June 22, 2022

Happy Summer!

It is hard to believe that National Finals was nearly two months ago and we are well into planning for our 21st season. Membership is open and dozens of teams and hundreds of riders have already signed up to participate! We are so excited to get going with shows in August - which is less than 2 months away!

This summer and fall will be busy as we work on some exciting new partnerships and initiatives. We invite you to reach out and invite a friend, colleague, barn mate, or new coach to join us this year and experience the benefits, skill-building, friendships and fun of riding and coaching IEA.

NEW - As Regional Presidents and Zone Administrators plan shows with coaches/teams, TENTATIVE shows (not yet officially on the Show Calendar) are now able to be seen on the main pages for Dressage and Western and each individual Hunt Seat Zone webpage at www.rideiea.org. Look for a similar icon to the one below to see if there are show dates in your area being discussed.  

Thank you again to everyone who participated in our record-breaking 20th Anniversary season. We look forward to seeing you all again soon!

ATTENTION RIDERS and PARENTS....

Applications for FINANCIAL AID and other supplemental GRANTS are DUE AUGUST 15, 2022.

For more information, visit:

https://www.rideiea.org/opportunities/for-riders/

IEA BENEVOLENT FUND

Each year the IEA offers assistance to our members through programs funded through the IEA Benevolent Fund. The Financial Assistance Program offers aid to incoming rider members who require help financing their IEA competition. The Coaches Assistance Grant offers financial assistance to our member Coaches in their time of need.

NEW! - LETTIE TEAGUE HUNT SEAT SUPPLEMENTAL GRANT 2022-2023

Open to Hunt Seat Riders in NY, NJ, and CT, grades 7-12 who demonstrate financial need.

Thanks to a generous donation from Lettie Teague, IEA is excited to offer a supplemental grant for financial aid applicants in the Hunt Seat discipline.

The supplemental grant will be awarded to an IEA applicant or split among a group of applicants from NY, NJ or CT, who are approved for FULL assistance through the Benevolent Fund, and who demonstrate a need for additional funding to enable full I EA participation. The rider(s) must demonstrate interest, ability and commitment to equestrian sports, and the Sponsoring Coach must support the rider as outlined in the IEA Benevolent Fund/Financial Aid application by allowing additional lessons at reduced rate, waiving coaching fees at IEA shows, and generally supporting the rider’s passion to participate.

COLANTUONI HUNT SEAT SUPPLEMENTAL GRANT 2022-2023

Open to Hunt Seat riders in grades 4-12 who demonstrate financial need. Riders must also apply to the IEA Benevolent Fund Financial Assistance Program to be considered for these additional grant funds.  This grant is provided by a generous donation from the Colantuoni Family.

BOB'S CUSTOM SADDLES

The Official Western Saddle of the IEA

www.bobscustomsaddles.com

IEA awarded $108,050 in cash scholarships and collegiate scholarships during their 20^th Anniversary Season in 2021-2022. This total marks the largest single-year distribution of scholarship funds in the history of the organization, which also coincided with IEA’s largest membership season to date – over 14,250 members across the United States.

In addition to scholarship awards, IEA also provides more than $50,000 in financial aid assistance through the IEA Benevolent Fund and private grants.

IEA Scholarship Awards are divided into four main categories...READ MORE

2022-23 IEA Youth Board Applications are due JUNE 30, 2022!

Be sure to read the Declaration of Candidacy and Application Requirements to make sure you're eligible to apply! 

IEA is proud to introduce a new WELLNESS Partnership with certified fitness professional, IFA SIMMONDS! Each month, Ifa will provide insight on exercise, wellness, health and nutrition specifically for equestrians! What a great way to gear up for the upcoming IEA show season! Thank you, Ifa!

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HYDRATION.

How much water do you drink each day? I mean actual water, not the water you used to make your tea and coffee! We’ve all heard about staying hydrated, but did you know we typically lose an average 32 ounces of water while sleeping just through the humidity in your breath? WOW! Multiply that by 7 days a week and that’s almost 1.75 gallons of water that just evaporated while we sleep! It's important to replace that water, and more.

Water is one of the most important elements we need. It provides a significant benefit to every cell structure within the body. The human body is roughly 75% water and 25% solid matter. Your brain is 85% water and very sensitive to depletion and dehydration of water. Anyone who’s training for an upcoming show or doing any moderate-to-strenuous workouts must be very conscious of their hydration levels both before, during, and after an event.

We need water for bodily functions like:

• Muscle strength and reaction time in the saddle
• Strong bone formation
• Helps maintain energy when riding
• Increases brain focus and memory

Each one of us should, on average, consume about half of our body weight in ounces of water each day, but an equestrian athlete needs even more. Do you have a tough time drinking water throughout the day? Quick tip- place a container of 8-16oz next to your bed and drink all the water before getting out of the bed in the morning. This helps to regulate the amount of water lost during sleep, and get the body revived for the day.

Again I ask, how much water do you drink each day?

