84 SIDELINES JUNE 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Being part of a team in college is a once in a lifetime opportunity
that you won’t want to miss.
Photos courtesy of University of South Carolina Aiken
e
Education
By Paula Kramer
Deciding what college to attend is hard enough, let alone
attempting to navigate the A, B, Cs that make up the abbreviations
for the different teams and programs available to equestrians at
the collegiate level.
These combinations of letters represent fve main collegiate
equestrian organizations and teams, each of them different. It is
up to you to decide which one is the best ft for you. The programs
that make up collegiate level equestrian competitions are the
National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA), International
Horse Show Association (IHSA), Intercollegiate Dressage
Association (IDA), American National Riding Commission (ANRC)
and Intercollegiate/Interscolastic Polo (I/I).
The frst, NCEA (formerly known as Varsity Equestrian and
NCAA) is offered at 23 colleges across the country in both
Hunter Seat and Western disciplines. At most schools, like any
NCAA sport, you have to be recruited to ride on these teams and
recruiting rules are very strict. Some teams allow walk-ons. All
NCEA teams are female only.
The second option, IHSA or the Intercollegiate Horse Show
Association, is open to both male and female riders and is offered
at 370+ colleges across the country. The IHSA offers both Hunter
Seat and Western disciplines. Even those who have never ridden
before are encouraged to get involved through this organization,
offering beginner through Medal/Maclay and Open/Reining. You
also have the opportunity to compete both individually and as a
team.
If you have a dressage background or would like to develop your
skills on the fat, IDA, or the Intercollegiate Dressage Association
is perfect for you. Offered at 59 colleges and universities across
the country IDA riders compete at all levels, introductory through
frst.
If you wish to compete on your own horse or one provided
by your school, you can try out to represent your school at the
American National Riding Commission or ANRC. This is an
annual competition during which schools from all over the country
send teams of three at both the varsity (3’) and junior varsity (2’6”)
levels to compete in a series of four events for both team and
individual accolades. These events are all based on equitation
with the exception of the written test and include competing in the
hunt feld, in a fat test and over a Derby course.
If none of these appeal to you, it may be that you are better
suited for intercollegiate polo, if so the nations rapidly expanding I/I
polo program is the choice for you. Offered at a growing number of
schools across the country, I/I polo players compete in a number
of tournaments on different strings of polo ponies throughout each
season. Players compete in an arena under offcial USPA rules.
Most of these teams are open to players of all levels at both junior
varsity and varsity levels.
Colleges all across the country also offer Club Sports Programs
that include Equestrian Teams, giving students another option
on riding while in college. No matter how you decide to ride in
college, being part of a team is a once in a lifetime opportunity that
you won’t want to miss.
About thewriter: PaulaKramer is a Junior and aCommunications
major at the University of South Carolina Aiken, where she is also
President of their Equestrian Club. She is from Charleston, South
Carolina where she rides at Seabrook Island Equestrian.
The A, B, Cs of College Riding
Students at the University of South Carolina Aiken (pictured) can
compete in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association shows,
open to both male and female riders. More than 370+ colleges
across the country are part of the IHSA.
For more information, here are the
websites for each organization:
http://www.varsityequestrian.com/
http://www.ihsainc.com/
http://www.teamdressage.com/
http://anrc.org/
http://www.uspolo.org/index.php/i-i-polo