Hunt Seat Equestrian
About Us:
The Hunt Seat Team is one of the riding teams offered at Alfred State. Many people who come into this program have had horseshow and/or riding experience but there is also an abundance of beginner riders who have never been on a horse. For those who are comfortable enough to be showing, we take part in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). IHSA is a competitive show circuit that includes a total of 14 colleges in our region that we compete against. We have a total of eight shows throughout the season and those who qualify move on to regionals, zones, and possibly even nationals! For the entire team, we all take lessons and try to get everyone who may not have had the opportunity to ride in the past, learn and grow.
Contact Us:
Danielle Ver Plank (Captain): VerplaD@alfredstate.edu
Mallory Morehouse (Team Adviser): morehoml@alfredstate.edu
Achievements over the past 2 seasons:
During the 2016-2017 season, we had three riders qualify for regionals, one of which receiving third place. During the 2017-2018 season, we had one rider qualify for regionals. As of this season, we already have one rider qualified for regionals and multiple other riders’ only points away from qualifying.
As this season progresses, we have come home with multiple first places, and as we grow and learn, have hopes to reach closer towards a champion or reserve champion award!
Roster size, cost, gpa requirements
Over the past couple years, we have grown drastically as a team. We went from a total of five riders to 15 riders just in the past year and we are still growing! We have been able to fill multiple riding levels at shows that we had not been able to do in the past.
Riding horses is definitely a costly sport. We do as many fundraisers as we can and along with the help of student senate, it has lowered the cost of riding drastically. Horse shows cost $40 a class and some riders ride in two classes. Trainer’s fee for each show is $40 as well. On top of that is the cost of a lesson which is $40. Every rider has to buy their own clothes, helmets, boots, etc.
This price seems very daunting, especially for people who cannot afford it but want to ride. Because of this, we do a large amount of fundraising and the money from senate offsets this cost. This past season, riders have only had to pay $20 for each show (class fee and trainer’s fee included) and their own lessons. We have hopes to minimize the price even further as well as grow our team because of how much more affordable it is.
As for GPA requirements, we hold a standard of 2.0 like many other club sports.