Tryouts

Tryouts take place at the Hoofer Equestrian Center in Belleville, WI. Tryouts are officially scheduled for Friday, September 7th 3-5pm, and Sunday September 9th, 3:30-5:30.  Carpools will be arranged for those who do not have cars at school. The format will roughly follow that of a typical IHSA horse show: riders will mount a random horse according to their experience level and the coach and captains will evaluate them based on their performance and potential for improvement.

Important: In the past, UWET has not made traditional cuts, as do other sports teams. However, in recent years, increased interest combined with limited lesson and horse availability has forced the exec board to only accept a certain number of members each year depending on how many people are returning. However, as the first few weeks of the first semester go on and students realize the commitment they have to school, work, and any other activities they are involved in, they sometimes find that they cannot make the commitment to the team. Because of this, the captain(s) and the coach create a reserve team that only pays for the Hoofer membership and for practice. If a member of the regular show team decides to quit, a reserve team member is moved up and gets a lesson spot.

The new member informational meeting is usually scheduled on the Wednesday of the first week of classes and takes place in the Hoofer Lounge. Tryouts are that same weekend, on the Friday and Sunday, both at 3:30. We meet at the Memorial Union at 2:15 to organize carpools. Be prepared to stay to tack, untack, and cool horses. Students will be back on campus no later than 6 pm.

Equipment

Hoofer Equestrian Center policy requires that all riders wear an ASTM/SEI approved helmet as well as a boot with a one inch heel. The heel should not be any higher than this. Tall boots or half chaps are optional, but recommended. If you do not own any riding equipment, Hoofers provides helmets and current team members are more than willing to share boots. Riders should preferably wear breeches, but jeans are also acceptable.