Fairy-tale ending for horse and rider

This fall will mark 21 years since the opening of the Nancy G. Held Equestrian Center at Albion College. In those two decades, the varsity equestrian teams have become consistent players on the national level and earned  a respected name for Albion College within collegiate circles. 

The backbone of the Held Center’s hunt seat and western teams are the school horses. Affectionately referred to as “the professors” or “schoolies,” the horses teach some of the most-impactful lessons at the barn, and riders will attest that every lesson learned at the barn translates to many facets in life.

Horses that work best in a collegiate setting seem to enjoy their jobs, remain physically sound enough to do what is asked, and will patiently teach a multitude of riders in the unique draw-based system of collegiate riding. There is a level of unspoken trust and understanding that needs to be achieved for riders to have success with a horse, and most riders have a favorite horse with which they really connect. 

Albion’s horses are acquired by donation with the exception of a few that are borrowed on a temporary-free lease. When it’s time for a horse to retire from the program, the donor is notified first. Some wish to take the horse back, but not every donor can. In those cases, the next best situation is for someone known and trusted to step forward, and it’s even better if it’s an alum who already knows and loves the horse. 

A friendship cultivated at the barn

In 2015, Albion College accepted a horse gifted by the Oliva family of Illinois. Let’s Go had been a competitive show jumper with their daughter, Jackie, at renowned events such as the Washington International Horse Show and the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, as well as top A-rated shows in Illinois and Florida. At that time,  Albion’s school horses were named after scholars, poets, and artists (befitting for a college), and Let’s Go was promptly renamed Chaucer, after the great Geoffrey Chaucer, author of the Canterbury Tales. 

Enter Hannah DesRochers ’23, who was a recruit for the hunt seat team during the fall of 2018. During her first semester she recalls being particularly challenged by Chaucer. 

“Funny enough, my freshman year I couldn’t ride him well,” DesRochers recalled. 

But Ashley Butler ’18, who was helping coach the team that semester, encouraged and pushed DesRochers. 

“I spent a month straight only riding Chaucer in my flat lessons,” DesRochers said. “My second semester of my freshman year, I had finally figured him out, and he was quickly my favorite!”

“My experience at Albion was so positive due to these horses that were patient with us learning how to ride them,” she said. “Having a horse that so confidently knows and does his job is always so great when learning different rides.” 

The coach at that time, Randi Gardner, also knew that DesRochers had a special place in her heart for Chaucer. 

“Chaucer specifically was always my ‘safe’ ride, and Coach knew that,” DesRochers said. “He would always be the horse I rode in practice when we had a horse show the next day. I always had a nice confident ride on him, and it would help me feel good going into the horse show.” 

Recalling memories of Chaucer during her college years, DesRochers remembered the thrilling opportunity she had to travel to the World Equestrian Center in Ohio to compete Chaucer in the jumper ring for the first time. 

Equally impactful though are her memories of simply hanging out in Chaucer’s stall. “He let me love on him a lot when I was stressed from school, probably more than he really wanted to, but I was never met with an angry face,” she said. 

DesRochers experienced her fair share of success while riding in college including qualifying to compete at the IHSA Zone Finals in 2022 and winning “Volunteer of the Show” at IHSA Nationals. Ultimately, she returned for a fifth year (thanks to Covid) as team captain and rode with current Director and Coach Chris Mitchell. That year, she qualified for the IHSA Regional Championships and was also awarded Albion’s “Lora Carrington Coaches Award” for her deep commitment to her team and her support of the Held Center horses. 

“I did not go into school planning to be a professional in the (equestrian) industry,” she said. “I originally came to Albion as a pre-vet student, but after spending so much time around the barn learning from the coaches, I realized working with horses was something I could see myself doing. Originally I didn’t think I was good enough to be a professional, but I worked hard to learn everything I could and get to where I am now.” 

These days, DesRochers is the assistant trainer at Vantage Point Equestrian at Hoffman Farms in Highland, Michigan. She stayed connected to Albion Equestrian post-graduation by working at the Held Center for a summer, schooling horses before home IHSA shows, and even judging some jumper-schooling shows at the Held Center. She gained more experience working with a well-known hunter-jumper barn in Tennessee and assisted them during a show season in Florida. 

Reuniting graduate and her trusted companion 

Before graduating in May 2023, DesRochers made sure that her name was in Chaucer’s file to be notified when it was his turn to retire. That time came in  January 2025 after ten years of school-horse life. Though he maintained his health and willingness to participate, he had turned 23 years old and had more than earned an enjoyable retirement, a decreased workload and, of course, more bananas–one of his favorite treats! DesRochers was ready to accept him with open arms. 

Another first is now checked off DesRochers’ list, owning her first horse, and how fitting for it to be Chaucer. It was an easy call for Held Center staff to let DesRochers adopt him. Her years of cheerful dedication to the Held Center had already demonstrated her commitment to quality horse care, and her bond with Chaucer was undeniable. 

“Chaucer definitely taught me that kindness can get you far, and hard work is very rewarding. The goal is to work with the horse and not against them, so treating them with kindness and respect will get you further in your ride,” DesRochers said. “As for the hard work, you won’t get anywhere by skating by and hoping it will work out. Same goes with the horses. If you don’t push yourself to work harder, then you will not get better.”

Many people make lifelong friends during college. Equestrians like DesRochers are lucky to make four-legged friends like Chaucer that can impact their life trajectory in ways they never expected. 

The author, Carolyn (Wilson) Killewald ’04,  is associate director and business manager of the Held Equestrian Center, where she has worked since 2008.