IHSA, which stands for the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, is the governing body of our Zone 4 Region 1 show team. This organization is designed to provide riders of all financial backgrounds and riding experiences a way to compete in horse shows throughout their college career. Unlike a typical horse show, riders competing with the team in IHSA recognized competitions do not need their own horse, but instead are provided a horse to ride at the competition. Horses are provided by other schools competing at the show and are chosen by drawing the horse's name out of a hat. This method of pairing riders and horses is used to allow for no bias or cheating, and gives the judge a true depiction of each rider. It is a way to instill and (almost) guarantee fairness in these competitions. At each show, all the competing schools are provided a list of horse names along with a short description of each horse. Riders are not allowed to warm up before going into the ring and are judged primarily on their individual equitation. Judges are fully aware that the riders are not familiar with the horses they are riding, and do take that into account.
Show team riders are placed in the appropriate division for their skill level by taking an online placement test provided by IHSA. In addition to this, our coach does evaluate each rider during the first few weeks of lessons and can determine during that time whether or not that rider is suited for the division the placement test categorized them into. It is imperative that riders are entirely truthful and honest in their answers, not only because wrongful placing can greatly affect the team, but also because it can cause numerous safety issues for both the rider and horse alike. Upon completion of the IHSA online placement test, the rider will be prompted to pay a small membership fee, currently of $40, to IHSA in order to be eligible to compete. Please note that you are not eligible to compete and are not an active IHSA member without paying these fee. The membership fee must be paid by each member annually.
Show team riders are placed in the appropriate division for their skill level by taking an online placement test provided by IHSA. In addition to this, our coach does evaluate each rider during the first few weeks of lessons and can determine during that time whether or not that rider is suited for the division the placement test categorized them into. It is imperative that riders are entirely truthful and honest in their answers, not only because wrongful placing can greatly affect the team, but also because it can cause numerous safety issues for both the rider and horse alike. Upon completion of the IHSA online placement test, the rider will be prompted to pay a small membership fee, currently of $40, to IHSA in order to be eligible to compete. Please note that you are not eligible to compete and are not an active IHSA member without paying these fee. The membership fee must be paid by each member annually.