Show Team

Our show team is a group of MacNair's riders, both juniors and adult amateurs, who compete at rated hunter and jumper shows across the Southeast, in states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky, with our head trainer, Sarah Garcia. Riders show in hunter, equitation, and jumper classes, travel together, and share the work and the fun of a show weekend as a team.

All three are part of hunt seat English riding, but each is judged differently. Hunters are judged on the horse, rewarding a smooth, even, elegant round over fences with good form and a relaxed way of going. Equitation is judged on the rider, watching your position, timing, and effectiveness, and it is the foundation for medal classes and finals.

Jumpers are judged on numbers rather than opinion, scored on jumping faults such as rails down or refusals and on time, with the fastest clean round winning. The courses are bigger and more technical.

A division is a group of related classes that run across the show and add up to a division championship. Some divisions are all one type, such as a jumper division, while many pair hunter over fences classes with an under saddle (flat) class and equitation for the same rider. Your trainer helps you pick the divisions that fit your level and your horse.

Yes, and we encourage it. Our in-house schooling shows are a relaxed, affordable place to practice what you are working on, try a new division, or give a green horse valuable mileage before a rated show. Many riders use schooling shows and rated shows together as they progress, since both help horse and rider improve.

The show team is for riders who board a horse, one they own or one they lease, at our Top Barn. If you are in the lesson program and you would like to jump higher than 2 feet, travel to rated shows, or have hack days to ride outside of a lesson, our lease and board programs are the path.

The show team is made up of riders who board a horse, one they own or one they lease, at our Top Barn. Top Barn board requires two weekly lessons with head trainer Sarah Garcia, and the lesson fee is billed separately from board. Both horse and rider need her approval to join. Riders who board at the Legacy Barn or on pasture board are not part of the show team, because the team trains with our head trainer. The best first step is to explore our boarding and leasing options, and the office can help you from there.

Either works. You can compete on your own horse or on a horse you lease, as long as the horse is boarded at our Top Barn and you and the horse have your trainer's approval. If MacNair's does not have a lease horse that suits a show team rider, Sarah will help you find one to lease from offsite.

Not at all. Our show team is a mix of juniors and adult amateurs, and we love the range of ages and experience it brings.

We ask team riders to attend at least four shows a year. We stay flexible when life happens, for example if a horse or rider is coming back from an injury, or a green horse is still getting ready for the show ring.

Yes. Both the horse and the rider need our head trainer's approval before joining the team, so that every pairing is safe, ready, and set up to have a good experience in the ring.

USEF is the United States Equestrian Federation, the national governing body for equestrian sport in the United States. It writes the rulebook, licenses and rates competitions, and records the points and results that count toward national and regional standings.

NCHJA is the North Carolina Hunter Jumper Association, our state association. It recognizes shows here in North Carolina, tracks points toward year end awards, and runs medal programs and finals for our region.

The letter is the show's rating. A rated "A" show is a larger, more competitive USEF licensed show, with bigger classes, higher entry costs, and points that count toward national and regional standings. A "C" show is a smaller, more local NCHJA recognized show that costs less and is a wonderful place to gain experience and to bring along a greener horse or a newer competitor. Both are valuable, and riders and their trainer collaborate to build a show schedule that fits the rider and the horse.

Memberships are not required to show with us, but we encourage them. Being a member lets you accumulate points toward year end awards, qualify for and be invited to medal finals, and get the most out of your season.

Show costs vary by the show and by how much you compete, so we ask you to contact the office for a show budget. Beyond your board, the pieces involved are a coaching (day) fee, a day care fee, hauling, stabling, a per show office fee, show entries, and braiding.

Day care is the daily care our staff provides for your horse at the show. We muck stalls and replenish shavings, and handle hay, feed, water, and any medications, using your horse's own hay from home along with their usual feed and supplements. We also haul your tack trunks. Because there is no turnout at shows, it is the rider's responsibility to make sure their horse is properly walked and exercised when it is not showing.

Yes. We trailer the team's horses to and from every show, and we bring the team's tack trunks and gear.

We coordinate a braider for the team, and riders pay the braider directly. Braiding is standard for "A" shows and for some derbies at "C" shows.

No. There is no cost to be on the team itself. You pay per show, plus your regular board.

Yes. If Sarah helps you purchase or lease a horse, a commission fee applies. She is glad to walk you through how that works when the time is right.

Shows are multi-day. We may leave as early as a Tuesday and not return until Sunday. We prefer riders to be there for the full show so they can school and care for their horse when they are not competing. If you cannot be there the whole time, please clear it with our show team staff ahead of time.

We do. The barn handles entries for our team riders, so you do not have to navigate the paperwork on your own.

You pack your horse's tack into the tack trunks and bring your own show attire. We haul the trunks and the team's gear, and at each show we rent an extra stall that we set up as a mobile tack room. Please have your show gear prepped and ready to load onto the trailers the night before we leave.

Riders and families book their own lodging. As a team we usually stay at the same hotel or share an Airbnb near the show grounds, which is part of the fun.

Please do. Horse shows are very family friendly, and plenty of us bring our dogs along too. It is a wonderful way for families to be part of the experience and cheer their rider on.

We ask all riders to come back to the barn after the show to help care for their horse and unpack the team's gear. Caring for the horses and for the team is part of being on the team.

Our show team is led by head trainer Sarah Garcia, who coaches our riders at home and at every show. You can learn more on her trainer page.

They are two separate programs. On the show team, riders compete on their own horse or a horse they lease, at rated hunter and jumper shows they and their trainer choose. On the IEA team, riders compete on horses they draw by lottery at the show, so no rider needs to own or lease a horse, in a team format for middle and high school students. If you are deciding between them, the office is happy to help you find the right fit.

The team travels across the Southeast, to states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky, and the shows we attend can vary from year to year. This year's schedule includes the Carolina Horse Park in Raeford, the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, the Governor James B. Hunt Horse Complex in Raleigh, and Highfields Event Center in Aiken, South Carolina.