We are truly blessed to have partnered with such wonderful families.
It’s been our great pleasure witnessing your daughters’ collegiate equestrian dreams come true.
“We could never have navigated and been successful in the college equestrian recruiting process without Wendy. She helped us understand what the colleges were looking for, the different types of riding in college (IHSA, Varsity, NCEA), the variations between NCEA colleges (D1-D3), and specifically what our daughter needed to do in order to be competitive. She gave us information on the camps and clinics, the coaches and teams, and helped us create the recruiting website as well as advise our daughter on how, what and when to communicate with coaches and what videos to upload on her website. She is a wealth of information and is able to glean from her experience to guide us as parents and our daughter as a rider in understanding the nuances between various colleges, and she helped tease out the best fit for our daughter. She is very patient and always answered our questions in detail and explained how the recruiting process works and what to expect, as this was all new to us. Its clear she has expertise on riding ability and what the coaches are looking at in the videos, and the things they consider when looking to recruit a rider for their team.
This process has resulted in our daughter achieving her dream – to get recruited to ride for a D1 NCEA team. We can’t thank Wendy enough and I recommend anyone who is serious about riding on a team in college to talk to her and not try to go it alone!”
~ Theresa & Eric Clouser, parents of Kate Clouser 2027 Fresno State Recruit
“We had a great experience working with Wendy from College Equestrian Consulting and would recommend her over and over again. Wendy was professional, responsive, and truly took the time to understand our needs. She provided well-qualified solutions, a listening ear when we needed clarification, and she kept clear communication throughout the entire process.
What stood out most was her attention to Lily’s strengths and committed to finding the right fit—not just filling a position. She got to know my daughter, her personality and what she was looking for in a team and made a short list of who would be a great fit for us to pursue. Her guidance and insights made the recruitment process stress free and most importantly like we were confiding to a friend.
I would highly recommend her recruiting services to any future equestrian looking to start their journey as a D1 college rider.”
~ Lydia Groszova, parent of Lily Grosz 2026 UC Davis Recruit
“My name is Olivia Vlahakis, a client of Wendy Wills, and I am currently verbally recruited to Delaware State University. Ms. Wills was so incredibly helpful with the recruiting process and tailored the process to my specific needs beautifully! I would not have been where I am without her help, from making my website, figuring out which school I would enjoy most, to just being a cheerleader! The recruitment process is very confusing and intricate to those who are unfamiliar so having a helping hand who knows the system through and through is wonderful. College Equestrian Consulting is the perfect choice for anyone looking to begin their recruiting journey!”
~ Olivia Vlahakis 2026 DSU Recruit
“College Equestrian Consulting was a great assistance throughout my recruitment journey. Wendy did a fantastic job designing my personal website and giving me pointers on what content to include. She was also incredibly helpful in setting up my youtube page for my riding videos which made it easy for coaches to see my abilities and growth in riding. I received a lot of compliments on both my website and youtube page throughout my recruitment process.Wendy also did a great job preparing me for emails, phone conversations, and one-on-one meetings with collegiate equestrian coaches. Additionally, she provided me with great insight on how to be best prepared for the college prep camps I attended.
Overall Wendy took a significant portion of the stress of the recruitment process off of me, allowing me to focus on being a rider, an athlete, and a student. I am immensely appreciative.”
– Harper Tjardes 2026 University of Minnesota-Crookston NCEA Recruit
“Riding at the collegiate level had been my dream since I was a little girl. But as a first-generation equestrian, my mom and I had no idea how to even start the recruiting process.
We were so lucky to find Wendy with a quick Google search and reached out to her right away. After our first meeting, I was signed up for five college clinics and started emailing and taking phone calls from coaches—all with Wendy’s guidance and coaching.
Just nine months later, I committed to the University of Tennessee-Martin’s Division I Equestrian Team! Wendy not only helped me achieve my dream, but she also taught me important life skills, like how to speak confidently to adults and stand out from the crowd. To this day, I always send any girl who dreams of riding in college straight to Wendy.”
~ Daphne Stavig, 2025 UT Martin Recruit
“I always wanted to ride for an equestrian team in college after years on the equitation circuit. I shot for the NCEA, as the IHSA didn’t seem challenging enough for me, and Wendy helped me every step of the way to get recruited. She sent me to all of the top schools, advised me on how to communicate with the coaches and what they looked for, as well as what some of the responses meant in regard to their interest in having me on their team. At first, I wanted to go to a big Division 1 team, but Wendy told me to check out Sweet Briar College before I decided. I ended up getting very badly injured during my senior year of high school, which left a lot of questions about whether or not I could still pursue and have a successful collegiate equestrian career, but Coach Wroten swept in and gave me the whole Sweet Briar experience and tour, which sealed the deal for me. Between the school’s state of the art equestrian facility and program, the other riders on the team, the school’s horses, and the coaching, I couldn’t imagine a better place to have ended up as I pursue my degree, equestrian and collegiate equestrian careers. Since joining the SBC NCEA team, I have earned multiple Most Outstanding Performer awards at meets, been Fences All-American Honorable Mention 2 years in a row, made All Conference Team at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference 2024, plus earning all-academic honors both years.
