Arkansas State University Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Equestrian team is striving to make equestrianism a more inclusive sport.  

For students who have minimal riding experience, the IHSA gives students the chance to do a collegiate sport. 

The IHSA Equestrian Team is currently self-funded and looking for sponsorships. 

“Here at A-State we’re really trying to bring it to those who don’t have the ability to do that outside of going to college. We’re very big on diversity and inclusion and trying to get everybody that wants the opportunity to do this to be able to go and compete,” said assistant coach Alexa Daly, a graduate animal science student from O’Fallon, Missouri.

Cassie Burdett, head coach of the IHSA Equestrian team, said in order to compete each semester, the team travels to at least four different locations, as far as western Kentucky and Tennessee. Students have to buy all of their own show clothes and food as well as pay for their show fees and travel. 

“It is a privilege but if more students had access to help, we’d probably have a bigger team,” Burdett said. “As it stands I have individual riders who’ve done really, really well but I’m trying to build a team all the way up, from beginners to the most experienced. We need help.”

Burdett said the cost of traveling each semester is a $5,000 minimum, not including show clothes, tack and other fees. To get to where they need to be, they would need $20,000 for the year. 

Burdett said even old show clothes would be a big help to the team as they have students sharing the same shirt because show clothes are so expensive. 

Daly said per student a set of show clothes are about $300 to $500 and students have to have a different set of show clothes for Western and hunter. If students don’t know how to press and starch their show clothes, dry cleaning is an additional out of pocket fee. 

“I’d love to see us have enough stuff in our own supplies and equipment that we could have it to supply to a student who maybe didn’t have the money to buy their own show clothes,” Burdett said.

However, those on the team said being a member has changed them for the better. Burdett said the team thinks of themselves as “little mighty ducks” because they persevere through challenges.  

Garrett Jolliff, a senior animal science and equine management major from Manila, Arkansas, has been on the IHSA Equestrian team since it started. 

“They took me from a redneck rider to a good show person,” Jolliff said. 

The IHSA Equestrian team competes at different host schools with riders categorized by experience level. Classifications can range from walk-trots, a beginner class, to an open, the highest level the IHSA shows and what Olympic riders go through. 

At these competitions, students will draw a horse in their appropriate field and then exhibit the different maneuvers of the horse for a score.  

“You will have hypothetically never ridden this horse and then you have to show it to the best of your ability. That’s a whole other level of pressure in training but it’s pretty neat because it levels out the playing field so that everybody can show,” Burdett said. 

The IHSA Equestrian Team has won a total of 24 ribbons, ranging from first to sixth place, in the time they’ve been competing. Ryder Nolen, the IHSA Equestrian team assistant coach, said it was in a total of six shows. 

Jolliff placed second in beginner western horsemanship at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). He said he gets a thrill out of not knowing what horse he’s going to draw. 

“Whenever you’re competing against nationally recognized teams and nationally ranked teams and you’re taking these ribbons away from their riders, it’s a pretty big accomplishment for those riders,” said Nolen, a graduate animal science student from Brookland, Arkansas. 

Burdett said she’s always had a five-year plan and she thinks it’s realistic that competing riders can make it to regionals next year. 

 “As far as MTSU goes, their riders consistently place high at our shows that we compete at, as well as regionals and nationals,” Nolen said. “There’s potential with the riders that we have as well as any incoming riders. But it would definitely help to have funding.”

Burdett said she has received support from the assistant coaches and Leah Ballin, the Equine Center manager, to form a riding team that is completely new to A-State. 

“It speaks for the talent that A-State has for such a short time that it’s been running, like our equine center program that’s not new to the university, but diversifying it and getting people involved that is new,” Burdett said. “To see our students who maybe don’t have as much of an equine background go out and do as well as they did. I’m excited to see what five years brings.”

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