#UMassGives 2018

The UMass Hunt Seat Equestrian Team is a co-ed club team that competes through the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). The IHSA makes it possible for riders of all skill levels to compete and gain horse show experience without the expense of shipping or owning a horse. However, the UMass Equestrian Team is not funded by the University and runs entirely on the fundraising.

We compete against nine schools in the region, with Mount Holyoke College being our biggest competitor. We are constantly bettering ourselves in order to go remain competitive with one of the top teams in the country. Our riders have the opportunity to compete at the National level, but our team needs more funding in order to get them there. Each IHSA Nationals is hosted in a different state each year, this year being Pennsylvania. Two of our riders are close to making it to IHSA Nationals this year, and will need to pay for travel, food, stay, and show fees out-of-pocket. We also have the opportunity to go to invitational tournaments each year. This year we attended the Tournament of Champions in Ohio, in which we brought our top riders from each division to compete. Riders were expected to pay for their own show fees and food, and in order to save costs, the team drove from Massachusetts to Ohio and shortened their stay.

Horse showing is our main focus as a team, but it is not what is most important to us as a whole. Each of our riders joins the team because of their passion for horses. As a team, we are constantly working together to become better riders and improve our equine knowledge. We spend countless hours at the barn grooming and taking care extensive care of our horses, along with the equipment we use. Because our lesson horses get used every day of the week by the team and other students, the saddles, brushes, and bridles are becoming worn down. It is not comfortable for the horse or rider to use this old equipment and is will soon need to be replaced in order to maintain our horses’ wellbeing. Better equipment would help to reduce costs spent on healthcare for our horses, and can have a big impact on the performance of our riders.

In order to continue our success as a team and and keep our beloved horses happy and healthy, we are asking for your help. As students who work hard to better ourselves as horsemen and horsewomen, and who value each and every experience this team has provided us, we thank you!