Varsity Equestrian National Championship Brackets Released

The American Quarter Horse Journal, April 5, 2007 – The American Quarter Horse Association is excited to announce the collegiate teams that have been selected and seeded for this year’s Varsity Equestrian National Championships.

Twelve schools were chosen for both the hunter seat and western divisions to compete at the national championships. The VENC selection committee selects and seeds the teams based on current competition year statistics.

The selected teams will compete April 18-20 in Waco, Texas, at the Heart O’ Texas Fair Complex. The teams will compete in a bracket-style format, which was used for the first time last year after being accepted by the Varsity Equestrian Steering Committee.

The No. 1 seed in the western division is Texas A&M University, and the top seed on the hunter seat side is the University of South Carolina. Visit www.varsityequestrian.com  to see the complete brackets.

Following the bracket format, schools will compete in head-to-head competition using the same set of horses. The winning team will advance through the winner’s bracket until the national champions are determined.

In 1998, NCAA Division I and II adopted legislation to identify equestrian as an emerging sport for women. Since then, the sport has gained in popularity among colleges and universities across the United States. The American Quarter Horse Association and the United States Equestrian Federation ® have teamed to promote the competition and educate the industry about this growing sport.

“AQHA is proud to support the involvement of young people with horses,” said AQHA Executive Vice President Bill Brewer. “The Varsity Equestrian program is a great partner in our efforts to provide equine activities to people of all ages and backgrounds.”

For more information on Varsity Equestrian and complete coverage from this year’s competition, visit www.varsityequestrian.com .

AQHA news and information is a service of AQHA publications. For more information on The American Quarter Horse Journal, The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal or America’s Horse, visit www.aqha.com/magazines .