Upstate Equestrian jumps to a new level

Rexford

Katherine "Kit" Endler jumped about a foot and a half off the ground early at practice Thursday, and let out a big smile.

Every clearance means something in inarguably the toughest Section II varsity sport. Unless you know of any others where one training partner can be 27 years old — and a different species. And when you get to the actual competition, you've never met your teammate.

That's how it goes in horse riding, as the area's Interscholastic Equestrian Association outfit has qualified for the zones competition for the first time this weekend at Old Salem Farm (North Salem — downstate near Danbury, Conn.). It is the team's second year of existence.

"It can definitely be scary," Upstate Equestrian coach Elisa Therrien said at her Cochise Hill Farm. "But the kids learn how to adapt."

The sport is built on riding, maneuvering and jumping with unfamiliar horses. Riders must mount unfamiliar 1,200-pound animals that aren't always cooperative, on courses they've never seen.

There is a JV and varsity, and there will be four class levels. Think of it as similar to weight classes in wrestling, though riders are placed in respective classes based on past results.

The highest-level jumps are 21/2 feet, which may not sound like much. But factor in meeting the horse for the first time — riders can't even touch the horses before the competition — and that's a different, um, animal to contend with than most athletic endeavors.

Basically the entire group of five high schoolers has other "traditional" athletic experience. Everything from volleyball and snowboarding to one quitting basketball this winter to focus on riding.

Endler nods vigorously when pointing out all of the conditioning required for this: Abdominal muscles, legs, shoulders and back. Therrien...