Dressage Team

The Dressage team at UC Santa Cruz is affiliated with the Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA). IDA utilizes a catch-riding system where the hosting school will provide horses and riders will draw their horse randomly.

The Dressage team is open to all full-time undergraduate and graduate students.

More information about IDA can be found here.

Tryouts 

Members who are interested in competing on the Dressage team must go through a tryout process and meet all qualifications, which include approval by the team trainer as safe to compete and compliance with the competitive rules outlined by IDA.

The decision will be based upon the rider’s ability to control the horse, their balance on the horse, their expressed comfort level during riding, the appropriateness of their behavior around the horses, and other similar factors.

If a rider is approved to compete, the rider will be placed in an IDA division through the IDA Rider Classification Questionnaire based on previous show experience and offered a position on the Dressage team.

Any riders who were not approved as safe for their competitive level will be accommodated through the recreational division of the club to gain riding experience and skills. Riders may tryout again the following year.

Membership Fees

Members of the Dressage team pay a $150 club membership fee per year and a $22 Sports Club administrative fee per year.

In addition to the general club membership fee and Sports Club fee, members of the Dressage team must pay an additional ~$100 Dressage specific fee per year. This fee is determined by annual IDA dues and split evenly amongst all members of the Dressage team. Members of other divisions of the club will not be subject to Dressage team dues.

In order to be eligible to show, members of the Dressage team must have an individual membership to IDA, which is $45 per year and paid directly to IDA.

Other costs for the club include lesson and show costs, which are to be paid by members on an individual basis.

Lesson Requirements

Members of the Dressage team are required to take lessons at least once per week.

Equipment

-Show shirt with tie, choker, stock tie, or integrated stand-up collar (preferably long-sleeve)
-Short riding jacket or cutaway coat (any solid color)
-Breeches with belt loops (white, light, or dark, no bright colors or patterns)
-Tall boots or paddock boots with leather half chaps
-Helmet (ASTM/SEI certified only)
-Gloves (black, brown, or white)
-Belt (black or brown)

The UC Santa Cruz Dressage Team is grateful for a collection of donated Dressage gear. If, despite your best efforts, you are unable to acquire your own equipment, we will do our best to accommodate you.