ABOUT US

Purpose
Bard Cavaliers is a campus organization dedicated to bringing together horse lovers and riders. The club’s primary goal is to help students form carpools and riding groups to take riding lessons at their home stable, Blue Star Farms Ltd. Although we receive an amazing discount at our Bard-alumni run farm (nearly 50% the average price in our area), for many students fee is too much. For these students and others on campus lacking the time or funding, we also bring equine friends on campus at least once a year (usually during Spring Fling) as a fundraiser and horse-abuse-awareness event. In addition to acting as a liaison with between students and stable and doing our on campus events, we also hold monthly meetings for group members. These are all activities of the club component of the group. However, we also have a team component which takes riding lessons and competes in the Intercollegiate Horse Showing Association as well as participating in the club component of the organization.

History
The club was started by Sarah Perkins and Susannah Bradley the spring semester of their freshman year. The club originally based the lesson program out of a stable in Milan and from Rhinebeck’s Southlands Foundation. The fall of 2004 saw a move to Valley Crest Farms in Hyde Park. It was during this year that freshman Elizabeth Ford voiced an interest in starting a show team. With her leadership and hard work, we joined the IHSA and competed in three out of ten competitions held for our zone and region. Even with such infrequent attendance at the competitions, and a roster of only 3 girls, Bard still managed to place 12 out of 15 teams. In the spring semester or 2005, Andrea Nussinow, a local stable owner and Bard alum contacted Susannah about doing something for the equestrian club. After meeting Andrea and taking a test-lesson, it was clear this would be our permanent home. Andrea’s facility is a mere 8 minutes from Bard in Columbia County. It boasts an indoor ring, an outdoor sand ring, a grassy jump field, a trail around the property, ample pasture for turnout, and stalls for 25 horses and ponies. Having trained with Norman Dello Joio (an equestrian Olympian), Andrea has valuable A-circuit experience and has led the Bard Equestrian Team to numerous successes this show season. Through the persistance and hard work of the original founders, the club became an official Bard Club Sport and began receiving funding from the athletic department in the spring 2006 semester. This money is used to pay for costs associated with showing for Bard. We hope to continue growing our membership both in the club and show team in the coming years.

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