MY school has no equestrian team, and it’s bothering me. So I decided to try and start one, but I have no idea how to start. I am the only h/j rider here, but there are several Western riders here. What do I need to do to get it going? ( the real reason is cause I show a lot and the school would be excused)
Here is some info from the IHSA.
http://www.ihsainc.com/membership/team-membership
You’d also have to get the school on board with it–do you have a club sports office?
[QUOTE=fishjumper;8321265]
( the real reason is cause I show a lot and the school would be excused)[/QUOTE]
What would the school be excused from…?
Are we talking high school or college here?
OP, just so you know, only Club Events would be excused for school. I was on a varsity team in college and while my team events were excused, personal competitions were not.
If you are talking about high school, then the rules will vary of course. However, I doubt a school would excuse you for competitions that only you are attending (as you’re the only H/J rider)
I think IEA and IHSA competitions really only happen on the weekends anyway except for finals-type events.
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suspect this is regarding high school if so start with the local 4-H office they might be able to provide at least a basic direction.
Three of our four kids competed nationally during high school, none were ever on a school equestrian team. The days they missed they made the work up or did the work in advance. Usually the longest they would be away would be from a few days to a week.
You need to talk to your school and see what they need you to do to establish yourself as a team. If you’re in HS look into the USEF High School Athlete’s program. They have what looks like a good guide here
[QUOTE=roamingnome;8321624]
OP, just so you know, only Club Events would be excused for school. I was on a varsity team in college and while my team events were excused, personal competitions were not.
If you are talking about high school, then the rules will vary of course. However, I doubt a school would excuse you for competitions that only you are attending (as you’re the only H/J rider)[/QUOTE]
This.
IEA is the middle/high school program that you would probably join if you started an equestrian team. Your first step would probably be approaching local barns until you find one where the team can practice and can use their horses to host shows. For IEA (or IHSA if you are in college) you would not be riding and showing your own horse anyway. In both cases the show host provides the horses and you select by random draw.
If you’re just looking to leave school in order to attend shows you already do with your own horse, this probably isn’t the best route to go. Better to talk to the administration and see what you can do (such as taking work with you, etc) to get excused for those days. Or if you show a TON and travel to do so, you might do better with a cyber school type option.
