Wait....what????

Ahhhh. I did not know that!

That's silly. a year and a half of riding and in an advanced class?! crazy!

How high do you jump in an advanced class?

Im not in the class, so I don't know. I know if you come in with no horse experience, you get put into beginner. Then intermediate next semester, then advanced.
To jump through IHSA, you have to have shown in a jumping class or have had 6 months jumping lessons. I am not sure how the non IHSA jumping works. But as far as general flat goes, the advanced riders CAN be riders going into their third semester (and many are). After that they can go into colt breaking and training.

So they let a person who has only been educated in riding for 2 years break a horse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!! 0_o

Essentially yes. It's terrifying.

That's why Im not an equine major and not doing their club anymore.
And they are not the only school that does it this way from what I have looked into.

That is horrific, the poor horses!

Totally depends on what school you go to and their riding program. Some are actually quite good, some are terrible. I went to a college on the east coast with a pretty extensive riding program that's very popular. Even though I had been jumping for yeeeeears there was only room for me in the 2"6 class, so that's what i did, even though it was much lower then what I had been jumping at home. In fact, no one in the jumping program learned to jump in college, they were just in the same boat I was in, trying to get into a class so they could ride/show. And you didn't move up a level unless the coach said you were ready, so there were some who stayed in, say, Intermediate for years.

I know schools where you've had to be competing and winning at the top A shows in the big Eqs (Maclays and such) to even be remotely looked at and some where they pretty much take anyone who's been on a horse before. Just like any other show, you get some with great foundations and some with trainers who should find a new job.

Upnover, that's exactly what I was hoping to find. I looked at Delaware Valley College, Cetenary, and the Perdue team is great. Unfortunately I could only really afford staying in state. I think those teams would be awesome to ride on.

Riding in college is a fun experience :) but quite honestly it wasn't for me. I think it really shows who can ride and who can't (as MIE saw) but a huge part of riding for me is the training and the progress that I see when I bring a horse along. Plus, showing for me in the past was about me and my horse. When you show in college you really are showing on a TEAM and I hate the pressure of letting down a team if you don't ride well!

Spastic Dove- don't know what the teams in Montana are like but I hope you find a school with a good one! In my day Virginia Intermont was the team to beat. St. Andrews, Cazenova, etc are usually pretty good. I know some really spectacular riders at Savannah College of Art and Design. But I also hear that IHSA has gone down and now NCAA is where the great riders are.