Comparative Demographics of English and Western Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association Horses Used in Middle Tennessee

Abstract

Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) competitions evaluate riders on body position and skills when riding a randomly drawn horse. This project assessed demographics of horses involved in collegiate equestrian programs and determined how these characteristics relate to success in IHSA competitions. During two IHSA competitions hosted by MTSU, horse body condition score (BCS), age, height, weight, use of riding aids, and points earned were assessed. The populations assessed were from a Hunter Seat competition and a Western competition, totaling 59 horses. Data were analyzed using a GLIMMIX procedure (SAS 9.4) with significance set at P < 0.05. Use of aids (P = 0.63 Hunter Seat, P = 0.41 Western) did not impact horse performance. Horse demographics such as age, BCS, height, and weight were only weakly correlated with performance (r < 0.30). Random draw in IHSA is proposed effective for riderjudged competitions, giving riders an opportunity to compete equally.