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Hey yall! I've received an offer to ride on an equestrian team in college and I was wondering if anyone here has been on one or have had any kind of experience with them! also, I'm most likely going to be riding on the western team so if anyone has any good show clothes brands send them my way :) Thanks!!! |
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I showed on my college's Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) team for a couple years. We primarily competed in Western. We would travel to other college facilities as a team and use the horses provided by that college. Everyone would have to draw a horse before their class, so no one knew what horse they were going to ride. It was a unique challenge to have to get on a horse I knew nothing about and show it to the best of my ability. It really puts everyone on an even playing field. Overall, it was a good experience; I just HATED all the over-the-top shirts, chaps, makeup, and extreme amounts of hairspray that go into the prep for it. Equitation outfits can be ridiculously expensive (and the trends seem to change yearly), so I didn't bother with investing in anything too nice. I borrowed a glitzy show shirt from an instructor and I made my equitation chaps myself. Unless you plan on showing western long-term, there's really no reason to put a ton of money into clothes. I think it's worth giving it a try if you're up for a challenge. I definitely don't regret doing it! |
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ok here are some brands for clothing that i recommend 1.) Rocket Donkey - Rodeo shirts and rodeo jackets 2.) ARIAT - A classic yet awesome company 3.) Hot Headstalls - not clothing but PLEASE look on their website!! 4.) Justin - These hats might be a bit pricy but my gosh do they hold up a while.I've had mine for 6 years and it still looks fine! 5.) Helmets - I'd say before you randomly buy a helmet[if you dont already have one] then make sure their approved by the SEI as those are the good helmets ;) 6.) Chic Saddlery - Ok so just like Hot Headstalls this place is a tack shop online but they have SO MANY options and sales going on! |
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RFS Throughbreds said:
ok here are some brands for clothing that i recommend 1.) Rocket Donkey - Rodeo shirts and rodeo jackets 2.) ARIAT - A classic yet awesome company 3.) Hot Headstalls - not clothing but PLEASE look on their website!! 4.) Justin - These hats might be a bit pricy but my gosh do they hold up a while.I've had mine for 6 years and it still looks fine! 5.) Helmets - I'd say before you randomly buy a helmet[if you dont already have one] then make sure their approved by the SEI as those are the good helmets ;) 6.) Chic Saddlery - Ok so just like Hot Headstalls this place is a tack shop online but they have SO MANY options and sales going on!
Please for the love of God do not show up to a college equestrian meet with anything from rocket donkey or hot headstalls. That's a fantastic way to get kicked off.
I've never head a bad thing from anyone who's been on a college team whether it was IHSA or NCEA. There's a lot more that goes into it besides riding like having to maintain certain grades and do workouts etc. But it is so rewarding and opens windows for so much opportunity! If you have the chance I'd take it without a doubt! Teams like their apparel to be classy and traditional. Usually they will supply what you need besides pants and hats. Most teams have their own shirts and saddles etc to be used, especially for the western teams.
Congratulations on being given the opportunity! That's a huge accomplishment and you should be so incredibly proud of yourself. |
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Ambrosia said:
RFS Throughbreds said:
ok here are some brands for clothing that i recommend 1.) Rocket Donkey - Rodeo shirts and rodeo jackets 2.) ARIAT - A classic yet awesome company 3.) Hot Headstalls - not clothing but PLEASE look on their website!! 4.) Justin - These hats might be a bit pricy but my gosh do they hold up a while.I've had mine for 6 years and it still looks fine! 5.) Helmets - I'd say before you randomly buy a helmet[if you dont already have one] then make sure their approved by the SEI as those are the good helmets ;) 6.) Chic Saddlery - Ok so just like Hot Headstalls this place is a tack shop online but they have SO MANY options and sales going on!
Please for the love of God do not show up to a college equestrian meet with anything from rocket donkey or hot headstalls. That's a fantastic way to get kicked off.
I've never head a bad thing from anyone who's been on a college team whether it was IHSA or NCEA. There's a lot more that goes into it besides riding like having to maintain certain grades and do workouts etc. But it is so rewarding and opens windows for so much opportunity! If you have the chance I'd take it without a doubt! Teams like their apparel to be classy and traditional. Usually they will supply what you need besides pants and hats. Most teams have their own shirts and saddles etc to be used, especially for the western teams.
Congratulations on being given the opportunity! That's a huge accomplishment and you should be so incredibly proud of yourself.
I agree i think Hot Headstalls and Rocket Donkey are definitely more rodeo shirts and not equitation shirts lol. But thank you!!! I've been looking into used showmanship outfits and stuff on facebook marketplace but are there any other consignment aces I could be looking (online please)? |
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omg i must've skipped over the equitation part XD ok nevermind just act like i never put that there lol I agree that equitation outfits are QUITE pricey as i used to show with equitation myself.As Cloud Peak Stables said i'd just borrow a shirt from someone wheneevr you needed it or try and find some used ones on facebook marketplace.Goodluck with finding what you need and congrats on getting on the team! |
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I actually donated my horse to a college ISHA team. I've ridden IEA for 3 years and the format is the same. It's super fun going to different schools and riding random horses. My tips are to watch the schooling and take notes of the horses for example I would open my phones notes app and write chestnut with blaze and socks- cute mover, needs help with leads, likes to ride on the inside track. I also would recommend looking and practicing some aqha or Nrha reining patterns to get familiar with what you might be asked to do if you will be in that class. As far as brands you don't really need a blingy top. I've always ridden in a plain colored zip up collard shirt, a scarf, a hat or helmet, black fitted pants or sometimes leggings, chaps, and nice boots. I got all of my zip up shorts from Royal equestrian. My scarfs I got on Amazon i usually rode in a rust shirt with a black scarf and black chaps. I competed in English and western I will say western shows are usually a little more spread out as it's not as available as the colleges with English teams. Overall it is such a fun experience and having a team that all loves the same sport is super encouraging. If you need hats I love baileys and if you need boots I love araits or Justin boots, and for helmets I really liked my IRH. Chaps are hard because it's something that needs to be custom to your body measurements. |
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update!! I decided to ride for the team! It has been so much fun, I have one semester down, and I'm loving it! All the girls on my team have been amazing, and I've learned so much. Here are some pics for anyone curious lol :) (I also decided last minute to show hunt seat as well, and I'm kinda liking it more than western so far) |
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That's so cool, I'm glad you're having fun with it. The pictures are awesome! Thank you for sharing an update! |
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Yay, I'm glad you love it! I'm a fellow hunt seat IHSA rider, and I absolutely adore it! |
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Sunny
