College Horse Play Is Turning Heads

Varsity Equestrian 2009-2010 season under way with great competition for athletes and horses.

The American Quarter Horse Journal, October 22, 2009 – While football might be the college sport that gets the most attention in the fall, the newest sport to attract female athletes to universities across the country is Varsity Equestrian. The NCAA emerging sport of equestrian competition pits women against their peers in western and English contests. In western competition, the riders compete in horsemanship and reining.

“It’s a great use of the American Quarter Horse,” said Leman Wall, director of corporate and affiliate partnerships for AQHA. “These well-trained horses have good jobs, and the young women in Varsity Equestrian competition are terrific athletes.”

In the season’s latest poll of coaches, Auburn University is ranked first. The University of South Carolina, who was ranked on top in the season’s first poll fell to No. 2. Last year’s overall winner, the University of Georgia, is ranked third. The Georgia Bulldogs were also the English-division winners last year. Last year’s western division winners, the Aggies of Texas A&M University, were ranked sixth in the coaches’ poll.

The 22 colleges with Varsity Equestrian teams will compete in head-to-head matches throughout the 2009-2010 season, culminating April 15-17, 2010, in the National Championships at Waco, Texas, when the top teams will meet in tournament brackets.

“We look forward to a great year of excellent horsemanship and sportsmanship at these universities,” Wall said. “The Varsity Equestrian participants are outstanding role models as students as well as horsewomen. Many of our former AQHYA members are completing college on Varsity Equestrian scholarships. It’s a particular treat to see them doing so well.”

AQHA is an official sponsor of Varsity Equestrian National Championships and works in cooperation with the U.S. Equestrian Federation to advance equestrian sports. To learn more about the program and see the complete rankings from the coaches’ poll, go to www.varsityequestrian.com.

AQHA news and information is a service of AQHA publications. For more information on The American Quarter Horse Journal, The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal or America’s Horse, visit www.aqha.com/magazines.