In 1966-67, Cacchione, then a senior at Fairleigh Dickinson, convened a meeting in his parents' Rye, New York living room among representatives from FDU Madison and Teaneck campuses, Stony Brook (NY), Jersey City State College and Bennett College, Millbrook, NY. They chose the IHSA name and organized its first end-of-school-year championships; an inaugural high point college award was won by FDU-Teaneck.
Amid its collegial competitive atmosphere rode Carrie, an FDU Education major from New York City's The Bronx, who became the first intercollegiate hunter seat equitation class winner. Today, that same class would be considered IHSA's most prestigious: its USEF/Cacchione Cup. Scrima grins, “I don't know if there was even such a thing as a 'Cup qualifier' back then.”
Good horsemanship by any other name still builds a solid riding foundation, and after college, Carrie took her fluid style and proven success for training horses into the hunter/jumper worlds. In 1976, at U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Trials in Gladstone, NJ, one of her horses won two qualifiers, and before she left the East Coast for the Rockies, the range of her equestrian influence extended to include horses that left their marks in equitation, including a Medal Maclay championship, and a long list of championships in hunter and jumper rings and the American Quarter Horse Association World Championships.
Captivated by the beauty of Colorado, combined with her love of trail riding, she eventually found her heart in trail competition.
While teaching riding at a summer camp in upstate New York, she met her future husband: Tom Scrima. With his support as a business advisor, Carrie launched the American Competitive Trail Horse Association (ACTHA), LLC, in 2008.
“ACTHA,” she says, “is the result of a lifelong addiction to horses.”As a child, I played with nothing but horse models, read nothing but horse books, and when I learned of a place nearby that trained police horses for the NYC Mounted Patrol, I spent every spare moment there.
“After an appropriate break-in period of shining boots, cleaning tack and doing anything they could think of that a buck-toothed red-headed eight year-old could do safely, they took pity and the riding lessons began. They've never really stopped.”
ACTHA is the culmination of that lifelong equine affair. “Everything I have learned, every obstacle, every rule (of which there are few) represents the safest way I know to introduce a horse and rider to the skills they will need to be as safe as possible and heighten the enjoyment of the now-sport of trail riding.”
Much like those early days of IHSA, Tom Scrima remembers ACTHA at its beginning, as Carrie turned her dream into reality: “She started ACTHA... I was only an advisor early on. She wanted a one-day venue, open to all horses, that showed the incredible value and all-around talent of a truly good trail horse. Every discipline is reflected in a good trail horse from equitation and dressage talents all the way to roping.”
Two popular ACTHA competitions are Competitive Trail Challenges (CTC) and ACTHA Obstacle Challenges (AOC).
CTCs are casual, non-timed, 6-8 mile trail ride competitions with judged (mostly natural) obstacles. Each obstacle has its own judge. Riders are encouraged to ride with a group, family or friends. When they come to an obstacle and judge, each performs the obstacle one at a time. CTCs usually take from two to three hours. Ribbons and prizes are awarded for Open, Pleasure and Junior divisions; jackpot cash may also be awarded.
AOCs are held in an arena (indoor, outdoor or covered) or in a field and consist of 8-16 obstacles along one of two course formats: straight in-line or Gambler's Choice. All obstacles at an AOC are ACTHA-approved obstacles located on its website (www.actha.us), set at 60 seconds, giving 8-16 minutes total arena time. Ribbons and ACTHA Bucks are awarded for Open, Pleasure, Scout (non-ACTHA members) and Junior divisions, and all receive generous allotments of sponsored products.
What Carrie learned from riding IHSA she carries with her today. It's shaped who she is and her commitment to ACTHA.
“Bob (Cacchione) was truly an inspiration. He combined his sincere love of sport with business and service. ACTHA strives to mirror that. We call it 'commerce alongside charity' while taking care of the unwanted horse. Twenty percent of every rider entry fee goes directly to rescues and charity.”
By encouraging interest in the trail riding horse, her association seeks “full equine employment, to help rehabilitate and ease the suffering of horses in need.”
Carrie notes with more than a little bemusement that, since starting ACTHA and its hugely popular competitions almost six years ago, there's been no thought of competing herself. “I'm lucky if I get to ride!”
“But she does,” adds Tom. “Even if it means getting up at 5 AM and no, I don't get up with her. But I do saddle up as often as I can and ride the wonderful 20 miles of trails afforded us.
“She currently has three wonderful mounts. One is mine in name-only. Angelo is a truly great animal. Gifted and as kind as they come. I can chainsaw a new trail off his back or clear an open hunter course with him if I can stay on. He's a 16.1-hand Percheron/Thoroughbred Premarin rescue we've had for 16 years now.
“Next up, we have Peterbilt (like the truck). A pony hunter. Welsh and Percheron, yes that's right, Percheron. Sale barn mishap we saved from a killer sale. Amazing horse. Probably the most gifted of the bunch on a trail. Safe with any kid, anyone would want a pony hunter with his looks and ability.
“I literally shudder when I think what might have happened to these talented mounts had their paths not crossed with ours or trail riders like us".
Last but not least in their Whitefield Farms herd is Sterling the mustang. “A real looker, silver gray. The horse every girl fantasizes about. Green but coming on fast. His trot will shake out your fillings but Carrie's working on him.”
That's Carrie. Don't try to stop to remind her she's one of the first great IHSA Alumni riders. She's too busy breaking new ground.
“Knowing how difficult and dedicated one must be to persevere and succeed to a pinnacle such as Bob did with the IHSA, is truly admirable.” Looking at the accomplishments of one Fairleigh Dickinson alum to another, Tom surmises, “Guess Bob taught Carrie well. We only hope to be as successful with ACTHA.”
