 years after her time on the team, the rules of the game have changed, complicating the show team distinctions.
"I think what's harder now is the number of people we can enter when we compete is severely limited," she said. "When I was on the team, everyone who wanted to compete could compete every weekend. Now there are many more people that would like to compete than get to."
Schaaf pointed out, however, that the close bonds between team members have not changed over the years, even though competition structures have.
"[It's] a frustration for people on the team, but it's remarkable that team members remain as committed even when they don't get to compete as much as they would like," she said.
Zackin and Cooley agreed that the people and the community of the team are definitely the highlight of TUEQ and that for the majority of the team, it is their biggest priority outside of schoolwork. Zackin elaborated on the benefits of joining TUEQ early on in her college experience.
"It's such a fun group," she said. "You know they always have your back, and it's really fun coming in as a freshman. It becomes your family."
