EQUESTRIAN SPOTLIGHT

Riding in Style: Thriving During a Pandemic

The stable lounge, normally a bustling and cheerful place after school, was quiet this year, but the rest of the equestrian program provided joy, routine, and liveliness to riders. Riding lessons, horsemanship classes, clinics, and on-and off-campus events continued throughout the year.

RE-DESIGNED STABLE OPERATIONS LEAD THE WAY

Shutting down the barn during the pandemic was not an option, so the equestrian staff worked tirelessly to quickly re-design operations with COVID mitigation protocols in mind. The equestrian program was the first campus program to develop and test new pandemic procedures. Director of Equestrian Programs Ian McCartney noted, “Horses need exercise, feeding, and care 365 days a year, so figuring out a way to safely operate the barn was critical. We put protocols in place to keep horse owners coming to the stables.” Thanks to a few generous local alumnae who teamed up with the Madeira staff to keep the horses exercised, the stables were able to continue operating even after the governor mandated school closures.

PROGRAM REMAINS ACTIVE

Once students returned to campus, the riding program functioned similarly to a typical year— albeit with masked riders and individual equipment. The sport lends itself to physical distancing, and through a carefully constructed riding schedule that limited the number of riders in the stable at any given time, riding lessons were in full swing. Safety concerns led to the cancellation of the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) season, but that allowed the team to offer a variety of on-campus events open to all levels of riders. Madeira hosted in-house horse shows, clinics with a variety of college riding coaches and judges, and even a very popular Halloween costume event.

The team was fortunate to continue competing safely throughout the year. Horse shows adapted their schedules so riders could remain physically distanced and spend a minimum amount of time on the show grounds. At competitions, riders interacted only with Madeira instructors and their own horses and equipment.

HYBRID LEARNING OPENS NEW OPTIONS

For remote students, there were a variety of flexible options for learning and connecting. Madeira instructors taught virtual lessons on horsemanship and riding topics through Microsoft Teams, plus riders had the option to ride at their home barns. Madeira’s hybrid academic schedule allowed several students to spend the winter competing in Florida while keeping up with their Madeira classes.

The riding program offered several modules of Introduction to Horsemanship, a student life class that takes place during the academic day to give students the opportunity to learn about horsemanship and how to ride. The course was adapted for remote learners to be part horse psychology and part history course. Students were able to investigate the role horses have played throughout human civilization and pursue a range of personal interest topics. From how horses were used during world wars to horses in philosophy and mythology to sports psychology in the equestrian world, the students loved exploring horses in individual ways. As one student summarized, “I loved the balance of work and the choice and space to be creative within the projects. The course was challenging without being stressful. It made my brain work in a different way—it was exactly what I needed!”

A HAVEN FROM PANDEMIC STRESS

Beyond the competitions and lessons, the chance for students to just come hug their horse at the end of the day—or even talk to their horse over Facetime— was an important part of their stress relief and selfcare. Many parents noted that being able to continue coming to the barn truly helped their daughters to thrive during the pandemic. Maya Wyman ’22 shared, “Throughout the pandemic, riding has been the thing that keeps me going. Knowing that I get to see my horse’s face every day after a long school day has helped me stay strong and sane even with all things pandemic.”

EQUESTRIAN SPOTLIGHT