Our farm in considering starting an IEA team, primarily for kids who don’t own or lease horses but also for some of our boarders who don’t head south in the winter when a good chuck of the barn leaves. Please tell me about the positives and negatives, either as a rider, coach or the manager of a facility that has a team/hosts shows. Thanks.
Are you looking specifically for insight about IEA or the catch-riding circuits in general? I have competed in and hosted IHSA shows and could speak to that if you are interested.
I’ve been the point keeper at my barn’s IEA shows for the past few years. I like the format. It’s an excellent option for kids who don’t own or lease their own horse - and easier on the purse. (Our team does fundraisers and bake sales to help defray costs.) The only negative I can think of is making sure you have enough suitable horses if you host a show.
My barn hosted a few and I worked the office. Biggest issue was getting horses. Some visiting teams brought some, don’t remember how that worked but there was something about bringing horses. Most host barns have limited numbers and can’t mount 30 kids.
Some of the kids who participated did own or lease but either those were not suitable or the owners did not want them thrown into a catch ride pool of mainly sub 2’6" riders. And no, I would not volunteer mine, unsuitable would be a nice way of saying kids would be more likely to end up in the dirt then having a good trip. Organizers were quite put out about that but no way the AA show Hunters would be made available to strangers of unknown ability and very limited warm up time with no lesson.
I think it is a nice option but highly dependent on who is running each team and their resources-horses. Somebody has to have and loan them, lots of them. Beginner and pleasure barns with lesson programs seem to do better running teams because they have the appropriate type and number of horses.
I’m looking for IEA info in particular because it is geared toward the under 18 set. Everyone talks about how inexpensive it is (and compared to owning a show horse, I’m sure it is). However, it seems like a lot of the shows are not close to us so it would turn into an overnight event for the kids (and parents?). And with that comes housing/meals cost for the coach to be split, housing/meals for the kids, etc. As well, how do you handle the supervision of the kids? Do you insist that parents come? I, for one, would not want the responsibility of supervising other kids during non show hours and as a parent wouldn’t feel comfortable letting my kid go without me. How is this type of thing handled?
That’s the type of info I’m looking for. I have read all of the rules but I need to know how it is working in the real world.
The team that ran out of my barn basically folded after a couple of years due to some of your concerns- including coach availability and willingness to supervise a group of tweens at away shows, parental…um…over involvement and travel hassles.
It was more of a time commitment with much more travel then anticipated to qualify…point chasing if you will. Parents could not always come to shows out of the area and the travel cost hampered some of the kids on tight budgets ( the ones the program is supposedly geared towards). Some of the host barns were pretty remote with limited lodging choices, a few of the barns were pretty sketchy as were the horses provided ( think low end dealer).
The whole experience seems to differ by location and team dynamics.
I think it’s a good program overall but…
[QUOTE=findeight;7738948]
The team that ran out of my barn basically folded after a couple of years due to some of your concerns- including coach availability and willingness to supervise a group of tweens at away shows, parental…um…over involvement and travel hassles.
It was more of a time commitment with much more travel then anticipated to qualify…point chasing if you will. Parents could not always come to shows out of the area and the travel cost hampered some of the kids on tight budgets ( the ones the program is supposedly geared towards). Some of the host barns were pretty remote with limited lodging choices, a few of the barns were pretty sketchy as were the horses provided ( think low end dealer).
The whole experience seems to differ by location and team dynamics.
I think it’s a good program overall but…[/QUOTE]
This is an accurate description of my experience. I was at a GREAT IEA barn last season and did learn a lot, but it was a much bigger time commitment than expected. There are weekly practices (at least at the barn I rode at, and others I know of) for IEA riders every week throughout the season which took a while and because of the varying skills, were never hugely productive.
Parents came to all of the shows, as the trainer was off helping kids get ready to go into the ring/watching them/etc. A group of parents would be back with chairs and were happy to help anyone who needed it putting on jackets, hairnets, whatever.
Some barns were definitely nicer and had much better horses to offer, and some just are plain run better.
