What is IEA? The Interscholastic Equestrian Association Explained
BY LAUREN KEILTY
Do you have a friend or child who
competes in IEA? An overwhelming majority of non-horsey parents have no idea
what their child does in their sport, but when it comes to IEA everyone...
Melanie Smith Taylor’s Wildwood Farm to Be Donated to UT Martin
Olympic gold medalist and equestrian sport commentator Melanie Smith Taylor has made a generous donation to the University of Tennessee — Martin.
Taylor announced that upon her death, her 350-acre Wildwood Farm in Germantown will...
An Open Letter to the Collegiate Equestrians
BY NOA LEIBSON
To my fellow athletes,
I know, I know. It wasn’t supposed to end this way. We were supposed to have another hurrah. We were supposed to wake early in the morning again with...
No Place Like Home? Bridgewater College to Sell Equestrian Center and Shift Riding Teams
BY WALTER ROBB
Bridgewater College used to feel like home.
I'm a junior here, and heavily involved in the equestrian program. Being able to learn to ride horses at school has been a dream of mine...
What You Need to Know About Donating Your Horse to a Collegiate Program
By Prof Mary Pardee, M. ED
I am a professional beggar. This may be a strange statement given that I am gainfully employed in my fourteenth year as a Professor in the School of...
Entering the Western World as a Hunter
BY MCKENNA DEBUS
Growing up in the hunter world, the most exposure I had to western riding was from cowboys in movies. My perspective of western was that it was rough around the edges and...
Sweet Briar College: Better than Ever
BY SISSY WICKES
Private education is a challenging and changing landscape in the age of skyrocketing tuition and online options. Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, VA found itself in the same difficult conundrum as...
IEA Judge Shares the Behind the Scenes of Hunt Seat National Finals
BY RITA TIMPANARO
I was honored to judge the 2021 Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) Hunt Seat National Finals, April 22-25, 2021, held at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agriculture Center, along with Mary Babick. This...
SCAD Equestrian: A Legacy of Excellence
BY ASHLEY HENRY, Equestrian Head Coach, The Savannah College of Art and Design
Building a championship team is truly a creative endeavor. Next year will be my fifteenth year coaching the SCAD equestrian team. Our...
9 FAQs for Riders Interested in College IHSA Teams
BY ELIZABETH SOUSA
During college, there are a lot of questions that arise—ones you ask, and ones you’re asked. Being the captain of an Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) team, I’ve had my fair share...
Thinking of Going to College for Horses? Read This.
BY LUCILE VIGOUROUX, MSc
Equestrians who aspire to make a career out of horses are confident about one thing: their passion for the animal and the sport. But the path to success as an equine...
Creating Opportunities: My Experiences as a Working Student In and After College
BY AMANDA TERBRUSCH
When you think of the words “working student” you probably think of aspiring professionals, junior riders looking to work their way onto the ‘A’ circuit, or even young teenagers willing to spend...
Thrills, Spills, & One Big Work-Off: Adam Edgar Is Electric in the USEF/Cacchione Cup...
BY NINA FEDRIZZI
Beezie Madden won it for Southern Seminary in 1984. Peter Wylde took the title for Tufts two years later. If ever there was a predictor of future greatness in collegiate riding, the...
Picking the Best College Riding Program for You
BY ERIN PRUTOW
Prior to opening my own
equine law practice in Southern California, I spent four incredible years
showing on the Oklahoma State NCEA Equestrian Team. Like many high school equestrians,
the decision of whether to go...
College Isn’t a Waste of Time for Aspiring Equestrian Professionals
BY HAYLIE KERSTETTER
While I spent a lot of time debating colleges, degrees and career paths, I always knew that I wanted to do something with horses. Many young people who want to work in...
How Not Riding in College Made Me Appreciate My Equestrian Roots
BY SYDNEY CHARLTON
Heels down, eyes up, shoulders back. I silently count to keep a steady rhythm, relying on both skill and good fortune to clear the eight demanding obstacles. The two minutes spent in...
How to Prepare for Next Year’s IEA Competitions During the Off Season
BY REBECCA KAPLAN
Weeks after the IEA National championships, activity for many IEA team members has come to a halt. The show season for the Interscholastic Equestrian Association begins during mid autumn and stretches all...
So Much More Than a Diploma: St. Andrews University Equestrian Studies
BY LAUREN MAULDIN
Picking a college is the first step of adulthood for many, and there are countless factors that go into determining which school is the best fit. But add horses into the mix?...
A Guide to Horse Donations
BY RITA TIMPARANO
Have you been trying to sell your horse for the past few weeks, months or perhaps years?
All the bills associated with owning a horse continue to accumulate: board, training, farrier, veterinarian,...
The Road to IEA Nationals
BY LAUREN KEILTY
IEA season is a wrap as Hunt-Seat National Finals finished up in Syracuse, NY. Only the top eighteen riders and teams got that far, but what did it take to get there?...
Should You Have a Horse in College? Probably Not, But Do It Anyway
BY BLOG EDITOR LAUREN MAULDIN
When I prepared for my first semester at college as an eighteen-year-old freshman, I got ready in a way that many others have. I went shopping with my parents for...
Sea of Green Ribbons
BY CADY WAKITSCH
College freshman, Cady, wanted horses in her life and headed to equestrian team tryouts only to realize that collegiate riding was a lot different than the saddleseat lessons of her youth. You...
