Collegiate Equestrian Twitter Takeover! Learn More About What it Takes to Get on a College Riding Team

IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association) has partnered with National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA), Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) and American National Riding Commission (ANRC) to make preparing for college riding more interactive and informative through a ‘Collegiate Connection’ education series combining live webinars and Twitter TakeOvers with the leaders of major college programs, who will discuss and answer questions about the process and preparation of getting on a college team. In addition to live Q&A, each presenter will provide background information on their collegiate equestrian program(s).

Dr. Leah Fiorentino, NCEA Executive Director, will lead the first webinar and Twitter Takeover session while IHSA Zone 4 Region 1 President Jennifer Smith (equestrian program director, Goucher College) will lead part two of the Collegiate Connection online series on October 6 and Patte Zumbrun, ANRC chair and IHSA national secretary, will lead the final two-part session on October 13.

“The NCEA, IHSA and ANRC provide wonderful opportunities for riders who want to continue participation in equestrian sport at the college level. Each organization has different requirements to join their programs and it can be a complicated process for high school riders and their families,” said Roxane Lawrence Durant, IEA co-founder/executive director. “We are so very pleased that the leadership of these collegiate equestrian programs have graciously agreed to join us for this education series and help our members through the college decision-making process.”

The schedule is:

NCEA Webinar: September 22; NCEA Twitter TakeOver: September 29

NCEA Executive Director Dr. Leah Fiorentino will ensure that IEA members have accurate information about NCEA teams and where they can locate more information about the NCEA. She will also cover the NCAA compliance information for the recruiting process and supply milestone dates so that IEA members can plan their college timeline.

IHSA Webinar: October 6; IHSATwitter TakeOver October 13

IHSA Zone 4 Region 1 president and director of the equestrian program at Goucher College, Jennifer Smith will give a brief background on IHSA and its offerings and opportunities as well as how to find colleges with IHSA teams, where colleges recruit, what IHSA coaches want prospective athletes to know about recruitment and what coaches look for in a prospective athlete.

ANRC Webinar: October 20; ANRC Twitter TakeOver: October 27

ANRC chair and IHSA national secretary Patte Zumbrun will give background information on the American National Riding Commission program and its mission to promote the American System of Forward Riding. Her session will focus on the ANRC National Intercollegiate National Equitation Championship plus a format overview and participating colleges.

Each webinar will have a live chat room for participants to ask questions to the hosts, and NCEA, IHSA and ANRC will have full access to the IEA Twitter account during Twitter TakeOver sessions. Questions can be addressed through IEA’s Twitter handle, @rideiea, during Twitter TakeOvers that will take place one week after each webinar.

IHSA promotes competition for full time student riders of all skill levels, who compete individually and as teams at regional to national levels based on the principle that any college student should be able to participate in horse shows regardless of financial status, gender or riding level. In 2017 IHSA celebrates the Golden 50th Anniversary of its 1967 founding by Fairleigh-Dickinson University sophomore Robert E. ‘Bob’ Cacchione and today serves more than 400 member institutions and 10,000 riders annually. Visit www.ihsainc.com and follow IHSA on Facebook and Instagram for more about Bob’s 50th Anniversary Tour, IHSA teams, scholarships and alumni riding programs.