February 6, 2024 
This is a question that oh-so many parents don’t fully understand.
Riding in college is a very different game from other sports. First and foremost is the pipeline aspect.
Many serious athletes go through the ranks and want to continue building their skills in college before making the jump into the pros. In many sports, the steps keep moving along from high school athletics into college—whether it be at a NCAA – D1, D2, or D3 program, or club-level teams. For something like basketball or swimming, athletes typically continue competing at the level they trained in previously. Equestrian, not so much.
A top-level equestrian athlete, for instance, could be competing in the Big Eqs (3’6”), or even the U25 Grand Prix division before pursuing a place on an NCAA or IHSA team in college. In reality, what that actually looks like is going from riding at a very high level to possibly competing only in flat classes, or jumping up to 3’6″ at most.
The main reason for that is the horses. As our teammates in this sport, horses are one-half of the equation, and what college can afford to purchase a string of grand prix horses for their program? Not many.
Still, many riders who are considered the ‘top of the top’ in their junior years are the same ones getting offers for significant scholarships at NCAA schools. There, they’ll get to have the full student-athlete experience, even if the level of their sport is far lower than what they might be used to.
The question is, is it worth it?
For me, it comes down to an issue we see so often in equestrian: the disparity between riders with means and access to top-level competition, and everyone else.
It’s clear that equestrian college programs, given the horse aspect and other issues, haven’t quite figured out how to make riding 100% fair. At the very least, they are falling short of that typical program pattern that helps top athletes with the ability and desire to move from college into the pros.
For the student who, for financial or access reasons, never really got to do all the riding they wanted in their junior years, college programs, especially at the IHSA level, can be hugely helpful in many ways. Even if they are not receiving NCAA scholarships, these riders are able to continue competing and building their skills without the required financial burden of boarding a horse (or horses) in college.
But especially in top NCAA programs, college riding is not a level playing field. Some team members may continue flying back and forth from school to venues such as WEF/WEC in Florida, the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, Devon, and beyond, where they continue to compete as amateurs in divisions such as the U25 Grands Prix, Adult Equitation, or the Amateur-Owner hunters.
While there are limits to the amount of prize money that can be accepted, these riders are still practicing against the best of the best, while other teammates are only getting riding time in their school programs.
If that feels eye-opening, it should.
This is such a huge topic and, in my opinion, it creates a circle of blame that results in a big imbalance in college athletics that hurts our sport.
To be sure, a lack of top-quality horses for college programs is part of the problem, lowering the level of competition for all. But many don’t realize it stops some of our most promising young riders from being truly great, with many postponing their development to compete in lower-height divisions of college team classes for years at a time.
On the other end of the spectrum, some of these same elite junior riders are taking riding places away from many competitors without the same advantages. These riders are losing out on the chance to ride for a team in a division that’s appropriate for them.
In each case, a different approach to college riding could help both groups progress further as equestrians.
As a trainer, I wish more kids would stay and progress at the level they are competing in as juniors, and not opt to ‘go backwards’ simply for the sake of riding in a college program. (oObviously, this is unrelated to the educational aspect of college). I wish more kids that haven’t had the chance to compete at top-level shows could be seen by college programs, including those at the NCAA level.
As a trainer, I just don’t see how stepping back from a training program that has taken you to a certain level makes sense when you are aging out and thinking of college. For those who were planning to step back from the sport anyway, perhaps. But for an athlete who dreams of pursuing the sport professionally, I don’t see college teams as the ideal pathway for becoming the best.
I want all my students to continue stepping up the ranks at whatever level is appropriate for them. If that’s the grand prix ring, fine; or if its jumping 3’-3’6″ (or lower) in college, that’s great too. It’s the inherent unfairness of college programs that makes it hard for me, as a trainer, to support the process.
From a judge’s point of view, it’s just perplexing, particularly at the NCAA levels.
In my experience, college shows have clear winners in most divisions by a long shot. It seems weird to me, if you’ve been at the top of our sport as a junior, that competing at a lower level against riders with such different experience backgrounds would be satisfying. How is it fun to win against someone that hasn’t jumped above 3-feet at a horse show, let alone in an international-level competition?
In IHSA-level competition, the playing field in many regions around the country can be more level. I like, as a judge, when it feels like I am comparing similar-level riders and where I can choose a well-deserved winner based purely on their performance in that class.
As a mother—oh wow—this issue is SO frustrating!
On the one hand, you want your kid to get a great education and have a fulfilling social experience in college, so why wouldn’t you push her or him to ride at the NCAA level, if that’s a possibility? As a parent, it seems worth it to make your child’s junior career as successful as possible so they can get a scholarship to top NCAA school.
But that’s not the whole picture.
In reality, what it often looks like is top junior rider who routinely jumps 1.40m classes or higher now spending their time flatting and competing in 1.0m equitation classes for four years. Again, taking the education aspect out of it, would a potential future NFL player pursue an NCAA program where he would play tag football throughout his college career?
As a mom, I think you have to make the best possible decision for your child and her/his goals. To each his own, and for some, that ultimate dream may be an NCAA scholarship and/or a spot on the team. If that’s the case, go, have fun, and enjoy every moment!
If, however, your child has aspirations of a professional career in the sport, or is stepping back to fully embrace academics, then maybe consider making college solely about education and leave the riding piece aside (or allow them to continue training as an individual).
In all cases, when you’re trying to discern what the next logical step is for your child’s riding, be truthful with your own trainer and make sure to consider their input as to what your child’s next best step really is.
My best advice: Go into every scenario with your eyes wide open! As a parent, I wish more trainers/coaches would be truthful about college programs and what is actually the most beneficial route for each individual student. Everyone should have a fair chance to succeed in whatever college program (or not!) can best help them to reach their academic and athletic goals.
Dana Hart Callanan is a successful hunter, jumper and equitation coach, an ‘R’ judge, and a sales broker. In this column, she answers common questions about A level sport. Send your questions to news@horsenetwork.com for consideration in a future column.
