Scottsdale Equestrian IEA Team

10/07/2026

For many families entering the horse world, competition can seem to come with an enormous prerequisite: first, find a horse. Whether buying or leasing, it can turn showing into a major financial and logistical commitment before a young rider or their family even knows whether competition is something they want to pursue.

Roxane Durant, co-founder and executive director of the IEA - Interscholastic Equestrian Association sees another way in. IEA’s draw-based format means riders do not bring their own horses to the competition. They arrive, draw the horse they will ride, and compete on the horse provided.

“You don’t have to own or lease a horse,” Durant said.

That detail is fundamental to what IEA is trying to accomplish: create an entry point into our industry that allows riders to participate before horse ownership becomes part of the equation.

Durant is practical about the idea of requiring ownership as the first step into competition.

“If you tell a parent that the only way to get in the sport is you gotta start by going and buying a horse, well, most of us would already know that’s a bad plan,” she said.

A family new to horses may not yet understand what ownership involves. The rider may love lessons but have no idea whether they enjoy competing. Parents may not know what level of commitment their child ultimately wants.

IEA gives them a chance to find out. Durant describes it as an opportunity for riders and families to “get their feet wet.”

They can learn what it feels like to compete, move through levels, accumulate points, and potentially qualify for postseason events without beginning with the expense and responsibility of buying or leasing a competition horse. If they discover they love it, they can go further.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2026/10/02/what-if-you-didnt-need-to-own-a-horse-to-start-showing/
📸 © Winslow Photography

09/30/2026

Happy Sweet Sixteen Birthday to our team
Captains Gabby and Kaylee!

09/20/2026

For young riders, it can be easy to think of progress primarily in terms of what happens in the saddle. Moving on to more difficult divisions and bigger goals. But Roxane Durant, co-founder and executive director of the IEA - Interscholastic Equestrian Association believes equestrian education has to extend beyond riding.

Over the years, IEA has increasingly incorporated horsemanship into its programming, giving riders opportunities to learn not only how to compete, but how horses are cared for, how horse shows actually function, and how much work happens before anyone ever walks through the in-gate.

For Durant, some of those lessons are built directly into the structure of the program.

After an IEA team has been in the program for a few years, it is required to host or co-host horse shows. That means the coaches have to come together to organize the event, but it also means their students become part of making that event happen.

The riders may help prepare horses for competition or set courses before the show. They may learn what happens at the in-gate, help with announcing, or work around the concession stand. “All the pieces that go into running, you know, just a small schooling size horse show,” Durant said. “All those learning pieces are happening inherently as part of participating in IEA.”

For riders accustomed to arriving at a show with everything already prepared, seeing the other side of the operation can offer a very different education. Someone has to make sure horses are ready. Someone has to know which rider belongs where. Someone has to set the course, call the class, organize the gate, and keep the day moving. The horse show does not simply appear when the first rider enters the ring.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2026/09/19/iea-is-teaching-more-than-equitation/
📸 © Jennifer Wile Rubin

09/07/2026

There is only one winner in most horse show classes. That means even very successful riders spend a lot of time not winning. For Ava Stearns, learning how to handle that reality became an important part of her own riding career and, later, part of the perspective she brings to her work as a commentator.

“This is a sport where you’re going to lose more than you win,” Stearns said on episode 483 of The Plaidcast. “And if you don’t figure out how to lose and how to lose effectively, you’re not gonna get better.”

Stearns has competed on some of the biggest stages in equitation, including winning the Maclay Finals and finishing near the top in other national championships. She is also quick to point out that she has made mistakes on those same stages. “I’ve made mistakes on every national stage you can do so,” she said.

That experience shapes the way she talks about riders during broadcasts. She knows how exposed a mistake can feel at a major championship, especially for a junior rider competing at that level for the first or second time. A missed distance or disappointing round can suddenly feel enormous because it happened in front of a crowd, judges, trainers, family, and everyone watching the livestream.

Stearns wants riders to remember that mistakes are normal. “It happens to the best riders in the world,” she said. One imperfect round is not unusual, and it is not proof that a rider does not belong at that level.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2026/09/05/youre-going-to-lose-more-than-you-win-so-learn-how-to-lose-well/

09/02/2026

Our annual team meeting was Sunday. Welcome to all the new IEA riders! We are so glad you are joining us! Welcome back to our returning members! It was great to see everyone again! 2026-27 Season looks bright! Let's have a great year in this IEA's 25th Anniversary Season!
GO TEAM SCOTTSDALE!!!

08/31/2026

When it comes to performance, most riders focus on what happens in the ring. But high-performance coach John Haime believes that one of the most overlooked influences on a rider’s success is something far more personal: the people they surround themselves with.

“Who you’re around is critical,” Haime said on The Plaidcast. “If you’re around positive people, people who care about you, want to help you, and believe in you, you have a better chance to succeed.”

It’s a powerful reminder that success doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Riders are shaped not only by their habits and mindset, but also by their communities, and that’s especially true for juniors.

As riders move through their teenage years, they’re developing not only their athletic skills but also their values, identities, and emotional resilience. Haime emphasized that during this stage, peers play an outsized role. “If you’re a teenager, your friends are influencing you more than your parents are,” he said. “That’s just the way it is.”

Whether it’s a barnmate who cheers you on or a teammate who constantly criticizes others, those voices become part of a rider’s internal dialogue. “If you’re around people who are tearing others down or chasing superficial goals, that becomes your environment,” Haime added.

Not everyone you ride with or spend time around will lift you up, and that’s okay. Haime’s advice isn’t to avoid every tough interaction, but to be intentional about where you invest your time and energy. “The more you grow as a person, the more you start thinking about who you want to be around,” he said. “That reflection is part of building confidence.”

Klemm echoed this idea with a personal perspective. “The number one thing that changed my life was choosing different people,” she said. “When I was around people who pushed me to be better, everything changed.”

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/08/25/why-you-are-the-company-you-keep/
📸 © Heather N. Photography

08/18/2026

Memories of past teams...

08/13/2026

Meet our Captains for the 2026-27 IEA Season!
Rylee England (Varsity Open) in charge of draw and ring, Gabby Speranzo (Varsity Intermediate) in charge of the Middle School Team and Kaylee McKinster in charge of the barn and horses.

08/13/2026

Equitation often carries a reputation as a junior rider’s proving ground. But Geoff Teall makes a compelling case that every rider, regardless of age or discipline, can benefit from training like an equitation rider.

“Equitation riders learn more about lengthening and shortening, turning, lightening, and making their horses responsive than most riders in other disciplines,” he writes. Those skills stretch the rider, challenge the horse, and ultimately make both more capable in the long run.

At its core, equitation is about learning how to ride into and out of problems. “Since fine-tuning your equitation skills involves learning how to ride into and out of specific problems, you learn a lot about training,” Teall explains.

Instead of simply drilling a course, equitation work encourages riders to think critically. Each challenge becomes an opportunity to use position, balance, and timing to find the solution. By approaching mistakes as puzzles to solve, riders develop resilience, confidence, and a stronger sense of feel.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/08/25/why-every-rider-should-train-like-an-equitation-rider/
📸 © Heather N. Photography

06/19/2026