EQUESTRIAN CLUB
Historic Overview
The Equestrian Sport Club has been around for many years and has always been competitive as a team. The national organization has two divisions, English and western, where riders compete at various levels depending on their previous experience. For the upper levels in English, an over fences division is available, and for the upper level in western, the more advanced competition of reining is available. The sport club is a member of the intercollegiate horseshow association (IHSA), which is the national organization that runs the program. The program offers classes for people who have never ridden before, all the way up to people who have been competing at the upper levels in their respective discipline. There are six levels involved and as people improve, they can earn enough points to reach the next division. In every class, members are placed from first through sixth place, and receive points for each ribbon, with the first place ribbon being worth seven points, the second place ribbon being worth five points, and so on. When members reach 35 points, they qualify for the regional competition and move up in level. Points carry over from year to year, except in the Open (the highest) division, where the points repeat each year, as people in this class cannot advance to a higher division. Team members compete both as individuals and team members.
