2010-2011 IEA Equestrian Team

Team Coach
Karen Zinkhan

Ms. Karen Zinkhan is currently enjoying her fifth year as the John Carroll Equestrian Team Coach. Karen has been teaching riding lessons for over 25 years. She resides at Bit By Bit Stable in Jarrettsville, Maryland.

The John Carroll School
We are a Catholic, independent, college-preparatory, co-educational school for grades 9 - 12, located on a beautiful 72-acre campus in the town of Bel Air, in Harford County, Maryland. Named for America’s first Catholic bishop, our core values are inspired by his example as priest, patriot, and scholar: love of learning, respect for self, and sensitivity to others.

History of the John Carroll School Equestrian Team
Our first Equestrian Team was developed shortly after the opening of the school in the late 1960’s and competed for several years. The John Carroll Equestrian Team was reinstated in the Spring of 2005. At that time, the team competed in local Hunter/Jumper shows throughout Harford and Baltimore Counties.

The program developed to accommodate our riders, and eventing competitions were added to our repertoire. After competing several years within the Mid-Atlantic Eventing Series, the team was yearning for more structure to its competition schedule.

During the 2007/2008 school year, the John Carroll Equestrian Team became a member team of the Interscholastic Equestrian Association or IEA. A year later, we qualified both as a team and as individual riders for Zone 3 Finals. John Carroll was proud to send a rider to the IEA National Competition in 2009. That rider placed second in the Junior Varsity Novice Division.

Riders on our team are not required to own their own mount but must be active in a lesson program with a recognized trainer. A rider must compete in one complete IEA competition series (5 Zone Shows) for two seasons to qualify for a varsity letter.

Service to Our Community
Our Equestrian Team started a tradition of assisting the Elkridge Harford Hunt Club to raise funds for the St. James Church Food Bank in Monkton, MD. On Thanksgiving Day, during the annual Blessing of The Hounds, our team volunteers their time collecting donations from spectators and local foxhunters to benefit this worthy cause. In this way, we are able to serve the community as well as participate in an equine tradition dating back to the late nineteenth century.