Colleges in South w/ riding

[KellyLynn]

Hey all, I am looking for a small college in the south with a riding team, or a trainer near by. I am currently looking into St. andrews and college of charleston. any information would be appreciated!
I want to get a good degree, and ride on the side, either within the college or with a trainer.
Thanks

[onwego]

PM me for more info about St. Andrews. I'm an alum.

[Wizard of Oz's]

Texas A&M is a good one to look at. And Auburn. Both have great teams and schools.

[The Big Bay Mare]

Hey all, I am looking for a small college in the south with a riding team, or a trainer near by. I am currently looking into St. andrews and college of charleston. any information would be appreciated!
I want to get a good degree, and ride on the side, either within the college or with a trainer.
Thanks

I have two friends that are going to St. Andrews next year for the riding team and they really like that school. :)

[IsolaBella09]

Friend is at College of Charleston and she likes it.

University of Georgia, Auburn, University of South Carolina, Texas A&M, Delaware State. Those are very good riding schools.

[way2trvld2]

I go to Sewanee in Tennessee which has a great riding team and very nice facility, feel free to pm me for any info.

[Lucassb]

Savannah College of Art & Design has quite a riding program, if you are artistic. A friend of mine went to Berry College in GA and loved the time she spent there; I believe they have a riding program also.

[Horsegal984]

the thing about St. Andrews is that you either like it or hate it. The school is so small that many higher level courses are only offered once a semester, or worse, once a year. So it can be hard to fit in all your classes on schedule, esp if you are going for a non mainstream degree (pre-vet for me). It also is (or at least was) very cliquey, everybody knows everybody, and the rumor mill runs rampant.

They have a great equestrian program, and their stable management and theraputic riding degrees are still in high demand, but their accredation is on such shaky ground here lately if your ultimate goal is outside of the horse field career wise I would think long and hard about how much good the degree would be compared to other schools who offer it.

[laves81]

What about sweet briar?

[heartinrye]

What about sweet briar?

If you plan on getting your MRS. degree, thats the place to go!

[equest]

Friend is at College of Charleston and she likes it.

University of Georgia, Auburn, University of South Carolina, Texas A&M, Delaware State. Those are very good riding schools.

UGA and Auburn are both great but neither qualify as a "small college."

[KellyLynn]

thanks everyone

I just dont know about a all girls school? but SB does sound wonderful! Although I dont think I could afford it!

[HWilliams]

Sweet Briar- I knew one of their coaches. Sadly he passed away, but he was amazing and I know they have an incredible program. I also know someone who is currently on their team and really likes it.

College of Charleston-I know someone on their team and she really likes it also, shes a great rider and I know she has learned a ton there.

St. Andrews-Also know someone there who really likes it. They have great horses and great instructors

Univ. of Georgia- not small, but they have an awesome varsity Equestrian team.

Georgia Southern- had a friend go there. I am not sure how good they are as a team though.

Virginia Tech

Univ. of Virginia-I am not sure if they have a team, but my trainer went there and I know there are a lot of good riding riding opportunities there.

if I think of more I will let you know

[mango1612]

I didn't go to St. Andrews, but know many who did. I would recommend College of Charleston or another school over it. Especially if you want, as you said, to get a degree and ride on the side.

[McLeanHunterRider]

I'm a student at Sweet Briar- PM for more info about the school. While I do chuckle at getting your MRS degree at Sweet Briar, times have certainly changed and the school is very academically- oriented :)

[Popularity]

I attended St. Andrews....for a semester. REALLY did not like it. Like mentioned early, it is VERY small and VERY cliquey!! Not to mention in the middle of nowhere! I did not like the atmosphere at the barn (i brought my horse to school w/ me). The instructors were pretty good, though. Also i didnt like the cockroaches that were in the hallways some mornings either :eek:

i would look at another school before going to that one. have you looked into Bridgewater, or is that not far enough south?

[kaazs]

I know University of South Carolina has a good team. I rode in their clinic last year. I'm glad someone posted this topic, as that's what I'm doing right now looking into colleges with horse programs :)

[ModelBehavior]

A heads up about St. Andrews...the school has lost its accreditation! I think they are appealing it but certainly something to be aware of!

