NCAA Weighs Decision on the Future of Collegiate Equestrian Sport
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By Susan Winslow
I remember my first Intercollegiate horse show as a member of the Colby-Sawyer College Chargers. We arrived at Mount Holyoke College in our big, blue school bus, surrounded by much larger schools in their luxury charter buses. It was incredibly intimidating, much like any big show, but this time, instead of just my horse and I out there on our own, I was part of a team of riders that cheered each other on. Our mounts were chosen from names in a basket, which evened the playing field for everyone. I will never forget the powerful mixture of anticipation, camaraderie, and school pride that came with the experience.
The collegiate equestrian program gives young people the chance to learn a new sport, excel in a sport they love, and work as a team in a sport that is, by its very nature, a singular activity. It also brings together young people from diverse backgrounds that share a common passion. Through the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) emerging sport status, Women’s Equestrian is considered a varsity sport at many schools, offering the perks and challenges of being a varsity sport and the opportunity for many young people to attend college who couldn’t afford it otherwise. College equestrian is also a training ground for the next generation of competitors and leaders in the equine industry. However, many equestrian teams in the NCAA are in jeopardy due to recent actions by the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA).
What does that mean? The National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) has been shepherding equestrian sport through the ten-year period required by the NCAA to advance the sport from an ‘emerging sport’ status to a fully recognized championship status. Because equestrian sport did not meet the required 40-school participation threshold in that time period, this past fall, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) reconsidered the status of Women’s Equestrian Sports and recommended that the NCAA phase out Equestrian Sports from emerging sport status. The September 25-26, 2013 Report of the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics included an update on Women’s Equestrian Sports from the Subcommittee on Emerging Sports that indicated on page 3: “The committee was provided an update on equestrian sponsorship. It was noted that the sport had demonstrated steady growth in recent years, expanding from 15 to 23 institutions, although sponsorship dropped to 22 institutions in the last two years. Concern has been expressed in regard to how the sport will continue to grow. Since Division III does not currently sponsor equestrian as an emerging sport, the staff will discuss potential legislative options that may permit Division III institutions to sponsor equestrian as a DII sport.”
However, a year later, at the September 23-24, 2014 meeting, the Report of the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics Meeting included the CWA recommendation to remove equestrian as an emerging sport. The rationale behind the recommendation reads as follows from the same report published online at www.ncaa.org:
“The emerging sports for women program identifies sports that both hold the promise of increased participation opportunities for women and that the membership considers appropriate potential additions to NCAA championship sports offerings. Legislation allows 10 years for a sport to reach a championship sponsorship target of 40 institutions. The legislation also allows for exceptions to that time limit for steady growth. Equestrian reached its 10-year limit in 2012, and growth in Divisions I and II has stalled at 23 institutions for the last three reporting years. In April 2014, the committee voted to require the equestrian sponsoring institutions to submit a strategic action plan to grow sport sponsorship. In response, the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) submitted a plan strategically focused on Division III’s recognition of the sport and overcoming misconceptions about costs incurred to sponsor the sport. The committee and national office staff have attempted to sponsor legislation (2008) and to seek Division III support (2013-14) to encourage the recognition of equestrian as an emerging sport. However, at this time, Division III is not supportive of the change. While the committee greatly appreciates the effort of the NCEA to grow sponsorship, the action plan did not persuade the committee that sponsorship trends will improve or that championship level sponsorship can be achieved.”
Despite an indication in 2013 that the sport was growing, and concerns raised in 2014 that funding would be re-allocated away from equestrian teams that no longer carried emerging or championship NCAA status, the CWA recommended the change. No action was taken and it was thought that the issue would be raised at the October 20, 2014 meeting of the CWA, but it now appears that the issue has been tabled until their meeting in January 2015.
Equestrians, schools, breed organizations, and other college equestrian programs such as the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) are monitoring this situation carefully. Thirteen Division I teams continue to compete within NCEA, the official sanctioning body of NCAA equestrian, but many schools are taking a wait-and-see approach to the future of their equestrian teams pending the CWA meeting in January. A request for information from Georgia State University was met with the response that no public statements will be made until December of 2014. While many schools are waiting for clarification on the status of equestrian sports from the NCEA, CWA and NCAA, some are taking action on their own.
Recently, the University of Tennessee at Martin made the decision to phase out their equestrian team, the Skyhawks, at the end of the 2015-2016 season. Head Coach Meghan Cunningham Corvin was instrumental in developing the UT/Martin Equestrian Team from a club activity to a varsity sport. She has coached riders to All-American status, and her team has consistently taken Top 10 placements. She has been an active member of the NCEA and currently serves as the organization’s President.
This dedicated coach describes the goals she has worked toward for both the UT/Martin program and the individual riders who have been part of the team. “Obviously, one of my goals has been to put together a competitive team,” she says. “I feel like, year after year, we have put together a very competitive program that has put our institution on a national stage. We have qualified to compete at our National Championship every year since the programs beginning in 2006. My own personal goal has been to impact our student athletes’ lives. We get to spend such a small amount of time with these young ladies while they are gaining their education. I hope that by participating on a team they learn leadership, sportsmanship, work ethic, and the importance of being a member of a community. Those values and lessons will be carried with them throughout life, and I hope they ‘pass it on’ to others. I hope they are strong, successful women in our society. The ultimate goal is to win an NCAA Championship. Americans watch college football every Saturday to follow their favorite team or their alma mater in hopes of winning the National Championship. Why can’t our student athletes have the same aspirations?”
