Equestrian: The relationship between a horse and its rider

The 2023 MHS Equestrian Team: Rebecca Clark, Abby Coll, Grace Purdon, Avery Popejoy, Hannah Carlton, and Sophie Houttekier

submitted by Coach Donna Clark

Horses and riders develop close relationships. Not only do riders communicate through verbal language and tone, but body language is read easily by your horse. Having a stressful day? The tension that you hold in your body is felt by your horse, making him or her anxious also. It’s hard to convince your horse that you are calm, when you may not be.

This emotional “give and take” relationship between the human and the animal impacts both rider and horse. It can be the difference between a good ride and a not-so-good ride. In other words, when a rider has to change his/her mount, it’s not like changing drivers on a cross-country trip. The bond between the horse and rider is complex and built over time.

So all of this brings us to a report about the MHS Equestrian Team’s second and third meets. Between our first and second meet, our team dealt with some major horse health issues. When a horse can’t be ridden, it affects the entire team. For our team, it wasn’t one horse with a health issue, it wasn’t two, but three separate horse issues. When a horse has a major health issue it might mean you need another animal, or it might mean it needs time off. In that case, neither the rider nor the horse can practice.

Our team never lost hope and fought the good fight. Our team came in third after our second meet, behind Saline, and remained in third place after our third meet. We worked hard to put together the new pieces — riders on new horses, riders in new classes, and, of course, riders with new patterns and little time to practice.

We tip our hats to Onsted and Saline and wish them luck representing District 10, Division “B” at Regionals in Mason next week! We took some time out last Sunday to honor our senior rider — Avery Popejoy. Avery brought in tons of points this season on her horses, Ransom and Lucky. But even more important, she was a great role model for her younger teammates! Thank you, Avery!

Manchester, we’ll be back next fall with some seasoned riders, new riders, and that great “Dutch” spirit and determination we experienced this year! Thank you to our community for your continued support.

Did you know?

Equestrian Team Meets are FREE and open to the public. All that exciting entertainment — FREE!

Meets are held in the rain (not during a thunderstorm, which would cause a delay). By the way, you might want to step away from the rail if it’s muddy.

Horses are so intuitive, they can be used as emotional support animals. Mini horses can also be trained as guide horses for the blind.

Although we acknowledge that team members are responsible for many of these horse chores, the support of our Equestrian Team families is incredible. Any weekend of a meet you are likely to find parents and other family members filling in for duties at the show, loading and unloading equipment, trailering the horses, paying for stalls and shavings for the stalls, helping to provide food for riders and animals, loaning out clothing and equipment, helping to launder clothing for both the horse and rider, and cleaning or adjusting tack.

Thank you to our Equestrian Team families! We couldn’t have a team without you!

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.