I credit my collegiate success to Wendy and thank her for her wisdom. She was always there with answers and advice, as well as personal stories about her own daughter that went through the same process, which made it all a bit less intimidating. Thank you for everything, Wendy!”
~ Naomi Dachis, 2022 Sweet Briar College NCEA Recruit
“There is no better person to help your child achieve their recruiting goals. Wendy made the entire process easier and less stressful. She was with us every step of the way with strategically planning the website, selecting pictures and videos, updating resumes and contacting schools. Her knowledge and insight of the collegiate teams made this process a huge success for our daughter. We highly recommend Wendy and couldn’t be happier with our decision.”
~ Anna and Jimmy Langley, parents of Avery Langley 2022 Oklahoma State University Recruit
“Kelly’s been riding since she was 8, but we started AQHA only five years ago. During Kelly’s sophomore year of high school at the AQHA World’s show, we met a D1 rider from Georgia’s team who shared Wendy’s info with us.
Wendy helped us set up a website and gave us lots of direction on how to make videos and fill out the questionnaires for the different colleges. We had the added challenge of getting in front of coaches during 2020 when there was a restriction on in person visits. There were no camps offered that year, so Kelly had to FaceTime coaches to get to know them.
When the restrictions were lifted, Kelly attended two riding camps and got offered a Horsemanship spot on both teams that June. It is really important to communicate with coaches and Wendy helps guide you through that process. Wendy always returns phone calls when you have questions, she knows what the coaches are looking for and without a doubt, was a huge part in Kelly’s success.
We even had lunch with her in College Station and she’s a delightful gal who had a daughter go through this process as well and was successful.
Kelly will be riding for OSU in the fall and has truly found her perfect fit for the next four years. We couldn’t be happier with Wendy and CEC. She is beyond excited to compete at the collegiate level and we couldn’t have done this with out you. Thanks so much Wendy!”
~ Kim & Rick Coonce, Parents of Kelly Coonce 2022 Oklahoma State University Recruit
“Wendy helped guide us, but more importantly worked directly with our daughter Molly to create a strategy, including a web presence, as well as insight into the whole process. She had a timeline for Molly, and it went very smoothly. Molly is finishing her freshman year at Baylor, where there was a coaching change, (which can be hard!) and it has been an incredible experience!! A great fit, wonderful teammates and coaching staff, and overall an extremely rewarding experience.”
~ Mary Beth Canfield, parent of Molly Canfield 2021 Baylor Recruit
“Wendy provided significant value to us. Coming from the Arabian showing world, we had zero idea how college teams work or even that my daughter could ride and compete in college. Wendy explained all of the options available to my daughter, and what she needed to do to increase those options. She gave us a clear picture of what each path looked like. Wendy helped with my daughter’s website and videos but also provided a list of equestrian programs that aligned with my daughter’s criteria. My daughter used it to build a little spreadsheet for herself to narrow down her selections. Wendy and College Equestrian Consulting took the stress out of the process and left us with the fun parts. My advice to aspiring collegiate equestrians is to use Wendy and start early!”
~ Andrea Backlund, parent of Brooke Backlund 2021 Berry College Recruit
“At the age of 8, our daughter was introduced to someone riding competitively in college. From that time forward, she set her sights on riding in college herself someday. Jacqueline never wavered from this dream. During her early high school years, we knew we needed to get started with the recruiting process but were not familiar with how to go about this. We found Wendy and began the search for the equestrian school that was the all-around great fit for Jacqueline. Wendy provided valuable advice and guided us through the timeline. We made on-campus visits, Jacqueline went to camps, she rode different horses in her barn, her riding was documented in videos, and a website was created for coaches to visit. Ultimately, Jacqueline found her “sweet spot” of a school and is thrilled to be experiencing life as a college equestrian.”