As far as team dynamics in the barn, there was a weird tension between riders who boarded/leased there and took part in IEA and those who came from outside the barn solely for IEA. The barn I rode at was a VSF, HITS barn during the summer (which a lot of the IEA barns in my area are not) and a lot of the barn kids didn’t take kindly to outside IEA riders, who often were less skilled riders and didn’t have the money and experience they did (which makes sense, because they’re doing IEA). The barn I was boarding my horse at the time also considered an IEA barn, but boarders screamed because they didn’t want the IEA caliber of kids coming in the barn… It didn’t matter to me as I happily did both).
It IS a great program like findeight said, but it definitely is very dependent on team dynamics and what your area has to offer for barns and shows. I had a good experience and did get a lot out of it as an eventer, but not something I’m returning for a second season.
I’m glad you brought something up, there seemed to be a sort of divide between the grass roots type budget restricted kids the program is aimed at and those who show in regular shows, often owning their own horses (who probably should not be at the IEA shows).
For sure you get that in ANY sport or group activity. But some coaches and chaperones didn’t seem to deal well with keeping a balance and discouraging typical tweener jealousy and hurt feelings. Not to mention managing gloating or discouraged parents.
That and the travel make it not quite what it seems from the outside unless you make a very large commitment.
This is exactly what I need to know, you guys. Keep it coming. I like to see problems coming so I can plan for them as opposed to being surprised.
We have an IEA team at our barn. My DD was on the team until she aged out, and I still am somewhat involved with the team. I ride with them at their weekly practices–usually on a greenie the coach is trying to get ready for IEA and IHSA. I also lend my horse to the team for home shows.
My DD and I have had a very positive experience. We have a mix of barn kids and outside kids, but everyone gets along well. At away shows, the parents always go along. I once chaperoned a team member whose mom had another commitment, and it went fine. She stayed in the hotel room with DD and me, and I kept track of her food money, helped her get dressed for her class, etc. I would say that is rare–most kids have a parent or grandparent along.
For most families, I would say the money/time commitment is similar to a kid being on a travel soccer team.
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[QUOTE=findeight;7739178]
I’m glad you brought something up, there seemed to be a sort of divide between the grass roots type budget restricted kids the program is aimed at and those who show in regular shows, often owning their own horses (who probably should not be at the IEA shows).
For sure you get that in ANY sport or group activity. But some coaches and chaperones didn’t seem to deal well with keeping a balance and discouraging typical tweener jealousy and hurt feelings. Not to mention managing gloating or discouraged parents.
That and the travel make it not quite what it seems from the outside unless you make a very large commitment.[/QUOTE]
IEA is a great program - and if you are looking for a way for kids to get show experience on a limited budget and without owning a horse, there is not a better option out there.
The program has grown dramatically in the last ten years. Many of the original teams were private schools providing a competitive outlet for a school team. Many of these schools had both the facilities and horses to accommodate shows. Many of the competitors in the Varsity Open division also competed in the Big Eq - I haven’t followed it lately and that may no longer be true.
For many barns, IEA becomes a nice team experience for what is ordinarily an individual sport. The parents are often involved in fundraising. IME parents traveled to ALL the away shows (which was less than 10 overnights and might even be less now since some zones limit the number of shows individuals can use to qualify for regionals, zones etc). Certainly it is less travel than owning and showing a horse.
The barns in our area generally teamed up to host shows with one team providing the facilities and some of the horses while the co-hosting team brought additional horses and helped with the show by providing a food booth and being responsible for holding and caring for horses.
The experience varies from barn to barn and team to team and region to region. The horses also vary and the catch riding aspect can be frustrating if not approached in the correct mind frame. Generally, the barns that had teams had a trainer who had primary charge of the team since shows run all day.
Most teams required weekly lessons. IME the lessons were geared to the level of the rider (ie ll 2’6" riders together, all 2’ riders together) and were scheduled at a regular time once a week. These took no more time and no less time than an ordinary lessons. The program we were with required these lessons in addition to regular lessons (in other words, the IEA lessons could not be substituted for other lessons).
Overall, I would participate again.
