Intercollegiate Dressage

1. 56 The Chronicle of the Horse
INTERCOLLEGIATE
ISSUE
Intermont Equestrian At
Emory & Henry College
Enjoys A “Three-Peat”
Lisa Moosmueller-Terry leads another team to a
national title.
BY HALEY WEISS
PHOTOS BY HANNAH PHILLIPS
B
efore Taylor Carroll stepped
into the ring as Intermont
Equestrian’s final team
rider at the Intercollegiate
Dressage Association National
Championships, she’d never been
more nervous in her entire life.
“Somebody had calculated the
points before I rode, and they said, ‘Oh
we’re sitting in third or second right
now,’ ” recalled Carroll, of Garner, N.C.
But Carroll took hold of her nerves to
win the introductory level team class,
clinching the victory for Intermont
Equestrian at Emory & Henry College.
For Intermont Equestrian, it was
the third consecutive win at the IDA
National Championships hosted by
Centenary College in Long Valley, N.J.,
on April 23-24. Prior to merging with
Emory & Henry College in Emory,
Va., in June of 2014, when Virginia
Intermont College closed, the Virginia
Intermont team had claimed the IDA
title in 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2014.
Equestrian center director and
IDA coach Lisa Moosmueller-Terry,
who has coached the team since IDA
began in 2001, said, “I’m always a little
bit humbled by it—that we’re able to
produce riders out of the program
who are able to deal with the different
Intermont Equestrian at Emory & Henry
College riders (from left) Hannah Phillips,
Sierra Davenport, Bailey Halverson,
Megan Wilson-Bost, Taylor Carroll, coach
Lisa Moosmueller-Terry, Eli Worth-Jones,
Karissa Donohue, Nick Martino, Morgan
Sollenberger and coach Heather McCloud
celebrated a stellar team showing at IDA
National Championships.
INTERCOLLEGIATE ISSUE

2. May 30, 2016 • chronofhorse.com 57
horses and perform under the pressure
of being in a national competition.”
For this year’s championships
Moosmueller-Terry selected 20-year-old
junior Nick Martino (Bel Air, Md.) to
compete at first level; 21-year-old senior
Karissa Donohue (Benson, N.C.) for
upper training level; 18-year-old junior
Eli Worth-Jones (Abingdon, Va.) for
lower training level; and 21-year-old
junior Carroll for introductory level.
The process of selecting riders to
represent the team “is always a little
bit difficult,” said Moosmueller-Terry.
“There are so many riders at home who
have gotten the team to this point.”
Riders from the winning team
practiced on many different horses.
Moosmueller-Terry emphasized the
importance of adapting to each mount
instead of training on them. “We work
on all the different scenarios that they
can control,” Moosmueller-Terry said.
“There are some things the riders
can’t control like drawing the horse,
but they have to have a tool bag full
of different recipes of their aids to use
with different horses.”
“I ran through my test a lot, so it
could just be second nature, and I
could focus on the horse,” said Worth-
Jones, who also won the individual
lower training level competition.
Like his teammate Carroll, Worth-
Jones had also battled nerves. He
learned to suppress his show ring
anxieties by remembering his confi-
dence in other intense situations.
“I’m a firefighter and EMT,” Worth-
Jones said. “I do vertical rescue,
search and rescue, so when I get really
nervous for a dressage test I just stop
thinking about the test, and I start
thinking about the stuff I do in the
back of an ambulance and the things
that come naturally to me. That’s
helped out my mental game.”
Worth-Jones, who comes from a
hunt seat and western background,
described his initial ride as “decent,
but not the best.” His first mount was
deemed lame when he exited the ring,
so he was given a re-ride and went on
to have “an excellent test.”
During the warm-ups on Saturday
and Sunday, “I was primarily focused
on just getting both of my horses
moving forward and swinging
through their backs,” said Worth-
Jones. “I encouraged them to drop
down and get into a good frame. I
really enjoy working with the horse to
improve its movement.”
In warm-up, Moosmueller-Terry
had her riders work on their mounts’
weak spots. For the introductory level
team competition, Carroll drew an
older gelding who liked to stay behind
his riders’ legs.
“I got on, and my coach said, ‘Don’t
even pick up the reins; just hold the
buckle and go forward,’ ” recalled
Carroll. “If you could get him forward,
he was your man.” Moosmueller-
Terry then had her shorten the reins,
and everything else fell into place.
Although this was the hunter rider’s
first year in black tack, Carroll ended
up being the high-point rider with a
score of 72.18 percent.
“We’re ecstatic to have a three-
peat,” Moosmueller-Terry said. “I
was just going to be happy to finish
well. I’m always confident in the
students, but there are so many
Emory & Henry College winning team
member and lower level training individual
winner Eli Worth-Jones had lots of reasons
to smile with coaches Lisa Moosmueller-
Terry (left) and Heather McCloud at the IDA
National Championships.