~ Margo and Eric Frimodt, parents of Jacqueline Frimodt 2020 Auburn Equestrian Recruit
“We feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Wendy as my daughter pursued her collegiate equestrian dreams. We are not a horse family and had no idea where to even start when it came to collegiate riding, recruiting, communicating with coaches, etc. The guidance and advice we received from Wendy as she helped us navigate this unfamiliar process was invaluable. Her knowledge and experience with both NCEA and IHSA programs was tremendously helpful. Recruitment can be a long and sometimes trying process, but ultimately my daughter received offers to ride for multiple NCEA and IHSA programs, and we are 100% confident she chose the right program for her. Being with our daughter on her signing day was a special moment for our family and made it all worthwhile! There is no doubt that my daughter would not be where she is today without Wendy’s assistance, and we couldn’t be happier with our decision to partner with College Equestrian Consulting!”
~ Tim and Ashley Grant, parents of Connelly Grant 2020 College of Charleston Equestrian Recruit
“We had the pleasure of working with Wendy and College Equestrian Consulting over a two year period. Wendy truly knew the NCEA recruiting process like an insider and provided our family with valuable advice, guidance and a roadmap to success! We diligently followed her lead and by the early fall of her junior year in high school, our daughter had several offers to ride for Division I NCEA teams. She is thrilled about her future in collegiate equestrian competition!”
~ The Sinclair Family, parents of Alexandra Sinclair 2020 TCU Equestrian Recruit
“Wendy was pure perfection in guiding and directing our granddaughter’s pursuit to ride in college. She was realistic in her initial assessment, provided immediate response to our questions and numerous edits as we compiled successive videos for her website and was instrumental in Halley receiving numerous offers to ride in college. Ultimately, Halley selected Midway University, both for its equestrian degree opportunities as well as its proximity to the “Horse Capital of the World” in Lexington, Kentucky. Go Eagles!”
~ Robert and Linda Moak, grandparents of Halley Moak 2021 Midway University Equestrian Recruit
“In eighth grade our daughter Macie started to express an interest in riding in college. We had no idea where to start and thank goodness we contacted Wendy Wills on the advice of a friend. She helped us set up a timeline, and I am grateful for her guidance. It was really nice to start early because it takes many hours to set up a recruit for proper consideration.
Wendy instructed us to film Macie’s rides (practice/shows), request testimonials, write a resume, and complete a show record. She used this information to build a website that Macie could refer coaches to when she contacted them. The process was smooth and manageable.
In the end, Macie received interest from several programs and recently committed to ride Western Horsemanship for Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. It is a perfect fit and we are all thrilled!”
~ Kirk and Candice Soderquist, parents of Macie Soderquist 2020 SMU Equestrian Recruit
“College Equestrian Consulting was amazing. With Wendy’s guidance our daughter was recruited by several schools and is currently attending Auburn University where she is a member of the university’s equestrian team. Wendy is professional, knowledgeable and easy to work with. We highly recommend College Equestrian Consulting for Collegiate recruiting.”
~ Julie and Jim Brown, parents of Emma Brown 2018 Auburn Equestrian Recruit
“When she was a sophomore, my daughter told me she wanted to ride for a D1 equestrian team in college. We hadn’t the FOGGIEST idea how any of that even worked and had no idea where to turn. After our free consultation with College Equestrian Consulting, we became so excited because we were finally clear on how to start the process of helping my daughter become visible to the college coaches. Wendy Wills shared EXACTLY what we needed to do step by step. More and more riders are vying for those spots on college teams.
It was clearly the best decision we could have made to have Wendy Wills and CEC come alongside us. They are true professionals and have a vast amount of equestrian recruiting experience and knowledge. It was FOR SURE because of Wendy Wills and College Equestrian Consulting that our journey ended in college offers and ultimately saying yes to our top pick.”
~ Jill Kasper, parent of Jenn Kasper 2019 Auburn Equestrian Recruit
“Wendy Wills is a valuable and essential partner in the NCAA/NCEA/college equestrian recruitment process and journey! From the moment we had our initial phone consultation — Wendy was extremely informational and knowledgeable with the entire recruitment process. She kept our daughter on track throughout the journey, giving her advice and direction on what she should be doing at that exact point in the journey. Her industry knowledge of any coach changes, camps/clinics, team culture, emails and visits with coaches, recruitment timelines, etc, became more crucial as time drew closer to her Senior year. Our daughter frequently called Wendy through the last part of the process — receiving advice on how to strategize with schools/coaches and what to expect if an offer was made. She helped our daughter to creatively navigate the best possible outcome for her, which ultimately led to her NCAA college commitment and subsequent signing! Wendy was professional from beginning until end, and we are forever grateful for her work!”
~ Susan Gradick, parent of Mia Gradick 2019 Fresno State University Equestrian Recruit
“Wendy and her team at College Equestrian Consulting have been remarkable to work with. Their knowledge of the teams and the process have made this process a huge success for our daughter. I highly recommend anyone considering riding at the college level use Wendy and her team.”
