Ithaca College Quarterly, 2002/No. 1

For the first time in 25 years, Ithaca College riders are in the saddle --- and bringing home ribbons.

by Ellen Potter

On a damp Sunday in December, a group of Ithaca College students huddle together on bleachers in Cornell’s Oxley Equestrian Center, discussing the agony and the ecstasy of tongue piercing. Suddenly one of them says, "Shhh . . . Amy is up." All eyes turn to the riding ring as their teammate and the cocaptain of the Ithaca College Equestrian Team, Amy Bisaro ’04, trots out on a white horse. Each time Bisaro vaults over the three-foot-high fences, one of the girls on the bleachers makes an empathetic lurch forward. Other teammates are scribbling notes about the horse, which they themselves may have to ride later in the competition. (It is a random draw, so the women literally hop on a horse they have never ridden, minutes before competing.)

Bisaro
A good ride is what it's about: Amy Bisaro '04 takes a hurdle with ease

When Bisaro is finished, her teammates clap softly, careful to temper their enthusiasm --- in a previous competition they were reprimanded by the judges for clapping too loudly. They are still learning the ropes. In horsey terms, their team is "green," or unseasoned, having just gained designation as a sport club activity in fall 1999. And although several of them had competed in privately sponsored horse shows before coming to Ithaca College, most of the 20 team members are new to intercollegiate competition.

They appear to be catching on fast, however. The team, competing in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association in Zone II, Region 3, steadily accumulated ribbons during fall 2001. In their most recent competition at the State University of New York College at Morrisville, the IC women finished in fourth place, a mere four points behind Cornell. According to their coach, Collette Duddy of Settlement Stables in nearby Spencer, the team is strongly competitive, despite its relative youth. Duddy credits this to its size (which has doubled in the last year, providing strong riders in every division), as well as to an increased level of commitment from its members.

"You have to really want to do this," says Autumn Greenberg ’04, president of the club. "Last year I woke up at four in the morning, drove two hours to a show, and waited in the freezing-cold arena all day to show in one class for two minutes. And you can worry about placing. In the end, a good ride is good enough."

Photo: O'Neil's

A. Ozolins, Ithaca College Office of Publications, 5. Apr. 2002