Athletic Equestrian: Riding In College Podcast

Jen Smith is the Equestrian Director and IHSA Head Coach at Goucher College located in Baltimore, MD. Jen graduated from Lynchburg College and has been working at Goucher since 2007 where she started her career as the Assistant Director of Riding before becoming the Director in 2013. Jen is the IHSA Zone IV, Region I President and serves as the Intercollegiate Chair of the ANRC. jennifer.smith@gou...

Lizzie Fisch is the Associate Director, Head IHSA Coach and Assistant NCEA Coach of the Sweet Briar College Equestrian Program in Sweet Briar, VA.   Lizzie is a graduate of Randolph-Macon College and had a varied background working in various Show Jumping, Dressage and Eventing barns before coming to Sweet Briar.   The Sweet Briar IHSA team has won numerous Regional Championships and in 2021 their...

Ollie has built a successful career based on developing World Champions within the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) and American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). Ollie conducts Reining and horsemanship clinics in Australia, Europe, South America and the United States. On top of clinics he is also an NRHA, AQHA, USEF and FEI judge which has taken him all over the world to judge top compet...

Patte Zumbrun is the chair of the American National Riding Commission (ANRC) which promotes the American system of forward riding within schools, colleges, universities, and public or private riding establishments.  Patte is a graduate of Averett College in VA and was the Goucher College Equestrian Director, located in Baltimore, MD for 26 years. www.anrc.org

Kaelyn Kennedy is the owner and creative director of TKEQ The Shop.  Kaelyn is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Canada and started TKEQ when she was only 17.  TKEQ is based in Calgary, Alberta and produces equestrian-inspired graphic tees & pullovers as well as activewear.   Kaelyn takes the listeners through her journey as a young rider athlete and competitor in Canada right...

Ashley Duda is the Head Coach of the St Andrews University IHSA team located in Laurinburg, NC.  Ashley is also an Assistant Professor in the Equine Studies program and coaches the ANRC and the outside showing teams. Ashley has her BS from Virginia Tech and her MA from Kansas State University.

Belinda Colgan is the Head Coach of the Skidmore College Varsity Equestrian Team located in Saratoga Springs, NY. After graduating from Skidmore College in 2004 she stayed on as the barn manager then assistant coach. In 2019 she was named Head Coach of the varsity equestrian team.

Chloe Kerschl was born and raised in Lexington, Virginia and was soon introduced to her first pony by her horse-loving mother. She has always had a love for horses which is why after a couple years of doing only ballet, she finally returned to the barn. She began riding again at her godmothers therapeutic riding center which sparked an even deeper love for horses. After the countless hours she has...

Jim Arrigon is the Director and Founder of the Equestrian Talent Search (ETS) and the Collegiate Tournament of Champions. ETS weekends allow young athletes to be taught, evaluated and recruited by college coaches in intensive weekend instructional and competition clinics. Jim was an IHSA coach for over 30 years and received the 2005 IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award. www.rideincollege.com

Jane Dacosta is the Executive Director and Founder of the Metropolitan Equestrian Team (MET). MET has branches in NY, CT, MD, GA, TX, MS and UT. MET's mission is based on Jane's belief that quality education and riding opportunities should be available to all, regardless of their socioeconomic status and she has obtained over $1.6 million in college scholarships for MET students. www.meteqteam.org

  Joanna Novakovic is the Head Coach of the Cornell University Varsity Equestrian Team located in Ithaca, NY. Joanna has her B.S. from Cornell and her M.A. from Syracuse University. During her six years as Head Coach, Joanna has led the team to four Ivy League Championships, five Regional Championships and two Zone Reserve Championships. jfg24@cornell.edu

Vanessa Bartsch is the Head Coach of the Stanford Equestrian Team located in Stanford, CA and is the Executive Director of the University's Red Barn and is the Regional President of the IHSA Zone 8, Region 1.   Vanessa has coached Stanford to 14 consecutive IHSA Regional and Zone Championships as well as placing in the Top Three at the last three IHSA National Championships.   Vanessa graduated fr...

