Nora Harris returns for her sixth season as Head Coach of the Equestrian program.
Harris made strides with the Equestrian team in her first season as head coach. RWU ended the fall portion of the 2016-17 season in fourth place in the region after a strong showing among the team’s seven shows. The Hawks earned wins at the UMass-Dartmouth/Rhode Island College Show in October and the University of Rhode Island Show in November. In the spring, the Hawks finished in third place in the region. In addition, eight Hawks qualified for Regionals in the Spring and four riders qualified for Zones. At Zones, the Hawks sent Kaia Lindberg and Stephanie Main to the IHSA National Championship, marking the first time in program history that multiple riders qualified for Nationals. At Nationals, Lindberg was honored as an IHSA All-American after finishing seventh in Walk-Trot-Canter.
The 2017-18 season was one of the best in program history. The Equestrian team ended the fall portion of the season in first place in the region after a strong showing including wins at the Becker and Assumption Shows. In the spring, the Hawks continued their run in the spring with wins in all four shows. RWU would earn the regional and zone championship for the first time since 2014 and qualified as a team for the IHSA National Championship for the first time in program history. Overall, the team finished 13th at IHSA Nationals.
In 2018, the Hawks finished in third place in the region while qualifying ten riders for Regionals in the Spring and two riders for Zones. At Zones, Harris helped guide sophomore Annie Keller to the IHSA National Championship after she was Reserve Champion at Novice Flat. At the National Championship, Keller earned Honorable Mention honors.
The 2019 season saw Harris guide RWU to the IHSA National Championship after winning the Zone 1 Championship, marking the first time in program history that the team qualified for the team division of the national championship. Five riders competed for the Hawks, helping the team place 12th at Nationals.
Harris currently runs her own stable, Nora Harris Equestrian, in Tiverton, Rhode Island, where she serves as Head Trainer. For the past seven years, she has provided private training and instruction as well as developing lesson plans for rider development. In addition, she has coached a team that competed at the Interscholastic Equestrian Association National Finals.
Prior to Harris graduated from Virginia Intermont College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Equine Studies. While at Virginia Intermont, she was a member of the riding team that won two Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championships and one Intercollegiate Dressage Association National Championship. In addition, Harris won the IHSA Novice Flat National Championship in 2005.
Harris holds a Master’s Degree in Equine Science from the University of Edinburgh and a Level II Certification in Hunt Seat and Dressage from the American Riding Instructor Association. She also served as Zone 1, Region 7 President of the IHSA.
