By Jeramy Ryanolds
Being a high-school senior means that you have some important decisions to make. You have to finish your studies and make up your mind if and where you want to go to college. Now you also have a great opportunity to start doing things you haven’t done before but you’ve always wanted to. Horse riding is one of the most challenging, exciting, and wonderful activities you can do outdoors. Many colleges can offer you a chance to do that. Finding a program suited for you might prove to be a little difficult but once you’re there, you’re in for a ride!
If you want to go to college, graduate, and keep horse riding as a passion while working on something else, the situation is not that clear. Equestrianism is a wonderful sporting activity. Man and horse working together towards the same goal. It’s easy to see why someone would be passionate about it, even if they have other jobs. If you go to college hoping you’ll become a lawyer, it doesn’t mean that you cannot enjoy horseback riding. The challenge is to manage your time as a student and a rider. It’s easy to lose the track of time and find yourself in the stables or on the track when you should’ve been in class. Make sure you make time for your classes and for your homework. Get some trusted law assignment help if you need to. Make sure you know what your goal is and stick to the plan that gets you there. After you decide if you want horse riding to be an activity in college or a future career, you need to sort your options.
The first thing you have to decide upon is how much horse riding you want to get done while you’re in college. Will this be your focus? Will you do it after classes and in your spare time? If this is the reason you’re choosing a specific university, you’ll probably want to go professional after you graduate, or even earlier. If you’ll take this path, you’ll have a pretty tight schedule. Being a professional horse rider requires a lot of commitment. This will make you spend most of your time in the stables or preparing for competitions. You won’t be able to make it to all the other classes in this situation but if you have the dedication to make it pro, this won’t be a big problem for you.
There are many universities with equestrian programs you can choose from, but you should do more than just look at your options on a piece of paper. Horseback riding is an outdoor activity. You should visit as many colleges as you can to see hands-on their tracks, stables and riding teams. Meet up with students who are already doing this and ask them for some feedback. You should also consider going to competitions as a spectator. This way you’ll get to see different teams from different universities perform at the highest level. After doing this research, you can make a relevant choice for your future.
Now let’s talk about money. The best thing about universities with riding programs is that you don’t need to own a horse to get to ride one. The horses available there are well-trained and ready for you. You’re also in luck because, in this field, there are a lot of scholarships available. American National Riding Commission, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, and other organizations offer to pay for young riders to practice and study this sporting activity. It’s up to you if you train to be good enough and to get noticed or not.
Horseback riding is not like any other sport you play in college. It requires a lot of practice and a great mindset for you to be a professional rider. You have to be committed to your passion and spend long hours creating a strong bond with your mount. When you choose the university you want to go to based on its riding program, you have to make some decisions. If you want to build a career riding horses, you’ll make this your only goal. If you want to study other subjects, just make sure you’ll manage your time the right way.
Jeramy Ryanolds is an expert on college sports programs. He is a digital nomad who travels the world, looking for young athletes with interesting life stories. Traveling and writing make Jeramy a great source of reliable information on any sports subject.