3. 58 The Chronicle of the Horse
INTERCOLLEGIATE ISSUE
IDA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Long Valley, N.J.–Apr. 23-24
SCHOOL 1ST LEVEL,
TEST 2
TRAINING,
TEST 3
TRAINING,
TEST 1
INTRO LEVEL,
TEST B
TOTAL
1. EMORY & HENRY COLLEGE
(Nicholas Martino, Karissa Donohue,
Elijah Worth-Jones, Taylor Carroll)
10 6 10 13 39
2. AVERETT UNIVERSITY
(Micah Andrews, Hannah Walters,
Jessica Stipic, Kristen Kelley)
9 11 3 11 34
3. JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY
(Tara Proulx, Mary Kinsella, Leslie
Rogers, Hannah Reichenbach)
11 13 5 4 33
Also competed: 4. Centenary College (J. Olijslager, A. DeFelice, M. Lingerman, K. Wenham), 32; 5. Otterbein University
(K. Giancola, M. Majeskie, M. Heinold, A. Zanella), 30; 6. Virginia Tech (K. Mulikin, H. Dudley, L. Eidel, S. Garrett), 27;
7. Delaware Valley University (M. Rattenbur, R. Wiseman, M. Gwozdz, E. Girondo), 25; 8. University Of Connecticut (C.
Raltson, S. Santacaterina, E. Heine, H. Sweeney), 24; 9. University Of Florida (R. Solch, A. Rossetti, C. Hall, C. Zuba),
23; 10. University Of Massachusetts (M. Carey, M. Amiot, B. Hryniewich, E. Levson), 21; 11. California Polytechnic
State University (K. Hooper, M. McKitrick, A. McDonald, K. Eastman), 16; 12. University Of Findlay (E. Ehrman, S. Rus-
sell, A. Kilbery, E. Hill), 11.
High point rider Taylor
Carroll of Emory &
Henry College won the
introductory level team
test at the IDA National
Championships.
different variables with the horses. I
always think that the stars and moon
and everything have to line up right
in order for a win to happen.”
Over the years Moosmueller-Terry
has coached multiple riders who had
never sat in a dressage saddle before
joining her team. “It introduces the
sport to non-dressage riders,” she said.
“It’s really the growth of the sport with
the young people. I think that’s a great
benefit of IDA in general.”
Forward Focus
First level individual winner and avid
eventer Samantha Majors drew a
mare who was light to her leg in the
warm-up but sucked back once she
entered the show ring.
“I kind of had to adjust a little bit
at the last minute and play with her,”
said the 22-year-old North Carolina
State University senior. “I did some
lengthening just to see how much I
could ask before she would break
gait. During the test I concentrated on
staying relaxed and focused and riding
the horse to make the movements
the best they could be. We had a little
bobble in our leg yield, but otherwise
the test was pretty smooth, steady and
consistent, so I was happy with it.”
Majors, of Cleveland, N.C., recalled
how a gymnastics accident during
her younger years has bettered her
performance in the saddle. “Long
story short, I basically crashed and
burned,” Majors said. “It was leading
up to the big state competition, and
I had to work through some mental
blocks, so that was a really good
lesson. Whenever things go wrong,
you just have to push through and put
the mental blocks out of the way and
remember the hundreds of times when
things went right. You can’t let the one
time it went wrong haunt you—that’s
really helped me in my riding career.”
Majors also credited her team at
NC State. “I love my team,” she said.
“I’ve gotten super close to all of my
team members, and I just love going
to cheer for my team members and
seeing them improve. They all do
the same back, so it’s just really good
camaraderie. We all push each other
to be the best we can be.”
Upper training level winner

4. May 30, 2016 • chronofhorse.com 59
Emory & Henry’s individual introductory level winner Sierra Davenport
celebrated her win with coaches Lisa Moosmueller-Terry (left) and
Heather McCloud at the IDA National Championships.
Nick Martino showed off his trot work during his first level test on
his way to a third-placed score that helped Emory & Henry College
secure the win at the IDA National Championships.
Congratulations to Mount Holyoke College!
2016 IHSA Reserve National Champions
mtholyoke.edu | 413.538.2000 | Coach: Carol J. Law (CJ); Assistant Coach: Morgan Lynch

