So you want to be on an NCAA equestrian team?

[SaturdayNightLive]

Every year, starting at about this time, we see about a hundred threads dedicated to college/NCAA equestrian and how to go about getting recruited.

This is me being helpful.

Step 1. Register with the NCAA Clearinghouse. Do it right now. Also, familiarize yourself with NCAA recruitment rules. There are a lot of them.

Step 2. Put together a video of you riding.

DO show footage of you on multiple horses.

DO NOT show footage of you on the three year old that doesn’t canter yet.

DO show footage of you jumping a course/multiple courses of at least 3’, preferably 3’6".

DO NOT include any footage shot with a cell phone, MP3 player, etc…

DO show flat work, including no stirrups and lateral work.

DO NOT include any footage of barrel racing, pole bending, calf roping, halter, showmanship, etc… Those events are awesome. They are also irrelevant.

DO dress appropriately - breeches, polo shirt, boots, helmet, hair up, etc…

DO NOT send a video that is more than 15 minutes long. Just don’t do it.

STEP 3. Get copies of your high school transcripts and SAT/ACT test scores.

STEP 4. Write up a cover letter and riding resume’.

STEP 5. Research the programs you are interested in. Most of them will have step-by-step instructions for their recruits on their websites.

STEP 6. Fill out questionnaires and start sending out videos. RECRUITMENT HAS ALREADY STARTED FOR THE 2014-2015 SEASON.

STEP 7. Watch your e-mail. Most coaches will e-mail you before they call you.

It’s important to note that the above is only helpful if you are about to start your senior year in high school. If you are younger than that, be patient, your time will come.

Good luck!

[Jumphigh83]

If you are a male, disregard all of the above.

[SaturdayNightLive]

[QUOTE=Jumphigh83;7100837]
If you are a male, disregard all of the above.[/QUOTE]

Yes, this is true.

The NCAA does not permit co-ed teams. For example - track and field has a women’s team and a men’s team. As it is highly unlikely that schools would be able to adequately populate men’s equestrian teams, it is not currently an option.

There are other reasons specific to Title 9 issues, but the biggest reason is lack of interest. Schools simply would not be able to field a men’s team.

Men can, however, participate in IHSA.

[TheJenners]

Question for you, but asked in deference to the younger people reading this:

When you say no videos done by cell phones, are you opposed to those stupid narrow vertical videos or is there another reason? I’ve seen a LOT of excellent video shot by cell phones that is turned horizontal (tradition screen size of TVs and monitors) that is indistinguishable from video cameras.

I ask because incoming HS seniors all have smart phones that should be capable of being turned sideways (horizontal) for videoing, but most don’t have $300+ video cameras. Though honestly, if these students are all out showing at the level you have above…most have the funds to obtain one. Just curious :).

[dags]

[QUOTE=TheJenners;7100939]
Question for you, but asked in deference to the younger people reading this:

When you say no videos done by cell phones, are you opposed to those stupid narrow vertical videos or is there another reason? I’ve seen a LOT of excellent video shot by cell phones that is turned horizontal (tradition screen size of TVs and monitors) that is indistinguishable from video cameras.

I ask because incoming HS seniors all have smart phones that should be capable of being turned sideways (horizontal) for videoing, but most don’t have $300+ video cameras. Though honestly, if these students are all out showing at the level you have above…most have the funds to obtain one. Just curious :).[/QUOTE]

Cell phone (and even ipad) videos are simply not suitable for filming horses, even when turned horizontal. There is no easy way to zoom and the far side of the ring is too far to capture the moving image clearly. Horse ends up looking like a brown fuzzy blur that you can’t really tell anything about in terms of jumping style (same holds true for rider). Standing in the middle of the ring will help but the horse will likely be either too close or too far 75% of the time due to lack of zoom. I’ve seen a tiny handful come out that were halfway decent but still a fair cry from impressive, and whether you’re selling horses or making a bid for NCAA, the whole idea is to impress upon someone.

A halfway decent camcorder can be had for less than $300. And since horse show videographers are few & far between these days I implore people to go out and get one. The cost is truly minuscule in the overall scheme of horse show costs and the memories they preserve are so much more impressive.

[hunterrider23]

Actually iPad vids turn out pretty decent if you have the new iPad. That’s what we use as a barn to video when we try out horses.

[trubandloki]

When a friend of mine needed a good quality video tape of her horse she actually rented a camcorder for the day. I am sure they are available to rent in most areas.

[TheJenners]

Well. I’m not going to debate anything. :lol:

[mroades]

I was going to say, my HTC Sense actually does zoom, and has taken sales quality videos of jumping rounds. Getting it from the phone to where it needs to go, well, thats a whole other matter for me…lol.

[TheJenners]

All my (many) famous Rory and Odie videos were filmed on my HTC Incredible 2. Zoom n all ;-).

[SaturdayNightLive]

Any smartphone/mp3 player videos I have seen have been horrible quality when transferred to DVD. But it you’re confident that you can shoot a good enough quality video with you cell phone, by all means, go for it.

