About the Acadia Equestrian Team
History of the Acadia Equestrian Team
The Acadia Equestrian Team was the first team in Atlantic Canada to join the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, or IHSA, in the 2004-2005 school year. The team competed at three IHSA shows held in Vermont and Maine during their first two years as a team with great success. Due to the high cost and scheduling difficulty associated with travelling to these shows, the AET no longer competes with the IHSA. Instead, as other Atlantic Canadian universities have become inspired by our model to form their own equestrian teams, our team helped found the Atlantic Intercollegiate Equestrian League. The AET worked with Rolling Hills Stables to host the first intercollegiate equestrian competition in Atlantic Canada in March 2006. Since then, many intercollegiate shows have been hosted in the region. How the Show Team Works Competitions are currently based on the Ontario University Equestrian Association and the IHSA model, although alterations have been made that accommodate our own goals, abilities and values. The Atlantic Intercollegiate Equestrian League, AIEL, has decided on hosting 6 shows a year (9 in 2019-2020) with each school needing to host one show every two years to remain in the league. Our competitions allow riders of all levels to compete, from 3 foot courses to beginner walk trot, as long as they are able to control a horse in a ring with other riders. These shows are equitation competitions on drawn horses: that is, judging is based on the rider’s style, position, and ability to get the most from their unfamiliar horse, which is drawn from the pool of horses before their class. Over fences riders have two to three warm-up fences before the judging commences as well as watching not competing rider’s warm-up the horses. In the flat classes the rider simply mounts, enters the ring, and the judging begins. Lower levels classes do not jump, but at the upper levels there are both flat and over fences classes. Check out the Atlantic Intercollegiate Equestrian League website: https://aiel.weebly.com How To Join The Team Selection for the competitive team is based on a number of factors which include participating in eight lessons per semester as well as a sufficient number of fundraising events. The Show Team Captain is responsible for setting the above criteria and making selections for the competitive teams for each show. Riders wishing to compete with the AET must fulfill specific lesson requirements. These riders must be enrolled in a weekly lesson program Rohan Wood Stables with Alissa Cue or at a barn of their choice with a qualified instructor with the show team captain’s approval. Acadia Equestrian Club The AET also works in collaboration with the Acadia Equestrian Club which offers recreational lessons to students attending Acadia at Winesome Blue Stable. Here, beginner riders are taught the fundamentals of riding and proper horsemanship on safe, well trained, school horses. More experienced recreational riders can take lessons with the show team coach Alissa Cue or at Winesome Blue to work on more advanced techniques and jumping skills. The AET and AEC also offers fun horse excursions such as game days, trail rides, and cow penning to both recreational and team members at a subsidized price to help make horses more affordable. |