Appaloosa News Monthly – April 2022

Could your Barn Benefit from an IEA Team?

If you are a horse person on social media, you have likely noticed postings about IEA horse shows and results.  Here in the northeast, the shows are taking the area by storm.

What is the IEA?

The Interscholastic Equestrian Association is an organization that was developed to provide competitive and educational activities for youth riders in grades 6 through 12.  It is now the largest youth equestrian association in the country, with over 14,500 members and 1500 teams throughout the United States.  The    programs have hunt seat and western divisions, and the organization provides scholarships for winning riders at the regional and national level.  The English division includes flat and jumping classes.  The western division started with horsemanship and reining and has recently added a ranch division.  There is also a dressage division.

At an IEA horse show, the riders are competing for individual points as well as team points.  Riders draw a horse for their class and have to show their class with no warm up on the horse.  Showing in this  manner prepares riders for intercollegiate competition, which uses the same format.  Riders do not need to own a horse, as all mounts and tack are provided.  Riders compete at shows throughout the season.  Riders who have scored the requisite number of points (15) move on to the Regional Show.  The top two placing riders in the regional show classes move on to the National Show, which this year is in April in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 

We caught up with two Pennsylvania trainers/instructors, Alida Burkholder and Caitlin Otero, who both have teams at their barns to see what the benefits of the program are.