CLUB HISTORY

The origins of the team date back to the 1987 Special Olympics held at the Notre Dame and Saint Mary's College campuses.  The schedule of events included an Equestrian Arts demonstration, but neither campus had the facilities required to host such an event.  Associate Notre Dame librarian Stephen Hayes, a rider with more than a decade of experience, served as the barn manager during the Olympics.  He and several other students were hard at work prior to the events, building a tent and a ring from scratch.  After the closing ceremonies, people asked why the colleges didn't have a riding club.  Hayes decided to start one, thus beginning the long tradition the team continues today. 

In 1989, only two people qualified for the post-season competition at the Regional level: Kerry Sheedy and Margie Guido both qualified for Novice flat and Novice fences.  Their strong showing placed Notre Dame in sixth place in the Region.  The following year, 1990 showed an increase in club membership to more than 10 people.

In the club's first several years of membership to the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), not a single rider accumulated enough points to go beyond Regional competition.  In 1992, at the end of Cindy Thompson's first semester as coach, two riders advanced; the following year, one was a regional champion.

In the spring of 1994, the team placed second in the regional standings behind the established institution of Purdue University.  Purdue has since remained a long-standing competitor of the Irish.  The Boilmakers boast  a roster of almost 100 students and a stable full of their own horses.  At the 1994 Regional competition, the Notre Dame team missed qualifying Zones by falling a mere 8 points behind Purdue, thus losing the Regional title. 

That December, Notre Dame was invited to the Tournament of Champions at the University of Findley (Ohio).  Invitation to this elite event is based on a first or second place finish at the previous season's close.  Jim Arragon, the program director and the coach of Miami University (Ohio) described the competition as "a monumental event" that "traversed the country to gather twenty colleges representing the best and brightest teams and riders in the nation."  At this Winter Series, Notre Dame riders received a second place finish in Novice Fences and third place in Open fences.

In 1995, under the tutelage of Coach Donald C. Harroff, the team sent four riders to the Zone 6 competition hosted by Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio.  Open competitor Jennifer Warner, placed second in the open fences division, qualifying her for the national competition.  Another Note Dame rider, Susan Galanthay, received first place in the Novice Fences division, which also qualified her for nationals.  Warner and Galanthay went on to successfully compete at Nationals hosted by Colorado State in Fort Collins, CO. 

From 1995 to 2001, Notre Dame riders continued to ride under Don Harroff at Harroff Performance Horses and competed against Indiana, Ohio and Illinois schools, regular season competition became gradually tougher and only one rider during that tenure qualified for national competition: Jen Pojunas in the spring of 2001 as Intermediate rider.  Pojunas placed tenth in her fences class.

The winter of 2001 brought many changes to the team.  A new coach was hired and a new advisor appointed.  Kathryn Wells took over Don Harroff's position as head coach and the team moved to her facility in Bristol, Indiana.  Kathleen M. Sullivan, Associate Director of the Alumni Association, was appointed as the new advisor, replacing Steven Hayes.

The 2002-2003 team won many regular season honors, including High Point and Reserve High Point team at several horse shows.  Membership grew to approximately 30 riders in the club, and 11 on the competition team. 

In the fall of 2003, the team hosted their first IHSA show in fifteen years at Kathryn's new barn on county road 23 in Bristol.  Team membership increased to 16 and the team moved up to second in the regional standings. 

In the 2004-05 season the equestrian team finished first in the region, and advanced to Zones. It was the first time that Notre Dame ever went to Zones as a team.

In the 2005-06 season, Notre Dame sent two riders to Nationals. Molly Schmiege qualified individually in Intermediate Fences by finishing first in both Regionals and Zones. Kelsey Ostberg went to Nationals as our Region's Cacchione Cup competitor. The Cacchione Cup is an award given to the best Open rider in the country. Each region sends their first place Open rider (the one who has accumulated the most points throughout the season in both flat and fences). This was the first time Notre Dame has ever had a rider compete for the Cacchione Cup.

In the 2006-07 season, Notre Dame sent riders Kelsey Ostberg and Brittany Gragg to Zones. Brittany qualified for Nationals in Novice Fences, and finished in ninth place at Nationals.

In the 2007-2008 season, Notre Dame finished 5th in the region, and sent seven riders to Regionals.

EQUESTRIAN CLUB, DEPARTMENT OF ATHLETCIS, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
NOTRE DAME, IN 46556
e-mail us at ndhorse@nd.edu!
last updated 4/29/08