Mount Holyoke College equestrian coach C.J. Law has confirmed an exceptional lineup of Striding Forward: 50 Years of IHSA Collegiate Advice panel speakers at Equine Affaire-Massachusetts, November 10-13, at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield.
The Striding Forward: 50 Years of IHSA Collegiate Advice Panel will be 5:00 pm Thursday, November 10, on the Seminar Stage of the Better Living Center (BLC) building, where the IHSA information booth will also be located in Aisle 900.
Panel speakers will feature IHSA founder and executive director, Robert E. ‘Bob’ Cacchione; IHSA National Steward and Dartmouth College coach, Sally Batton; IHSA National Board member and Mount Holyoke College coach, C.J. Law; UMass Equine Studies program director Jill Smith; and IHSA Alumni rider, Liz Tripp.
In 1967, Fairleigh-Dickinson University (NJ) sophomore Bob Cacchione founded the IHSA with a handful of competing northeast school teams and today, IHSA serves more than 400 member institutions and 10,000 individual hunt seat, western horsemanship and reining riders annually. He has been recognized with (among others) the AHP Equine Industry Vision Award, USHJA Presidents Distinguished Service Award and USEF Humanitarian Award for his contributions to the collegiate and horse sport worlds.
Sally Batton is in her 26th season as head coach of the Dartmouth (Etna, NH) equestrian team and director of riding, having served on the IHSA Board of Directors since 1984, as Regional president, then chair of numerous committees, and since 2001 as IHSA National Steward.
C.J. Law is in her 34th season as head coach of the Mount Holyoke (South Hadley, MA) College equestrian team. Law has guided the Lyons to three IHSA National Championships (1986, 2000, 2006) and 21 Individual National Championships, including three USEF Cacchione Cups (1990, 2002, 2010). Named Horsewoman of the Year by Spur Magazine in 1997 and selected as one of its 20 most influential horse people, Law received the IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998 for her innovative ideas promoting sportsmanship, including founding the IHSA Senior Academic Achievement and National Horse Show Sportsmanship Awards.
Jill Smith is the director of Equestrian Training at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and Stockbridge School, one of the finest collegiate horse facilities in the country, with a diverse management program offering a foundation in equine-related agriculture, business and recreation careers.
Liz Tripp (Mount Holyoke College ’11) studied Economics and Mathematics while riding for the MHC Lyons, debuting in Intermediate and graduating as an Open rider. While on the team she was elected Team Manager, Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative, represented MHC individually and for the team at IHSA Nationals her sophomore and junior years, and won multiple Year End High Points and Reserves for IHSA Zone 1 Region 3. A Business Integration Manager at Hanover Insurance Group, Tripp has continued to compete her own horse, Chops, most recently at MHJ, MHC and New England Equitation Finals.
IHSA promotes competition for full time student riders of all skill levels, who compete individually and as teams at regional to national levels based on the principle that any college student should be able to participate in horse shows regardless of financial status, gender or riding level. In 2017 IHSA celebrates the Golden 50th Anniversary of its 1967 founding by Fairleigh-Dickinson University sophomore Robert E. ‘Bob’ Cacchione and today serves more than 400 member institutions and 10,000 riders annually. Visit www.ihsainc.com and follow IHSA on Facebook and Instagram for more about Bob’s 50th Anniversary Tour, IHSA teams, scholarships and alumni riding programs.
