Do we ride English or Western? English. Lessons are hunter/jumper style, concentrating on form and balance on the flat and working up to jumping once the rider is confident and ready.
Do we compete? Yes! Riders compete in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). We compete with other universities in our region like LSU, Tulane, Trinity, UT @ Austin, and Texas State. We encourage all members to come to shows and represent Rice while offering support to other teams in our region. We typically show about 1-3 times a semester.
Do riders receive scholarships from Rice? No. We are a club sport, which means we do not compete NCAA Division 1 like Rice Athletics does. While we get additional funding from Rice, we do not offer scholarships for riders. Where does the team ride? Does Rice have its own barn? Riders on the team take weekly lessons at Blue Fox Farms in Houston, TX. We do not own our own barn, but Blue Fox is like our second home, and we are so grateful for our Blue Fox family!
How do we get to the barn? Generally we carpool, but members who have cars on campus have the ability to go out to the barn whenever their schedules permit. However, quite a few members do not have cars on campus and are still able to make it to the barn regularly. Currently we have one carpool that goes out Friday early afternoons and one that goes out Friday late afternoons. Zipcar is also an option we recommend.
What’s the time commitment? It’s kind of up to you! The actual riding part of our lessons usually lasts an hour, but we typically block out at least three hours total to account for the time it takes to tack up our horses and to drive to and from the barn. Members can choose to take additional lessons, but we require members to commit to 1 lesson/ week.
What if I’ve never ridden before? That’s totally fine! We have riders of every skill level-- some of our team members have been riding since they were six years old and competed their entire lives, and others only started riding in college. We believe it’s never too late to start, and all are welcome.
Do I have to buy/lease a horse? Nope! Blue Fox Farms has fantastic lesson horses for every level of experience that we ride each week. You are not assigned one horse to ride each week. If you are interested in leasing a horse or bringing your horse from home, please contact our coach and owner of Blue Fox Farms, Teri Bludworth
How much does it cost? That depends. Unfortunately, riding is a costly sport, and Rice does not cover lesson fees. Fees depend on if you ride in a group or private lesson. Group lessons are $70/hour. Private lessons are $75 per 30 minute lesson. Gear can also be cost prohibitive, so if you do not have a helmet and boots yet, you can use our team helmet and use any heeled boot for your first few lessons until you are ready and/or able to purchase your own. This is especially helpful for new riders who are not quite ready to make a full commitment.
If you are interested in joining the team and want to learn more, you are welcome to come out to the barn with us and observe a lesson. We’d love to meet you! If you have additional questions or want to set up a barn visit, feel free to contact us!