To comment on the possibility of getting on a D1 team without being recruited/going to big shows, I know that Texas A&M does a ‘walk on’ try out each year. I didn’t try out when I was there because I wanted to focus on my own horse, and continuing to compete with him, but I know people who did try out and got onto the team that way. It doesn’t happen much, but is a possibility.
1 Like
Honestly, the skill set for that format can be quite different from the experience most riders have from going to big shows. So any team would be smart to have a try out where they can really see what people can do if they have to hop on a strange horse and walk in the ring cold.
2 Likes
He may be a good Eq horse down the road, but he is very young and uneducated. They’ve made tremendous progress, but he is still has a lot to learn! This is what the trainer says as well. We really thought he was a little further along when we got him. That said, I think you are correct, he could make a wonderful Eq horse in a few years. We would never rush his training just to get her into a certain division. She will have the opportunity to try all three rings this year, so we’ll see what happens. We were just worried she might not have the opportunity to ride in college if she wasn’t consistently winning the 3’6" Hunter or Eq classes. This thread has been tremendously informative and helpful. I’ve already passed along some of the info to other girls who have had questions. The relief is palpable!
1 Like
Like others have said, each ihsa team is different. Ours was a club sport at a large university. Everybody could join the club and take lessons but not everybody got to go to away shows. The coach tried to rotate between people but ultimately you had to prove you were ready to show. So while it may not be selective to join the team it can be a process to make it onto the show team.
2 Likes
Theres no roadmap because riding scholarships are even less likely then other sports to be any kind of a career path. Even if not drafted to the majors, those athletes often secure tgood paying jobs teaching, coaching etc. Riders don’t step from graduation directly to decent paying professional riding jobs based on their collegiate resume. What jobs there are there are notoriously low paying. Be careful with expectations and career plans there. Of the three NCAA full ride scholarship riders I mentioned earlier, one definately does not plan on training/ riding for a career and another was planning on grad school last I heard. Dont know the third that well but would doubt she plans depending on riding as a career.
Also, if your daughter could ride in clinics with other trainers, it would help both her riding education and reputation- more who know her, better for her.
Your trainer is not objective in their evaluation of daughter because they need the income from you. That’s the way it is, it’s business for them. Don’t want to derail the topic here but flag went up when you mentioned green horse trainer says needs " several years" to be an Eq horse, years you pay for while daughter gets older without serious exposure in the show ring to build her reputation as a rider. Just think about that. By serious, don’t mean the A circuit, mean out there to be seen and developed a reputation that will lead to more rides and better opportunities.
I have a friend who barely did any eq classes and ended up D1; we grew up at a mostly eventing barn and she didn’t have a permanent lease until senior year. She worked really hard to put together a nice video, and did some time as a working student for a little local H/J barn, and was able to make the team. I think they redshirted her freshman year, but she was able to practice with them all four years and & show as an upperclassman. It took a ton of work & was probably an uncommon path, but I think there are some schools that maybe have less recruiting power & are willing to take a chance on a kid who can ride well but doesn’t have a huge show history in the eq ring.
Ditto what everyone else has said about IHSA - it varies SO much. I ride in Zone 2 and our shows have a ridiculous spread of schools, from Cornell with their massive varsity team + on-campus equestrian center + massive academic recruiting power, to the smaller varsity schools, the big clubs, the little clubs, everything. Even within a zone, you’ll find teams that are basically run like super-competitive NCAA teams, and tiny 5-person club teams that ride together once a month. Obviously a totally different experience, depending on which school you end up at!
My club team is too small to really compete for team high-point awards, so we pretty much pick who rides based on their time investment in the team, and try to rotate through as much as we can if there’s any competition for a spot. I would recommend just making a list of schools that seem promising based on academics or other factors, and then contact as many of those teams as you can to get an idea of their team culture.
My daughter was recruited by four D1 schools and ultimately choose Oklahoma State. What set her apart is that at age 15 she became a working student/catch rider for a top trainer in the Midwest. Not having her own horse at that time, freed up funds for other things. She had several videos from shows all around the country showing in ponies, junior hunters, medals and jumpers on many different horses. While she had a full ride at school, the team was not all sunshine and roses and went through three hunt seat head coaches who each favored their recruiting class. It is also a huge time commitment. The school itself was great and my daughter did other things like join a sorority to meet girls not on the team. She did get lots of swag, priority registration for classes, free books and tutoring, along with a housing subsidy. The value of the scholarship was around $100,000 if you factor in the cost of out of state tuition as she was not a Oklahoma resident. Just remember, you may not get to show much. You may be a warm-up rider, exhibition rider, or groom. You have to be ok with that.
1 Like
Wow! This was in a four year period?!? Most college riding programs usually seem to have the same head coach for a long time.
It’s a great point riders do not have to be horse owners and might, actually, get more done to attract a scholarship not wasting time and money on a mediocre personal horse. After all, many of those Big Eq stars are not at the Finals on a personal horse and you don’t ride your own horse on college teams. If you do turn Pro, you ride for others to earn that paycheck.
Yes.
I’d encourage her to be very clear on her goal - is it to ride on a college team or is it to have a good riding experience while in college? These are not the same things. Riding just at a barn near her college might meet her goals also.
What are her career goals, and where does she want to live and work after college? Picking a school that fits those, and that supports her ability to ride after college, would be my suggestion first, then explore riding opportunities at the schools that surface.
2 Likes