[iEquitate]

Also - send in a DVD. A coach at a top D1 school told me that they prefer DVDs to YouTube links.

Now, some questions from me -

When is the best time to send the video (rising junior)? The contact season for fall 2015 recruits begins next June, should it be sent in March/April then?

What type of courses are the best to include? Would they want to see something like a jumper catchride placing very well, or several solid eq rounds?

For the flat portion, is it better to plan a little mock flat test similar to the ones ridden in NCAA competition and just have one smooth clip of that, or is it okay to have cuts in the video (ie sitting trot, cut to canter, cut to counter canter)?

[SaturdayNightLive]

[QUOTE=iEquitate;7101246]

When is the best time to send the video (rising junior)? The contact season for fall 2015 recruits begins next June, should it be sent in March/April then?[/QUOTE]

This probably varies by school, but I personally would wait until after Nationals in April - I’m sure coaches are just ridiculously busy in April, so anything sent in then might end up buried in somebody’s desk. Recruiting begins July 1st, so May/June/July would probably be the best time.

What type of courses are the best to include? Would they want to see something like a jumper catchride placing very well, or several solid eq rounds?

Again, this probably varies by coach, so you might contact any program you are serious about and ask what they would prefer. My guess would be that most would prefer eq rounds, as NCAA equestrian is exclusively equitation.

For the flat portion, is it better to plan a little mock flat test similar to the ones ridden in NCAA competition and just have one smooth clip of that, or is it okay to have cuts in the video (ie sitting trot, cut to canter, cut to counter canter)?

Also will vary by coach/program, so e-mail and ask. Flat tests are available on the NCEA website under Competitions and Equitation on the Flat. As long as you can demonstrate a good seat/leg/hands, I’m sure any sort of flatwork would work.

If you read each team’s website, they normally have a Recruits page that explains what those coaches are looking for on a video. You may not be able to accommodate everyone’s preference, but you can at least try to tune your video to the programs you are most interested in.

[Tha_Ridge]

@SaturdayNightLive;7101289

This probably varies by school, but I personally would wait until after Nationals in April - I’m sure coaches are just ridiculously busy in April, so anything sent in then might end up buried in somebody’s desk. Recruiting begins July 1st, so May/June/July would probably be the best time.

One thing that you’ve neglected to mention: NCAA recruiting rules.

A prospective may call or e-mail the coaches as frequently as they like, but coaches may not initiate contact with a potential recruit until their junior or senior years. Even then, the coach can only explain the NCAA rules that must be followed. A coach can contact a student after she’s completed her junior year of high school.

[SaturdayNightLive]

That’s why I said to get familiar with the rules during Step 1.

[PonyPenny]

This is what my daughter did when she was trying to get recruited for a NCAA team. The Spring of her junior year she registered for the NCAA clearinghouse. She then prepared a riding dvd using a Sony Handycam videos that I shot. I tape all of her rounds and this camera takes great quality video. The riding dvd had several rounds of her doing medal and equitation classes on a variety of horses. For the flat portion, we were lucky that the barn she rode at had meticulously maintained dressage court. She rode a horse that was extremely broke on the flat and did all types of advanced flat work. She prepared a in-depth riding resume starting with her freshman year of high school. The cover page included her current gpa and class ranking along with any awards she had received. She also included letters of recommendation from several trainers. She also included a head shot photo and her height and weight. She sent the entire package to every school that had a division I team in the Spring of her junior year (May). Five schools contacted her with invitations for official visits. She visited all five schools and then was offered National Letters of Intent for those schools. Each school outlined the financial aid (scholarship) package they would offer. My daughter was eligible for both academic and athletic scholarships. My daughter ended up selecting Oklahoma State as the school offered the best financial aid package and it is a huge sports school.

Another thing is that the girls are treated like any other athletes. They have mandatory workouts and expect that the riders will be in shape. Workout wear is provided. A neat thing is that athletes get priority registration for classes and the opportunity to attend sporting events for free. Please pm me if you have any questions.

[slp]

I am sure that college coaches already have riders that are rising sophomores and juniors on their radar already. They can’t contact the athlete but they can call the trainer and ask the athlete to call them. An early verbal commitment isn’t binding to anyone but when a coach sees a really great rider that is just starting high school you can bet that the courting dance will start early. It happens in all of the other sports so equestrian isn’t immune. In the lacrosse community there are already commitments to programs from kids that won’t graduate until 2016 and can’t even register for the clearinghouse yet. I know equestrian is smaller in terms of number of teams but early recruiting is a reality that people should be aware of.

[InRavensHonor]

This is a very fun thread for me to read. My video went out on VHS, sigh, I’m old. I have a copy of it to this day, althought I have nothing to watch it on LOL. Good Luck to all who go out for NCAA, its a very rewarding experience!

[Chaila]

Do the NCAA teams have multiple levels like the IHSA teams? Don’t they need walk trot riders, walk trot canter riders, etc, or is it one big open division?

[adcurtiss]

Love this thread. Thanks so much everyone!