WHO CAN JOIN? Whether you’re a beginner rider or an A-circuit veteran, moving to New York doesn’t mean you have to give up horses! CUEC welcomes all levels of riders from beginner walk-trot to seasoned hunter-jumper competitors and dressage riders. The majority of our riders are undergraduate students, but graduate students and alumnae/i are welcome to ride with us.
WHERE DO YOU PRACTICE? The team practices at the Bergen Equestrian Center in Leonia, New Jersey (201-242-1920). The facility is located about 20 minutes away from campus, just over the George Washington Bridge.
WHAT DOES IT COST? Members are required to pay team dues of $80 once per semester. Lessons are a separate expense. 10-Lesson packages are available for $396. Lessons are mandatory twice a week and you will be billed for lessons missed without 24 hours notice in advance. For those interested in tightening up their flatwork independently extra lessons can be scheduled. There is a yearly IHSA membership fee of $30. Also we are now asking all members to sign up with the USEF for insurance coverage, a fee of $25 biannually.
DO I NEED MY OWN HORSE? IF I HAVE ONE, CAN I BRING HIM? You certainly don't need a horse to be on the team, and in fact, IHSA shows are completely on barn-owned horses! Boarding is available at the Bergen Equestrian Center, but owners will have to provide their own transportation.
WHAT ABOUT SHOWING? Undergraduate riders of all levels must participate in ALL ten IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Show Association) regulated horse shows, culminating in Nationals in May. Graduate students, faculty, and alumnae/i are eligible to compete in the IHSA only if they were members of the IHSA in their undergraduate years. In addition to IHSA shows, there is an Ivy League Invitational in the spring.
CAN I BE RECRUITED? Hold those videotapes! While we'd love to see them, until we gain varsity status, we have no sway in athletic recruitment/admissions process.
WHO'S WITH US AT THE HORSE SHOWS? Our coach is Penny Kinnally, riding director of Bergen County Equestrian Center who will accompany us to all of our shows and train us at Bergen as well.
