The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Jumper Prix de Villes is golden tradition
Horse hunter jumper weekend marks 50th year, embraces history, tradition, education at Lake Erie College in Concord Township
Maddie Pilz and Nicole Lindquist are at opposite ends of the collegiate spectrum.
While Pilz is set to leave school after commencement on May 6, months later, Lindquist will be a sophomore. But the senior isn’t at all concerned about Intercollegiate Horse Show Association at Lake Erie College.
In fact, her ringing endorsement of Lindquist, and, naturally, the rest of the team, fills her with excitement for future shows, primarily the college’s signature horse showing event, the Prix de Villes, “Prize of the Cities.”
“She’s easily been one of the most talented freshmen we’ve had come in,” Pilz said. “It’s really nice when we get good freshmen in because that means a promising team for at least another four years. She’s a good rider and a good horse person.
“Nicole came to college with an insane amount of grooming experience for her age, taking care of the horses that are showing. It’s been really cool to watch her show, too.”
Pilz and Lindquist are also participating in the 50th Prix de Villes – Hunter Jumper Weekend, April 1315, including the Chagrin Saddlery Junior Amateur Hunter Derby and Schneiders Saddlery Open Performance Hunter Derby. The event is held at the school’s George M. Humphrey Equestrian Center in Concord Township.
Lake Erie College hosts numerous horse shows annually, including a Dressage Prix de Villes which was held a week ago. This year, however, the college is hosting its largest number of competitors for Prix de Villes in two decades, with over 100 horses performing.
“The Prix de Villes of North America is truly a special event, with a long history at the college,” said Pam Hess, dean, school of equine studies. “It is the event that the faculty, students and staff have in their eye from the beginning of each school year. It is the culmination of hours and hours of lessons and practice and learning about horses.
“For all of our riders at the Prix, whether they are students at the college or amateur or professional riders from all over Ohio and neighboring states, the Prix is a unique event.”
The Prix is a Nations Cup format, meaning that teams of four riders compete individually with their scores combined for an overall team score. Teams may drop their lowest score. The team with the highest total of three scores wins the competition in their division.
This year Lake Erie College added $5,000 to a purse for the winning team jumpers, in addition to prizes provided by local sponsors.
Hess dismisses detractors’ claims that riding isn’t an “athletic sport.”
“Riders need to be physically fit and agile with considerable core strength,” she said. “It’s hard, physical work riding and caring for an animal that weighs over a thousand pounds, drinks five to 10 gallons of water a day and eats 15 to 20 pounds of food a day. And they have a mind and will of their own, too, which needs to be in sync with that of the rider to make for a successful and enjoyable ride.”
Hess’ colleague, Mary Pardee, director of riding and assistant professor of equine studies, agrees.
“And it’s also about being a good negotiator, a good listener, having incredibly good timing and a real sense of rhythm. It’s like dance. You’re building this partnership with this sentient being. It also teaches us to be caring and compassionate, that we’re not just putting our own athletic ambitions first.
“We always ask, ‘Is this in the best interest of the horse?’ You really have to read the mood of the horse. We look at their expressions, we listen to their breathing, we watch how they use their bodies, and all of those things inform us about how the horse is feeling. They get competitive nerves just like we do.”
Both Hess and Pardee detailed Cleveland’s rich equestrian history, noting that the founder of Lake Erie College’s (equine) program, Laddie Andahazy, brought the idea of grand prix show jumping from Europe to the United States.
Bertalan de Némethy, show jumper, course designer and the first chef d’ equipe (team leader) of the United States Equestrian Team, was influential in introducing the sport.
The efforts of both men, in addition to others, resulted in the first North American show held in 1965 at the Cleveland Metroparks Polo Field, located at the corner of Chagrin River Road and South Woodland Road (Route 87).
“Show jumping, too, evolves out of military tradition, cavalry mounts, officers in the field being bold and athletic, and the fox hunting tradition,” Pardee added. “Dressage was all about the training and rid-ability of the horse.
“This (event) remains a wonderful educational opportunity for our students. This school is a destination location for equestrians from all over the country. There is great economic value to having a healthy horse industry in a community.”
Concurring, Hess said Ohio ranks 6th in the nation in its numbers of horses, with over 300,000.
“Horses are big business (in Ohio) and contribute $1.2 billion to the state’s economy,” she noted.
Functioning as more than just a competition, Prix de Villes also serves as a teaching opportunity, part of an equestrian activities management class, Pardee explained. Rather than hiring full professional crews, the college takes curriculum out of the classroom, making it a realworld experience.
“That’s always been our ethos,” she said. “When we host events here, we want to keep our students as involved as we can, with running the event or with the organization. These students, then, also learn about sports medicine as it relates to horses. They learn the best way to manage these athletes. They’re not only caring for themselves, but also for their athletic partners.”
Pilz, who hails from San Diego, and Lindquist, a native of Plymouth, Massachusetts, have known since their earlier days involved in the sport that solidifying a rapport with the horses is essential to success.
“It takes a great amount of preparation, no different than any other sport,” said Pilz, 22.