Sweet Briar College Continues Setting Distinction in Women’s Leadership

BY MARLEY LIEN-GONZALEZ

In 2026, Sweet Briar College will celebrate 125 years of excellence in women’s education. The over 2,800-acre private liberal arts campus in Amherst County, Virginia, has been constantly revitalizing since its founding in 1901. Currently, it spans several immersive learning facilities, including a productive vineyard, an apiary, a greenhouse, and of course, the state-of-the-art equestrian facility home of their Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) and National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) equestrian programs.

While several changes have revolutionized Sweet Briar in recent years, at its core lies an unflinching dedication to “the arts, sustainability, our top engineering program, our equestrian legacy, and first and foremost, women’s leadership,” says President and alumna Mary Pope Maybank Hutson, who has helped the school raise over $170 million in funding to propel the school into a future with as much strength and innovation as it’s held for over a century.

An Equine Emphasis

Among Sweet Briar’s latest initiatives was a $5 million investment in its equestrian facilities. Since major upgrades in 2020, the school has been steadily enhancing its program at all levels, from riding spaces to horse health and wellness.

Like the students, horses at Sweet Briar eat food grown close to home. Hay is grown on property, which also includes intentionally designed spaces for outdoor riding and large areas for extended turnout. Mimi Wroten, head coach and director of the riding program, says, “We do the most that we can to give our horses a wonderful life. Some of them come to us having had a big show career; they have to get acclimated to being left outside alone.

But then they learn to love it and even enjoy group turnout,” she continues. “Some of them have never had that, even as babies, so it’s just a wonderful thing to see horses thrive in their extended life with us.”

The equestrian facility is 1.5 miles from campus, easy for riders to commute to, and central enough that the greater community can immerse themselves in the joy and peace of a horse’s presence.

“Any student who’s able-bodied and wants to ride can ride while here,” says Wroten. “They can never have touched a horse before and have the opportunity to learn from our equine friends at Sweet Briar.”

The bonds formed in the barn between students become unshakeable. The program participates in both IHSA and NCEA, but according to Wroten, they consider themselves one team. The duality of the program allows for every rider to find their niche. Sweet Briar also regularly attends rated competitions for students who prefer that preparation and routine over the team competition format, which variably pairs horses and riders. For others, riding is purely a recreational activity that offers a sanctuary for a few hours.

A priority for the program is taking advantage of the outdoor space. Not only is riding outside of an arena great therapeutically, it also helps riders develop close contact, better feel, and skills they might never have had an opportunity to learn in previous training programs.

“Right here on the immediate property, we have fields to ride in with uneven terrain and grass footing, which is just wonderful for horse fitness and well-being,” says Wroten. “You think just riding in a ring is a workout enough, but go walk up and down the hills, or trot up and down the hills, or gallop up and down the hills, and you have a whole new respect for the fitness of riders and horses.

“It lets the horses have a different experience,” she adds. “Going out and jumping a little log on the ground rather than having to see another red flower box is oftentimes gratifying for them. And sometimes that’s all the refresh they need to find enjoyment in working again.”

Enriching Virginia’s Veterinary Studies

An exciting recent addition to the Sweet Briar curriculum comes with Alyson Ainsworth, DVM, the equine veterinarian for the college, who works alongside the riding program as well as teaches in the classroom.

“We have a lot of students interested in the pre-vet track, and we had this wonderful facility right here with up to 80 specimens of equine for them to look at and work with,” says Wroten of adding Dr. Ainsworth to the community. “Having that and not using it as a resource for us and for our students would be a mistake.”

Dr. Ainsworth studied at the University of Virginia as an undergrad and attended Virginia Tech for graduate school as she worked towards her veterinarian degree before graduating from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Her experience helps navigate Sweet Briar students with veterinary school aspirations. “The piece that a lot of students struggle with is finding shadowing hours and experience,” says Dr. Ainsworth. “A lot of times, the scheduling is difficult; they’ve got other classes and sports and things like that. Here, they are able to shadow me.”

Students can take a pause in the academic day to head to the stables, where Dr. Ainsworth also brings in other animals like dairy cows and goats to check out what is going on, get hands-on experience, and then head back to campus without compromising any of their other subjects.

“It’s a really great way to pull some of the non-riding students into the riding center,” says Dr. Ainsworth. “Maybe they don’t want to be an equine veterinarian, but they want to be a veterinarian, so they can come shadow and interact with the horses at that level. And then on the other side, to the riders who have no interest in going to vet school, involvement helps make them more educated horse owners.”

A Lifelong Relationship

In addition to the resources directly available to Sweet Briar students on campus, being a part of the community gives access to something much greater.

“We say that Sweet Briar is the longest relationship you’ll ever have—and it is absolutely the truth,” says Hutson. “You are surrounded by women who are inspirational. You are surrounded by women who care. And our alumnae network is second to none in the nation.”

The proof is in the equestrian program. “Our alums have supported us,” says Wroten. “We have one horse on the property that we purchased; the rest of them are all donated to the college, and that says a lot.”

Continuing a history of dedicated service and leadership like the Sweet Briar women who worked as code breakers during World War II, Hutson is confident that pioneering and thought-provoking will continue to be the standard for not only current students, but also for graduates in all fields around the world.

“We’re passing on what Sweet Briar can offer the future generations of women,” she says. “And then those future generations of women will pass it on as they move forward in life.”