[Kaelurus]

I second the Sewanee motion!

I graduated from there in '03, and rode for the team. The school has an excellent academic reputation, and an excellent team.

Academically, the school (formally the University of the South) is consistently in the top 25 liberal arts schools in the country, and has produced more Rhodes scholars than any other school in the nation.

The team is varsity, which means that your travel expenses and entry fees are covered. The facility is a brand new, multi-million dollar facility, with two barns, and indoor arena, etc. The facility is also on campus, whereas most schools borrow or lease off campus facilities, which can require a commute.

I have so much faith in the team at Sewanee, that I just sent my favorite horse there to join the team while I finish grad school. PM me if you want more info

http://www.sewanee.edu

http://sewaneetigers.com/index.aspx?path=equest&

[LulaBell]

I graduated from College of Charleston last May - on the team all 4 years. Wonderful experience for me, send me a PM with any questions!

[Brown Horse]

My school (LSU) has an equestrian team. I haven't really heard very much about it, however. But you could check it out.

[bethechangexx]

Have you looked into Judson College in Marion, AL or Averett College in Danville, VA?

If you have taken the SAT or PSAT you can log on to collegeboard.com and search colleges easily (by equestrian degrees, riding clubs, riding teams, etc)

[juniormom]

You might want to check out Clemson as well. They have a great IHSA team with a good instructor. Katie Maxwell is wonderful. They do some AA shows in addition to the IHSA shows if you choose to go. They hosted the George Morris clinic in December, and will do so again this next year. They also just went to a Michael Page clinic. One of their kids won the IHSA open over fences last spring at Nationals, they had one that was 8th in the Cachionne Cup, and one that was third in something else. Their team size has almost doubled. My daughter loved Clemson (just graduated) and remarked that it was a great "big", small school. It depends on what you want to major in, but the work is not easy. They have a lot of SIS classes with tutors every evening, as well as unlimited individual and group tutoring. Not to mention the fact of the wonderful Clemson Tigers football and basketball. You will find that there are quite a few things to do at Clemson outside of classes. The riding team is a close knit group and does a lot of things socially - like cookouts at the lake, etc. besides just riding. We have had some family at Sewannee and they loved it. My daughter said that their new barn facility is wonderful. There isn't much else to do around Sewannee though. My son is at Rhodes and they switch off some classes with Sewannee. The thing about Sewannee and Rhodes is that most of your classes are discussion based, as opposed to lecture style and are small. However my daughter had mostly classes under 25 at Clemson. Good luck in your decision!

[mothermucker12]

most of the schools mentioned are LARGE schools, my daughter is a freshman at University of South Carolina and it is LARGE! Yes she rides with IHSA, NCAA tean is mostly recruited. Go to College Board and do a search, it's your best bet! They were at Berry College this weekend riding and she said it was a beautiful campus.... I believe it is in Rome, Georgia

[Kaelurus]

There isn't much else to do around Sewannee though.

I think it really depends on your lifestyle. If you have to be in a city every day, then no, you probably wouldn't be happy there. I loved my 4 years there, and there was never a shortage of things to do. The campus is 10,000 acres of Appalachian forest, and there are daily climbing, caving, and hiking trips that are student run. There is also no shortage of theater and music on campus, as Tennessee Williams left his entire estate to Sewanee, so the arts are very well funded. And if you really need off the mountain for a dose of city life, Chattanooga and Nashville are an easy drive.

My son is at Rhodes and they switch off some classes with Sewannee.

I'm not sure how this works, as the schools are 3 hours apart. This program wasn't available when I was a student, but I would love to hear more if they've implemented a new dual enrollment program.

most of the schools mentioned are LARGE schools

Sewanee is definately not large, lol. Enrollment hovers around 1300 students, total. My graduating class had less than 400!

[leakyb]

Sweet Briar College, in Amherst Virginia.

Small school, beautiful campus, freshman can bring cars, strong academic programs. The riding program offers a variety of competition venues, including hunter paces and foxhunting in addition to traditional H/J disciplines and the ANRC team competitions.

