About The Team

About the club: The Michigan Equestrian Team offers a unique opportunity to U-M students to begin or continue their involvement with horses throughout college. We are a primarily self-funded team comprised of about 40 students ranging from walk-trot to open divisions in both hunt and stock seats. We practice as a team once a week and the majority of the team takes small group lessons with our coach as well. We compete through the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) and also have a social aspect. Our team is based at Willowbrooke Farm in Plymouth, Michigan, which is owned and operated by our huntseat coach, Jennifer Blades.

  Showing: We are members of Zone 6 Region 4 of the IHSA and compete against other schools in Michigan and Ohio . We have between 5 and 8 shows in each discipline per year, including one hunt seat double-header that we host in mid-October. We can usually take 10 flat riders and 6 fences riders for huntseat and 14 flat and 6 reiners for stock. Spots are determined by our coach based on ability, participation in practice and lessons, and other team events. Riders who acquire enough points (35) have the opportunity to compete at the regional level. Riders who place well (first or second in the class) in their regional division will move onto zones and maybe nationals.

Social: For students interested in the team but not interested in competition, we host monthly social events. Past events have included: team dinners, rodeo trips, movie nights, clinics, and other exciting events! 

Dues: Team dues are $150 for the year. Tryouts are $25 which covers the tryout and a polo shirt. IHSA dues (hunt or stock seat) are $30 per year (or $40 for both disciplines), and entry fees are $25 per class.

Team Meetings: The officers meet on Tuesdays at 9pm in the Tap Room of the Union; if you have questions/concerns feel free to stop by. General meetings are held once per month (usually on the first Tuesday). See the calendar for general meeting dates.

If you are interesting in joining the team, please contact Kim Leaman at kileaman@umich.edu for more information.