NCAA Drops Equestrian As "Emerging Sport" - What Now?

[horseshowmom]

This morning, I read on Facebook that Kansas State will discontinue participation in Equestrian at the close of the 2015-16 season, adding Women’s Soccer in its place. (A number of articles pop up if one wants to google it.)

In its press release yesterday, K-State says that it made the decision “following a recent NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) to drop intercollegiate equestrian as an emerging NCAA Division I women’s sport.” The press release also says, “In a letter to the equestrian community last month, the CWA detailed its decision regarding equestrian based on a lack of sponsorship in all three NCAA divisions, including a 10-year period in which the sport never came close to the 40-program target set by the NCAA, as well as the significant costs of maintaining such programs.” Equestrian will cease to be recognized as a NCAA sport effective with the 2017-18 academic year.

The “letter to the equestrian community” came after an April CWA committee meeting ordering the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) to produce a strategic plan by its September meeting. While the minutes of the September meeting aren’t available on the CEA site, I can only imagine that the strategic plan went over like a lead balloon.

So, I have a few questions:

Does anyone have a copy of the “letter to the equestrian community”?

What does the NCEA plan to do?

Will the remaining NCAA Equestrian schools continue their equestrian programs at the varsity level regardless, or will those programs revert back to the club level?

Has recruiting ceased for this year’s high school seniors? I am in the midst of getting my daughter (currently a HS junior) placed in the NCAA clearinghouse by the end of December, but it may all now be for naught.

This would make a great article for the Chronicle staff to pursue.

[californianinkansas]

Well, consider the source. This is K-State that we’re talking about. The equestrian team probably got cut because it was taking badly-needed resources away from the underfunded football team. rolls eyes

~ Amber
KSU alumna, class of 2008

[AliCat]

That stinks. I know a couple of girls currently enrolled there that went there because of the equestrian program.

[wesierobb]

This was from the April meeting:

Emerging and Olympic Sports.
a. Equestrian status. CWA voted to require a strategic action plan be submitted by
the equestrian sponsoring institutions in time for its September 2014 meeting. The
10-year time period to reach championship sponsorship (minimum 40 institutions)
has elapsed for the sport of equestrian, and sponsorship has dropped from 23 to 22
institutions over the past two years. The sport has remained on the emerging
sports list after showing steady progress in growth prior to that time period. The
committee will evaluate the plan and the status of the sport on the emerging sports
for women list at the September meeting.

[wesierobb]

Oh, and the Sept meeting of the CWA committee on Women’s Athletics and Emerging sports just met in Indianapolis Sept 22-23, so the info is not posted yet online. Would love to see the letter that went to the equestrian community…

[adcurtiss]

So does this definitively mean that equestrian is no longer a NCAA sport? If so, that would be extremely disappointing, as I am a junior in high school looking at colleges. I’d love to see a release from NCAA or NCEA regarding these articles…

[Tha_Ridge]

NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics recently recommended dropping equestrian as an emerging Division I sport – they haven’t done anything yet – and in many instances, schools would continue with their programs as normal, but the NCEA wouldn’t be subject to NCAA rules which could be a very good thing.

I’ll edit to add that I spent four years, on full scholarship, on an NCAA team. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. There are better ways to ride in school and pay for school, as far as I’m concerned.

[SnaffleRaffle]

Plenty of better ways to ride and pay for school, but it was nice to get the same bonuses as the football and volleyball players. Nice to get priority scheduling, study halls, abroad options. Nice to be recognized as an athlete. At the school where I was IHSA, we were given no respect and very little leniency in scheduling.

[hunterrider23]

[QUOTE=SnaffleRaffle;7807407]
Plenty of better ways to ride and pay for school, but it was nice to get the same bonuses as the football and volleyball players. Nice to get priority scheduling, study halls, abroad options. Nice to be recognized as an athlete. At the school where I was IHSA, we were given no respect and very little leniency in scheduling.[/QUOTE]
ncaa would be fantastic and probably draw more interest if they didnt basically make a 300k investment in campaigning the eq a minimum unwritten requirement for recruitment. the reason sports like baseball, soccer, etc are popular is that youre recruit by talent, not how much money you spent on equipment to get you there.

[Lexus]

[QUOTE=Tha Ridge;7807090]

I’ll edit to add that I spent four years, on full scholarship, on an NCAA team. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. There are better ways to ride in school and pay for school, as far as I’m concerned.[/QUOTE]

Could you share some of your experiences? It would be very insightful for anyone considering this option. Thank you!

[netg]

[QUOTE=SnaffleRaffle;7807407]
Plenty of better ways to ride and pay for school, but it was nice to get the same bonuses as the football and volleyball players. Nice to get priority scheduling, study halls, abroad options. Nice to be recognized as an athlete. At the school where I was IHSA, we were given no respect and very little leniency in scheduling.[/QUOTE]

And some schools do treat IHSA as a varsity sport. I know I am a bit envious of the students at my alma mater (Dartmouth) now that it’s treated as a full varsity sport by the school. When I was there the coach was just starting to get us acknowledged by the school with varsity locker room access and some money toward shows.

