Not only is college about academics but it's also about being involved. Universities today have just about every club or intramural you could ever think of. I've seen call outs for everything from sailing to ballroom dancing. It's just about finding a place where you fit in. For some people it's sororities and fraternities and for others it's clubs and sports. I recently joined the Purdue Intercollegiate Horsemanship Association and I love it. I have rode horses and competed in horse shows my whole life so I was so excited to find out if they Purdue actually has an Equestrian Team.
I found out about the team from signs posted in my dorm room. I then went to an informational meeting where they tell you all about the team. They told us about everything from fees to club activities. The first thing I did with the team was called a trial ride. This is where you go out to Foxton Farms (which is where the team practices at) and ride in front of the coach. He then asses what level you should ride at. I was nervous when I went to do this, but I found out it was very laid back and everyone I met was really nice. The coach puts you in one of the following levels: beginner walk/trot, beginner walk/trot/canter, advanced walk/trot/canter, novice, Intermediate walk/trot/canter, or open. So even if you have never rode a horse before you can still be on the team. This level is not only determined on how well you ride, but also what kinds of horse shows you have participated in prior to coming to college. If you have not been in any then you will automatically be place in beginner walk/trot or beginner walk/trot/canter. but don't worry it is very easy to point up out of these divisions which I will explain later.
The team practices once a week, you Will be sent an email saying the day and time of your scheduled practice. Since the barn is off campus you will have to get a ride with an older girl if you don't have a car. This is very easy most of the girls are more then happy to take anyone that doesn't have a ride. In addition to practices we have a meeting once a month to discuss club activities and up coming horse shows.
You don't even have to ride to be a member of the team. If you just like being around horses and helping out with horse shows and going to club events you can also be a part of the team. You just have to pay a $20 club fee at the beginning of every semester. If you do ride there will additional costs for lessons, horse shows, and IHSA dues.
Participating in horse shows are a big part of the team. They are usually about once a month. We have shows that we travel to (usually not farther then 2 hours) or we have home shows which are held at Foxton Farms. If it's a home show all riding members and club members are expected to help out at the show. You will be assigned certain duties to help the show run smoothly. If you are riding you will be given a number and informed of what class you will be riding in. There are separate classes for each level I talked about earlier so you will essentially be riding against people in your same level. When it's time for your level to show they will call you to the draw table. Here you will draw at random to see what horse your riding. It may or may not be a Purdue horse. After your class shows they will announce the winners of that class. You can place from 1st to 6th, each place has a certain point value, if you accumulate enough points it's possible to move up levels.
You can also run for positions on the team such as President, Vice president, Treasurer, social planner, and point chronicler. The team votes people for these positions. The club runs all year long and is only mildly time consuming. I have greatly enjoyed my experience for far and I know I have many great memories to come. This has just been my experience with a Purdue club, but there are many great clubs out there. So I encourage you to go find where you fit. It's a great way to meet new people with the same interests as you. If you are interested in joining a club at Purdue go to this website
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2 comments:
Oh my gosh that is awesome! I absolutely love horse and hope to have some in the future, but I don't have the opportunity to ride very often and am not very experienced. I would love to do this but it seems like it would get quite expensive. I haven't joined a club yet and i really need to get involved. Maybe this is the answer!
oh and what website do you go to? Is it too late to join this club?
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