Okay people, I have a series of questions! I’m a freshman entering into my sophomore year this upcoming school year. I ride in the hunters and eq with emphasis on the equitation. I’m planning on doing the Maclays next year (we’ll see how that goes :eek:). I was wondering a few things.
Thanks so much for your time!
I didn’t do IEA and thus don’t know much about it, but I do know people who showed in it and loved it. They really seemed to enjoy it and felt that it was a lot of fun.
NCAA or IHSA depends on whether you can get recruited or not, for one thing, and what you want to do. I did IHSA when I was in college and had a blast - I’m actually hoping to do it as an alumna once I have more time and money - never did NCAA. The formats are radically different. I loved IHSA, but there were definitely times when “luck of the draw” could be very frustrating, especially since you got NO warm up at all so had no real idea of what you were sitting on. But with that being said, it was some of the most fun that I had in school. I have friends who did NCAA and had a great time with it, but it is hard to get recruited! I remember contacting several coaches when I was looking at colleges and no one even contacted me back (and I was showing successfully in the high junior jumpers at that point).
I think whether you go the NCAA or IHSA route, it’s a lot of fun.
IEA is really fun, I can’t answer your second two questions as I am still in high school as well, but IEA has defiantly helped me grow as a rider and experience different horses.
Supershorty- Thanks for the advice, especially coming from an accomplished rider such as yourself! I have heard NCAA is very hard to be recruited for and can be pretty political, but I’ve heard downfalls about IHSA too, so we’ll see when the time comes!
DejaVu- Thanks! I think I’ll probably end up doing it this coming season.
Bump.
At the very least IEA will get you on lots of different types of horses and get you used to the college riding format. If you have the opportunity to, I would do it!
As for NCAA/IHSA they are pretty different. IHSA will take any level of rider; the walk trot riders earn the same number of points as the open level riders so everyone is important to the team.
NCAA is harder to get onto because it’s all 3’6, and the top teams (U South Carolina, Auburn, SMU, Baylor, TCU, and UGA all come to mind) are always at Devon and Indoors watching potential recruits. The teams I listed above are usually looking for riders who are consistently successful in the big eq at major shows, but there are other NCAA schools that recruit less experienced 3’6 riders. If you are really interested in NCAA, I’d look into some of the camps - I know Auburn and South Carolina host 2-5 day camps, where you can meet the coaches, ride the horses, and get a feel for the college riding format.
[QUOTE=adcurtiss;7035941]
Okay people, I have a series of questions! I’m a freshman entering into my sophomore year this upcoming school year. I ride in the hunters and eq with emphasis on the equitation. I’m planning on doing the Maclays next year (we’ll see how that goes :eek:). I was wondering a few things.
Thanks so much for your time![/QUOTE]
I never rode IEA so I can’t comment on the first one. As for two, what you do in IEA might affect what level you would come on to an IHSA team as. In general, it is better to come in to the lowest level possible so you are as competitive as possible. A person who would do okay in novice might do really well in w/t/c and therefore try to save their eligibility for w/t/c if they know they are definitely doing IHSA. However, a team might also have a ton of w/t/c riders and really need a novice rider so it just depends on the school. So IEA would only maybe affect what level of IHSA you would be.
As for IHSA versus NCAA, I get the feeling its more what you can get in to and what your choice school has. NCAA is very selective and if you are doing IEA you are not doing the height/circuit that is going to get you recruited. As far as quality of IHSA, it completely depends on the school. Schools like Centenary and St. Lawrence have very intense riding teams and programs, while otherwise school have high quality but less intense programs. And then others have some not so great programs. Quality of IHSA teams is more reflective on the school and the region than the IHSA itself, imho.
IMO you should do whatever you can to ride as many horses as you can and not focus too much on a goal several rungs up the ladder from where you are now. Focus on the next rung.
Also IMO, it’s a mistake in your lifetime riding career to hold yourself back to stay at a lower level to preserve future eligibility- if you are ready to move up? Move up and don’t look back.
Far as IEA specifically, they don’t go over 2’6" and nothing complicated in their shortened course format so it’s not going to help you get to the Maclay or NCAA levels. BUT it will help you today to get on more horses and advance your overall horsemanship.
So go for it. Go for anything else that gets you saddle time on horses you like, are neutral to or hate riding. That’ll serve you well down the road because you will learn to tell in a hurry which category each horse falls into. Maybe save you an expensive purchase you’ll regret.
Good to expose yourself to different coaches/trainers that will fall into those same 3 categories as well.
Thanks for all the replies everyone!
I never competed in IEA, but from speaking to people who have I would say it depends on what you want to do. If you have the time and money, I think it’s a great learning experience for a young rider to get on so many horses and see what you can do. However, if you’re seriously about showing at the upper levels and showing IEA limits your abilities to do that, I would skip it. Fence heights are low and having an “IEA record” doesn’t mean much in the horse world.
NCAA vs. IHSA depends on how much you want from your riding career. Want a scholarship? Willing to dedicate every waking moment to this sport and your team? Competitive enough to make a team? Go for NCAA!
IHSA has a lot more variety in their teams. Some are run like NCAA teams and others are just clubs where the students take lessons at local riding barns. Riders can also show at all levels and if you’re a solid rider you might get more showing time than you would on an NCAA team (or not, depending on the school).
Either organization: seriously consider if you can handle the “luck of the draw.” I have seen some very good riders crumble when they get a horse they don’t click with. Me? I’m an average rider at best but somehow I can ride that bitchy pony everyone hates to a solid 2nd place finish. 
It’s really not for everyone, and that’s ok.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
