About Us
Our Mission:
The Hunt Seat Equestrian Club at NC State is a student-run club comprised of full-time, undergraduate students at NC State, allowing them to compete and participate in equestrian activities during school through the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association in Zone 4, Region 3. We also welcome non-competing members to join our club and participate in many of the activities we plan throughout the year.
our Club:
The Hunt Seat Equestrian Club at NC State allows for riders and horse lovers to socialize, volunteer, work out, and build friendships. The club is comprised of both competing and non-competing members. We welcome any and all members to join our club, but to join our competition team you must come to our annual tryouts in the fall. All club members get to participate in social events, volunteering efforts, support riders at shows, attend club meetings, and more. For those club members who are not interested in joining the team or are not able to, there are still lots of opportunities to ride at our home barn or sign up for weekly non-team lessons.
For more information on our club requirements and rules, please visit the club rules page.
Our Team:
Our competing club members take weekly, group riding lessons at MacNair's Country Acres under the instruction of our coach, Tharyn French. Along with our weekly lessons, we attend 7-8 IHSA shows per year. Students are placed into appropriate divisions based on their previous experience with riding and showing. The jumping divisions include Open, Intermediate, and Limit. The flatting divisions include those along with Novice, Pre-Novice, and Introductory.
Tryouts are held for accepting any new members to the team at the beginning of the fall semester every year. As our team can only hold about 20-25 riders at a time, don’t be discouraged if you are not able to make the team! We really hope you stay involved in the club and try out again the next year (Note: those who engage in club activities will get priority selection for the next tryouts).
2023 Tryouts are set for September 2nd, starting at 10:00 AM!
For more information on our team requirements and rules, please visit our team rules page.
Our Sport:
According to the official IHSA website:
“The IHSA promotes competition for riders of all skill levels, who compete individually and as teams at regional, zone, and national levels. The association was founded on the principle that any college student should be able to participate in horse shows regardless of his or her financial status or riding level. Emphasis is on learning, sportsmanship, and fun. Competition plays a role but the students’ enthusiasm and team spirit are the major factors. The objective of IHSA competition is to offer the opportunity to riders in their first years of riding as well as to students with show experience. Eliminating the expense of shipping or even owning horses puts IHSA competitions within reach of many who would otherwise miss the equestrian experience.”
Read more about IHSA on their website!