Cold rain and winds couldn't dampen the spirits of a determined group of riders at Toad Hill Farm.

TAKING THE CORNER – Maggie Thompson of Hopkinton took first place in the barrel-racing event at the New Hampshire High School Equestrian Team Horse Show on Saturday, May 7. The event took place at Toad Hill Farm in New Boston and showcased the talents of several area riders. The organizers hope to develop equestrian teams in local high schools. (J. Edgerton Photo)

For three hours, 11 riders from four towns participated in the New Hampshire High School Equestrian Team Horse Show, which was organized at the New Boston farm to drum up support for equestrian teams competing at the high school level.

According to Kim Fortune, coach of Merrimack Valley High School's riding program, support is growing.

"Hopkinton and Merrimack have official programs," said Fortune. "Others will be joining, but for now, we have eight riders on each team."

Originally, 33 events were planned for the show, but a few were canceled. The events included trail riding, where riders demonstrate their control of a horse under simulated trail conditions, and barrel racing, an event that is much like a slalom course, only with hooves instead of skis. The teams could select up to five individual classes and unlimited team classes.

"The riders are judged on their potential," said Lin Pothier, co-owner of the farm. "If they make any mistakes in their routines, we treat it as a learning experience."

The inspiration for equestrian teams in local high schools came from a decade-old program that Fortune saw in Oregon, where competitions between high school riders at the district and state level are commonplace.

"It was amazing," she said. "At one Oregon district meet there were 200 horses. There were 700 horses at the state level, and these riders knew their stuff."

Ideally, each high school in the district would be able to field its own team of riders. Fortune said that a team could be as small as a single rider.

"In a situation where there is a small team at a school, the idea is to combine it with another bunch of riders and make a coop team," said Fortune.

The potential for district-level participation in equestrian clubs or teams is enormous, according to Fortune. The coach said that growth of these programs is limited only by the number of School Administrative Units in the state.

"A lot of schools want the blessing of the school board," she said. "Until we can do that over the summer or fall, we'll need to go to lots of meetings." According to Fortune, the typical horse riding season begins on Dec. 1 and concludes at the end of May. She hopes to have more teams up and running in time for the 2005-06 season.

"In one season, there are usually four horse shows," said Fortune. "Three are at district level and one is state. We would love to see this all go statewide."

Pothier is receptive to the idea.

"Our farm is open to riders of all disciplines," she said. "We have in-hand classes to accomodate miniature horses, and we also serve special needs students."

For more information about joining a team or recreational riding, visit the Toad Hill Farm Web site at www'toadhillfarm. net or call Lin Pothier at 325- 5571.