IEA - Interscholastic Equestrian Association

06/05/2026

IEA is proud to announce the winners of the 4th Annual AQHA-IEA OUTSTANDING LEADER SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS which recognizes IEA and AQHYA members who have shown outstanding leadership qualities and a commitment to participation in one or both organizations.

Funded through an on-going partnership with the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and the American Quarter Horse Youth Association (AQHYA), the AQHA-IEA Outstanding Leader Scholarships highlight the similar missions of promoting lifelong involvement in equestrian activities with a strong desire to develop youth involvement and their leadership skills.

The following IEA Members will each receive a cash award:

$1,250 – ALEXANDRA MASSEY
Raleigh, NC
Grade 12
Triton (Hunt Seat Zone 3)

$750 – AMAYA ANTOS
LaPorte, IN
Grade 12
Designed by Faith Equestrians (Western Region 5)

$750 – KATE ATKINSON
Sandersville, GA
Grade 10
Flamekissed Equestrian (Western Region 4)

$750 – AUDEN RANDELS
Okemos, MI
Grade 12
dmb Performance Horses (Western Region 5)

American Quarter Horse Association American Quarter Horse Youth Association

06/04/2026

Seriously though.
You won't wanna skip this.

Photos by Winslow Photography LLC Ruehle Photographix LLC Andrew Ryback Photography, LLC

06/03/2026

The Sugar Rush Station, generously sponsored by Grier School, is BACK at IEA Western National Finals! Join us Tuesday, June 23rd during classes 22 and 23 (approx. 1:30-2:30 pm) for a quick sugar-fueled pick-me-up!

Thank you for helping making all IEA National Finals extra special!

Grier School Grier School Stables

06/02/2026

It pays to know your Horsemanship. Literally.

Announcing the 2025-2026 Overall High Point Winner of the IEA National Hippology Academy Program - SARAH DINSMORE!

Sarah is a rising senior who rides on the Ascend Equestrian IEA Team in Michigan (Zone 5) and is coached by Sydney Stern and Sarah Sketch.

Not only did Sarah gain loads of equine knowledge this season, she is also walking away with an AWESOME prize package from IEA Sponsor Arena Saddles which includes a $500 CASH SCHOLARSHIP, a brand-new Hunt Seat or Dressage Arena Saddle of her choice complete with stirrup leathers, girth and Arena Saddles Travel Saddle Bag. AMAZING!

What is the IEA National Hippology Academy?
Check it out at the link in the comments for the 2026-2027 IEA Season and sign up today!

This program is perfect for IEA youth riders as well as non-riders, 4-H Clubs, Pony Clubs, FFA Teams, or anyone interested in learning more about equine knowledge.

CONGRATS to you SARAH for your excellent and diligent work!

Ascend Equestrian

06/02/2026

A 1,200-pound heartbeat feels nothing like a chatbot. 🐴❤️


Photo by Winslow Photography LLC

IEA provides an accessible gateway to equestrian sport for youth riders in grades 4-12.

06/01/2026

Applications for the 2026-2027 IEA National Youth Board are now OPEN.
Link below in the comments or in our bio. Due July 1.

06/01/2026

Congratulations to Molly Tibbits from Aspire Equestrian Team (W R8) for winning the 2026 IEA Western SCAD Cover Art Contest! Her entry, "Whoa!" is a linoleum carved print.

This year's SCAD Art Gallery at Western National Finals will also feature:
✨Darienne Lambert's "The Finalists" (Nashoba Valley Sliders, W R1)
✨Colleen Beatty's "Golden Hour Gait" (Unity Stables, H2)
✨Rhylee Macedo's "Rundown" (Pond Hill Equestrian, W R1)

Congratulations to all of our artists - we are continuously amazed by their talents each year!

b_eq

05/31/2026

Drumroll please.......Announcing our 2026 IEA Western National Finals IEA/APHA Showmanship Region Challenge Competitors!

Yes, you read that right....DRAW-BASED SHOWMANSHIP.

One IEA rider from each Western Region and two APHA youth competitors will face off in a Showmanship battle of the Regions during the IEA Western National Finals and APHA World Championship Show next month in Fort Worth, TX!

Tune in to the LIVE STREAM on Tuesday, June 23rd around 12:30PM Central Time to watch! We love a little friendly competition!

Official American Paint Horse Association 2026 APHA World Show Forum

05/31/2026

Awww, thanks Piper.... The Plaid Horse just reposted this 2021 article below on IEA Alumni rider, Lexi Plaisted and how her years of experience in IEA shaped her as both a rider and as a person.

Check it out. It is good read.

Want your chance to experience some of those same life lessons?
Consider joining or leading an IEA team during our 25th Anniversary season.
Membership is open now at the link in our bio.

I sat on a horse before I could walk on my own two feet, Lexi Plaisted writes. Horses have shaped my entire life, and yet the moment that changed my life the most occurred when my instructor told myself and the other young riders at my barn about a new interscholastic league of competition. The Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) had existed for years, but when I was in fifth grade I’d finally get my chance to dabble in the IEA waters.

Eight years later, I reflect on how that moment transformed both my riding career and my personal development. IEA taught me how to trust myself. Self-reliance and confidence work hand in hand, and without my challenging, character-building, seven-year journey as a member of IEA, I would not have grasped this gift.

Cupcake, a small, friendly, wise chestnut mare, was my first draw in Future Beginner Flat. I knew Cupcake already as an amazing lesson pony from my barn, and the trust I had in her helped me have a successful class. I still remember my dad’s loud, happy cry across the Dream Park indoor when the announcer reported my second-place result (he never truly grasped the appropriate volume level for horse shows). Walking, trotting, and cantering around the ring with Cupcake to earn a red ribbon brought me the utmost happiness. I knew from that point on, I would chase that feeling of reward.

📎 Continue reading the article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2021/05/20/more-than-a-lucky-draw-life-lessons-from-iea/

05/30/2026

Congratulations to the 1,289 IEA Seniors who are graduating this month.....

While your time in IEA may be ending (for now), may your horizons be filled with wonderful new opportunities and equine endeavors. Best wishes to the IEA Senior Class of 2026!

📸 Courtesy of Madie Smith