Riding scholarships in the United States and Canada
The experience that will change your life
Thanks to an equestrian scholarship in the United States and Canada, you can experience something unique. Traveling across the United States or Canada while representing your educational institution throughout the country is just one of the many advantages this option offers. In addition, you will receive academic and athletic training while learning a new language and making new friends from around the world. Athletes are treated like true professionals, with the best facilities, professional training, travel, and sports equipment…
To obtain an equestrian scholarship in the United States and Canada, the better your results in competitions, the greater the interest from coaches, and the higher the scholarships they will offer. It is important to have official results to attract the attention of university coaches.
There are many universities with equestrian programs in the United States and Canada.
These universities belong to the university leagues: NCAA Divisions I, II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA.
Coaches receive applications from many athletes every day, so it is important to stand out and start the process to obtain an equestrian scholarship in the United States and Canada in advance. This way, you can be in contact with coaches early and keep them updated on your latest results.
It is very important for athletes to have the support of Awex Education well in advance so that we can evaluate the real possibilities in the United States and Canada and avoid jeopardizing athletic eligibility.
At Awex Education, we take care of the entire process so that you don’t have to worry about anything and can fully enjoy this incredible experience.
High School Riding
If you are between 12 and 17 years old, have an intermediate level of English, and a grade above 6 out of 10, you can apply for a scholarship to study at a High School in the United States or Canada.
University Riding
If you are 16 years or older, have an intermediate level of English, and a grade above 6 out of 10, you can apply for a scholarship to study at a University in the United States or Canada.
Riding in the United States and Canada
Our CEO, William Touchard, explains in detail everything you need to know about the sports program.
Do you have any questions?
Why the United States and Canada?
The American educational system is the only educational system that allows combining competitive sports with university studies. Additionally, thanks to a Riding scholarship, athletes can cover a percentage of academic expenses. Often, there are also opportunities to add academic scholarships, which can further reduce the total costs.
Schools offer Riding scholarships in the United States for their team members, allowing athletes to finance their studies through Riding.
Thanks to this opportunity, athletes can experience many advantages compared to the Spanish system: combining studies and sports, traveling completely free across the United States with the sports team, obtaining an academic degree from a U.S. school, learning perfect English, meeting people from many different countries, and living unforgettable experiences. For all these reasons, athletes are opened up to a world of possibilities thanks to Riding.
Riding scholarships in the United States and Canada
Each sports league has a maximum number of Riding scholarships to distribute, and within those maximums, the school allocates the scholarship funds as it deems appropriate.
Coaches at the educational institutions distribute the Riding scholarship funds as full and partial scholarships to the team athletes. Normally, you must be among the best players on the team to receive a Riding scholarship. There are also other opportunities called walk-ons; these allow players to join the team without receiving a Riding scholarship in the United States. After a year in this position, depending on the player’s performance, they may earn a Riding scholarship for the following years.
Scholarship limit per team
The number of Riding scholarships available at each educational institution varies from school to school. Each sports league has a maximum number of Riding scholarships that can be offered, but schools may choose to offer fewer scholarships than that limit if they wish.
A clear example is the Ivy League universities (a group of academically prestigious schools such as Harvard) that do not offer athletic scholarships.
In addition, Riding is a sport where coaches can divide the number of Riding scholarships among team members. For example, in NCAA Division I, men’s Riding coaches can divide the equivalent value of 12.6 scholarships among as many players as they wish.
Women’s Riding, on the other hand, in NCAA Division I, can have up to a maximum of 18 scholarships, meaning that with the appropriate level of performance, it is possible to obtain a full Riding scholarship.
How does the process of obtaining athletic scholarships in the United States and Canada work?
The number of Riding scholarships available at each educational institution varies from school to school. Each sports league has a maximum number of Riding scholarships that can be offered, but schools may choose to offer fewer scholarships than that limit if they wish.
A clear example is the Ivy League universities (a group of academically prestigious schools such as Harvard) that do not offer athletic scholarships.
In addition, Riding is a sport where coaches can divide the number of Riding scholarships among team members. For example, in NCAA Division I, men’s Riding coaches can divide the equivalent value of 12.6 scholarships among as many players as they wish.
Women’s Riding, on the other hand, in NCAA Division I, can have up to a maximum of 18 scholarships, meaning that with the appropriate level of performance, it is possible to obtain a full Riding scholarship.
Academic requirements
Another important factor in being able to access a good educational institution is the academic aspect — your high school grades, as well as your SAT and TOEFL scores. If two students have a similar athletic level but there are significant differences in their academic performance, the coach will usually offer the Riding scholarship to the better student.
This is because students must meet minimum academic requirements, which makes academics just as important as Riding in several ways:
Athletic eligibility: Students must meet minimum grade and test score requirements to be accepted into athletic leagues.
School acceptance: To be admitted into a U.S. institution, the athlete must meet academic standards on the SAT and TOEFL exams.
It is even possible to receive an academic scholarship, which can be combined with the sports scholarship, resulting in a larger total scholarship amount. To obtain these academic scholarships, students must have strong grades and high test scores on the SAT and TOEFL.
Therefore, the higher the grades, the more options the athlete will have — and the greater the financial aid offered by the institution.
Each school or coach has different academic requirements, which is why at Awex Education we evaluate each athlete’s academic and athletic profile to find the best fit for every student.
What level of riding skill is required?
In the United States and Canada, there are over a thousand educational institutions with Riding teams that are part of various leagues. Within this wide range of schools, the level of Riding also varies greatly.
Riding programs tend to offer a larger number of scholarships to women than to men, meaning that the chances of obtaining a Riding scholarship are generally higher for female athletes. Scholarships are awarded based on each athlete’s sporting and academic performance.
Coaches are usually in contact with athletes one or even two years before they start at the institution. However, the final scholarship decisions are made based on the athlete’s performances from the year before starting in the U.S. or Canada, typically during their final year of high school.
Although most athletes specialize in a specific event, coaches look for versatile riders who can compete in multiple disciplines within their field.
Within the endurance and middle-distance disciplines, the opportunities can be even greater, as these athletes can compete in both cross-country and track events. For this reason, coaches often show more interest in these versatile athletes and may offer them higher scholarships.
What do riding scholarships cover?
Riding scholarships in the United States cover a percentage of the school expenses listed below. In the case of obtaining a full Riding scholarship, all of these costs will be covered:
Tuition and fees
Books
Housing (Residence hall or apartment)
Meals
Health insurance
In addition, all athletes on the school’s Riding team, whether or not they have a Riding scholarship, always have their Riding-related expenses covered. This includes: Riding training sessions, sports equipment, official competitions, travel to competitions (transportation, lodging, and meals), academic tutoring when needed, sports medicine, and physiotherapy.
How do American coaches measure an athlete's level?
Coaches assess the Riding level of each athlete through several factors:
Official results or times
National and international competitions
Riding video
Awex Education evaluation
With all this information, Awex Education evaluates each athlete and their family and works with schools that match their athletic and academic level, ensuring strong opportunities to obtain a sports scholarship and compete as part of the team.
Awex Stories
Real stories from our students and families in the United States and Canada. Discover how they lived their experience, what they learned, and how this adventure transformed their lives.
Awex Stories
Real stories from our students and families in the United States and Canada. Discover how they lived their experience, what they learned, and how this adventure transformed their lives.
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