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WATERBURY, Conn. – The three Post University Intercollegiate Equestrian Teams are wrapping up their spring season as the IHSA Hunt Seat Team prepares for the Zone Championship show at Fairfield Hunt Club on April 6, 2014.

This semester's first Hunt Seat show was hosted by Connecticut College with sophomore Courtney Ritchings (Sutton, Mass.) and freshman Amanda Oborski (South Windsor, Conn.) both placing first in their classes. At their second show hosted by Wesleyan University it was freshman Katie Johnstone (Middlebury, Conn.) who walked away with first place in the Walk, Trot, Canter division and second place in the Cross Rails class. Freshman Morgan Lavelle (Bethel, Conn.) also took first place in her Novice Flat class and second in Cross Rails. It was definitely a rewarding day for these two riders. In the final show of the season at Fairfield University, Lavelle took home another first in the Novice Flat class along with Ritchings in the Walk, Trot division.

After recovering from a recent injury, it was a great achievement for sophomore Patricia Reda (Weston, Conn.) to have finished in third place in Novice Fences and fourth in Novice Flat. This year was a huge success as seven riders qualified for Regionals on March 1. Freshman Melissa Larkin (Washingtonville, N.Y.) finished second in Open Fences, which qualified her for the Zone Competition. Senior captain Sara Horwath (New Milford, Conn.) went home with fifth place in Intermediate Fences and Lavelle walked away with another blue ribbon in Advanced Walk, Trot, Canter, also qualifying her for Zones. It was a good day for Ritchings as she took home another blue ribbon capping off her first-ever season of Hunt Seat competition. The IHSA Hunt Seat Zone Championship show will be held at Fairfield Hunt Club at 174 Long Lots Road in Westport, Connecticut on April 6, 2014. Post University's Hunt Seat Team rides at Fox Ridge Farm in Newtown, Conn. and is coached by Justin Gregory of Ridgefield, Conn.

The Intercollegiate Dressage Team just completed its season on Sunday, March 30 at UConn.  In February at Mount Holyoke, sophomore captain Rachel Draper (Preston, Conn.) received at 70% and went home with second place. Freshman Katherine Doria (Carmel, N.Y.) had a score of 58.2%, which put her in eighth place. On March 29, the team competed at UMass-Amherst and Doria finished the day with a 58%. Freshman Lemonia Fotinos received a 61.6%, making it her highest score this season. Draper completed the day at UMass with a 58.5%.

On March 30, the team competed at UConn for their final show of the season. Fotinos finished out her first season on the Dressage team with a 48.4%. Doria, also completing her first season as a Dressage team rider, left the show with a 55.6%. Draper ended her second year on the team with a 52.3%. The IDA Dressage team was awarded the Sportsmanship Award for the region. The Sportsmanship Award is awarded by vote of the region's coaches and captains. The Dressage team rides at Sperry View Farm in Bethany, Conn. and is coached by Liz Doering also of Bethany.

The Equine Program Director, Abby Nemec, spoke proudly of the team. "I can't even say how proud I am of the Post Dressage Team for earning this award. This is the second time they have been recognized for their sportsmanship in recent years and they were runner-up once as well. It says so much about the values of the Program, the University, the coach and the riders on the team that they are chosen by their peers for this award."

The IHSA Western Team completed its season on March 8 at Mystic Valley Hunt Club. Freshman Carly Aravena (Woodbury, Conn.) carried the team this season as she was the only rider from Post to compete. On February 1, Aravena finished fifth at UConn. The second show was also at UConn and Aravena took home fourth. On March 1, the Western team competed at UMass-Amherst and Aravena finished the day in second place. On March 8, she gained her very first blue ribbon competing on the IHSA Western team. Aravena finished out the spring season with another first place under her belt. Overall, she ended with 28 points, which put her second in the region in her division and Post University finished fourth in the region. The IHSA Western Team rides at Rap a Pony Farm in Wallingford, Conn. and is coached by Brooke Fowler of Westbrook, Conn.