2011-12 School Year

Equestrian Team Marches Toward Regionals

The Dana Hall Upper and Middle School Equestrian teams competed in their first home show of the season on Saturday, November 12. The Upper School team placed second and is two points away from qualifying for Regionals, while the Middle School Team came in first and secured their Regionals spot.

In addition to the Middle School team earning a trip to Regionals, M. Burns ’13, A. Casale ’14, E. Craig ’14, S. Ebell ’18, R. Ohman ’15, S. Peck ’16, J. Stento ’17, F. Stufano ’14, A. Suitor ’12, S. Taft ’14 and V. Zinsmeyer ’12 individually qualified.

“We had a very successful home IEA Show,” said Riding Center Director Sarah Summers ’98. “Riders qualifying is a great accomplishment given that it is only November!”

The Equestrian Team’s next show is Sunday, December 4 at Rising Star in Medway, Mass. Regionals will take place March 3-4, 2012.

Riders Find Success at Prestigious Show

Seven Dana Hall students and four Dana alumnae were among more than 200 riders from throughout New England who participated in the New England Equitation Championships October 20-23 in West Springfield, Mass. The competition is regarded as the finest regional medal finals in the country.

“The four days of competition were filled with fun, excitement, and great competition,” said Riding Center Director Sarah Summers ’98. “Thursday and Friday were dedicated to adult riders and Saturday was the kick-off for junior riders. The day starts with the open equitation sections and ends with the Challenge of the State Invitational. Juniors qualify through five open classes and represent their state in a team competition.”

A major part of the competition is the Katie Battison Horsemanship Competition. This competition began Friday evening with a written test, continued Saturday with the top 20 scorers being tested on their horse care knowledge, and concluded on Sunday. The top 10 placings of this prestigious award are presented between rounds of competition.

The New England Medal Finals were held on Sunday. In the end, seven current and former Dana Hall Equestrian Team members left the competition with impressive results.

E. Kenny ’12 finished the weekend as the winner of New England Equitation Junior Medal, of the Horsemanship Challenge, and of Open Section, High Point Rider Champion. She was a member of Team MA, which came in second in Challenge of the States, and her horse was selected as top equitation horse at show.

H. French ’13 completed the weekend taking third in the New England Equitation Junior Medal, fourth place in the Open 15-17 B, and was a member of Team MA, which came in second in Challenge of the States.

A. Joyce ’11 placed 10th in New England Equitation Junior Medal; K. Stento ’11 was the winner of the coveted Junior Sportsmanship Award; A. Shuman ’10 took home the Adult Scholarship Award; S. Valone ’16 placed fourth in the Open Eq. 15 and Under and made one of the MA Challenge of the States Teams; and M. Van Amson ’14 participated on one of the MA Challenge of the States Teams.

Middle School Team Remains Undefeated

The Middle and Upper School Equestrian Teams were back in action Sunday, October 9 at Century Mills Farm in Bolton, Mass. The Middle School Team placed first once again, making them undefeated this season. A. Casale ’14, M. Burns ’13 and F. Stufano ’14 all brought home first place ribbons for the Upper School Team that finished fifth overall.

Equestrian Teams Places First at Opening Show

The Dana Hall Upper and Middle School Equestrian teams competed in their first show of the season on Sunday, September 25 at Evenstride in Byfield, Mass. The athletes kicked off the season with both teams placing first in their divisions.

“Starting the IEA season off with two wins is a fantastic confidence builder for our team,” said Riding Center Director Sarah Summers ’98. “I know the teams will keep this positive momentum going in their upcoming shows.”

In addition to their team success, many athletes placed first in individual competitions. A. Casale ’14 took first in JV Novice on the Flat, S. Ebell ’18 ranked first in Future Beginner Flat, A. Suitor ’12 won Varsity Intermediate Over Fences, S. Taft ’14 placed first in Varsity Intermediate Over Fences, R. Thompson ’14 was awarded first in JV Beginner Flat, and M. Waldman ’12 came in first in JV Beginner Flat.

The Equestrian Team’s next show is Sunday, October 9 at Century Mills Farm in Bolton, Mass.

Equestrian Team Members Find Success Over the Summer

Dana Hall riders had a spectacular show season over the summer, with success throughout New England and New York. A. Bertelson ’13 and E. Kenny ’12 qualified for all the major National and Regional Equitation Finals including the prestigious USET Talent Search Medal Finals in Gladstone, N.J. Bertelson, Kenny and and K. Stento ’11 will travel to Maclay Regionals in Westbrook, Conn., USEF Medal Finals in Harrisburg, Pa., New England Equitation Championships and Massachusetts Medal Finals. Kenny also finished fifth at the MHJ Equitation Finals. In addition, Bertelson, C. Kelley ’12 and Kenny competed at the East Coast Junior Hunter Finals in Saugerties, N.Y. in early August, with Kelley and her horse Aramis placing eighth overall, and Bertelson and her horse Valedictorian earning 5th place in the Handy Hunter against stiff competition from all over the east coast.

