Shows & Competitions

About

The Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) was developed to allow student riders of any skill level or economic background to be able to compete and succeed at their own levels of skill and experience. There are classes designed on specific experience levels, from Beginner Walk-Trot to Open, in four disciplines - hunter equitation, equitation over fences, western horsemanship and reining. We will only be involved in the hunter seat equitation discipline because of training and the availability of shows. College horse shows are like "meets," with all teams from the region invited to compete against each other simultaneously. The average national region includes about eleven colleges, 225 total riders, and competes in 8.6 horse shows per year. Only about half of the regions offer competition in western horsemanship. There are now 23 regions and 8 zones, encompassing 44 states, 5,000 riders and 250 teams.

Horses and Tack

Teams do not move horses to shows. Riders from all colleges ride horses provided by the host college, drawing lots for mounts. Riders draw whatever tack happens to be on the horse they've drawn. There is no schooling time; riders mount, adjust stirrups, and ride in before the judge.

Attire

For lessons	For Shows
Boots	Tall leather boots
Britches	Tan britches
*Helmet	*Helmet
	Show shirt
	Jacket
	Pin/gloves (black leather)
	Belt

* IHSA approved helmets are mandatory at all shows and individual lessons

Judges & Show Locations

All IHSA shows are judged by the American Horse Show Association (AHSA) Hunt Seat Equitation approved judges or the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) judges for western horsemanship and reining. The locations and dates of shows are determined by the regional president and are widely variable from one region to the next. In the northeast most shows are indoors and are held throughout the school year. Shows we attend are at Hartwick College, Skidmore College, Cornell University, and SUNY Morrisville.

Points are awarded as follows

Place	Points
First	7
Second	5
Third	4
Fourth	3
Fifth	2
Sixth	1

35 total points moves a rider to the next division (cumulative over four years of eligibility)

Individual Scoring

Each ribbon is worth a point value to the winner. When a rider scores enough points to qualify for the regional championships, he or she moves to the next higher level for the remainder of the year, returning to compete at the lower level at Regionals. Top riders at Regionals advance to the Zone Championships, and top riders at Zones advance to the IHSA National Championships at each year-end.

Team Scoring

At each show during the year, coaches select a rider from each division to compete on behalf of their college. Those scores are totaled to select a Champion Team each show. The scores are cumulative throughout the year, and the high point team at the end of the last show is named the Regional Champion Team. Regional Champions advance to the Zone Championships and the top teams from Zones advanced to Nationals. Each Zone is invited to send a different number of teams to Nationals, based on the number of individual members in the Zone. Therefore, the bigger Zones enter more teams at Nationals. National team competition follows the same format, with one rider from each division representing each team against the other Zone Champion teams. National team competition is held in separate classes from the individual competition at the National Championships, and is referenced by the trophy names --- Collegiate Cup (hunter).

Levels of Riding

Walk-Trot - This is for the beginner rider with less than two years experience and who has never shown in competition.

Beginner walk/trot/canter - This is for riders riding less than four years and who have not competed in recognized competitions.

Advanced walk/trot/canter - This is for riders with more than four years experience who have not competed in recognized competitions.

Novice - For riders who have not won more than five equitation classes on the flat or more than two classes over fences 3' or higher.

Intermediate - For riders who have not won more than 8 blue equitation ribbons on the flat or more than 2 blue ribbons in classes over fences 3'3" or higher.

Open - Open riders have won a USAE medal or equivalent 3'6" equitation class in recognized competition.