Can you tell I'm an alum? My mother went to SBC, my sister and I went there, and also my daughter graduated from there in 2006.

[cswoodlandfairy]

If you plan on getting your MRS. degree, thats the place to go!

I graduated from there and definitely do NOT have an MRS degree....I have a great job and pays well too...that's just a stereotypical thought.

Sweet Briar is a great school and has a great riding program as well with lots of opportunities to show, field hunt, Jumpers, IHSA and more. They go to Ocala during break and all over. If you want to know any more please PM me. I took my horse there all four years so I can tell you all about it.

[Mav226]

Hollins has a fantastic riding team. Don't be reluctant to go to a girls' school, near Hollins (and Sweetbriar) there are quite a few all male (or mostly male) colleges. They're smart, they can find their way to the girls ;)

Think of what you want in a school. Do you want to live in a city/urban environment? If so, College of Charleston may be just what you're looking for. Do you want more of a rural school where the focus is mostly on the campus? Maybe Sweetbriar is for you. Do you want a close-knit campus feel that is close to a city/shopping, etc.? Maybe Hollins is your choice.

Virginia Tech has a riding program. So does Lynchburg College, though I've never known anyone that went there.

There are tons of riding programs Virginia and South of it. It just depends on what you're looking for in a school.

[ChocoMare]

A friend of mine went to Berry College in GA and loved the time she spent there; I believe they have a riding program also.

They do and it is a GAWJUS campus to ride on. Plus, you'd be only 30 minutes south of Lori at Sunkissed Acres, so you'd have opportunity to volunteer, etc. ;)

[Parker_Rider]

While it's not necessarily a small or NCAA rated school, Clemson has a great program and an absolutely wonderful coach for their team. One of their riders was 2008 Open Over Fences national champion. She's now an asst coach too. :) good luck picking a school!!

[Filly85']

Check out Virginia Intermont (#1 riding school in country) or Averett University. Both are in Virginia. They are small colleges.

UVA and UNC-CH have nice riding programs, but those schools are incredibly hard to get into. And they definitely aren't small. I go to one of them, and riding time is somewhat limited because of the tough academic programs.

[Montanas_Girl]

Sewanee (The University of the South) has excellent academics and a top-notch riding program. If you can afford a school like that (I couldn't!), it is definitely one you should look into.

[Va2Ga]

University of Mary Washington is a smaller school with a riding team. There are some good places to ride other then the team in the area. I went to Va Intermont for 2 years and the riding there is great. Eddie does a wonderful job.

[superpony123]

im looking into southern schools with riding as well. some of my top choices (based on both academics and riding but moreso academics--but all have good teams) are

college of charleston (IHSA but does have NCAA rank)
clemson (IHSA)
USC (NCAA & IHSA)
UGA (NCAA & IHSA)
UVA (IHSA)
Hollins (IHSA)

some other good ones that arent quite the right schools for me are st andrews (its VERY small..smaller than my highschool, but it has a great riding team so if you want a small school, look into it), mt holyoke (not in south, though..), duke, and you could also check campusequestrian.com for some more schools

[takethestage]

I'm also looking into southern schools with riding, though I don't care if they're super competitive or not seeing as I'm an eventer, not really IHSA-style. I'm more interested in the quality of the academics and the accessibility to BNT in the eventing world (I know, not entirely relevant on this board!). My top school is Washington and Lee, but I'm also interested in UVA, Hollins, Averett, and JMU.

[way2trvld2]

kalerus-
the programs that the earlier posted in relation to courses trading off with rhodes are most likely the summer british studies and some of the european studies programs as those are both specifically sewanee and rhodes affiliated.

[ImJumpin]

I'll back up the reccomendations for Hollins and Sweet Briar. As an alum of the "woman's" college down the road that is now coed, I cannot tell you how much I appreciated my women's college education (and small private)-- especially now that I work in higher ed at large, public coed schools! Both SBC and Hollins have strong academics. Hollins-- especially english and education and SBC-- the sciences. Both have excellent facilities, many opportunities for lessoning and showing, and opportunities to try out new things as well.

