General Information
The Geneseo Equestrian Team is a part of Geneseo's Club Sports Association. We are also a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, zone 2, region 2; visit our team profile there. This means that while we are not yet a varsity sport, we do compete at the intercollegiate level against large varsity teams in New York State such as Cornell, Syracuse, and Cazenovia. Geneseo has been increasingly stronger competitively. When Kimberly Sanford first took over as coach for the team in 1996, riders rarely won ribbons. Today, Geneseo riders consistently place, often in the top three of their classes. See our press releases for the latest team results.

The equestrian team has traditionally allowed any interested Geneseo student to join, regardless of that person's prior experience. Competing intercollegiately is not mandatory for team membership and the team has always allowed any interested member to compete as long as that person has had at least one semester of instruction and is approved by our coach, Kim Sanford, for competition. As a result of this open policy, our membership ranges from students who have never even touched a horse before to students who have been riding since they were four years old. This variety gives members ample chance to learn from their peers and to spread their own knowlege to others.

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Lessons
All Equestrian Team members take 11 group lessons in hunt seat riding each semester with our coach, Kimberly Sanford, at Leg Up Stables. These lessons are organized at the beginning of each semester such that each lesson contains a maximum to 4 riders of similar ability, at least one of whom owns a car. Riders in each lesson organize car pools with their driver to get to the stables each week. Riders are required to wear ASTM approved helmets and appropriate footwear (shoes with a small heel) in all of their lessons. For those members who are new to the sport and do not own helmets, these can be rented from the team on a semester to semester basis.

Additional lessons are often arranged at the barn on an individual basis. Those members that would like to trade work, such as cleaning stalls, for lessons are usually able to do so. Those members who are able to work more advanced horses outside of lessons can also usually arrange to do so.

Leg Up Stables currently has over 40 lesson horses at a wide variety of levels. Riders are assigned horses that suit their own level and will often ride different horses each week once they are capable. Both an indoor ring and an outdoor ring are available for lessons.

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Activities
Group Trail Rides: The State University of New York is located in the heart of Western New York horse country. Many beautiful trails wind through the Genesee Valley. These trails are maintained by the local Hunt and are available for public in the summer and fall. The equestrian team often schedules large group trail rides in the fall and individuals can consult the coach about trail riding during lesson time.
Clinics: Members of the Geneseo Equestrian Team have the distinct advantage of the wide range of experiences and backrounds encompassed by the other team members. As a result, members that are new to the sport often learn from the more experienced members. During the fall semester, the team organizes several clinics during which our experienced members teach newer members some of the finer points of horsemanship. Some examples of Team clinic topics have been preparing yourself for a show, braiding, elementary horse care, and an introduction to grooming and tacking your lesson horse. In the future, we plan to bring in local professionals to conduct more advanced clinics in shoeing and equine health.
Team show: Once a year, the team puts on its own small show. Since many of our riders feel unready to compete at the Intercollegiate level, this show gives them a chance to try out competition in a less formal, stress-free environment. Classes are catered to those interested in competing and range from walk-trot to equitation over fences, to a green hunter class for members in the process of training their own horses. Each year the team decides whether or not to braid for the show, but we always bathe the horses for the special event!
On-Campus Demonstration: This special event had its debut in the Fall 1999 semester. Team members washed and braided horses and trail rode to the SUNY campus in full show attire to demonstrate our skills to the students and faculty. The first demo was a huge success and we plan to continue it as a new equestrian team tradition.
Other Activities: The Team engages in many other group activities throughout the year. Often, team members will compete in local horse shows before the IHSA season begins. Also, annual holiday parties and awards parties take place at the end of each semester. Members can watch videos of horse shows during the semester, get to know each other, and eat good food all at once!

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For More Information
For more information on the team, please feel free to e-mail the team, or contact any of our officers, or call the barn at (716) 243-3579.

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