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Your EquinePost.com Horse Schools Expert is: Angelia Almos
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Intercollegiate Horse Show Association
Q. I keep hearing about the IHSA in my college search. What is the IHSA and how do the competitions work?
A. The Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) was founded in 1967 and is the largest horse showing college association in the United States. The purpose of the IHSA is to promote competition for all levels of riders regardless of financial status. Classes consist of every level from Walk-Trot to Open in Hunter Equitation, Equitation Over Fences, Western Pleasure, and Reining.
With its philosophy of every student having the chance to ride a student does not have to own a horse to participate in the IHSA. Each college team owns, leases, and/or borrows horses for their team to practice on. You don't ride "your" horse at the shows. Each host school supplies the horses and you randomly draw who you will be riding in your class. You'll have a couple of minutes to become familiar with your mount before you enter the arena and perform. If your school is hosting a show it's possible that you will draw a horse you've ridden before, but in general you won't be familiar with the horse you're riding. This allows colleges and riders to compete without the issue of financing the transportation of horses for the entire show team for the season. This also allows riders to compete at their skill level even if they don't have a horse capable of competing at that level.
There are over 300 colleges that participate in the IHSA within the U.S. and parts of Canada, but not all schools offer all riding styles. No two teams are exactly alike. Be sure to check with any potential schools to see whether they participate in English, Western, or both. Different schools have different size teams and level of commitment. Each college and team sets their own requirements as far as club dues, lesson fees, schedules for practices, and time commitment for the competition season and school year.
Some teams might have many students vying for just a few coveted competition slots while other teams make sure every member has the chance to compete. Some require several hours of week devoted to the team while others may only require a single one hour lesson. Some have full time coaches and horses devoted to the program while others have volunteer coaches and have to borrow horses.
So, be sure to do your research on each potential school team to make sure they offer what you want. Here are some example questions to ask:
1) What are the club dues and lesson fees?
2) Does the team have try-outs? How are they conducted?
3) How many riders are on the team?
4) Do Freshman and Sophomores make the competition list?
5) How are competition slots rotated for the larger teams (more riders then slots)?
6) How much time each week will I need to devote to the team?
7) How often does the team compete?
You can learn more about the IHSA at http://www.ihsainc.com. They also include the results from their last four National competitions with the top schools and a complete list of current schools competing within the IHSA on their website. To learn about the individual teams, you'll need to check with each college you are considering.
(c) 2009 Angelia Almos. All rights reserved.
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Intercollegiate Horse Show Association
The official website for the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association.
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Past articles by Angelia Almos:
Traditional vs. Specialty Equine Education (May, 2003) | Knowing What Type of School You're Looking For (June, 2003) | Equine Scholarships and Grants Question (January, 2004) | Should I Bring My Horse to School? (April, 2004) | Can I Really Get a Good Horse Education From a Distance School? (June, 2004) | Considering Your Local Colleges (July, 2004) | Intercollegiate Competition (September, 2004) | Taking Your Education International (November, 2004) | College Bound Invitational (December, 2004) | The Natural Job Market - Part 1 (March, 2005) | Keeping Track of the Schools (November, 2003) | The Natural Job Market - Part 2 (April, 2005) | Question from High School Junior (January, 2006) | Trying Out For a Varsity or IHSA Team (January, 2007) | Family Vacation Plus College Search (April, 2007) | Making the Most of Your On Site Visit (May, 2007) | How to Evaluate Horse Schools (August, 2003) | What is a Horse School? (September, 2003) | Making Your Own Education (Horse School) (October, 2003) | The Ivies (January, 2008) | Try A School On For Size (September, 2008) | Try a Horse Career On For Size (October, 2008) | College Road Trip (November, 2008) |
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