Lynchburg College rode at the RMWC Riding Center, and I assume still do. So excellent coaching staff and facilities, but I think the academics are not as on top as some other choices. Depends what you are majoring in though, as I do remember them having a couple good programs.

VA Tech-- not so much small :). The riding program is nothing like what I had in undergrad/what you would find at SBC and Hollins-- can't even come close! But if you wanted to major in something like engineering, this would not be a bad choice.

[TakeNote]

Bridgewater College


Im a senior. PM me if you want info.

[KellyLynn]

Sewanee (The University of the South) has excellent academics and a top-notch riding program. If you can afford a school like that (I couldn't!), it is definitely one you should look into.

I know, it looks so nice! I just dont think I could afford it, :cry:

[cyberbay]

Look at Sweet Briar in Va....stunning campus, wonderful riding program, and academics are excellent and going to be more so if you make the most of them.

From my (elderly) vantage point, I've since seen many, many college students stumble out of their 4 years at highly rated liberal-arts colleges, and it's clear that they didn't get absorb much of what the academics had to offer. It's not so much the school as the drive of the student.

Having just done my 25th year reunion at SBC, so many people who heard of my adventures there seemed wistful and wished that they, too, had gone to a small school where they could keep reaping the benefits of the school for the rest of their lives and keep up such great personal ties...

[Hey, all you other SBC posters, I was class of '82...]

[theblondejumper]

Even though I'm at college up here in the North I'd DEFINITELY recommend Clemson. I am participating for the second year in the Habitat for Humanity's Collegiate Challenge and will be staying right in Clemson. Last year I had the opportunity to spend time on campus and it was beautiful not to mention WARM! I looked into Clemson briefly for transferring and I would definintely go if I could. Good luck! The college search is really hard unless you know exactly what you want.

[SCRigaletto]

I think it's really just a hit or a miss. I went to St. Andrews for a year and it was not the school for me. I could tell you a million reasons why I would not personally go there. However, for as many people there are that will tell you they love a school, there will be an equal number of people who tell you that they hated it. My experience there was not positive. If I were to do it all over again, I would find a school that I liked based off the school itself, location, academics etc. that either had a smaller, less advertised IHSA team or a barn in the area that I enjoyed riding at. If you really want to ride on a team, go somewhere that they will appreciate you as a team member and you will get to ride. When you go to these bigger equestrian schools such as VI and St. Andrews you become a number...just one out of the 200 girls they have on the team. That's how I felt at least! But go see schools and determine which one is right for you!

[danceronice]

While admitting it is NOT cheap or easy to get into, I put in a vote for Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA. EXTREMELY good academics, the Virginia Horse Center is right there, we had IHSA when I was there and from what I've heard the program's expanded considerably, lots of good barns (I volunteered at a theraputic program in Natural Bridge), beautiful country...

Just look out for those road-school girls trying to poach the W&L and VMI men! ;)

[lecoeurtriste]

the thing about St. Andrews is that you either like it or hate it. The school is so small that many higher level courses are only offered once a semester, or worse, once a year. So it can be hard to fit in all your classes on schedule, esp if you are going for a non mainstream degree (pre-vet for me). It also is (or at least was) very cliquey, everybody knows everybody, and the rumor mill runs rampant.

They have a great equestrian program, and their stable management and theraputic riding degrees are still in high demand, but their accredation is on such shaky ground here lately if your ultimate goal is outside of the horse field career wise I would think long and hard about how much good the degree would be compared to other schools who offer it.

SA was recently accredited--press releases went out about 2 weeks ago (their accreditation was in place this whole time anyway thanks to court injunctions). BTW, the accreditation debacle had NOTHING to do with their educational standards (for which SACS gave them the highest praise)...it was all about the $$. Perhaps you should have all the facts before you contribute to the rumor mill you claim to abhor. That said--not for everyone, but a GREAT school.

[bbowling07]

Another vote for Clemson! Great team, great coaches, awesome school. I currently attend so PM me if you need any inside info!

[Lazy Palomino Hunter]

I vote for you to look into Sweet Briar. It's a wonderful, wonderful place, and I absolutely cannot say enough good things about the school, the campus, the academics, the faculty, the riding program... literally the entire experience. You can feel free to email me any questions you have about the school- aecarr10(at)gmail.com.

