#horses - #Riding and College: Tips for prospective collegiate riders

Riding and College: Tips for prospective collegiate riders

I've seen a few reddit posts of people interested in riding and college so I figured I'd share a few points about it, at least as it pertains to colleges in the United States.

Introduction

College is a big decision for people. To narrow down a school based on career prospects and location is a daunting task, and it isn't made any easier if you consider other factors as well. I can't really offer you any insight on how to decide which school has the best food, but I can help you look at equestrian opportunities of various schools. These ultimately boil down to 3 separate types: school run equestrian programs, student run programs, and private barns. They all have their pros and cons which I've listed below.

School Run Equestrian Programs

These programs are run by the college or university at facilities that are often owned by the college/university. Competitive riding teams are often coached by college faculty. Many of these schools have much smaller student communities that may only number in the hundreds to a few thousands

Pros

• Equestrian centers are a part of campus, thus there is usually easy transportation or access by the students to them.

• Many schools will use their equestrian centers as classrooms and provide majors related to the equine industry.

• Many schools and programs have easy access to the equine industry through personal networks of the faculty. Can make finding an equine job very easy.

• Some schools have a very good reputation for their equine programs and can make getting an internship or job much easier.

• Horse show competitions can be held on campus, definitely beats getting up at 4AM for a 3 hour drive to another school (You'll probably still have to get up at 4AM to care for the horses though).

Cons

• Can be quite competitive. If you aren't riding that frequently, you might not make it onto the competition teams. Some of the riders who are applying for these schools ride daily and compete regularly within organizations like USEF and AQHA. If you do make it to the team, then showing is usually mandatory.

• Many schools running their own equine programs will not have nearly as much variety in choice of majors for other fields. Also, the programs they do have may not be as highly ranked.

• Can be rather expensive. An equestrian center with a couple dozen horses usually isn't cheap.

Student Run Organizations

These kind of programs are run by the students, for the students with support from the college/university. They will often hire a nearby horse trainer/barn owner to be the coach for the team. Different colleges offer differing amounts of support to the team and some schools cover all travel expenses for collegiate competitions.

Pros

• Excellent leadership opportunities if you're interested. Lead the team as captain, or manage the finances. Be in charge of membership or team events. Any of these positions give valuable experience for any career.

• Can be very economical, depending on school support. It will almost always be cheaper than riding at a school run program.

• Can be found almost anywhere in the country. Schools you might not associate with horses very likely do have a team.

• Will usually be much more laid back and open to anyone. Usually more beginner friendly than other programs, competitions are usually optional, and will usually have a larger variety of rider backgrounds.

• Larger schools will often have very good programs and a wide variety of majors to choose from (Engineering might not have a lot to do with horses but at least you'll have the money for a horse! Time is another issue entirely)

Cons

• Programs are often unknown. You may have to look for the program. (Ohio State has an equestrian team?!?! Yes. Yes they do.)

• The teams will usually not attract the best riding talent from high school, though it would be unwise to dismiss them for it.

• Many of these teams need to fundraise or participate in community service.

Private Barns

If the school doesn't have a student equestrian team or an equestrian program of their own, odds are there is a local private barn with riding lessons available to you. These are going to be local trainers or horse owners that are horse crazy and proud of it!

Pros

• You can find one just about anywhere in the continental USA, Canada, and even Alaska! I can't speak for Hawaii but they probably exist there too.

• Usually very flexible with lessons. Only constraint is YOUR schedule.

• Small barn families make for great stories and adventures. The dorm won't be your home, the barn is!

• Working student positions are more likely to exist

• There is rarely only just one barn nearby, enabling you to compare lesson prices if you wish.

Cons

• Very limited, if any, competition opportunities.

• Getting rides to and from the barn without a car can prove challenging

• Local barn owners may not have enough experience to teach beyond a certain level

Though these are 3 basic categories, every program is different and there will be advantages and disadvantages that might not be listed above. I encourage you to look at each program individually. Next, I'm going to discuss competition organizations.

Collegiate Competitions

At the collegiate level, there are multiple organizations that oversee the competitive riding teams across the country. Some are specific to schools, while others cater to a specific discipline. Some of the main programs in the United States are the NCEA (National Collegiate Equestrian Association), the IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Show Association), IDA (Intercollegiate Dressage Association), and the American National Riding Commission (ANRC).

NCEA

A part of the NCAA, this organization oversees primarily women's equestrian teams across 23 United States schools. The NCEA offers competitions in Equitation on the Flat, Equitation over Fences, Horsemanship, and Reining (in other words, both hunt seat and western riding). For more information, check out their website at http://www.collegiateequestrian.com/

IHSA

Founded by Bob Cacchione (I have a mug signed by him) in 1967, this organization has grown to serve almost 400 schools across the continental United States and Canada. The organization has approximately 8400 riders participating in horse shows all across the country. The IHSA offers competitions in Equitation on the Flat, Equitation over Fences, Horsemanship, and Reining. The main difference between the IHSA and NCEA competitions, besides schools, is in scoring. The IHSA offers competition classes suitable for levels of riding. For more information, check out their website at http://www.ihsainc.com/ For a listing of current teams, check out https://members.ihsainc.com/publicteaminfo/currentteams.aspx

IDA

Founded as an informal competition between northeastern United States schools in 1995, the IDA now has more than 50+ member schools across the country. The organization provides competitions for Dressage, possibly the most "artsy" form of riding (I don't mean this in a dismissive way, I have the greatest respect to those who make dressage look easy). They offer competition classes suitable for all levels of riding. For more information, check out their website at http://www.teamdressage.com/home

ANRC

Founded in 2006 and an affiliate of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA), the ANRC has served 80 schools through the ANRC Intercollegiate Equitation Championship. Riders may compete in one of two levels: a National level at 3' and a Novice level at 2'6". Teams and riders are judged in their performance through 4 phases of competition. For more information, check out their website at http://anrc.org/

Conclusion and Author's Note

There is a lot of information out there for prospective collegiate riders, and trust me when I say that you don't have to give up your riding just to go to school. So many opportunities exist for almost every interest, and I can practically guarantee that you will find a school and a riding program that is right for you. My experience with collegiate riding has been through a student run organization (Semi Varsity Club Sport) and I have primarily competed within the IHSA. My knowledge of the other competitions are limited to what I could gather from their own websites and Google so I encourage you to do your own research into those organizations or contact them and ask directly. If you have questions specific to the IHSA or student run equestrian teams, my own experience can probably answer your question or at least point you in the right direction.

Lastly, many teams (student run and school run) have websites with information about their team. Some of these teams offer programs like a "Test Ride" where high school students can get a tour of campus and of equestrian facilities, a lesson or introduction with the team coach, and a day as a "member" of the team. Take advantage of these and see what a day in the life of a collegiate equestrian is like. For the IHSA specifically, their member list that I provided has links to many of these websites. Take a look at what is out there, you'll find something.

Always Riding,

Bronegan

If you have any questions, ask! If you want to add to or correct any of my above points, feel free to do so. My goal is only to help prospective collegiate riders.

Submitted January 02, 2018 at 07:28PM by Bronegan
via reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Horses/comments/7nrjjb/riding_and_college_tips_for_prospective/?utm_source=ifttt