Averett University Equestrian Team on the IDA National Championships 2022. Photo by KTB Creative
By Tyler Bui
For college students trying to pursue a profession within the equestrian trade in addition to trip on a collegiate stage, discovering the appropriate college that provides each could also be uncommon. Averett University is a small liberal arts faculty with each Equestrian Studies Degree Programs and an Equestrian Team, and the college combines the 2 to create a complete expertise for his or her college students.
Averett University affords six completely different concentrations for college kids inside their Equestrian Studies Degree Programs: Equine Science, Equine Management, Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy, Eventing Instruction, Dressage Instruction, and the newly instated Equine Sports Communication focus. Each scholar who’s on the equestrian group can also be a significant or minor within the Equestrian Studies Degree Program. There are at the moment 15 college students on the equestrian group.
The group competes within the Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) and the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) and affords dressage, eventing, and hunt seat intrustruction.
“Part of the reason why every team rider is in the academic program is because everything we do is so embedded within the curriculum of our academic major,” says Ginger Henderson, head coach of the Averett Equestrian Team. “It’s almost impossible for a student to just come out and practice once a week and not be involved in all the other things that we’re doing because it’s such a comprehensive program.”
Aerial rendering of the Averett University Equestrian Center
Equine Science
For college students making ready for veterinary college, the Equine Science focus affords a pre-vet observe particularly targeted on horses. These college students are in a position to focus their research on particularly equine science reasonably than massive animals, and in addition are given ample hands-on alternatives to arrange them for veterinary college.
“We’ve had great success with this program,” says Henderson. “We have vets on staff who teach all of the equine science-specific courses and they also help mentor our students in terms of getting into vet school.”
Equine Management
The Equine Management Concentration is geared towards college students who wish to pursue a profession in enterprise administration inside the equine trade.
“This concentration is almost like doing a combined major within the business department. Students take accounting, human resources, and similar traditional business courses,” says Henderson. “It’s for students who want to graduate and pursue jobs such as marketing, retail, and sales, all specifically in the equine-specific sector.”
Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Students trying to enter the sphere of psychological well being are in a position to pair their equine expertise instantly with their profession. The program follows the EAGALA Model, which is the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association.
“We have an Equine Assisted Psychotherapy concentration which is focused specifically on the mental health aspect, rather than the hippotherapy aspect,” says Henderson. “As part of the academic portion of that degree, students go through a training with the EAGALA and when they come out they have an industry certification as well. We try to pair a lot of our concentrations with things that students can also get industry certifications in to help strengthen them when they get out of school or try getting a job.”
Brie Riley competing on the Virginia Horse Center Starter Trials
Dressage and Eventing Instruction
The Dressage and Eventing Instruction concentrations particularly correlate to driving. For these trying to trip and educate professionally, they’re able to focus each their research and their driving towards their profession.
“Students in these instruction concentrations have to compete in their chosen discipline as part of their academic program,” says Henderson. “They are going out and doing things in the industry as well as on the collegiate level. And before students graduate, they will take the American Riding Instructor Association testing, so that when they graduate they will have an instructor certification that is industry-recognized, as well as their bachelor’s degree.”
Equine Sports Communication
The Equine Sports Communication focus is the most recent addition to the Equine Studies Degree Program, and college students work with the Communications Department.
“The program has developed a whole curriculum focused on sports communication and social media marketing,” says Henderson. “Those students will be doing practicums and internships focused around that subject.”
IDA nationwide championship rings
The Averett University Equestrian Team
Henderson has been teaching on the college since 2004. She is the National President of the Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) and has her USDF “L” judges certification. Henderson is a graduate of Ohio State University, Averett University, and Lynchburg University, and has levels in Equine Management and Production, Human Resource Development and a grasp’s in Agency Counseling. She can also be EAGALA Certified. Outside of her teaching position, Henderson nonetheless rides and competes on a number of home-bred horses.
She is accompanied by assistant coaches Shannon Stone and Kristin Kelly, with Stone specializing in dressage and Kelly specializing in hunt seat.
“We really have a very strong team aspect for how we run this department. I think that really filters down through everything we do and what all of our students do,” says Henderson. “We say that we have an Equestrian Team, and all of our riders, regardless of whether they ride on IDA or IHSA, are just Equestrian Team members. We really stress the team aspect and believe that there’s value in everything that we all do and that we all work at it together.”
The Averett University Equestrian Center sits on round 100 acres and has a 40-stall barn, an indoor area, two out of doors arenas, and a scholar locker room. All of the group’s horses are both donated or on lease, and vary from college horses to higher stage competitors horses.
Within the 2 intercollegiate driving packages—IDA and IHSA—many riders compete in a number of disciplines. Prior to the pandemic, The Averett Equestrian Team was ranked both #1 or #2 within the nation three out of the final 4 years.
