Parents and high school students will want to check out this episode of Cowboy Office. Brian & Jody talk to Oklahoma State University Equestrian Team coaches Larry Sanchez & Laura Brainard. You might be surprised to learn that your riding skills aren’t the main focus of collegiate recruitment. Riding skill may catch their attention, but another characteristic may cost you a place on their team.
At the Cowboy Office Today:
Larry Sanchez
Laura Brainard
Brian Dygert
Jody Brainard
National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) – recognized by the NCAA as the collegiate sport of equestrian, abides by NCAA rules, female only sport
Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) – founded in 1968, where collegiate equestrian started, currently 400 colleges with IHSA programs, multiple levels of riders from beginner to open
Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) – middle school and high school students, fastest growing high school athletic association
With OSU’s extensive win record, you might be tempted to think it’s all about winning. But the coaches know that winning at all costs today will take a toll on their team’s future. They focus on the “person over the player approach, because we believe, and we’re finding more and more that character drives the process, which ultimately drives the result.”
This is why they look at more than a rider’s skill on horseback when recruiting. They focus on character by watching how the prospective student interacts with coaches, parents, and fellow competitors. They also take a look at how they handle winning and losing; a bad attitude or disrespectful behavior raises a red flag for this experienced team of coaches.
Tips for parents of potential collegiate equestrians:
Interested in becoming a coach?
Equine Athletes
Many of the horses collegiate students ride are donated to the university. It can be a win-win situation when the owner gets a tax write off and the horse gets a new career with exceptional health benefits. Some horses that are donated can’t handle the rigors of full-time showing without specialized maintenance for soundness. The quality of veterinary care that can be provided lengthens the quality and duration of a horse’s career.
After their career as an equestrian team horse is over, they may be retired to pasture or for those industrious horses that love their humans, they may spend time at a local therapeutic riding facility during their twilight years. Either way, these horses receive the highest level of care during their time in competition and are rewarded with a retirement plan for their years of service.
Collegiate showing faces the same challenge as the rest of the showing industry when it comes to structuring the event to optimize audience engagement. Creating an event that lends itself to holding spectators captive requires providing a shorter competition, quality commentary, and sponsors who understand the sport and are willing to invest in its growth. Universities and the horse industry as a whole need to continue to work on this area.
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Oklahoma State University: okstate.edu
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Episode 37
The NRHA has 40 rule proposals on the table for 2026. We review and discuss each rule and explore the effects for the sport and association.
Episode 36 The Arabian Working Western Alliance. AWWA.
The newest challenge to the working western horse in a competitive arena. Amateurs are the highlight as well as the skills of a western horse put together in a challenging format that is more than Ranch Riding.
Episode 35 Jim Kiser from Kiser Arenas.
The Man in the Arena. He is riding forward as he shares how to measure, test and manage our performance ground to keep horses sound, performing higher and producing our events better. Join us for a great discussion.
2024 Open Reining Champion. Kaci O”Rourke and The Fireman make history as the 1st woman to win this prestigious event.
We review the event and provide data and analytics for the officiating performance relative to the professional talent displayed.
Episode 34 has an epic discussion around the common issues and scenarios in the industry. Race horses or high performance horses, change the names, venues and towns as the story may be very similar. From medications performance enhancing drugs, government regulations and the bond between horse and human along with what competition will do to human behavior. Join us for a great conversation.
Episode 33 has the #2 Open Rider from All Time in Reining, Shawn Flarida as he shares his insights, forward thinking and lessons learned from one of his Great Horses, Spooks Gotta Whiz and the dynamic event, The Run for the Million in Vegas.
Selecting a horse for the TRFM Finals, preparing your horse along with lessons learned from this ride as the sport continues to evolve. Shawn has qualified and been in every TRFM Finals to date. What event is the SuperBowl of Reining?
1 Rider: 1 Horse competition as opposed to 1 Rider: 3 Horses in open aged events; we discuss along with the open leveling for riders. Is there a difference between L3 & L4 ?
