Rensselaer Polytechnic Institution’s Equestrian Team
We are a dedicated equestrian team affiliated with the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). Despite our relatively small size, we take immense pride in consistently producing champion riders and horses who excel on the national stage. While Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) may not be widely recognized for its equestrian program, we confidently hold our own against esteemed institutions within our region.
Our competitive endeavors are under the guidance of Megan Rogers, the proprietor of Graystone Stables, located in Altamont, New York. Megan is an exceptional coach who possesses a remarkable understanding of the academic commitments of our riders, all the while motivating and urging individuals of all proficiency levels to achieve continuous improvement in their equestrian pursuits.
What is IHSA?
IHSA is the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. The association has hunt seat, western, and dressage competitions. The RPI team is a hunt-seat team. Enrolled full-time undergraduate students are qualified to compete. IHSA encourages levels beginner (some beginners on the RPI team never rode before joining our team) through Open (riders who competed in high level competition in high school). All genders compete against each-other and IHSA encourages diversity and inclusion.
“IHSA eliminates the expenses of horse ownership. Horses are furnished by host colleges and are chosen by drawing lots. The use of personal tack is not allowed and schooling is not permitted. The format fairly tests the horsemanship of the athletes. Divisions range from Beginner to the Open Division for the more experienced riders.”
– http://www.ihsainc.com
Riders accumulate points throughout the season and can qualify through this for post-season regionals. From there the top two in each division move onto Zones and the top two in each division for Zones qualify for IHSA Nationals.
Go to the IHSA website linked below for more information
General Information (ihsainc.com)
RPI Equestrian Team 