Abbott, Desmond Heading to IHSA Zone 1 Region 4 Championships

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University equestrian team will be represented at the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association Zone 1, Region 4 Championships by a repeat performer and a newcomer.

Junior captain Emily Desmond (Braintree, Mass.) has qualified for the second year in a row and will compete in the intermediate flat division.

Sophomore captain Abigail Abbott (Wareham, Mass.) will make her IHSA regional debut after qualifying in the intermediate fences and intermediate flat divisions.

The regional show will take place on Saturday at the Horsebarn Hill in Storrs, Conn., with the top two finishers in each event moving on to the zone competition back in Connecticut on April 6 at the Mystic Valley Hunt Club in Gales Ferry.

The national championship show will be in Mill Spring, N.C., May 2-4.

Desmond finished first in the regional last season, topping the field in the limit flat division.

Now, she is making a return trip to the regionals, hoping for another strong showing.

"It's a pleasure to go again and I'm very excited," said Desmond. "I think I'm a bit more prepared, knowing what it took last year and being able to go last year and get my foot in the door.

"I have a better understanding of what it takes to prepare for it. We'll see how it goes. I'm just going to have fun."

Abbott attended the regional show in Hanover last season and was there to support Desmond and senior Samantha Burke.

Now, Abbott is one of the top riders in the region after a strong second season with the Bears.

"I'm so excited," said Abbott. "The approach, for me, is going to be to go in and have a lot of fun. I still have a few more years left.

"I want to experience the regionals and it's going to be such a different atmosphere than Emily will be having since she's been there."

Desmond saw a difference in the atmosphere at the first regional she took part in last spring.

"It's a bit more competitive than the regular season," she said. "There's a bit more pressure, but our region is so good about being supportive to one another."

Abbott said that she gained motivation by watching her teammates at the 2024 regionals and wanted to be part of it during her BSU career.

"When I watched them, I wanted to be in their shoes, having that adrenaline rush to go in the ring and be a top two and move on," said Abbott.

"It motivated me a lot because I've always wanted to chase it and move on to the next level and hopefully become the next top national winner."

Desmond and Abbott have had consistent performances during BSU's three shows this spring after four shows in the fall semester.

"I think I improved a lot," said Abbott, who has been riding for 15 years. "My eye has become better to the fences and I'm a lot more confident in the ring than I was freshman year.

"I felt myself getting more confident and more comfortable with having a bigger presence in the show ring."

After finishing first at the regional last year, Desmond was 10th at the Zone 1 competition in South Hadley, Mass.

She is looking to advance to the next level again and hopefully improve enough to make it to the nationals.

"I think I have a lot more goals set for myself," said Desmond. "I want to do better than I did last year.

"A lot of practice is going to go into it this week. I'm really stepping up my game and practices. I'm just really excited to be there with my team and the other teams."