My boyfriend (who went to Michigan State) gets jealous every time I talk about Sweet Briar, because he thinks it sounds like what college is supposed to be.

And to the poster who said that it was the place to get an MRS degree... I'm a 2008 Sweet Briar graduate and I'm being paid to get my PhD at a school that is ranked top-five nationally in my field.

Friends who are also 2008 alum (out of a class of ~100), I can think off the top of my head of a med student, a bio PhD student, a neuropsych PhD student (at the #1 program in the country), optometry school, a clinical psych PhD student, several law students...

And that is not even a fraction of 2008 alumnae continuing their education beyond their bachelor's degrees.

http://www.about.sbc.edu/index.html

[Kaelurus]

I know, it looks so nice! I just dont think I could afford it, :cry:

Believe it or not, Sewanee can be very affordable. Don't cross it off your list yet. When I was there, at least,they were one of the few schools that will meet 100% of your "need-based" aid. The best part of it is that they will not allow a student to take out more than $5000 per year in loans (that was the number when I was in school, anyway; may be slightly different now), and if you maintain a certain GPA, they will convert x% of your loans to grants. I got out of there with less than $20k in loans.

Sewanee also has the largest endowment of any private school in the country. As such, they can offer a lot of scholarships that other schools can't. One thing they don't offer though, is athletic scholarships.

[dani0303]

Another vote for Clemson! I rode on their team for a year and LOVED it. While it is a big school, it still had that small school feel to it. I knew practically everybody in my major.

[JenEM]

When deciding on colleges, my ultimate choice came down to Sweet Briar and Hollins. I really liked both of them, and but I liked Hollins just a bit better, and they offered me slightly more scholarship money. While the women's college experience is not for everyone, my four years there were wonderful, both on the equestrian front and the academics front. Hollins isn't cheap, but I found they were very willing to help in the financial aid department.

What are you interested in studying? That should be a big factor in helping to narrow down the choices, especially if you want to focus on academics and ride on the side rather than making horses the primary focus. I'm an '03 Communication Studies major, so if you're interested in that field, feel free to PM me, I'd be happy to talk to you.

[Montanas_Girl]

Believe it or not, Sewanee can be very affordable. Don't cross it off your list yet. When I was there, at least,they were one of the few schools that will meet 100% of your "need-based" aid.

According to the forms that calculate "need", my no-college-education father and public school teacher mother didn't "need" any money to finance my education. In fact, supposedly, they could afford to spend $40K PER YEAR - funny, that's more than my mom even makes! Financial aid forms ask how much your house is worth - but not how much of that you still owe the bank - etc., etc. It did not work out in my favor when I was applying to colleges.

But yes, definitely look into scholarships and grants. Hopefully that will work better for you than it did for me, too - I had a 4.0 GPA and 32 ACT, was valedictorian of my high school class, was active in several clubs (had won state-level honors from two of them), and rode. I applied for dozens and dozens of scholarships, but I didn't have enough extracurricular activities for most of them! Much to my dismay, many of them also had upper limits on the GPA in their eligibility guidelines. I found it to be an incredibly frustrating process.

That should not deter anyone. I don't want to sound pessimistic. I went to a smaller, state school and got a very good education in an environment that was perfect for me. I don't regret that at all. But those who definitely want a top-notch liberal arts education need to be prepared for the reality of paying for it.

[hartford]

I think sometimes a small program works out best. That is the beauty of the IHSA. It promotes teams but also individuals. A good rider from a small or non-competitive team can go all the way to Nationals as an individual rider. Some of the schools listed in the early part of this thread that don't have strong teams, have sent individuals to nationals many times. They are not competitive as a team within their region, because they lack the size and depth of riders at each level. Don't discount a program because they don't send teams to nationals. Many of them have great lesson programs, good horses and wonderful instructors. Enjoy the uniqueness of the IHSA.

[SmileItLooksGoodOnYou]

Texas A&M is a good one to look at. And Auburn. Both have great teams and schools.