“Something that’s special about our program is that we’re a really small school and small department, so pretty much all of our students who want to be on a team get to be on a team and they’re showing,” says Henderson. “So even as a freshman, we make a point to make sure that every freshman gets to show at least once. You’re not waiting until you’re a senior to get a spot to compete.”
For college students who’re finding out Eventing Instruction or trip within the self-discipline, Averett University companions with Sandy River Equestrian Center which is an eventing specialty barn. Students are in a position to board their private horses and in addition trip horses that belong to the Equestrian Center, they usually present their horses by their program.
Alumni Jessie Hayes with “Pops”
A Day within the Life
Henderson described a typical day for a first-year scholar, as they’ve probably the most structured schedule to assist them get acclimated to the collegiate setting. Most college students attend their common tutorial lessons on campus within the mornings, and for 2 afternoons every week, they’re on the barn from round 12:30-6:30 p.m.
“They will come out and have their riding lesson—one day is always dressage and the other day is always jumping. Following their lesson, they will do a lab class where they will learn about braiding or wrapping, facility design, anything and everything that has to do with managing and taking care of horses. After that, all of our students in their freshman year participate in running the barn so they’re going to stay, they’re going to feed, they’re going to turn all the horses out, clean the barn, and close everything down.”
Each driving lesson {that a} student-athlete takes counts towards tutorial credit score, so time within the saddle counts towards their diploma.
“We have no regular courses taught on Fridays, they are always for team practices. Students will be assigned time on Friday that they come out and practice, maybe for both IDA and IHSA,” says Henderson. “Anybody who’s on a team is automatically riding a minimum of three times a week, and there is opportunity for extra riding. Weekends are for horse shows. We have either an intercollegiate horse show or an open horse show almost every weekend of the semester. There are schooling shows for people to go to, and we host one open horse show at our facility every semester, so there’s that and then we also go to the USDF shows.”
“We have a course for students in their junior year that is called advanced stable management,” Henderson provides. “It’s an academic course, but a piece also allows them to act as assistant managers out at the facility, so they supervise all of our freshmen workers, they manage on weekends, and a big portion of that class is applying what they’ve learned in their business courses about how to motivate employees. Everything we do in the department, they’re taking what they learn in their classes, and learning to apply it in real world situations at the equestrian center. It becomes very, very comprehensive.”
Ginger Henderson making ready Liza Anikeeva for her check at IDA nationals 2022. Photo by KTB Creative
Personal Perspectives
Liza Anikeeva is a fourth-year scholar from Russia who’s majoring in Equestrian Management with a focus in Dressage. She is without doubt one of the group captains, and can trip and work at a dressage barn in Lynchburg, VA, after commencement. She has been driving for 17 years, and primarily competed in dressage. Since coming to Averett, she has additionally began driving hunt seat as properly.
“I always wanted to study abroad because our equine industry back home is not as developed,” says Anikeeva. “I knew that I wanted to work with horses for my career, and so I started looking at schools in Europe and the United States and found that some schools even offered majors that had to do with horses, which I did not know was possible.”
While Anikeeva mentioned she undoubtedly skilled a transition interval coming to the U.S., she has discovered a second house at Averett and loves all the things about her faculty expertise.
“I actually enjoy being in class now—I enjoy doing assignments for my classes, I love learning about all the topics we cover,” says Anikeeva.
“For the team aspect, I love how close the team is. I’ve built so many relationships with my teammates. Traveling together, riding together, working out together, it’s just fun.” Juggling teachers and driving will be difficult, she provides, “but since it’s something that I want to do for a living, and since it’s my passion, it doesn’t seem like work.”
Anne Morgan is a third-year scholar majoring in Equine Management. She competed in eventing till attending Averett, and has now picked up dressage and has competed as much as second stage with the group. After commencement, Morgan plans to change into a working scholar for an upper-level eventer, ultimately trying to create her personal enterprise coaching and reselling Off-Track Thoroughbreds.
“Since the minute I arrived at Averett, it’s like I have been put into a big family, everyone is so nice and I have made a lot of friends,” says Morgan. “I have learned a lot of leadership and time management skills—I am one of the captains of the IDA and IHSA teams, so I have learned how to guide people and help my teammates out, which will be helpful when I graduate and begin working. I’ve been able to get out of my shell and learn how to manage people and plan.”
In addition to her Equine Management main, Morgan can also be minoring in Dressage Instruction. She says that having the ability to mix her teachers together with her driving expertise is so rewarding, and that it’s thrilling to see how the data realized at Averett will assist her construct a profitable profession.
“I really enjoy getting to learn and read more about the horse industry as a whole,” says Morgan. “Right now I’m taking a class where we build a business plan for our future business, and I love that class because it really makes me think about what I will need to do in the future, and how I’m going to use all the skills I’ve learned at Averett.”
*This story was initially printed within the August 2022 challenge of The Plaid Horse. Click right here to learn it now and subscribe for points delivered straight to your door!
