Popularity
Equitation was approved by the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) as a collegiate sport in 1998. There are currently 23 colleges and universities competing in this discipline, with an upward trend.
Competitions
In different competitions, either individual riders or teams of equestrians compete against each other while a professional jury gives scores for the performances shown. The collegiate equestrian shows are very popular now, they even get broadcasted on national TV in the USA on channels like NBC.
The organization of the school is in accordance with the season schedules that allow for head to head competitions resulting in ranking and seeding for the national title.
In a normal competition, five varsity riders compete against the opposing team. Home team schools can delegate the number of junior varsity riders that may accompany the varsity team to compete as well. The riders from each school are randomly paired and assigned one horse to then compete in a “head-to-head” match. Competitors are matched to a horse belonging to the home team and are allowed to watch the sanctioned warm ups where horses are schooled over fences as well as warmed up for the flat test to be performed. Afterwards, riders are allowed to warm up the horses themselves and are given 4 minutes for English events as well as horsemanship, and 5 minutes for reining. Riders competing in Equitation over Fences are allowed to take 4 practice fences within the 4 minutes of warm ups. In case the rider jumps more than 4 fences, he or she is disqualified from the show. Whichever rider earns the highest score on that horse wins the head-to-head match and scores a point for that team. In case of a tie score, neither team receives the point. If there is a tie in the overall competition, raw scores given by the judge are added up and used to determine the winner. In some cases, the lowest score from each team may be dropped.
Equitation on the Flat
Riders competing in Equitation on the Flat are required to demonstrate a predetermined test that is performed in a dressage arena measuring 20 meters by 40 meters. The riders must demonstrate a precise, well executed and accurate test while staying in harmonious balance with the horse they’ve drawn to compete upon. Testing is judged on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 meaning “not performed” to 10 marking “excellent”. In total, the riders will perform 9 movements and a final judge’s test. The highest score a rider can receive is 100, and they will receive marks for their overall correctness and position throughout the test.
Equitation over Fences
Riders selected to compete in Equitation over Fences will show their abilities over a course of 8 to 10 fences. During the course, the rider must navigate the correct lines as well as maintaining proper body positioning throughout the round. The pace of horse and rider should be consistent around the course and the rider must be able to safely jump over the fences without stopping or falling from the horse.
Horsemanship
In horsemanship, the horse and rider perform a pattern in which different maneuvers and the horse’s different gaits are exhibited. The base score for a pattern is 70 and a score for each of the 7 to 9 maneuvers will be given by the judge anywhere from -1.5 to +1.5. The positive score indicates that a movement is above average in execution and the negative score deducts points for poor execution. Penalties are given if a horse kicks out, lopes on the wrong lead, or otherwise detracts from the uniformity of the performance. It is possible for a rider to receive a score of zero if mistakes such as going off-pattern (adding or subtracting elements from the original pattern) are made.
Reining
Unlike horsemanship patterns, reining patterns also include spins and sliding stops which must be performed, desirably an excellent execution. In reining, a score starts 70 and can be higher or lower depending on the quality of the ride. Riders perform movements that include: fast circles, slow circles, spins and sliding stops. Going off the requested pattern results in a score of zero. Over- or under-spinning by more than a quarter of a turn is also given a score of zero.
The NCAA has allowed the Sport of Equestrian 15 scholarships. Availability of and requirements for scholarships vary for each University.
The host school provides the horses and tack at each competition. Student athletes only need to bring apparel when traveling. At home, universities have their own horses in which athletes will use for practices.
Sponsors
In order that the equestrian sport can even get more popular over the next years, there are many sponsors like Kevin Hurley, the Associate A.D. for faculties of the Texas A&M Athletics. The following video gives an informative impression of equestrian sports as a collegiate sport and a presumption on how the sport will develop in the next years:
Varsity Equestrian from Varsity Equestrian on Vimeo.
Colleges
Following colleges are competing in collegiate equestrian competitions:
Division I:
Division II:
