Lexington, Kentucky - The Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA), in partnership with its Saddle Seat Sponsor, Morehead State University (MSU), will offer its first saddle seat horse shows February 5-6.

The weekend will be planned so that two saddle seat shows can be offered on two consecutive days. All levels and ages of IEA saddle seat riders will be invited to compete. Any IEA saddle seat teams and riders may attend as the show will be open to riders from any region or zone in the country.

MSU, located in Morehead, Kentucky is well known in the intercollegiate equestrian world as a leader in hunt seat, western and saddle seat disciplines, and actively participates in both IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Show Association) and ISSRA (Intercollegiate Saddle Seat Riding Association). In an effort to support the newly offered IEA saddle seat divisions, Morehead has generously promised its extensive equine facilities for this inaugural event. The shows will be called “Saddle Seat Kick-Off Shows I and II," as they represent the first saddle seat shows to ever be offered within the Interscholastic Equestrian Association.

In addition to the horses and facilities that will be offered by Morehead, several local IEA teams will also help with organizing the show. The show is within IEA Zone 5, and both the HPR/Ashwood and B.E.S.T. teams will help to provide horses and staffing for the event.

In addition to the plans for this inaugural saddle seat show, the IEA has also extended its membership season for prospective teams and riders. Although hunt seat and western memberships are now closed for the 2010-2011 competition season, the membership office will continue to accept saddle seat memberships until Tuesday, March 1. New members are still encouraged to join as soon as possible to be eligible for more competitions, year-end awards and scholarships.

Founded in 2002, the IEA was organized to promote and improve the quality of equestrian competition and instruction available to middle and secondary school students. Its purpose is to set standards for competition, provide information concerning the creation and development of school-associated equestrian sport programs, and to generally promote the common interest of safe riding instruction, competition, and education on matters related to equestrian competition at the middle and secondary school levels. The IEA has more than 200 teams in 7 active zones representing 31 states across the country. While hunt seat and western competitions have been available for several years, the IEA has only added saddle seat within the 2010-2011 season. Year-end awards will be offered to top point-earning saddle seat riders upon conclusion of their season on May 15.

For additional information, please contact:
Roxane Lawrence
Co-Founder and Executive Director, IEA
[email protected]
(440) 463-4452

Erin S. Lecompt
Morehead State University Equestrian Coach
[email protected]
(606) 783-2800

Lark Rene’ Henry
Saddle Seat Coordinator, IEA
[email protected]
Cell: (239) 821-7756
Stable: (239) 592-1033