About the Team

The Stanford Equestrian Team, based at Stanford University’s historic Red Barn Equestrian Center, has between 35 and 45 active members riding Hunt Seat Equitation, Dressage and Western Horsemanship. Tryouts for the team occur at the beginning of each academic year. The team looks for both accomplished riders with strong show experience as well as beginners dedicated to learning more about the sport. The Stanford Equestrian Team practices at the Stanford Red Barn, and is actively involved in all aspects of horsemanship and care.

For more than 30 years, Stanford has competed in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association in all divisions from Walk Trot through Open Jumping and Walk Jog through Open Reining. The team hosts shows at Stanford and also travels to other campuses in our Zone 8, Region 1 area. The other schools in our region are Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo, College of the Sequoias, Santa Clara University, Sonoma State University, University of California at Davis, University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Santa Cruz, and Reedley College.

In order to create a fair playing field, IHSA competitions are based on “catch riding,” with riders drawing a horse provided by the host school. Riders accumulate points in their respective classes for their individual standing and for the team. The Stanford Equestrian Team has had many riders advance and compete with success at Regionals, Zones, and National Championships.