University of Maryland Eventing Team Celebrates Their First Year
Area II is an undeniable hotspot for US eventing. Within Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, there is a collection of talented professionals, beautiful farms, and quality events all within a few hours proximity of one another. Where you find such amazing amenities, you also find young riders. And dead smack in the heart of Area II you’ll find the University of Maryland. Located just northeast of DC, the College Park campus crawls with just over 27,000 undergraduate students seeking an education from one of the top state schools in the country.
A year ago, we came to the realization that due to our large size and proximity that all that Area II has to offer we were a prime candidate school to found an Eventing Team. The large student body was bound to contain untapped riding potential that hadn’t quite found their niche with the Equestrian Team or Equestrian Club. With the help of our wonderful academic advisor Dr. Amy Burk, wife of USEA’s CEO Rob Burk, the Maryland Eventing Team was assigned our affiliation number and we were born!
Team lesson at Waredaca Farm. Photo Courtesy of UMD Eventing.
The past year has been riddled with bumps, ups, downs, and everything in between. Once we began advertising, we were able to hold our first meeting during the fall of 2015 with a shocking 23 people in attendance – some already USEA members, some beginning eventers, and some not eventers at all. But all held a common interest in the sport and representing the University of Maryland in this new avenue of athletics. With the help of Waredaca Farm in Laytonsville, Md, we were able to develop a lesson program for members with and without horses to provide an avenue of mounted education. Logistical quirks were organized, advertising and fundraising ideas began to bubble, and we were officially on our way to figuring out how to become a team.
Which brings us to where we are today. Spring of 2016 has resulted in our own bank account and our first fundraiser/event – a clinic with Daniel Stewart on May 6th and 7th at Waredaca Farm (both riders and auditors welcome! – You can find more information by clicking here). The Area II season has begun, members are out strutting their stuff with Maryland Eventing Team pride, and plans have been made to send a team to the Collegiate Eventing Championship at Virginia Horse Trials in May!
Team members Tori Dougherty and Erika Tonnon. Photo Courtesy of UMD Eventing.
What is amazing about the formation of this team is the power of a common interest mixed with a bit of determination. The common love of horses and eventing has resulted in a union of students from all ends of our vast campus to represent our university in a way that has never been done before. We cannot thank our friends, neighbors, eventing community, and the Burk family enough in helping us get our feet off the ground for the 2016 season. GO TERPS!
To learn more about the Maryland Eventing Team, visit their Facebook Page. To learn more about the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program, click here.
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