UNH Today

UNH Equestrian Team’s Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) squad is the 2019 Region A Reserve Champion. Four members of the team — Carrigan Drake '20 , Ryann Terwilliger '21, Sarah Savarese '19 and Katie Kelley '21 — finished in the top three in their divisions. Mackenzie DelVecchio ‘19 was a national qualifier for the IDA Quiz Challenge out of a record size field of entrants.

Terwilliger, Kelley, and DelVecchio all qualified to compete at the 2019 IDA National Championships at Lake Erie College in Painesville, OH. This is the fifth consecutive year UNH IDA equestrian team members made it to the national championships. DelVecchio placed 5th nationally for the quiz challenge, Terwilliger and Kelley won their divisions to become 2019 IDA Lower Training National Champion and the 2019 IDA Introductory Level National Training Champion, respectively. Kelley was also the recipient of the Mary Beth McLain Memorial Trophy for Introductory Champion.

“All of the students on the IDA squad work hard to represent the best aspects of our program and university and I am extremely proud of them, not only as their coach, but also as a fellow UNH Equine Program and UNH IDA alumna,” said Emily Stearns ’12.

Dressage is a sport of skill and elegance that has been described to ballet on horseback. It is a test of harmony between horse and rider. Under Intercollegiate Dressage rules, the host school provides horses for all the riders. Riders select a horse in a random draw, are given an opportunity to observe their horse, and then have 10 minutes to warm up their horse before entering the ring for their test. The challenge of the competition is to create a seamless partnership with an unfamiliar horse in a limited time span.

This UNH IDA team is part of Region A, which includes University of Maine, Johnson & Wales University, University of Rhode Island and Dartmouth College. The team has been regional reserve champions five times since 2011, regional champions in 2010 and 2013 and national champions in 2009.