Ms. Corvin describes the challenges faced by the NCEA in trying to reach the 40-school threshold. “The economy took a toll on the business decisions of most athletic departments. For the last several years, we have seen roster management of men’s team and few women’s sports added across the nation. Couple this with an untrue assumption that equestrian is expensive; in reality, it is one of the lowest costs per student athlete sports, and you see few schools adding anything. Most institutions have riding on their campus in some form, so it could be quite easy for them to sponsor equestrian as a NCAA women’s sport. The CWA recommendation came at an unfortunate time. The NCEA, at the request of the CWA, presented a strategic plan for growth that showed interest from several schools, more than in year’s past. Coupled with governance changes within the NCAA, the path to 40 becomes more challenging but not unachievable.”
This dedicated coach and horsewoman points out the myriad of benefits of involvement in equestrian sports at the college level. “Equestrian athletes are unique. There is an added level of compassion and companionship when you add the equine athlete to the equation. Their commitment not only to themselves but to the animal is above and beyond.” She is concerned that the decision of the NCAA to possibly remove Women’s Equestrian Sport from its roster of varsity athletics will have a negative impact on the college, the students, and the future of the equine industry. She says, “Our team is overwhelmingly composed of out-of-state students, above 75%. We bring diversity to our university from the regions where our student-athletes are from, like CA, CT, FL, TX, etc. We have over 50% of our team participating as Ag Majors. We have brought new donors to the conversation who may not have donated to their university had it not been for their passion of horses. The equestrian team has been a perfect fit for our culture on our campus. These decisions will impact the horse industry, trainers, sales, competitions, etc. Many business owners have stated how their business has picked up by prospective student-athletes campaigning themselves to gain scholarship and participation opportunities on NCAA Equestrian Teams. I am saddened that young equestrian athletes may be denied the opportunity to participate at this level as other sports are offered.”
Mark Mowbray is a member of the St. Andrews University Equestrian Team competing out of North Carolina. He’s an accomplished horseman who served as AQHYA President in 2012-2013 as well as on the AQHA Youth World Cup Team. He describes his experience as a member of the St. Andrews Equestrian Team and his thoughts on the potential changes coming to equestrian sports. “Competing on the team at St. Andrews has been a great experience. I’ve learned so much in the past two years, because there’s an opportunity to ride so many different types of horses. It’s a shame that the NCAA is considering removing Equestrian Sports, because that is a lost opportunity for some kids to attend college on scholarship that might not otherwise be able to go. There is a general misconception though, that if the NCAA drops Equestrian Sports, that will be the end of it. I think the IHSA will open up to these teams, so there will still be the opportunity to compete. Also, there will always be an opportunity to ride on a team at certain colleges regardless of future decisions.”
Maria Squires Salazar is an multiple AQHA champion and winner of the Amateur Versatility class at the 2013 American Quarter Horse Congress with Winkin for Chocolate. She is a 2013 graduate of the University of Georgia, who combined four years on the equestrian team with a degree in Consumer Economics. As a member of the UGA Bulldogs, she amassed an impressive record including multiple MVP awards as well as First Team Academic All-American Honors, SEC Academic Honor Roll, the Sportsmanship Award, the Coaches Award, and multiple Division Championship rides. In 2009-2010, she went undefeated in three rides at the Varsity National meet. She recalls her experience on the team with pride.
“My college experience was incredible, and it can all be attributed to being on the University of Georgia’s equestrian team,” she says. “I was so fortunate to have my riding put me through school. Anybody that rode in college can talk about the great opportunities a college team provides…awesome dorms that aren’t two square feet, early access to class registration, tutors, Nike gear, football tickets, study halls, etc. What I most enjoyed were my teammates (human and horses). It was so much fun to spend every afternoon and weekend (not necessarily the 6 a.m. workouts) with 60 other horse crazy girls. I still laugh to this day thinking of our long bus rides and the craziness that ensued on them.”
She expresses concern about the pending NCAA decision, “I hope with all my heart that the NCAA decides to keep college equestrian. I hate to think of our industry’s young girls not getting the chance to ride for a university, their teammates, and something bigger than themselves. College equestrian is so wonderful because it gives the chance for some of our girls to go to college who might not otherwise have that opportunity. For me, it gave me the chance to go to school in the opposite corner of the country. NCEA is so much more than just that though, it builds character and morale in every girl that goes through it. I’m so thankful for all the organizations that support NCEA, like AQHA, Ariat, and USEF. I think anybody can attest to the strength of our sport and the resiliency of its athletes, coaches, and support staff, and I hope the NCAA recognizes this.”
Breed organizations such as the APHA and the AQHA have taken note of the potential changes to collegiate equestrian sports. The APHA has dedicated a web page with information on the situation and regular updates at http://www.apha.com/ncaa-equestrian . Leman Wall, Director of Corporate and Affiliate Partnerships at the American Quarter Horse Association, has also been staying abreast of the situation. He says, “Having collegiate riding opportunities available to our youth is important to the horse industry. The benefit to our youth is really obvious and is extremely important; however, the impact goes much deeper. Having this outlet is a huge factor in parents deciding to get riding lessons or working with a trainer. It also provides a job to our equine athletes and maintains their value for a longer period of time.”
The AQHA reports that it has worked with the IHSA Executive Committee to issue a letter supporting the NCEA effort to gain support from the NCAA to continue Women’s Equestrian Sports. This story is still unfolding, and while the NCAA debates the issue of Women’s Equestrian Sports, equestrian athletes are rallying to fight for the sport they love.
