KINGSTON, R.I. – November 27, 2017 – The first time Jennifer Blazy ever climbed on a horse was a carnival pony ride at age five or six. Soon after, her grandmother treated Blazy to her first official riding lesson as a gift for her birthday.
Today, Blazy is president of the University of Rhode Island equestrian team, which placed seventh at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association national championships last spring in Kentucky. She is hoping to lead the team to another berth at nationals next spring.
“All our lives we’re taught that horseback riding is an individual sport – you do your own thing, and you want to win for yourself,” said Blazy, a pharmacy major from Massapequa, N.Y. “But in college, you’re not only riding for yourself, but your points count for your team. Coming to college, it was fun to be a part of a big team that became a family for me.”
Blazy’s experience at the national championships last year was the highlight of her riding career so far.
“It was probably the most fun I’ve ever had with this sport,” she said. “I never competed on a level like that before. We rode in this gigantic arena made specifically for our sport, and I earned an honorable mention in my class against 16 other colleges. It was a huge honor just to be there.”
Equestrian is a club sport at URI, not an NCAA sport, which means it receives little university funding. The team’s 43 riders conduct fundraisers to pay for their lessons, hire a coach, and pay for entry fees at each horse show. As team president, Blazy is responsible for overseeing all of the team’s activities.
“We have to raise $80,000, so we do raffles and a golf tournament and all sorts of other fundraisers,” she said. “It’s really taught me a lot about budgeting and finances. And we hold weekly meetings to keep everyone up to date. At horse shows, I handle all the administrative stuff like entries, and I’m responsible for making sure everyone is following the bylaws we set in place.”
Despite the responsibilities and the long hours spent at the team’s riding stable 20 minutes from campus, Blazy calls her time with the team an important stress relief.
“Horses are such amazing animals, and a lot of them have so much personality,” she said. “It’s something I can do not only for exercise but to be around the animals. If I have a stressful week in class, I come to the barn and relax and be away from the hassles on campus. The barn is an escape. And the team combines the best aspects of everything – it’s competitive and still fun.”
With a horse show scheduled almost every weekend of the fall semester, and three more in the spring, Blazy said the team is a huge commitment. She spends time at the stables several times each week, plus she schedules weekly team workouts, a weekly team meeting, and regular team bonding activities. Despite the busy schedule, she’s hoping the team qualifies for nationals again after having the best season of her career last year.
While Blazy is certain she will continue riding horses long after she leaves URI, she is looking forward to a career as a pharmacist.
“I’ve always had a love for science, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with it,” said Blazy, who works part-time at a CVS pharmacy near campus. “And then I fell in love with the chemistry of pharmacy. I love that pharmacy allows me to combine my love for science with my passion for helping and interacting with others.
“My goal for now is set on being a retail pharmacist, but eventually I might want to do a residency, maybe with pediatrics,” she added. “But I want to start in retail, though that’s subject to change.”
Since it takes six years to complete URI’s doctor of pharmacy program, and the equestrian team limits students to four years of eligibility, this will be Blazy’s last year on the team. But the league has an alumni division, so she expects to continue competing at least until she earns her degree.
“This team has given me great confidence and the ability to believe in myself,” she said. “What more could I ask for?”