About the Intercolliagic Horseshow Association (IHSA)

General History
The Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) was founded in 1967 for 'the purpose of promoting competition for riders of any skill level regardless of financial status." It is comprised of over 300 colleges which compete in four disciplines: hunter equitation, equitation over fences, western horsemanship and reining.

Zones and Regions
The IHSA divides the United States into Zones and then divides each Zone into regions. There are 9 Zones and 30 regions, each region having about 11 colleges that compete against each other in regular season shows. Based on a point systems, riders go on to compete in a series of post season shows. The top 2 riders in each class at Regional Finals qualify for Zones which can enable them to qualify for Nationals.

Classes
English Hunt Seat Classes
There are 9 classes based on the level of experience of the riders.

• Class 1: Walk, Trot
• Class 2A: Beginner Walk, Trot, Canter
• Class 2B: Advance Walk, Trot, Canter
• Class 3: Novice Flat
• Class 4: Novice over Fences
• Class 5: Intermediate Flat
• Class 6: Intermediate over Fences
• Class 7: Open Flat
• Class 8: Open over Fences

All classes (except for 2A and 2B) require 35 cumulative points in order to advance to the next level.

2A and 2B each require 18 points to advance to the next level.

Once pointing out of 2B, riders move on to Class 3 and also are allowed to compete in Class 4 at the same time.

Classes 3 advances to Class 5, which advances to Class 7.

Class 4 advances to Class 6, which advances to Class8.

Class 7 and 8 only require 28 points to compete in Regionals and those points do not carry over from year to year.

Western Horsemanship
There are 7 classes based on the level of experience of the rider.

• Class 11: Walk, Jog
• Class 12A: Beginner Horsemanship Walk, Jog, Lope
• Class 12B: Advance Horsemanship Walk, Jog, Lope
• Class 13: Novice Horsemanship Walk, Jog, Lope
• Class 14: Advanced Horsemanship Walk, Jog, Lope
• Class 15: Open Horsemanship
• Class 16: Open Reining

All classes (except for 12A and 12B) require 35 points in order to advance to the next level.

Classes 12A and 12B each require 18 points to advance.

Points
Riders accumulate points based on the place a rider recieves in their classes.

• 1st place: +7 points
• 2nd place: +5 points
• 3rd place: +4 points
• 4th place: +3 points
• 5th place: +2 points
• 6th place: +1 point

Points transfer over from the previous year, except for Classes 7, 8, 15 and 16.

For more information on the IHSA, please visit their official website.