ABOUT
The Queen’s Equestrian Team was officially founded in 2008, and operates under Queen’s University Athletics and Recreation Clubs.
The OCEA competitions operate under a “catch riding” format, in which you will be assigned a horse provided by the hosting school's facility by random draw. You watch the horse warm up on the flat and over fences, then the competition starts and you simply get on and go! The over fences portion is a typical hunter like medal/eq course (~eight jumps), set at various heights for each division, then there is a flat class, with both being judged based on hunt seat equitation.
The OCEA comprises four divisions - Entry, Novice, Intermediate and Open, all of which are based on riding and showing experience. Riders will accumulate points in their respective divisions for both individual and team standings. To find out which division you qualify for, please check out the 'OCEA Divisions ' page on our website.
We compete in the East Zone throughout the school year, with 5 shows per school year (fall and winter semester). The competitions are a single day, typically on a Sunday. We may travel the day of the competition, or stay in a hotel the night before. The year concludes with the OCEA Finals held in March, in which the top riders from the zones are invited to compete for their division titles.
Our team consists of twenty talented riders, with five riders for each division (two CORE riders, three ALTERNATE riders). The core riders are guaranteed a ride at each competition, and the alternates are able to ride depending on horse numbers at the host facility (known week before show if spot is available). Many of our alternates were given the opportunity to compete at ALL four of the shows this year. Alternate is a good option for those looking for less of a commitment to showing because of a busy schedule or personal financial constraints.
Our tryouts are hosted virtually from August to early September via Google Forms. We would prefer to see a show video and a short flatwork video if possible. We now have a second round of tryouts that are in-person for riders new to the team. This option gives riders the chance to experience catch riding before the first show and ask questions to vets, captains and execs at the tryout helping out. We will email each individual with our final decisions in mid-September. We welcome everyone with all levels of experience to try out for the team!
