THE COLLEGE PREPARATORY INVITATIONAL (CPI) is a horse show held each year in Florida at which students, grades 9 through 12, who are preparing to apply to college can meet coaches, learn about the different oppor tunities to ride in college, and get a taste of what competing in the IHSA or National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) is like. The format of the show is much like an IHSA or IEA show, and the rules are a hybrid of the two. One of the characteristics of an intercollegiate show is that horses and tack are provided. “We reach out to local horse owners who graciously allow us the use of their horses for the weekend,” explained Lindsay Mar tin, president and owner of the CPI. Riders are asked to adjust to an unfamiliar horse in a shor t amount of time and
to ride a course with other riders, parents, and college coaches looking on. “I created the CPI in 2010 because my daughter dreamed of earning a college scholarship for her equestrian skill, much like any other high school athlete that plays spor ts,” said CPI founder Jeanne Rouco-Conesa. “As we compiled information on the numerous colleges that offered riding programs, we learned that not all collegiate riding competitions follow the same format and that there are various associations that govern collegiate riding.” The CPI grew from Rouco-Conesa’s desire to share what she and her daughter had learned about collegiate riding with other high school riders in an effor t to help them to design the experience that best suited their goals. “We have participants attend who are looking to pursue riding through the NCEA as
ABBY GOOGEL IEA COACH, LOOMIS CHAFFEE SCHOOL s a young rider, I never had the opportunity to be part of a team. My barn was like a big family, but despite our best sportsmanship, we were often competing against one another. Competing as part of a team was not
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Captain Ally Piccone jumps her horse, Rigby, at a team practice.
something I even considered. It was something for Olympic athletes and international competitors— which I was not. It wasn’t until riding at college that I was able to experience the camaraderie and support than comes with a team environment. In recent years, this notion has changed dramatically for our young riders. With the introduction of the Interscholastic Equestrian Association in 2002, junior riders were finally given the opportunity to be on a team. Although the IEA is modeled after the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA),
well as those who are just looking for a school that has an IHSA riding program where they can continue to ride on a regular basis,” she explained. “Others are looking for a school that has equine studies programs.” In just four years, the CPI has grown to become the largest equestrian college fair in the nation that awards scholarship money to student riders. These scholarships reward equestrian talent as well as academics, horsemanship, and social
it has introduced a new culture among a younger breed. Over the past dozen years, hundreds of barns, schools, geographic regions, and towns have joined this growing league. The best things about it are that anyone can start a team, and members do not have to own their own horses. Last year, I found myself at a new job, working at a boarding school in Windsor, Connecticut, Loomis Chaffee. Arriving at the campus, I could feel the New England prepschool atmosphere and thought to myself, “I bet this place is filled with riders.” After doing some investigation, I was surprised to find that, despite interest among students, there was not a competitive-riding program at Loomis. Last winter, I took it upon myself to change this. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was going to give them even better opportunities than I had imagined. One year later, I am coaching Loomis Chaffee’s Varsity Equestrian Team and loving every minute of it. We currently have 10 students on the team, and interest within the admissions office grows daily. We show as a team at many IEA shows throughout the year, vying both for team and individual points— with the hopes of qualifying for Regionals, Zones, and Nationals, which will be held in Wellington, Florida, this year. Our program at Loomis is all encompassing. We have riders who compete at the A level throughout the country and opt to bring their
awareness. Martin, who has also been involved with the University of Miami Equestrian Team and the IEA program in Florida, hopes to continue to expand the program. “I would like to take it from just an annual program to include other events and activities throughout the year,” she said. “The college fair is the best in the nation for students to connect faceto-face with college coaches,” Martin shared. While scouting and recruiting are still not as large in the equestrian world as in other college sports, it is becoming clear that there is a demand for prospective college riders to meet coaches and learn about their programs, while having a chance to show off their skills and potentially win some of the scholarship money that athletes in other sports have enjoyed for years.
horses to school with them. But we also have riders who have never set foot in the show ring before. We truly have a broad range of abilities, disciplines, and backgrounds, but they all come together to form a cohesive team. This is one of my favorite things about the IEA. Every one of our riders is just as important as the next. Whether they are competing in walk-trotcanter or the open division over fences, their presence and their placings within their division are vital to the success of the team. I could go on for days analyzing the positive influence of the IEA on our young riders. When I see my students laughing together on the bus or helping one another groom and tack their horses; when I see a senior rider helping a freshman put on her hairnet or a group of riders cheering on a student—that had previously ridden saddleseat—as she jumps her first fence; when I see the team rejoice together when a rider wins her class—this is when I know that the team dynamic is more powerful than words. Abby Googel is a young professional rider who works in the communications office and coaches the equestrian team at the Loomis Chaffee School, a coed boarding school in Windsor, Conn. The Loomis Chaffee Equestrian Team rides at ABF Equine in Coventry, Conn. Visit: loomischaffee.org/equestrian
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