[cyberbay]

Didn’t read all comments, but riding and horses must hit the mainstream to relieve costs of horse ownership, etc. And to counteract the completely unproductive Central Park Horse Show, which only reinforced riding for the rich.

This is not the best news about NCAA, but maybe the industry should get its act together, act like other sports, and hire sports people who can place this sport at NCAA status, while preserving its heritage. It has aspects that are unique and appealling. Promote these, while coming on-line with mainstream sports. It’s not hard.

Let’s promote a sport that has more riches for its participants than soccer or any ‘team’ sport will ever have.

[horseshowmom]

[QUOTE=SnaffleRaffle;7807407]
Plenty of better ways to ride and pay for school, but it was nice to get the same bonuses as the football and volleyball players. Nice to get priority scheduling, study halls, abroad options. Nice to be recognized as an athlete. At the school where I was IHSA, we were given no respect and very little leniency in scheduling.[/QUOTE]

This is exactly why my daughter is interested in riding for a NCAA team. We know five young women currently enrolled in an university with NCAA Equestrian, and all five relay very positive experiences.

[horseshowmom]

[QUOTE=netg;7807917]
And some schools do treat IHSA as a varsity sport. I know I am a bit envious of the students at my alma mater (Dartmouth) now that it’s treated as a full varsity sport by the school. When I was there the coach was just starting to get us acknowledged by the school with varsity locker room access and some money toward shows.[/QUOTE]

Our college search will now necessarily widen to include those schools as well. Any suggestions from alumni will be appreciated!

[huntergal23]

[QUOTE=hunterrider23;7807415]
ncaa would be fantastic and probably draw more interest if they didnt basically make a 300k investment in campaigning the eq a minimum unwritten requirement for recruitment. the reason sports like baseball, soccer, etc are popular is that youre recruit by talent, not how much money you spent on equipment to get you there.[/QUOTE]

I agree with you 100% and all one has to do is look up an interview from one NCAA team’s head coach states that their program prefers those with heavy “A” circuit show experience".

[FlyingColorsHJ]

Washington and Lee University’s IHSA team is a varsity sports team.

I’m a proud alumna from the days before W&L had a riding team at all!

[Metropolitan]

[QUOTE=hunterrider23;7807415]
ncaa would be fantastic and probably draw more interest if they didnt basically make a 300k investment in campaigning the eq a minimum unwritten requirement for recruitment. the reason sports like baseball, soccer, etc are popular is that youre recruit by talent, not how much money you spent on equipment to get you there.[/QUOTE]

But the talent has to be noticed by recruiters: therefore, huge financial commitment to travel. Travel teams, combines, tournaments around the country, etc. are de rigeur to be recruited for soccer, basketball etc. at the DI/II level.

Without having to feed a sports ball, soccer and others will never be as costly as riding, but the scale of financial (and time) commitment is similar to eq finals. The exceptions would be sports like swimming or track where fast times at a regular high school meets can get you noticed, but there’s a growing focus on the ($$$) club/regional/travel teams there too.

Edited to add, I think this expectation is absurd across all sports - my point is just that it’s not exclusive to riding as a varsity sport.

[poltroon]

[QUOTE=hunterrider23;7807415]
the reason sports like baseball, soccer, etc are popular is that youre recruit by talent, not how much money you spent on equipment to get you there.[/QUOTE]

You might be surprised by how much parents spend to get their kids up to the elite levels in those sports.

Suffice it to say that if the goal is to pay for college, probably better to just put the money in a college fund.

[Groom_amp_Taxi]

[QUOTE=Metropolitan;7808073]

Without having to feed a sports ball, soccer and others will never be as costly as riding, but the scale of financial (and time) commitment is similar to eq finals. .[/QUOTE]
Agree with your main points, but disagree that the scale of financial commitment for say soccer is similar to competing extensively on the A circuit or participating in eq final - even adding in travel teams, tournaments, and showcases. Yes, it adds up but doesn’t approach the same total. And I really believe that in the case of soccer/volleyball/golf/tennis, it is significantly easier for a kid to make his or her way into a varsity NCAA program primarily through outstanding talent and participation in high school athletics. The same is not true for equestrian.

That said, I am aware of a couple of girls from the local area participating in one of the newer varsity equestrian programs on the west coast. One does western and did breed circuit (including Worlds) in high school. The other does english and did compete on the A circuit but on a relatively modest scale.

[mortgagemyhorse]

This makes me sad but the NCAA Equestrian teams do not generate money for these schools and sports are a business. Especially because the best Eq teams are also the schools with the best Football Programs (you can quote me on that ) and at those schools people really don’t care about anything but Football (and Basketball…) Where I went Gymnastics was probably the #2 money making sport.

I had a great experience riding NCAA coupled with some not-so-great moments. Anyone can PM me if you want.