Equestrian

Equestrian Team competes in Holiday Tournament of Champions

Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke Athletics

Mount Holyoke College’s Equestrian Team competed in a Holiday Tournament in early December.

By Elodie Muller ’29

Staff Writer

As the cold of winter approaches Mount Holyoke College, the equestrian team has had a great month. The Lyons tied for second place out of nine teams at the Trinity College Show on Sunday, Nov. 2, at Folly Farm in Simsbury, Connecticut. On Saturday, Nov. 8, Mount Holyoke finished third out of 11 teams at the Bentley/WPI Show, held at Maplewood Farm in Berlin, Massachusetts. They placed second out of 11 teams at the Mount Holyoke Show, located at the Equestrian Center on Mount Holyoke College’s campus in South Hadley, Massachusetts, on Saturday, Nov. 15.

“We started the season off really strong, but we didn’t do as well as we would have liked in our last couple of shows,” Cloe Hinck ’28 said in an email to Mount Holyoke News.

Unlike typical equestrian competitions, this competition did not affect the standings of the teams participating whatsoever. Instead, these riders competed out of love and enjoyment of the sport.

Though the months of the calendar dwindle as the end of the year swiftly approaches, the equestrian season will continue into the spring.

“We still have three shows in the spring, which we are excited and ready for,” Hinck shared.

The future of Mount Holyoke’s hunt seat team is filled with optimism for 2026 as they look forward to competitions at UMass Amherst, Springfield-Westfield State and Mount Holyoke College in February and March.

Since writing, Mount Holyoke’s Equestrian Team has participated in the Holiday Tournament of Champions, which took place on Saturday, Dec. 6, at Centenary University in Long Valley, New Jersey. The tournament featured one rider from each division and did not have any impact on Mount Holyoke’s standing in the division. Mount Holyoke’s hunt seat team will next participate in the UMass-Amherst Show on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Muddy Brook Farm in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Karishma Ramkarran ’27 contributed fact checking.

Mount Holyoke Riding takes first place with 45 points at home show

Mount Holyoke Riding takes first place with 45 points at home show

The Mount Holyoke Riding team hosted the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Springfield College, Bentley College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Smith College, Amherst College, Worcester State and Bennington College during the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association Mount Holyoke College Show on Saturday, March 2. The Lyons placed first at their home show with 45 points, with UMass Amherst coming in second with 39 points. 

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Game of the Week: Mount Holyoke Riding wins Williams College Show

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Game of the Week: Mount Holyoke Riding wins Williams College Show

Mount Holyoke College Riding competed at the Williams College Show at Bonnie Lea Farm on Saturday, Oct. 14, placing ahead of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Springfield College, Amherst College, Williams College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Bennington College. The Lyons came in first place with 47 points, an 18-point advantage over UMass Amherst, who placed second with 29 points.

Mount Holyoke Riding earns High Point Champion title at UMass show

Mount Holyoke Riding earns High Point Champion title at UMass show

The Mount Holyoke equestrian team traveled to Hadley Farm to compete at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Show on Saturday, Feb. 29. The Lyons picked up their second-straight High Point Champion title, finishing with 44 points. Their competition included Springfield College with 40 points, UMass with 29, Worcester State University with 24 and Smith College with 23.

Riding team’s first show of the season a success

Riding team’s first show of the season a success

BY KASS LAWRENCE ’22

At the Smith College Show on Saturday, Sept. 29, the Mount Holyoke Equestrian Team placed first with 38 points in a field of eight colleges. Trailing the Lyons by one point was the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, followed by Worcester State University in third place. Amherst College finished next in fourth, followed by Hampshire, Smith and Williams Colleges tied for fifth and Bennington College in sixth. The athletes had a successful show all around, and riders Tess Ahlers ’19, Lily DeBenedictis ’19 and Daisy Sears ’19 clutched regional qualifications early.

Decorated rider Juliana Ronn ’18 will join team at nationals

Decorated rider Juliana Ronn ’18 will join team at nationals

BY LEXI LOBDELL ’20

Western riding team captain Juliana Ronn ’18 is headed to nationals in Harrisburg, PA on May 3 to compete individually in Open Horsemanship and Reining, the highest level of the Western Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). Ronn has been a member of the western team for three years and its captain for two. 

Riding secures first place at home show, celebrates seniors

Riding secures first place at home show, celebrates seniors

BY CAITLIN LYNCH '20 

The Mount Holyoke Riding Team took on Amherst College, Bennington College, Hampshire College, Smith College, Springfield College, University of Massachusetts — Amherst, Westfield College and Williams College at the Mount Holyoke College Show on Saturday, March 5.

 

Riding competes in tournament of champions

BY ANNA BALLOU '20

Mount Holyoke Equestrian traveled to Emory, Va., where they competed in their final leg of the 2016-2017 Tournament of Champions series at the Winter II Classic. The show began with intermediate flat, where Mika McKinney '18 saw a nice ride for a sixth place finish. Bridget Finnerty '17 followed with a beautiful ride in open over fences where she claimed the first place spot in an incredibly competitive field. In intermediate over fences, Taryn Isenburg '18 completed a nice ride for a seventh place finish and returned to the ring to compete in a section of the High Collegiate Medal. While she rode well, she did not make the callback. 

Riding secures fourth consecutive victory at home show

BY ANNA BALLOU '20

This past Saturday, the MHC Equestrian Team hosted eight other college equestrian teams for their first home Intercollegiate Horse Show Association show of the competitive season. MHC finished the day first out of the nine competing teams, with a total score of 45, only four points shy of perfection. 

Riding bests the competition at Smith College IHSA Show

BY ANNA BALLOU ’20

In a competitive field of nine teams, the Mount Holyoke Equestrian team saw a first overall finish at the Intercollegiate Horse Show this past Saturday. The equestrian team completed the day with a total score of 40, edging out local rival and host Smith College by only one point. At the second show of the competitive season, the team had seven riders take first place in their respective disciplines and 18 place in the top three.

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