UA Equestrian Club Working To Stay 'Afloat' After Funding Cuts

TUSCALOOSA, AL — In the wake of detrimental funding cuts, one University of Alabama athletic club is seeking the public's help to stay in the game.

Click here to subscribe to our free Tuscaloosa Daily newsletter and breaking news alerts

A GoFundMe drive was created a little over a week ago by members of UA's Equestrian Team, which team members say is now operating as a club after its funding was cut with little prior notice in May 2020. A petition for UA to maintain the team's status garnered 20,000 signatures, yet still fell short of influencing a change of heart within the administration.

Abigayle Kneebone and Olivia-Ann Woodham are responsible for organizing the GoFundMe, while Kneebone previously headed up the petition effort.

On the GoFundMe page, Kneebone explained that the program was hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic due to restrictions on competition and fundraising.

"The cost of being a member of the Western Club team has increased greatly and we have received very little funding to help with costs associated with running an equestrian club," she said. "Currently, members of the club are responsible for the cost of lessons, horse care, including regular vet and farrier bills, board, and feed. Other subsequent costs are equipment maintenance, team fees, and individual registration fees for IHSA, show entry fees, training at shows, and transportation to and from shows."

In a statement to Patch on Thursday, UA's Assistant Director of Communications Shane Dorrill said the equestrian club was realigned under Student Life and University Recreation in late 2018 to "more closely and appropriately align it with other club sports at UA."

"A thorough analysis including program review and discussions with staff and student leaders of the program led to its current status as a student-led sport club, similar to more than 30 other sport clubs at UA and many of the equestrian program’s competitors at other institutions," he said. "Evaluating spending during times of economic downturn is a challenge, and UA continues to prioritize the needs of our students, their academic success and holistic wellbeing in these decisions."

Despite the cuts, daily expenses still very much loom over a club short on cash and currently uncertain of its future. Kneebone points out that of the seven team horses which came under the team's care this past spring, the program was only able to keep three. Once has since been retired, so the number of team horses has been reduced to two.

"Our horses’ wellbeing is extremely important to us and it is vital that we do not overwork them, so our competing members are only able to practice once a week maximum, which is very little in the horse world," she said. "Because of this, we are hoping to raise enough money so that we can bring another horse onto the team, so our members are able to ride more. Our most immediate goal, however, is to raise enough money to keep the club afloat."

To date, the GoFundMe drive has raised $2,050 from 29 donors toward its $5,000 goal

"Unfortunately, our future is still very tenuous, despite fighting continuously for the past 2 years to keep the team going," Kneebone added. "Our goal in this fundraiser is in no way our entire yearly budget, so we will be doing multiple fundraisers throughout the year to help us compete."

Click here to donate to the GoFundMe for the UA Equestrian Team.

Tuscaloosa Patch has reached out to Kneebone for additional comment and will continue to provide updates on this story as they come available.

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com.