ABOUT THE TEAM
The Ohio State Hunt Seat Equestrian Team participates in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) where students show by division or skill level. Anyone can join the team, whether you have competed on the national level or have never even touched a horse! Our team provides horses for lessons while other colleges offer their own horses for shows.
OSET is a member of Zone 6, Region 1 of IHSA. The other competing teams in the region include:
· Ohio University
· University of Akron
· Lake Erie College
· Kenyon College
· College of Wooster
· Denison College
· Oberlin College
· Kent State University
· Tiffin University
Riders new to IHSA are required to fill out a placement form in order to help place the rider in an appropriate division. The placement is based on show and riding experience and accomodates riders of all levels.
The following are the IHSA Huntseat divisions:
| Equitation on the Flat
Walk-Trot Walk-Trot-Canter Novice Intermediate Open |
Equitation Over Fences
(Only open to riders who have reached the Novice flat level.) Novice (2'3" to 2'9")
|
SHOWING
There are generally 8 hunt seat shows during each collegiate school
year. There is also one Regional Show, one Zone Show, and one National
Show every Spring. Hunt seat shows are usually held over a weekend with each individual day counting as a separate show, leaving the team to compete four weekends out of the school year.
All team members are eligible to ride at the shows. However, one rider is chosen from each division to represent the entire team to obtain the team's daily show points, in addition to his or her individual points. This person is called the point rider. The team coaches choose the point riders which often change from show to show. In order to prevent added pressure on the rider, the coach will not reveal who the point rider is.
The host college of a show will provide the horses that each rider will compete on. These horses are selected by random drawings prior to the show started. Riders are not allowed to warmup or handle their horses prior to their class; in fact, the only thing a rider can do is mount and adjust his/her stirrups.
ADVANCEMENT
Riders earn points for placing at each IHSA sanctioned show. These points carry over from one year to the
next until the rider reaches the maximum number of points for that
division, which is 35 in most cases. The amount of points a rider
receives is determined by a rider's placement in each class.
Once 35 points are accumulated, the rider is then able to advance
to the next division and also is qualified to show at the Regional
Finals. The Regional show is the first qualifying round for
advancement to showing at the National Intercollegiate Horse Show. The
top two riders from each division qualify for Zone Finals, and the top two riders from Zones will advance and
compete at the National Show.
The following
is the show point system:
1st place - 7
2nd place - 5
3rd place - 4
4th place - 3
5th place - 2
6th place - 1
SPONSORSHIP DRIVE
All first-year team members are required to turn in ten or more names and addresses of potential sponsors (such as family, friends, significant others, etc.) by November 1 of the current school year. The team will then send a letter to those individuals asking if they would like to be a sponsor of the Ohio State Equestrian Team. Each sponsor will be able to place an advertisement or other message in the OSET Show Program. The team will also post a list of our sponsors at every show. Each first-year member is required to bring in $100 from these names as their fundraising contribution. If a member’s sponsors donate more than $100, that member will receive 50% of anything over the original $100 to use towards lessons, show expenses, team jackets, etc.
DUES & COSTS
IHSA Annual Dues .............. $30 (Can make checks payable to: IHSA)
OSET Team Dues ................ $45 (Can make checks payable to: OSET)
Lesson Dues ........................$360 for 10 Hunt Seat Flat or Jump Lessons (half is due the 1st week of the quarter, the other half due the 5th week of the quarter)
Horse Show Fees .............. $25 per class (flat and jump count as 2 classes per show) - (two shows per weekend) ; $20 per night for hotel accommodations (only for overnight shows); $10 per day coaching fee
Thank you for your interest! Please do not hesitate to contact one of the coaches or any of the officers if you need further information. Good luck and have a great year!