College Application Tips for Equestrians

 
Horses are a big part of your life and youve devoted a lot of time to riding and horserelated activities. When its time to think about college how can you apply that to your applications? Equestrian college advisor Randi C. Heathman coaches students through the college search and application process based on her years of experience in higher education and a lifetime of involvement in equestrian sports.
Photo by Winston TanShutterstock
Here she shares her best advice to make the most of your equestrian background when it comes to collegeno matter what course of study you plan to pursue.

Listing Activities
In the activities section of the application there are a few ways to list and categorize your equestrian involvement to show different experiences that youve had and skills that youve obtained.
This is where youll include groups such as 4H or Pony Club as well as the breed sport and show organizations that you have been part of. Be sure to spell out any acronyms on first reference USEF AQHA USDF should be expanded to U S. Equestrian Federation American Quarter Horse Association and United States Dressage Federation because so many of the equestrian organizations were familiar with can look like alphabet soup to someone outside the horse world.
In addition to noting achievements and awards the description is where Randi says you can differentiate what you have done as an individual or as part of a group to show teamwork leadership roles and responsibilities.
Caroline Elik 20 who is majoring in journalism and minoring in political science at the University of Missouri agrees.
I made sure to list my equine activities as extracurriculars on my college applications she says. Colleges love to see applicants who are wellrounded passionate and dedicated to something outside of just classwork. They also like to see applicants that have held leadership positions so it can really be beneficial to get involved with an equine club or organization whether its at the local regional or national level.
Caroline Elik says riding horses taught her perseverance how to use her time wisely and how to be disciplinedimportant skills to have in college as well as in a future career. Photo by Dobson Photography
Caroline grew up riding and showing Arabians which led her to join the Arabian Horse Youth Association AHYA board where she served as an AHYA regional director and AHYA secretary. She was also involved in her local 4H club and went