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Stay tuned for more of Ifa's Rider Wellness Tips in the July newsletter and on social media! For more information, visit www.ifafit.com

IEA to Host 2^nd Western Show and NYATT Team During 2022 Quarter Horse Congress

IEA will again partner with The Ohio Quarter Horse Association (OQHA) to host its second IEA Western Horse Show during the 2022 All American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, OH on Thursday, October 6, 2022. The All American Quarter Horse Congress is an unmatched destination for equestrians from across the globe. OQHA has created a legacy by maintaining the largest single-breed horse show in the world and IEA is pleased to again offer the opportunity to IEA Western youth riders to compete at this world-class show. 

The IEA@Congress show on October 6th is open to IEA Western rider members in grades 4-12 (ages 9-19) and will feature classes in Western Horsemanship, Reining and Ranch Riding divisions in the Taft Coliseum. In October 2021, nearly 160 Western riders from 22 teams across 12 states participated in the inaugural IEA@Congress horse show.

New this year, OQHA has also invited IEA riders to participate as an exhibition team in the largest national youth team tournament competition in the world. The National Youth Activity Team Tournament (NYATT) will be held Sunday, October 16, 2022 and brings together many youth from state and regional Quarter Horse associations across the United States and Canada. Teams participate in the following seven classes: Barrel Racing, Horsemanship, Hunt Seat Equitation, Hunter Under Saddle, Reining, Showmanship and Western Pleasure. A maximum of two team members may compete in any one class...  LEARN MORE

DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR IEA NYATT TEAM IS JULY 15, 2022

IEA is proud to partner with Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) for their International Conference this year on October 20-22, 2022 at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN (near Nashville).

IEA Coaches are encouraged to attend and receive the CHA Member rate.

IEA is hiring for the full-time position of DIRECTOR OF RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT.

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE JULY 15, 2022.

Please carefully read through the attached job description and requirements.

Questions?

Contact Executive Director, Roxane Durant at roxane@rideiea.org.

Note: This staff position was originally hired earlier this season, but was recently vacated due to unfortunate emergency circumstances. This is a new job announcement.

Did you miss the opportunity to shop the vendor area at IEA National Finals?

SHOP BESCO AWARDS:

https://www.bescoawards.com/IEA-Store_c4.htm

SHOP MEQUESTRIAN SOLUTIONS:

https://www.mequestriansolutions.com/iea

Two of our National Logo License Vendors (Besco Awards and MEquestrian Solutions) have multiple items still available from the 2022 20th Anniversary IEA Finals including jackets, hats, scarves, bags, Lucky Ponies and more!

These items make great thank you gifts for coaches, graduation presents, congratulations gifts and mementos from a fantastic season and event.

Order your 2022 merch before it is too late! 

Check out the recent PRACTICAL HORSEMAN PODCAST episode, brought to you by Troxel, with IEA Executive Director, Roxane Durant.

Durant explains in the podcast that she wanted to create a program that introduced middle and high school students to the draw-based competition format to set them up for success on college riding teams. She was inspired in high school when she was riding, but saw a gap in representation between school teams like football and baseball and riding teams. Many schools not only set up their student athletes for success in college, but also celebrated their victories. Durant didn’t see the same happening for riders or riding teams. Later in life, she wanted to find a way to integrate riding teams more into school athletics, and her story came full circle when she helped found the IEA. 

COLLEGIATE

PARTNER

OF THE IEA

www.sa.edu/equestrian

In case you missed it on social media...

IEA received this beautiful video shot by Chase Meadow Lane IEA Dressage parents, Nathan and Tamara Brain at Surrounded Media (@surroundedmedia). The video is a beautiful recap of the 2022 Dressage and Western National Finals. We love it! Thank you.

The IEA 20th Anniversary Season was proudly supported by thousands of member participants, hundreds of donors and the following sponsors.  Thank you for making the 2021-2022 season one for the record books.

Organizations, businesses and colleges interested in sponsorship opportunities for the 2022-2023 season may contact IEA Sales and Sponsorship Manager, Megan Taylor at megan@rideiea.org.

MEMBERSHIP CHARMS:  All (13,000+) membership charms (20th Logo) have been individually mailed out to each rider member.  We are currently working on returned envelopes with incorrect addresses. 

(NOTE: It is VERY important that you submit a correct mailing address when you sign up with IEA.  We have had a significant amount of returned charms due to insufficient/incorrect/not real addresses.) 

If you have not received your membership charm, please check your email first, and then reach out to montana@rideiea.org with questions or a correct address.

REGIONAL, ZONE and NATIONAL CHARMS:  Because of issues out of our control, we have transitioned to a new collectible item (stickers) for all Regional, Zone and National Qualifiers.  These items have been/are currently being shipped in bulk to each coach to distribute to their 2021-2022 qualifiers.  

Moving forward into a new decade of IEA and taking into account the rising costs of postage and other factors, we will be revamping our recognition program for the 2022-2023 season. When we started the charm program 7 years ago, we had significantly less riders than we do today. It is time for a new program and new means of distribution. 

We appreciate your patience as we wrap up this program for the 2021-2022 year.   

PARENTS, RIDERS and COACHES - For the most up to-date news, information, articles, announcements, videos, and photos - we strongly encourage you to follow @rideiea on Facebook and Instagram.  While IEA utilizes multiple social media accounts and platforms, these two MAIN pages are the first places to look for real-time announcements.  Don't miss out!  Follow us @rideiea today!

And that is a wrap on the 2021-2022 season, folks.  THANK YOU!  

Video produced by Montana McKnight.