FAQs

What equestrian sports does OCET offer?
OCET comprises the hunt seat equitation and western horsemanship/reining divisions. Oberlin also offers a Dressage team, but it operates as a separate entity. We work closely with the Dressage team, but they have a different budget, a different coach, and they ride at a different barn and compete in a different national organization. Please contact the current Dressage team president at kara.kralik@oberlin.edu for more information.

How do I become a part of OCET?
We offer general interest meetings at the start of every semester. You must attend one of these meetings or contact a team officer if you cannot attend. Being a team member can be as little or as much of a commitment as you want.
The only requirements are:

• Eligibility to participate in club sports (full-time Oberlin student)
• A yearly team fee (usually about $35)
• A physical with the club sports physician
• A free evaluation ride, offered at the beginning of each semester, so that we can place you in an appropriate lesson
• A signed liability release form

As a member, you may take riding lessons at Equine Differences, a stable located just a couple of miles outside of Oberlin, and come to team bonding events. We also offer optional competitions in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) for riders, beginning through advanced.

Can I join if I have never ridden before?
Absolutely! We welcome riders of all levels for both lessons and showing. In fact, we need more beginner riders to compete, so please consider joining!

How much does it cost to be a part of OCET?
Riding is an expensive sport, but we try to keep costs down as much as possible. All team members must pay $35 per year as team dues. Semi-private, hour long lessons cost $35. Private, 30-minute lessons are available first-come, first-served for the same price. You may take as many or as few lessons per semester as you want.

However, if you choose to show with the team, you are required to take at least one lesson per week. We try very hard to keep showing free, but if an unusually large number of members come to a show and the school did not provide for it in our budget, we may have to ask competitors to pay up to $12.50 per class (usually 2-4 classes in a weekend). You will be informed of any extra costs before committing to a show. Competitors are also responsible for all meals on show days (we eat cheaply). Hotels and transportation are covered by Oberlin.

Do I need my own equipment?
All team members must have hard-soled boots with a heel. If they are not specifically made for riding, your instructor can advise you on whether they are acceptable and help you find an alternative if they are not. If you will be taking regular lessons, we advise that you purchase an ASTM/SEI approved helmet (we have only a limited number available to borrow) and chaps or riding tights.

If you will show with the team, please bring as much show equipment as you have when you first move in because the first show is usually before fall break. It is helpful to have your own wardrobe if you will be showing a lot, but the team has some equipment you can borrow and other team members can lend you things. Proper show attire for hunt seat is beige breeches, tall black field boots, neutral-colored show shirt, ratcatcher, dark-colored show jacket, approved helmet (either black velvet or with a black velvet cover), and black gloves. Proper show attire for western is horsemanship shirt, dark-colored pants, show chaps, western boots, and a hat.

Do I need my own car?
No, one of the perks of being on a team is that we guarantee a ride to your lesson. This requires a lot of coordination and depends on a number of members having cars, so if you have a car and are willing to help drive, that's super! If not, be sure to be respectful to your driver--be on time and call if you are going to miss a lesson.

Unfortunately we are not able to offer rides to the barn for you to ride your own horse outside of lessons, but we can help you coordinate finding a ride with someone who is going to the barn anyway. It is very helpful to have your own car if you will be bringing your horse to Oberlin, but everyone who owns a horse tends to carpool.

How much of a time commitment is OCET?
As much or as little as you want. Most people take lessons weekly or every two weeks, and each lesson is about a 2-hour time commitment (an hour of riding and an hour of tacking up, warming up, cooling out, and untacking). Hunt seat shows are a weekend long affair--depending on the location of the show, we may leave Friday evening or early Saturday morning and return to Oberlin Sunday evening, or drive to and from the showgrounds on both Saturday and Sunday. Western shows are usually only one day, and the team may leave either Friday evening or early Saturday morning and return Saturday evening. The shows usually last all day, but there is plenty of "downtime" to work on homework. There's even wi-fi at some showgrounds! The hunt seat and western teams usually each participate in 2-3 shows per semester (sometimes first semester has more shows than second). You can pick and choose which ones you want to attend, or go to all of them. We will ask you to commit several weeks before a show and you are expected to stick to that or be prepared to reimburse the team for your nonrefundable entry fees. Most of our members are very busy with other activities, and some even play a varsity sport.

Can I bring my own horse to Oberlin?
Equine Differences has stalls available for students on a first-come, first-served basis. Please get in touch with them as early as possible to reserve a stall. Other local barns may have spots open as well. Even if you bring your own horse, you may be asked to ride school horses in lessons occasionally if you want to show with the team. It's important to be able to ride all different types of horses.

How does showing work?
OCET competes in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). IHSA shows work differently from most other horse shows. Horses are provided by the host school (occasionally other schools bring additional horses) and everyone is assigned a horse randomly for each class. You can watch your assigned horse go in classes before yours and in warm-ups, but you have no warm-up time. You get on, adjust your stirrups, and then go into the ring and compete! It can be a little nervewracking, but it levels the playing field so that riders who can afford nice horses don't have an advantage--you have to be able to ride any horse well! Experienced team members get to know the host school's horses and can give you advice. The IHSA offers classes from walk/trot beginners to jumping and reining for more advanced students. You start out in a level determined by your level of show experience and you can "point up" to higher divisions over the years. Every time you point up, you qualify for regionals, and the top two riders in each division at regionals goes on to zones, and the top two at zones go to nationals. We compete both as a team and individually, and our team usually places at the top among the small liberal arts schools in our region. Shows are a lot of fun and a great way to get to know the team. Even if you don't think you want to compete, tag along with the team sometime and see if you like it!