Chapman’s equestrian team: a tale of dedication

Barrett Whitesell, a senior environmental science and policy major, is the captain of the Chapman equestrian team. Photos courtesy of Barrett Whitesell

When playing sports at Chapman, there is usually a ball or some sort of individual adversity one eventually has to overcome in order to thrive in a new collegiate level environment to play the games they’ve loved growing up.

However, there is one unique club sport at Chapman that involves not only the individual competitor, but an animal enhancing the competitor’s scoring in their sport.

The Chapman equestrian team is a set of individuals who love riding horses and have now taken it to the next level. As a club team, they compete against other clubs such as the University of Southern California, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Arizona, Arizona State University, University of California, San Diego and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. 

With a season ranging from October through March, the Chapman equestrian team trains endlessly to win.

Barrett Whitesell, a senior environmental science and policy major, is the captain of the Chapman equestrian team, and is very passionate about the sport.

“Equestrian is just the term used for being a horseback rider or (someone) working with horses,” Whitesell said. “The sport has multiple different disciplines, but the equestrian team does equitation, which is basically jumping or flat classes judged on your position, skill and style.”

Faith DiMaria, a third-year health sciences major, is the president of the team, riding alongside Whitesell.

“The best way to describe what my team and I do at competitions is to memorize a course of eight to 12 jumps and execute it to the best of our ability in the ring, while being judged on the rider's position, technique and form,” DiMaria said. “The goal is to make it look as effortless and smooth as possible.”

The training process is not one that can just take place at Wilson Field. For these equestrians, they have to ride their horses off campus.

While the competitions and scoring are unique and require patience and precision to ace the jumps, there is more to just facing obstacles. To be a successful rider, one must master the main component driving their performance: tacking, or help preparing, their elegant horse for showtime. 

“Other than riding, an equestrian must be knowledgeable about horse care and be able to tack up and care for it post-ride. This also involves feeding, cleaning the stall, washing, etc. Taking care of your horse is just as important as knowing how to ride it,” Whitesell said.

DiMaria elaborated on the importance of horse care and explained the training process for “green horses,” or horses brought from Europe who have minimal training and knowledge. 

“For about the last seven years I have specialized in training young horses,” DiMaria said. “I have done deals with investors who bring green horses over from Europe and use them as my own horse, training them and putting show miles on them to raise their value in order to be eventually sold. It’s definitely been a win-win for both parties, I get a quality horse to ride and the investor gets quality training and exposure for their horse in hopes to maximize the profit of their investment.”

On the team, horses are expensive, and not everyone has the luxury to live in Orange County, with their horse just minutes away. 

“If you're not from here but have a horse back home, you have a few options,” Whitesell said. “Most people on the team in this situation leave their horses at home and take lessons on horses that their coach owns… If you want to bring your horse to college with you, the equestrian team does not provide anywhere for your horse to stay, but there are definitely barns in the area you can board at. If someone is in this position, team members are more than willing to help them find a barn.”

The training process is not one that can just take place at Wilson Field. For these riders, they have to take their horses off campus.

“We all train with our own trainers independently of Chapman,” DiMaria said. “We submit forms before horse shows to make sure everyone has met the training requirements and is well prepared to compete. Some girls train with the Chapman coach, but for people with other opportunities or their own horses, it is not required.”

Whitesell further explains to The Panther how the team has evolved; and unfortunately, de-evolved.

“The team size fluctuates a lot depending on the year. In my freshman year, I think it was around 20 people,” Whitesell said. “After COVID-19, it started to shrink, with around 17 people last year. This year we only had seven people total due to people graduating and no freshmen joining. We need the size of the team to grow or else we won't be able to sustain it.”

They may be small, but nonetheless, they are mighty. The team has persevered through hardships such as the lessened enthusiasm to join andalso their coach quitting at the start of season, preventing this year’s season from occurring.

“The team isn't competing this year since our coach quit at the beginning of the season, so my current goal is to get a new one hired and prepare the team as much as possible for next season,” Whitesell said. “As always, my number one priority is for everyone to have fun, but also sending people to the post-season next year.”