Interscholastic competitions were created to meet the increasing popularity of dressage and also to give college students an alternative to showing in the hunt or stock seat formats of intercollegiate shows. The interscholastic dressage competitions offer four levels of competition, beginning with an introductory test designed for novice riders through second level for more experienced dressage riders. Because riders are on borrowed horses, the mark for rider position carries a coefficient of three, while gaits of the horses have a single coefficient. The lowest score for each team is dropped, and the remaining three are averaged for the final team score. The Mount Holyoke Dressage Team is a student club run sport.
Every member plays a vital role in the club which is organized by the team captains.
At the beginning of each semester all club members participate in an evaluation which consists of riding a dressage test for a panel of club members and the team coach. When choosing students for a strong team, the panel of club members and team coach look for more than just riding ability and athletic fitness. They also look for a positive attitude, an open willingness to learn more about dressage, and good sportsmanship. In addition to the 4-6 shows held each semester, there are weekly team meetings and practices. Even though P.E. riding classes are not required for team members, they are strongly encouraged.