Nebraska Equestrian team seeks horses for their donation and lease program

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – With the world’s largest high school rodeo in town, horses are on the minds of many.

This is especially true for those on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Equestrian team.

The nearly 60 student equestrians on the team aren’t horsing around when it comes to being the strongest and most stable masters of their rodeo either.

In light of the new school year, the team is asking for help obtaining up to 30 horses as part of its horse donation and lease program.

Many say that the training provided by these horses has helped the team win national championship titles.

Most recently, they placed top ten at the 2026 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association competition in North Carolina.

All members coming from different parts of the country and with different experience levels, but all sharing Associate Professor. Lena Luck’s love for equines.

Luck says that the horses end up becoming their teachers throughout the program.

“They really build those students up and get them to where they need to be,” she said.

“And they’re all different, so they bring their own personality and quirks which are really good for training the students.”

Students compete in a range of skill levels across the Midwest, with many becoming professional competitors or veterinarians.

Although the decades old program has always relied on donations, the leasing program began just a few years ago.

Luck says it’s a win-win for owners with horses that fit their criteria.

“Winters in Nebraska aren’t great, so, it’s a great way that your horse gets ridden, and gets to keep up with their skills during the school year, but also we can use them and help them train some new students,” she said.

During the semester, September through May, the animals have one weekday off each week and weekends free.

Many times, taken out to the pastures of faculty members like Luck.

“We do want to take them on a trial basis at first, for 30 days, usually we can decide a bit quicker than that but it makes sure that we are happy but most importantly, that the horses are happy,” she said.

If you have a horse you would like to donate or loan to the UNL Equestrian team, you can access that information here.

If you would like to see the team compete, their next competition is Nov 14-15 in Lincoln, at the RB Warren Arena on UNL’s East Campus.