Tana McKay is the Head Coach of the Texas A&M Equestrian Team located in College Station, TX. Tana has led her team to twelve NCEA titles in her 22 years as Head Coach.   Tana graduated from Colorado State University and has her M.A. in Equine Behavior from Texas A & M. Tana was the chair of the NCEA Competition Committee for two years and is an active reining competitor. tmckay@athletics.tamu.edu

Mary and Sarah join the podcast to talk about the Equine Studies major and teams at Lake Erie College located in Painesville, OH. Mary Pardee is the Director of Riding and an Assistant Professor of Equine Studies. She has her B.A. from the University of KY and her Master of Education from Lake Erie College. Sarah Dwyer is the Head Coach of the LEC IHSA Equestrian Team. Sarah has both her Equine St...

Sherri West is the Director of Riding and Head Coach of the Hollins University Equestrian Team located in Roanoke, VA.  Sherri also currently serves as the organization's National Steward.  Sherri talks about the ins and outs of the Equestrian Team as well as the other opportunities to ride at Hollins.

                    Daisy Freund & Olivia Champ As past competitors on the varsity Dartmouth College Equestrian Team, Daisy and Olivia share their experiences both on the team and during their collegiate search.   Daisy Freund received her B.A. in English and Creative Writing from Dartmouth in 2008 and also received her Master of Food Culture & Communication in Pollenzo, Italy.   Daisy currently i...

Larry Sanchez has been leading the Oklahoma State Equestrian program as its Head Coach for twenty years.   Under his guidance, Oklahoma State Equestrian, located in Stillwater, OK, has won the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) National Championships six times and has coached numerous All-American and All-Big 12 selections.   Larry has his B.S. from Colorado State University and his...

Kelly Francfort has been the IHSA Vice President since 2017 and won the IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.   She has coached the Rutgers University Equestrian Team, New Brunswick, NJ for over 20 years and has had numerous athletes qualify for the IHSA National Championships.   Kelly is also oversees the IHSA Intercollegiate Equestrian Foundation, an organization that awards scholarships to d...

Lindsay Martin is the President of the College Preparatory Invitational (CPI), a program that allows young equestrians in grades 8-12 to explore the collegiate equestrian experience. Since Lindsay purchased the CPI in 2014, the program has grown to include CPI Florida and CPI New Jersey and offers young riders the opportunity to clinic and compete in front of collegiate coaches from around the cou...

Dr. Piper Klemm  is the owner and publisher of The Plaid Horse and is the host of The Plaidcast, both covering the USEF/USHJA horse showing world and other horse related topics. She also owns a fleet of lease ponies for the horse show circuit, Stonewall Ponies. Piper has her PhD from the University of California, Berkely and uses her educational and equestrian backgrounds to teach college-level co...

Cory Kieschnick The Associate Professor and Chair of Equine Science and Management at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, PA. She also serves as the Director of Equestrian Teams, overseeing the IHSA Hunt Seat and Western Teams and the Intercollegiate Dressage Association Team. She has a M.S. in Education and is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership.   She has been the DelV...

Amanda Love Ellis Amanda Love Ellis is the Head Coach of Hunt Seat and Western and Instructor of Equine Science at West Texas A & M University in Canyon, TX.   She has her B.S. and M.S. Degrees in Agriculture from West Texas A & M and has led the teams there since 2007.   Amanda has coached 27 Individual Champion and Reserve Champions in the IHSA National Championships and in 2013 led the team to...

Dr. Leah Holland Fiorentino Leah Fiorentino is the Executive Director of the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA).   Leah is a graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Adelphi University and Teachers College, Columbia University.   "Doc" guides the listeners through the history of the NCEA and explains that it is the ruling body for the twenty-six schools in the NC...

Tenley Stuhs is the Director of Riding and Head Coach of the Dartmouth College IHSA Team in Hanover, NH. Tenley received her undergraduate and M.B.A. degree in Equine Business and Facility Management from Otterbein University in Ohio. Tenley was the Head Coach of the Otterbein IHSA team for five years after graduation and then was the Assistant Executive Director at the Florida Horse Park in Ocala...

Michael Dowling has been the Head Co-Coach of the Centenary University IHSA Team and an Assistant Professor of Equine Studies for 20 years. Centenary is located in Hackettstown, NJ and Michael is also the owner of Windham Hill in Far Hills, NJ and Wellington and Ocala, FL. Michael also is a horse show manager, judge, steward and course designer. Michael has his B.A. from Fairfield University in Fa...