To work at SmartPak is to live life in the fast lane. After a busy week on the road in Kentucky for the 3-Day Event in April, I had a quick turnaround and was back on the road 48 hours later to Syracuse, New York for the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) National Finals. I was very excited to be attending this show, especially because I had competed in the IHSA in college, and it’s something that I continue to be proud of and hold a spot for in my heart.

If you’re not familiar with intercollegiate riding, it goes a little something like this: there are various levels to compete at, from beginner (Walk-Trot), up through the most advance division (Open). For the Hunter Seat discipline, there are opportunities to compete on the flat and over fences. For the Western discipline, there are rail classes and reining classes. Riders can compete as an individual, or as part of a team.

At each competition throughout the year, a rider will draw their horse’s name – they’ve likely never met this horse before, and there isn’t a warm-up time to get to know them. Instead, riders can only watch the horse school in warm up, read a quick bio about them, and then it’s time to get on and ride!

Bob Cacchione founded the IHSA in 1967 and since then the association has grown to incorporate over 400 schools that participate in competition, and the National Finals brings together the top teams and riders to vie for the championships. SmartPak has been a sponsor of the IHSA for a while, but we hadn’t attended the Nationals event since 2015, so we were excited to be back in person to meet and greet with the riders, coaches, and show management team.

Along with my coworker Kara, I spent four days at the New York State Fair Exposition Center, watching the next generation of riders and soon-to-be industry professionals showcase their talents in front of a panel of judges. Through Kara’s amazing efforts with sponsorships, we were there to present riders who placed within the top 10 of each class with their ribbon and a gift certificate (or in some cases a jacket) from SmartPak!

These riders had worked hard all year leading up to this point. Standing in line waiting to be called, you could see the emotions come together. The tears of joy that came when someone was crowned a national champion, or the hugs that a rider gave their horse after a great ride – it was powerful. The cheers and clapping that came from teams and the audience, no matter the placing, was enough to give you chills. Riding is typically seen as an individual sport – but IHSA embodies what it means to be on a team.

We also had the honor to present one horse with the SmartPak’s Most Popular Hunt Seat Horse award. This year’s recipient was Lucky from Centenary College. There were many riders who rode Lucky throughout the competition, and aside from his standing ovation, Lucky also received a free year of supplements in SmartPaks! While we couldn’t be there for the second award, Honey from University of Findlay was also recognized as the SmartPak’s Most Popular Western Horse, and also received a free year of supplements!

On our last day, both Kara and I also had the opportunity to sit on a career panel in front of 4H high school students, their parents, and other college athletes. After spending their morning learning about different careers in the equine industry, we spoke to our college education, how we got to our current positions, and offered any advice we had for students.

At the end of it all, we learned so much, and left with so many more ideas of how we can support the IHSA and those horses who are the true backbone of the collegiate program.