5. 60 The Chronicle of the Horse
INTERCOLLEGIATE ISSUE
You just have to push through and put the
mental blocks out of the way and remember
the hundreds of times when things went right.”
—SAMANTHA MAJORS
IDA National Championships
Long Valley, NJ—Apr. 23-24.
sTeam 1st Level, T. 2 - 1. M. Rattenbury, Del
Val University, 68.98; 2. T. Proulx, Johnson & Wales
University, 68.82; 3. N. Martino, Emory & Henry College,
68.04. sTeam Trg., T. 3 - 1. M. Kinsella, JWU, 69.20;
2. H. Walters, Averett University, 68.52; 3. H. Dudley,
Virginia Tech, 68.40. sTeam Trg., T. 1 - 1. M. Lingerman,
Centenary College, 70.43; 2. M. Heinold, Otterbein
University,69.89;3.E.Worth-Jones,EHC,69.02.sTeam
Intro. Level, T. B - 1. T. Carroll, EHC, 72.18; 2. K. Kelley,
Averett, 70.46; 3. H. Sweeney, University Of Connecticut,
69.84. sIndiv. 1st Level, T. 3 - 1. S. Majors, North
Carolina State University, 71.69; 2. N. Martino, 70.44;
3. R. Monzon, Lake Erie College, 69.85. sIndiv. Trg., T.
3 - 1. A. DeFelice, Centenary, 70.79; 2. M. Sollenberger,
EHC, 69.31; 3. S. Calas, Mt. Holyoke College, 68.75.
sIndiv. Trg., T. 1 - 1. E. Worth-Jones, 69.78; 2. E.
Foster, Miami University, 67.71; 3. R. Petraitis, University
Of Kentucky, 67.28. sIndiv. Intro. Level, T. B - 1. S.
Davenport, EHC, 73.43; 2. E. Hill, University Of Findlay,
69.37; 3. H. Sweeney, UConn., 69.06.
Amanda DeFelice wasn’t deterred by
the fact that her mount was the only
horse in her level not from her home
turf at Centenary College. “I kind
of knew the horse a bit because I’ve
showed at Cazenovia [College], but I
had never ridden him before,” said the
22-year-old senior from Chalfont, Pa.
“My coach just made me get him really
forward and supple through his body
in the warm-up. I just made my test
really accurate—that’s kind of what
I always do. My favorite part of IDA
besides being on a team is getting the
U
niversity of New Hampshire senior Kathryn Wembacher’s white ribbon
represented more than a fourth-placed finish at the Intercollegiate
Dressage Association National Championships in the individual intro-
ductory level competition—it symbolized her fortitude through a long journey.
The 22-year-old from Plainsboro, N.J., began riding when she was 10 at a
small lesson barn. She didn’t get “formal instruction—especially dressage
based,” until college. She tried out for UNH’s dressage team her sophomore and
junior years but was rejected each time.
“It just didn’t happen. I didn’t have great tryouts,” recalled Wembacher. “I
really wasn’t a great rider coming into college.”
But Wembacher achieved her goal at the beginning of her senior year. “I’ve
worked really hard throughout my time here at UNH,” she said. “I’ve really
improved thanks to all of our instructors, so I finally made the team, and I
really thank our coach Emily Stearns for that. Basically, I finally got a chance to
show others what I can do.”
Wembacher remained positive throughout her years of tryouts: “My attitude
was: ‘I can go, I can try out, and if I make it, great. If not, I got to ride a test and
got feedback on what I need to work on.’ ”
Looking back, she concluded that each tryout helped her learn something
new about herself and what she needed to work on in her riding. “It gave me
a goal to work towards throughout my years here at UNH,” Wembacher said.
“I learned to never give up. Don’t let other people tell you that you’re not good
enough and you can’t do it.”
At Nationals, Wembacher rode the test with her usual resolve. “I made sure
the horse was connected and moving and pushing off his hind legs into the
bridle—all of that quality work—that’s really what I wanted to achieve in that
ride,” she said. “It paid off—all of my hard work finally paid off.”
After graduation, Wembacher will put her equine industry and
management degree to use and return to her hunter/jumper roots as a
groom for Kent Farrington.
Wembacher Works Her Way Up
experience of riding different horses
and seeing how being a good rider, you
can make a horse go well.”
DeFelice, who began riding and dres-
sage at the age of 8, rode between five
and six horses per day to prepare for
the IDA Championships. “I’ve always
been really determined to win, and
I’ve always been really motivated to
ride and work really, really hard at it,”
said DeFelice. “When my coach [Sarah
Marchese] told me that I won she said,
‘You know, your hard work has finally
paid off,’ so that was pretty cool.”
Although introductory level
winner Sierra Davenport of
Chilhowie, Va., claimed to have
drawn the best horse in her division,
her victory did not come without
a few challenges. During her test,
Davenport insisted her horse remain
forward and in the contact because
he had spooked with previous
competitors.
Before attending Emory & Henry
College, Davenport underwent patella
realignment surgery, which put her
out of riding for five months. Due to
her knee issues, Davenport decided
to give up her rodeo scholarship at
Central Wyoming College and trans-
ferred to Emory & Henry. Once she
was given the go-ahead to get back in
the tack, she picked up dressage.
“I had to completely learn to ride
again, but dressage is so much like
western—it was easy for me to pick
up,” said Davenport.
“When they announced the
reserve champion [in reverse order
of placing, Moosmueller-Terry] and
I hugged each other, and I almost
started crying,” added Davenport. “I
was so happy about it.”