The University of Waterloo Equestrian Team is a riding team that competes in the hunter equitation discipline. The team gives the opportunity for riders in University to continue riding and competing without the financial and time commitments generally tied to the sport. The University of Waterloo Equestrian Team competes on the Ontario Collegiate Equestrian Association circuit (ontariocea.com). Founded in 2007, the University of Waterloo Equestrian Team was one of the first 7 universities to compete on the OCEA circuit.
OCEA
The OCEA is a student-run group that allows university students from all over Ontario to compete in hunter equitation classes on horses they are not familiar with. OCEA competitions are based on “catch riding,” with riders drawing a horse provided by the host school. Riders accumulate points in their respective classes both for their individual standing and for the team.
There are four zones within the OCEA. The University of Waterloo Equestrian Team currently competes on the West Zone. West Zone is home to 4 universities (Waterloo, Guelph, Western, and Laurier) and each team takes their turn throughout the year to host a minimum of one competition.
OCEA competitions have four different divisions to allow for riders of varying ability. Each team brings riders to compete in each division, typically 3-4 per division. Each rider competes in one over fences (jumping) class and one flat class.
Over the course of the year, individual points are calculated and the top riders of each division qualify for OCEA finals. This is held at the end of the school year and hosts riders from all twenty-one OCEA member schools from across Ontario and Quebec.
Waterloo Equestrian 