Dana Hall will be well represented at all of this fall’s regional equitation Finals. In addition to the athletes named above, H. French ’13, J. Schelzi ’14, F. Stufano’14, M. van Amson’14 and S. Valone ’16 will make the trip to the New England Equitation Championships, the Massachusetts Medal Finals, and the Southeast Hunter Medal Finals. E. Selland ’15 will join them at the MA Medal Finals in late September as well. These riders also competed at the Massachusetts Hunter Jumper Medal Finals in late August with excellent results.

Several other Dana competitors had great successes this summer. S. Peck ’16 won the Northeast Mini Medal Finals and finished 12th at the MHJ Finals. Peck has also qualified for SEHA and MA Medal finals as well. A. Casale ’14 had a fabulous showing at the MHJ Finals, ending as Reserve Champion in the Children’s Pony Medal finals. L. Cohen ’14, J. Stento ’16 and S. Walzer ’12, had great success in the 2’ hunter and equitation divisions throughout the season with numerous Champion and Reserve Champion ribbons between them.

The Dana Hall Equestrian Team is scheduled to attend their first IEA show on Sunday, September 25. The team is looking forward to a fun and competitive IEA season as they focus on once again getting to Nationals in the spring.

2010-11 School Year

Equestrian Teams Wins National Championship

From April 28-May 1, four members of the Dana Hall Middle School Equestrian team competed at the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) National Finals in Maryland. The Dana athletes left the Finals as the 2011 IEA National Champions, topping more than 200 teams from across the country.

“After a grueling show season with early mornings, long days and lots of hard practice, I was thrilled that our Middle School team earned a spot at the IEA Finals,” said Riding Center Director Sarah Summers ’98. “I couldn't be more proud of our riders who remained focused throughout the weekend of competition in order to capture the National Title, a title that they very much deserve.”

J. Campbell ’16, L. Nashawaty ’16, E. Selland ’15 and H. Taft ’16 represented the team at the IEA Finals. A. Suitor ’12 also competed as an individual rider.

This is the second National Championship the Dana Middle School team has won, making them the first middle school team to win the Championship twice. The first title came in 2008 when Dana hosted the IEA National Finals at the Big E in Springfield, Mass.

Equestrian Teams Qualify for Regionals

On Sunday, January 23 the Dana Hall Upper and Middle School Equestrian teams hosted Dana’s largest interscholastic equestrian show with more than 320 riders. Despite the below freezing temperature and a full day of competition, Dana’s Upper School placed first and both the Upper and Middle School teams qualified for Regionals in March.

“Our teams hosted the show with grace, determination and a fantastic attitude,” said Director of the Dana Hall Riding Center Sarah Summers ’98. “I was proud to watch our team members seek out teammates who were cold and give them a break in the warm room, continuously offer the horses warm water and make sure they had warm blankets all with a smile.”

A. Casale ’14, J. Johnson ’12, S. Lombard ’13, L. Nashawaty ’16, A. Suitor ’12 and H. Taft ’16 had first place finishes. E. Bellingham ’13, A. Bertelson ’13, J. Campbell ’16, A. Casale ’14, L. Cohen ’14, K. Costantino ’12, E. Craig ’14, J. Gibson ’14, J. Johnson ’12, E. Milford ’13, L. Nashawaty ’16, R. Ohman ’15, M. Palmer ’12, J. Schelzi ’14, E. Selland ’15, K. Stento ’11, F. Stufano ’14, A. Suitor ’12, A. Sullivan ’14, H. Taft ’16, S. Taft ’14, M. Waldman ’12 and S. Walzer ’12 individually qualified for Regionals.

Dana Hosts First IEA Show of the Year

On Saturday, November 13, Dana Hall hosted its first IEA show of the year. The show was very successful as both the Middle and Upper School teams finished in second place. In addition to team success, 13 athletes qualified for Regionals in March. The riders who qualified are: E. Bellingham '13, A. Bertelson '13, J. Campbell '16, A. Casale '14, L. Cohen '16, E. Craig '14, J. Gibson '14, E. Milford '13, M. Palmer '12, J. Schelzi '14, E. Selland '15, S. Taft '14 and S. Walzer '12.

Equestrian Teams Soar at Opening Shows

The Dana Hall Upper and Middle School Equestrian teams participated in their first shows of the season Saturday, September 25 and Sunday, September 26 at Evenstride in Byfield, Mass.

The athletes found individual and team success with the Upper School team placing second in their division, and the Middle School team taking first place.

Individual highlights from the weekend included J. Campbell ’16 placing first in Future Beginner Flat, L. Cohen ’14 coming in first in JV Novice Over Fences, E. Milford ’13 ranking first in JV Novice Over Fences, A. Suitor ’12 placing first in Varsity Intermediate Flat, H. Taft ’16 coming in first in Future Novice Flat, and S. Waltzer ’12 placing first in both JV Novice Fences and JV Novice Flat.