IEA Offers Riders a Unique Advantage in Breed Show Competition
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By Jillian Sinclair
The Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) is a unique form of competition that introduces many young equestrians to the horse show world. Student in grades 4-12 are invited to join their local IEA team and compete in three disciplines: Hunt Seat, Western, and Dressage on a local and national level. Unlike most forms of horse showing, IEA riders don’t need to own their own horse, or even tack, because horses are provided to contestants at each competition. IEA’s mission is to introduce students to equestrian sports and to promote and improve the quality of equestrian competition and instruction. As the association has introduced more equestrians to the compettive world of horse showing, many riders have taken their career beyond the IEA arena into AQHA, APHA, PtHA, NCEA, and beyond.
IEA rider Ava Sinclair of LaPorte, Indiana, has gone from competing on the IEA level to showing on APHA and PtHA circuits and will be competing as a NCEA Division 1 athlete on Delaware State University’s equestrian team.
“Without IEA, I would never have been able to get onto a NCEA Division 1 equestrian team,” she says. “It was a great introduction and preparation for NCEA tournaments, and I’m so grateful for the opportunities it offered me. Being a part of IEA took me from being a good rider to becoming a mindful rider. Learning to handle high-pressure situations with unknown and often anxious horses taught me to be patient, check my impulse control, and be fair to the horse in every situation.”
Learning to compete under such high pressure allowed Ava to shine during com-petitions with her own horse, especially at shows like the PtHA World Championship. In 2020, Ava won multiple top 10 placings and took home two World Championship belt buckles. As a senior in high school, Ava recently competed in one of her last IEA shows and earned a ticket to the IEA Western National Finals, which will be held in conjunction with the APHA World Championship Show in Fort Worth, Texas this summer.
