Four times a year at Hansen Dam Equestrian Park, the Archer equestrian team gathers to compete at horse shows. This year, the team ended the season placing as Freshman Overall Team Reserve Champion and Novice Overall Team.

Unlike other sports, the season equestrian goes year-round. The team is co-captained by juniors Maddy Benfield and Ella Frey.

“[Equestrian] is different from any other [Archer] sports because we don’t really practice as a team,” Frey said. “We practice at our individual barns, and then we come together for four shows in the year and compete as a team in different divisions at IEL.” 

The team meets monthly on-campus during the school year as an entire team to check in as a team and to discuss the upcoming shows.

 Frey said she gets to spend time with people from all grades that she would not talk to if she was not on the equestrian team. The team is open to all grades, sixth through twelfth, and each members must have a horse at a barn to join.

“My favorite part is getting to see all of my Archer friends outside of school with horses,” Sydney Cort ‘20, a team member, said. “[We] watch each other and cheer each other on at the shows.”