For the first time, the equestrian club team sent riders to the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Zones, the highest level before IHSA Nationals. Ali Engel '12 and Beth Bowman '10 competed with teams ranging from club level to Division I on Saturday at Mount Holyoke Equestrian Center in South Hadley, Mass.Engel finished eighth in Open Flat, while Bowman finished fifth in Intermediate Fences. Neither rider qualified for Nationals.

"We certainly feel that we had a successful season, having made it further than ever in the history of the team," Liz Wilsker '11, the team's outreach chair, said in an e-mail to the Justice.

An equestrian coach places a rider in one of five following levels, which are, from least-experienced to most-experienced, Walk-Trot, Walk-Trot-Canter, Novice, Intermediate and Open. If a rider has competed in a rated equestrian show, he or she must compete at that level or higher in future shows.

Engel, a competitive rider, started the season in Open and finished fifth overall in Region 4, which comprises of schools in Eastern Massachusetts, with 57 points.

Fences and flat classes are scored separately in Novice, Intermediate and Open. Fences involve jumps, while flats do not.

At Regionals, which were held on March 28, Engel finished third in Open Fences and second in Open Flat. Her finish in Open Flat qualified her for Zones. Bowman finished second in Intermediate Fences, which qualified her for Zones, and fifth in Intermediate Flat.

In addition to qualifying for Zones, Bowman was named co-captain of the year at Regionals.

"[It's] a huge compliment and recognition for our team from the whole community in which we compete," said Wilsker in an e-mail to the Justice.

Brandeis sent six other riders to Regionals: Wilsker, Maia Belic '10, Dan Lincoln '10, Lisa Weinstein '10 and Ashley Zibura '11.

The team also independently hosted its first show for the first time on March 20 at the team's barn, August Farm in Holliston, Mass. Every competing equestrian team is required to either host or co-host a show. Members of the team arrived at the farm as early as 6 a.m. to prepare for the event. The team also had to fundraise and find people to help judge and assist with the show.

"That was a huge deal for us this year. . Our show went very well, and after tons of work preparing, we were very proud to say that we had accomplished such an exciting undertaking," Wilsker said in an e-mail to the Justice.

With the team about to graduate four seniors, Wilsker stressed the importance of attracting new members, both experienced and inexperienced, to the club.

"Recruiting will be a big part of how our team does going forward from here," Wilsker said in an e-mail to the Justice. "It is increasingly important to find not only beginner riders but also advanced and intermediate riders, and this means not just getting people who like horses but rather finding those people on campus who are already riders.