Can anyone offer a comparison of IEA and Pony Club? Many PCs don’t require riders to have their own horses either. And you have the benefit of not aging out at 18. I know PC recently added hunters to their list of disciplines. Jumpers have been there for ages.
Pony Club is a much more comprehensive experience. There is much more horsemanship and book knowledge required. When I was a PCer, we had regular mounted lessons and unmounted lessons, too. At the rallies, parents were not allowed to help or participate at all–they weren’t allowed in the barn or anywhere near the competitors. We had written tests at the rallies that were quite comprehensive. We had to study hard for them–mainly the PC manual. Pony Club is a bigger commitment than IEA, but I came out of it as a real horsewoman.
[QUOTE=Dewey;7739464]
Pony Club is a much more comprehensive experience. There is much more horsemanship and book knowledge required. When I was a PCer, we had regular mounted lessons and unmounted lessons, too. At the rallies, parents were not allowed to help or participate at all–they weren’t allowed in the barn or anywhere near the competitors. We had written tests at the rallies that were quite comprehensive. We had to study hard for them–mainly the PC manual. Pony Club is a bigger commitment than IEA, but I came out of it as a real horsewoman.[/QUOTE]
That’s what I was going to say. I PCed myself. My question was geared toward finding out if IEA had any knowledge component or process of assessing members non-riding skills and how the expenses compared.
[QUOTE=alternate_universe;7739467]
That’s what I was going to say. I PCed myself. My question was geared toward finding out if IEA had any knowledge component or process of assessing members non-riding skills and how the expenses compared.[/QUOTE]
No, there’s no non-riding knowledge assessment component. I don’t think you can really compare the two - they’re very, very different programs.
What about showing expenses?
[QUOTE=alternate_universe;7739550]
What about showing expenses?[/QUOTE]
Rider membership fee for the season is $45 or $50 (the team also has a $125 or $150 membership fee). Class entries are generally around $40, and riders will show in 1-2 classes at each show. I think there’s also now a limit on how many regular season shows a rider can compete in - maybe 5? Then after the regular season shows are over, there’s regionals, zones, and nationals (if you qualify) which will be more expensive, because you’ll likely have to travel farther and stay over at least one night.
Coaching and travel fees obviously vary by trainer, home location, and show locations.
I have no idea what it costs to do Pony Club shows, so can’t make that comparison myself,
IIRC, PC has rally type competitions and not the qualifying classes on regional and zone levels stepping up towards nationals.
My daughter did IEA for a year then she aged out.
I personally think it’s a great program. Yes, it depends on trainers buying into it and providing horses. It is a fairly inexpensive (horse expensive-wise at any rate, it isn’t cheap) way to get your child into the show ring.
In theory, this should be the stepping stone for the kids who want to do IHSA in college. It is great experience for the kids to get on a horse they don’t know and jump it around with no schooling. It is a good confidence builder.
With that said, if you don’t have a lot of trainers who have nice school horses they are willing to lend out to the teams, it is difficult to get enough horses.
The thing that I thought was most eye opening was the kids who showed and did well at the rated A shows jumping horses who were not push button. It’s just a good experience to ride something totally different than your normal mount.
Most of the kids in our zone do show and ride on a regular basis and many own/lease their own horses so the open is fairly competitive.
We are going in to our 4th IEA season and love the program. Our high school team won the National Championship last year and our middle school team was Reserve. Our kids are a mix of riders who show their own horses regularly and riders who lease horses in the barn and maybe get to do a local show a handful of times during the year. We are a private boarding/show barn and do not have school horses but require that riders who participate on the team allow their horses to be used when we host horse shows. We have a couple of families who will allow us to use their horses at other shows as well but it is hard without having true “school” horses. It is relatively inexpensive to participate in our area because there is not a great deal of travel involved. However, other areas require a greater deal of travel when there are not as many teams in one area, which makes it more costly for families. We have riders who come from other barns to participate and it has been a great way for our kids to become friends with other riders in the area. There has been no drama or hard feelings like someone else mentioned. The kids love participating as a team and we have a lot of fun. We have also had a lot of kids go on to ride IHSA and I don’t think they would have been as successful without their IEA experience.