Texas A&M has about 55,000 undergrads. It flip flops with University of Texas every few years for the title of largest school in the nation. So it's not a small school.

I go to school there, and while there is a team, there isn't really a trainer anywhere near-by. NW Houston, about 70 miles away are the closest A show barns. My barn is over 100 miles from the campus... but I live 25 miles from my barn, 75+ from campus, and commute 3 days a week.

If you want a small school A&M isn't something I'd put on the list.

But you might look into TCU in Ft.Worth and Stephen F Austin in Nacodoches. Both have NCAA div.1 teams, and the Dallas/Ft.Worth area has tons of trainers and barns. Naco-nowhere as it's nicknamed doesn't have a trainer, but there are some boarding options available at the school.

[NCtoCO]

Do you have any ideas about what you'd like to major in and eventually do for a living? That would be my first priority.

My top choices were UNC, College of Charleston, and NC State. I chose NC State because I knew I wanted to go into the sciences. I met with the coaches and some riders from all three schools and I really liked all of them. NC State ended up being the best fit for me, as I wanted a large, inexpensive, science-oriented school. I loved it there.

The regions were a bit different when I was on the team, so we went to Hollins, VA Intermont, St. Andrews, etc. for shows. While I really liked the facilities at each of the schools, I knew they wouldn't have been the best fit for me in terms of size (and male:female ratio!! :lol:) and I was happy with my choice.

From what you've described, it sounds to me like College of Charleston would be a great fit.

If you can travel to some of your top choices, try to watch a team practice, meet some of the riders, walk around campus, and see how you feel.

Best of luck with your decision!

[ponypassion]

Does anyone know of college riding teams that are co-ed besides SCAD? Also, are the teams mostly hunter riders or do they compete in the jumpers as well?

[BABYGREENTB]

UGA and Auburn are both great but neither qualify as a "small college."

Auburn is such a fun school! I was there my first two years and had an absolute blast. Rode on the riding team my freshman year, but that was before it became a varsity sport, so things were a lot less organized/funded. Lindsey Neubarth, who I believe is now the head of the H/J team, is a really great girl.

[PaintedWhisper]

Does anyone know of college riding teams that are co-ed besides SCAD? Also, are the teams mostly hunter riders or do they compete in the jumpers as well?

Any IHSA team can be co-ed, there just aren't necessarily that many men competing at the college level.

[ssteach]

I second, or third the notion that you need to visit the school check it out. You are going to college for the academics...make sure they offer the courses you want, how long does it take to matriculate.... State universities is 4 1/2 years... due to scheduling required cources. Go stay on campus to get a feel for the student life.
Then think about riding........
College of Charleston is a girls school....... HAHAHA look at the ratio of women to men if you want a coed school.
TSK TSK TSK Sweet Briar MRS degree, that is so last year century HAHAHA!!! Did you know that 5% of corporate CEO's are women ... and 80 % of those women went to women colleges undergrad!!!!
Women's colleges may not be for you... but they do empower women!!!

I admitt SBC class of 1982 .... HAHAHA
Cyberbay sent you a PM

[cyberbay]

ssteach -- Got it!

[KathyR]

Check out Hollins.

[Sassenach]

Hollins Hollins Hollins

Small
Gorgeous Campus
Great Academics
TOP NOTCH horses and riding team (can't say enough good things about the quality of the horses and instructors here)

Financial Aid is pretty decent too :yes:

(Class of '11 whoo!)

[QueenMother]

I think that the men who go to College Of Charleston would be surprised to hear that it's an all girls school!

SCAD, by the way, is a great school. Not so high on the riding team.

[ssteach]

As my HAHA indicated it was a joke.... a lot of my daughters friends are there
but .......Check out the student ratio at any school you wish to attend
College of Charleston
from their website
Enrollment (Fall 2008)

Undergraduate: 9,679
Graduate: 1,409
Female students: 64.9%
Male students: 35.1%

[Serah]

Another vote for Clemson... its awesome, beautiful, perfect "college town" feeling... Great weather, great sports, tons of school spirit...

oh and the team is pretty good too :)


Another alum here, PM me if you would like any more info!