10/16/2026
Time to think about joining our very competitive IEA team for the 2027 season! We’d love to tell you why we ❤️IEA!
Most horse showing is individual by design. You enter the ring alone. Your score belongs to you, and your ribbon reflects your performance. Even when riders train in the same barn and support one another, the competition itself usually comes down to one horse-and-rider combination against another.
The IEA - Interscholastic Equestrian Association turns that model on its head.
IEA riders compete individually, but their performances can also contribute to a team result. According to IEA co-founder and executive director Roxane Durant, that changes not only how the competition is scored, but also the culture surrounding it.
“The beginner rider has the same effect and points for the team as maybe the open rider does,” Durant said. That creates a version of horse showing where success is not only about your own round. You are also invested in everyone else’s.
On an IEA team, riders compete at different ability levels, from introductory flat classes through the open divisions. But the team structure makes those differences less important than they might seem.
The rider competing at the highest level may have years more experience than the beginner, but each rider can contribute meaningful points. That gives everyone a reason to pay attention to every class. Families and teammates are cheering for the entire team.
Durant compares that atmosphere with other team sports, where athletes understand that each position contributes to the result. That is relatively unusual in an industry where riders are generally accustomed to competing as individuals.
📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2026/10/16/what-happens-when-riding-becomes-a-team-sport/
📸 © Andrew Ryback Photography
