Hi everyone…So I am still annoyed that the NCEA doesn’t work co ed for equestrians, since it is always a co ed sport…So girls can get full ride scholarships to those schools but boys can’t. IHSA doesn’t recruit, so you have to get academic scholarships…I have a student(boy) who is very talented but his family says football, baseball, wrestling are the only way he will get scholarships. Makes me crazy. Any ideas? Can we fight the NCEA? Thanks!!
Many IHSA schools recruit and offer scholarships. Of course they also may have academic standards.
NCEA exists solely because it is a female sport
9 Likes
I heard they don’t. Do you know what schools recruit for IHSA? I need some leverage so riding doesn’t become low importance. NCEA is female, but all div 1 schools have sports that are either men or women…riding is both and there aren’t enough men to host men teams. I think it is a problem.
University of Findlay
Savannah College of Art and Design
Blackhawk East College
To name a few.
Also something to keep in mind is that these scholarships don’t have nearly as much stringent requirements as NCAA. By this I mean things like major injury may be less likely to end a scholarship. Practice requirements may not be quite as stringent. You can accept a Starbucks coffee from an alumnus etc etc. But on the other hand the money offered may not be as much.
Unless he is already being recruited it is doubtful he would get a div 1 scholarship in those other sports anyway. If he enjoys riding there are many opportunities.
I understand it will be a hard sell to most parents.
1 Like
Equestrian will never become a college men’s sport. It is barely hanging on as a female one.
21 Likes
He is 8th grade now
In 1998, Equestrian was identified and adopted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) as an emerging sport for women at the Division I and II levels. Currently, there are 16 Division I and four Division II programs sponsoring equestrian. NCEA (NCAA) equestrian teams are to comply with Title 9 to offer equal opportunities for women in college sports. They use the equestrian teams to offset opportunities for men teams.
16 Likes
At the end of the day, Men don’t have the financial opportunity that Women have to get Scholarships as a reward for their Equestrian accomplishments. I have to fight for time to train and show since the other sports require so much and their schedules often conflict with our finals etc. Just here to complain that I can’t help get more college money for my male students.
In my area it is the same for girls though. So many sports that demand exclusivity and so many traveling teams.
7 Likes
Some of his age are already on the div 1 schools radar in football and basketball.
3 Likes
He isn’t far as I know
That is why I wish he could do more with horses. He has had some injuries. I don’t think he will get big money in regular sports. but I am not an expert
Then he absolutely needs to go the riding route. Is he interested in horse judging? FFA or 4-H a possibility?
1 Like
What is FFA? 4-H is weak around here. No where near the competitive level we are at.
I am sure he would judge, but he can’t get that license for years.
Future Farmers of America? I have never heard of that around here
Both of his parents are veterinarians. He is unlikely to go that route
Both FFA and 4-H have competitive judging contests. It is most popular in the Midwest and West. A limited number of schools offer very good scholarships. Many also have IHSA programs. Contests consist of classes of four horses and include a public speaking portion where contestants basically defend their placing using a set format.
Some breed organizations also have youth programs and offer contests. The schools that offer scholarships will recruit at these contests.
Although there has been interest periodically in starting a program for youth judging it has never taken off in USEF.
So this would include crossing over to the dark side of stock horses.
3 Likes
I’m going to go out on a limb and say they probably want a “known” school for him if they are lamenting no scholarships in equestrian. You are probably facing an uphill battle keeping him into horses I am sorry to say.
3 Likes
Also little scholarships can add up. And some are not limited to tuition but can cover books and rooms and board. Breed organizations. Local show circuits. Even essay contests.
Riding scholarships are nearly impossible to get anyway so he’s not missing much. They tend to go to trainer’s kids and other riders that have been spending big money on the A circuit for years just to hit a recruiter’s radar. You’d be doing any rider’s parents a disservice to suggest riding as a path to college funding, other than as an interesting extracurricular to add to their applications for academic and other scholarships. I referenced riding in several essays and interviews that landed me multiple scholarship offers, though none were riding-specific. I’d also recommend the suggestion to look for smaller scholarships offered by horsey organizations, they won’t cover tuition but every bit adds up.
27 Likes
Getting scholarship money for any sport is extremely difficult unless you are one of the top athletes, especially at D1 schools.
7 Likes