~ Chad Holstead, parent of Taylor Holstead 2020 Fresno State Equestrian Recruit
“We had the pleasure of meeting Wendy at The College Preparatory Invitational Horse Show a few years back. She was very generous with her time and answered many of our questions regarding the college equestrian recruiting process. The information she shared was so useful that we decided to hire her! Her guidance through the recruiting process was invaluable. She helped us identify how to best spend our time (and money) in order to help our daughter meet her goal. She has a unique perspective on the process in that she is quite educated in what the various programs are looking for in recruits, but also can relate to the parental perspective as well, since her own daughter went through the process. We feel she played an instrumental part in our daughter’s realization of her goal to ride in a Division 1 Equestrian Program.”
~ Stacey Madden, parent of Darby Madden 2019 OSU Equestrian Recruit
“We didn’t start the recruiting process until Peyton was a high school junior and then realized how late in the game we were. We had no real idea how to most effectively contact and get noticed by D1 college coaches, plus stand out among all the other talented prospects. The advice we received from Wendy Willis is the reason Peyton is on Auburn University’s Reining team. Wendy handled everything – setting up a personal website, editing introduction letters, determining when we should send follow up emails, and keeping in touch with us to monitor our progress. Her most valuable advice was to go to as many of the college equestrian clinics as we could and get in front of the coaches. On her advice, we went to Auburn’s Spring Clinic and Peyton was offered a position on the team that weekend. Wendy is truly an invaluable asset to any young equestrian looking to be on a college team roster.”
~ Rhonda Hall, parent of Peyton Hall 2018 Auburn Equestrian Recruit
“Wendy is the ultimate professional! She is extremely knowledgeable, has amazing communication skills and takes the stress out of what could feel like an overwhelming process. I would highly recommend Wendy. She is a pleasure to work with it!”
~ Andrea Laplante, parent of Ava Laplante 2019 NCEA D1 prospect
“I want to start out by saying how blessed we are to have been directed to Wendy’s Equestrian Consulting website. Our Journey started one day after a OHSET High School meet. It was my Daughter Lexee Padricks’ Junior year and we had just started talking about college. I performed a simple google search “How to get a college equestrian scholarship” and at that time I really didn’t know there was such a thing, let alone division 1 schools that had Varsity Equestrian Teams. My search led me to College Equestrian Consulting. I made a phone call and reached Wendy. She asked me a few simple questions and said I would like Lexee to get me her credentials and we can move on from there. Next day Wendy lined out the game plan. After some traveling and communication with coaches Lexee was starting to get offers. She is now a freshman on the California State Fresno Division 1 Equestrian Team. She LOVES IT and is doing amazing. Wendy, I cannot thank you enough.”
~ Jeramy Padrick, parent of Lexee Padrick 2018 Fresno State University Equestrian Recruit
“I highly recommend Wendy Wills of College Equestrian Consulting! My daughter, Megan, had aspirations of joining a Division 1 NCEA collegiate riding team. We were unsure of the process of how to do this. I saw Wendy at a College Preparatory Invitational competition and saved her information. We called her for a consult and signed up with her program. She built Megan a beautiful website that was easy to keep updated. She guided us through the whole process and even recommended the program that seemed to be just the right fit for Megan. I don’t think Megan would have been able to reach her goal if it wasn’t for Wendy!”
~ Kris Huber, parent of Megan Huber 2019 University of Tennessee – Martin Equestrian Recruit
“Our experience was wonderful! Maggie got one of only 3 spots available on the western side of Auburn University Equestrian team. She will be riding horsemanship for the National Championship Team! She received offers from 10 universities after she sent them the website you created for her. I feel confident that we would not have had anywhere near the exposure without your help. She verbally committed spring of her junior year and officially signed on NCAA signing day in November. Not only did she sign but to sign with a Division 1 SEC National Championship team is an incredible achievement. Thank you, Wendy, for all your help. I remember calling you after our first visit to auburn when they offered her a spot in February last year. Then we went back in March and she stood in Coach Williams office and verbally committed as her dad and I cried. Simply because our baby girl was achieving her dreams. That’s what it’s all about. All the shows and riding in rain snow sleet and sweltering heat. Never giving up. She still uses her website as a resume today. She will start Auburn in Fall 2019 as a freshman. She has been able to finish school early and wants to get a little side job to give her spending money and experience beyond her previous nanny job. The resume maybe geared toward horses, but it highlights all of the great things she has done. All assets to any employer. Again. Thank you, Wendy, for everything.”
~ Cynthia & Joseph Bowers, parents of Maggie Bowers 2019 Auburn Equestrian Recruit