Intercollegiate Saddle Seat Awareness

Many young Saddle Seat riders no longer have the opportunity to show when they head off to college. Paying for college becomes a priority or the college is too far away to ride and compete.

The Intercollegiate Saddle Seat Riding Association (ISSRA) was founded in ____ as a way for college students compete at low cost. Teams pair up with a coach at a host barn and practice on the lesson horses there.

At shows, riders compete on randomly drawn horses. The different teams host a show, and there are divisions for beginner riders to advanced riders. Because the horses are drawn at random, there are two equitation classes per show: a rail class and a pattern class. The level of horses and the difficulty of the patterns change as the levels move up.

The required ISSRA show clothing is an academy outfit: dress shirt, vest, tie, jods, boots, and gloves.

Currently, the only intercollegiate Saddle Seat teams reside in Kentucky. The few teams that were out of state did not have enough people to keep travelling to shows. 

Please take this brief survey to help us learn more about intercollegiate Saddle Seat awareness, areas for improvement, possibilities, and rider interest. Thank you!

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