Equestrian - Western
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Description
The IHSA Western Equestrian Team is a team run out of the University of Guelph. We compete on the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) circuit. These shows are located in the USA, and our team travels to Morrisville, New York to compete. Our shows are all catch riding based. This means you do not need your own horse, and cannot use your own horse if you have one. Instead, we ride horses donated to the IHSA for shows. These horses are then drawn at random for us to ride. For weekly practices, we ride lesson horses at Carters Training Centre with our coach Paige Johnson. There are 6 different levels riders can be placed in, and they are based on previous riding experience. This means we accept a wide range of riders on our team, including those who have no previous riding experience, are coming from a different discipline, have little show experience, or are seasoned experienced competitors. At shows we compete in horsemanship, with ranch riding and reining available for more advanced riders who qualify. Our show season generally runs from October to March, with 8 regular shows spread out between 3 weekends. Riders can then go on to qualify for regionals, semi-finals, and finals which go until April.
Tryouts are hosted in person at Carters Training Centre at the beginning of the school year. Please see our Instagram @uofguelph_ihsawestern for up to date information on this year’s tryouts. We host tryouts for both show team members and expansion team members. Our Show Team consists of riders who go to shows, participate in fundraisers, attend weekly lessons, and participate in team bonding activities. Our Expansion Team consists of riders who participate in fundraisers, attend weekly lessons, and participate in team bonding activities. The Expansion Team is an excellent way for riders to continue riding, try something new and meet new people without the financial and time commitment of attending shows. It is also a fantastic way to build and refine skills, as to be more competitive at the following years tryouts for members interested in the show team.
Estimated Fees
$20 plus events and lesson fees ($300+ but various year-to-year)
*All clubs memberships require a prerequisite base athletics membership. Currently enrolled, on-campus students already have this prerequisite membership during the Fall and Winter semesters. For all other community participants and students attending classes in the summer months, a monthly base membership is required for purchase before enrolling into a club*
Social Media/Contact
Email: equestw@uoguelph.ca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uofguelph_ihsawestern
Facebook: University of Guelph IHSA Western Riding Team
TikTok: uofg_western_ihsa
Sign Up
If you are interested in signing up for any one of our Equestrian teams, follow this Active Net Link!
Links
https://www.facebook.com/guelphihsa
https://www.facebook.com/GuelphEquestrianTeam