Whether or not she wins her riding event, Elizabeth Pemmerl '05 gives her equine partner a gentle pat on the back. "It's a pat that says, 'Thanks for letting me hop on you.'"

Co-captain of the Bates equestrian team, the Rehoboth, Mass., native is a former gold medalist in the New England Equitation Championships — an intense experience, Pemmerl says. By comparison, the Bates club team brings together novice and experienced riders in an all- are-welcome atmosphere that Pemmerl has come to treasure.

"Through the team I've been introduced to people on and off campus that I wouldn't have met otherwise — a friendship group that bonds through horses," she says. "I've really enjoyed meeting a great mix of Maine people, people who both enjoy their horses and enjoy competing."

The team rides and takes lessons at Chez Chevaux Equestrian Center in nearby Durham and competes in the New England region of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. Other participating colleges include Bowdoin, Middlebury, Colby, Dartmouth and the University of Maine.

On the national show circuit, she says, riders pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for horses. Collegiate rules, however, ensure affordability and access. The host team provides horses, and riders chose their mounts by lot. Events range from walk-trot events for novices through advanced equitation competition that includes jumping.

"You have a team, but unlike a game like soccer, it's just you and your horse when you're in the ring," Pemmerl says. Novice riders count equally to experienced riders, she adds, "so we encourage people of all levels — it's open and fun."