<p>"Finally, participation in the equestrian program at Kent carries with it a significant extra expense ($3000/term currently). In determining eligibility for aid, we do not include this extra cost in our financial aid expense budget and therefore do not assign financial aid funds to cover it."</p>
<p>So, maybe you can get financial aid for tuition and room/board for the student, and pay for the riding program out of your own funds? It is a bit unclear to me....but, you can keep your own horse at Kent.</p>
<p>Sadie2: Good luck with your search! You are starting early, so that will be helpful.</p>
<p>I'm getting worried now...my 8 year-old daughter will want unicorns at her BS and I would hate to think of what the added cost for that program will be.</p>
<p>I ride at a barn about 5 minutes away from Ethel Walker, and it is about as good as it gets for the riding. Linda is fabulous and has brought many kids to all of the equitation finals. I feel honored any time I place above one of her kids. Unfortunately, the academics at Ethel Walker are very weak and, while they're working to change this, it's basically like going to public school.
Kent has an awesome riding program and a decent academic reputation, so I would recommend that as far as Connecticut goes.</p>
<p>I was a full-ride FA student at Chatham Hall many years ago and rode for gym class one or two trimesters out of every year. There was a work-study program that allowed me to help out around the barn a few hours a week and get a significant discount off the riding fee. I'm not sure if the work-study program is the same now, but my sister will be attending in the fall (also as a FA student with $30,000+ in grants) and I know she plans to ride. There's no way my family could afford an un-discounted riding fee, so they must have provided some financial help.</p>
<p>They have indoor and outdoor rings, a full riding staff, and about 50 horses living on campus. The Mars family (as in the candy) has put millions into the riding program.</p>
<p>Please feel free to PM me (though I'm not on here often.) I think it's a great school, though often overlooked.</p>
<p>Sadie and Sullivan,
I will agree with your "horse poor".</p>
<p>However, having been on a college and medical school admissions committees, I can tell you that some parental sacrifice is felt needed prior to FA. Giving up a horse and those expenses is like giving up boating, golf, etc. </p>
<p>You would be expected to prior to getting full FA at most schools. (obviously there are exceptions to every rule).</p>
<p>I appreciate your point. It is unlikely that my D will apply to any schools that offer equestrian sports, because of this fact as well as other factors. Nevertheless, I started this thread because if there are exceptions to the FA exclusion I want to know, before starting the admissions process in the fall. I thought that was fairly obvious from my OP, sorry if it was not.</p>
<p>Just for clarification, my D is involved with horses because she is the D of a
professional trainer. She works as hard at the barn as she does in school. She may choose to do the same thing as her mom someday, but hopefully she'll get a first rate education first. If she has to give up horses while in school - so be it. Still, it would be a great thing if she could build upon her skills in riding just as in her many other interests. </p>
<p>Believe it or not, interest in horses and riding contributes to the betterment of society in many, many ways....but that is a vast topic of discussion methinks for some other forum!</p>
<p>Personally, it strikes me as absurd that FA students would be expected to give up ECs like horseback riding when the school keeps its own stables. It seems like this would create stratification within the social structure of the student body, with only the wealthier students taking advantage of one of the school's offerings. One of the best things about schools at which most students board is the fact that living together in a structured environment can level class differences. To create barriers like not extending FA or work-study to riders seems counter to the spirit of such a community.</p>
<p>I agree naoka, particularly when some of the stellar EC's that got you into the school in the first place probably revolve around riding/showing if it was that big a part of your life.</p>
<p>Kids who ride and do well in school are not only highly motivated, they are advanced in time management skills - they have to be. And they are not afraid of work.</p>
<p>Just for clarity, according to their FA webpage Kent doesn't require kids on FA to give up equestrian activities; it's that participation on the equestrian team costs an additional $3000 (I think that's what they said) **PER TERM<a href="!">/b</a> and that sum is not figured into FA awards. By implication, I guess the kid would have to come up with the money elsewhere.</p>
<p>It's a small point because it still seems pretty crazy to me when, as someone else pointed out, the school maintains the hockey rink and doesn't require hockey players to fork over for the electric bill, but I thought a little restatement of the Kent policy would help here.</p>
<p>smile dog. I don't know Kent. One school I looked at the equestrian outside the school. Some also use golf outside the school. So it is "offered", just not part of the tuition.</p>
<p>Sadie, the more I hear from you, the more I think you will like Thacher. From what I heard from them, it is ideal for you. I think you can bring your own horse too, but they definately assign a horse to EVERY incoming freshman. My d liked to ride, just not THAT much. It is a distance, but mine talked me into believing that the distance would be good for both her and me. (ie she could not run home on weekends to do laundry, etc -- and I could not drive up to see her all the time and interfere with her things.)</p>
<p>Princess'Dad: yeah, I was just addressing that issue with regard to Kent because Sadie2 had mentioned Kent back at Post #18 as being discouraging about riding if you're on FA. I gather that Kent does maintain its own stables (?) so it's not an outside program per se, as was offered by the school you looked at, but Kent's equestrian kids have to pay that huge supplemental fee to participate...OUCH!</p>
<p>I'm sorry to stray off topic but I just realized that the above was my 199th post, so this is #200 - proof positive that I'm incredibly lame. :)</p>
<p>Somewhere Im sure on the Kent site it mentioned ( under FA ) that no one on FA could ride at Kent. I will go back and look for it. </p>
<p>Princess' Dad- thanks again for the plug for Thacher. I did go back and spent some time on their website. While truly a great school, and a great horse centered philosophy, it does not have the kind of riding program that I am looking for my D ( the scenery is fantastic though!). Also we are smack on the east coast ( I can see the Atlantic Ocean out my window) so it really is far.</p>
<p>Smile Dog - okay, I cant find it! Guess Kent goes back on the list! Looks like they have a great instructor and great riding program, and I know its an excellent school.</p>
<p>Sadie2: I did read on Kent's FA page a bit about riding and FA (so you're right! it's there), I just didn't interpret what they had to say as barring FA students from riding. I think rather they were warning prospective equestrians that they would have to pay that hefty fee spearately from whatever FA distributions Kent may be able to supply (and also that the riding fee wouldn't be included in the calculation for what FA was required).</p>
<p>Yes I see your point. I will have to talk to someone in the know over there when the time comes to start applications. Hard to tell. Before we get any more excited D has the SSAT's practice test next month. Hopefully the results will not exclude these great schools....keeping my fingers crossed here....</p>