NOVEMBER 1, 2011<\/p>\n
By SARA MORANO \u201914, Contributing Writer<\/p>\n
The Furman University Dressage Team is full of surprises.<\/p>\n
Not everyone is familiar with the sport of Dressage,\u00a0a specific discipline of riding and training horses that emphasizes precision and stylized movement.<\/p>\n
Many students and faculty are surprised to learn that Furman has a Dressage Team, as they are seven close members who quietly practice at an off-campus equestrian facility.<\/p>\n
Their competition was surprised by their performance October 22\u00a0 in\u00a0the Intercollegiate Dressage Association show held at\u00a0St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, N.C.. The\u00a0four-member Furman team, riding\u00a0borrowed horses, took home six blue ribbons and a single, massive team \u201ctricolor,\u201d or champion, ribbon.<\/p>\n
Furman defeated\u00a0six other teams from\u00a0three other schools.\u00a0Two individual riders, Amy Ferguson and Sarah Smith, received\u00a0first place in their respective events.<\/p>\n
The weekend marked the first big win for the Furman team within the unique competitive world of intercollegiate horse shows.<\/p>\n
The show began with a \u201cdraw,\u201d in which\u00a0the horse each rider was to\u00a0compete on for the day was selected at random.\u00a0Riders\u00a0then practiced for 10 minutes before performing their test, a specific sequence of movements mapped out beforehand, for an expert judge. The riders were\u00a0scored individually on each movement in their test, their overall position, and the submission and impulsion of their mounts.<\/p>\n
The competition is a true test of a\u00a0rider\u2019s horsemanship, said Ashley Farmer, a member of the Dressage Team.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes you\u2019ll draw a really good horse, and sometimes you\u2019ll draw a horse having a bad day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
More than one person can ride the same horse, so the athleticism of the rider is more important than the ability of the horse.<\/p>\n
The catch in this random assignment system is that there is a huge home-field advantage\u00a0in IDA shows.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe team that\u2019s at the school you\u2019re going to rides those horses all the time,\u201d\u00a0Farmer points out, which gives the hosts\u00a0an edge over teams with just 10 minutes to get acquainted with their equine partners.<\/p>\n
Furman defeated the\u00a0St. Andrew\u2019s A and B teams,\u00a0as well as the A and B teams of Averett and North Carolina State University.<\/p>\n