The Plaid Horse is proud to present, for the second consecutive year, key data points about the 2025 signing class for Division I of the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) compiled by The Equestrian College Advisor. This analysis highlights the level of competition and commitment required to secure Division I roster spots, focusing on the competition schedules and habits of the 64 members of the most recent signing class.
Click here to see the digital graphic of NCEA Equestrian Statistics – 2025
As with the 2024 infographic, all data has been sourced from publicly available information. Notably, no conclusions about scholarship awards should be drawn, as this information is not disclosed in public forums.
Trends observed in the 2025 signing class include:
- The average number of horses shown per rider in a single year increased from 10 to 11.
- Riders attended an average of 22 shows, up from 21 in 2024.
- The average number of classes entered per rider rose by 16%, from 195 to 226.
- Classes ridden per horse annually saw an 11% increase, climbing from 163 to 181.
The most popular division for riders remained Large Junior Hunters, though there was a slight uptick in crossover into the jumper arena. Participation in winter circuits also remained a consistent feature of competition schedules across both the 2024 and 2025 classes.
Academically, some shifts were noted in educational backgrounds: the percentage of online high school students decreased slightly from 30.8% to 26.8%, while the proportion of private school attendees grew from 38.5% to 44.6%.
About
Randi Heathman founded The Equestrian College Advisor, an educational consulting practice, to guide high school students and their parents through the college search and application process—more specifically, high school equestrians. She employs ten years of experience in college admissions and another decade inside the daily operations of a varsity equestrian program to help families understand both the academic and athletic side of the college search with the goal to find the right fit for each individual student.
Click here to visit her website and to learn more about The Equestrian College Advisor.
Media Contact:
Marley Lien-Gonzalez
editor@theplaidhorse.com