Callan Roberts ’15 and Paulina Sterpe ’15 Represented Wellesley at the National Level in May

The Wellesley Equestrian Team is registered as part of the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA). The team sent two riders, Callan Roberts ’15 and Paulina Sterpe ’15, to the IHSA National Competition in May.

"Competing at Nationals was a 15 year long dream come true,” said Roberts. “Walking into the giant arena at Nationals was overwhelming in the best way possible."

The IHSA sorts riders into five divisions based on their riding history and competition record: Open, Intermediate, Novice, Walk/Trot/Canter and Walk/Trot. In the top three divisions, riders can compete with jumps or they can compete “on the flat” (without jumps) at all levels. Roberts placed sixth in the nation at the Intermediate Flat level and Sterpe finished twelfth at the Walk/Trot level. The team placed 5th overall for the 2014-2015 season.

The Wellesley Equestrian Team was founded in 1999 as a small organization for student riders. It has since grown to approximately twenty riders of all skill levels and a variety of riding backgrounds.  

Roberts and Sterpe both joined the team during their sophomore year. Roberts had been riding for some fifteen years. Sterpe began riding in college and had never been to a horse show before joining the team. “It felt pretty extraordinary to compete at such a high level even though I was, and still am, a relatively inexperienced rider,” Sterpe said.

The equestrian team is one of several club sports at Wellesley. Other club sports include Ballroom Dancing, Ice Hockey, Wushu and Quidditch.