Parents and supporters of the UC Davis Equestrian Team have issued a statement following the university’s release of a third-party report that led to the team’s elimination.
“While we appreciate UC Davis finally releasing the ‘third-party report’ that helped inform their decision to drop the Division 1 Women’s Equestrian team, unfortunately, the report uses conflicting data, faulty reasoning, and – in what appears to be a common pattern – inconsistent and inflated budget numbers,” the statement reads. “Not only do the operating budgets included in the report conflict with UC Davis’ public budget documents, but they also conflict with numbers reported by UC Davis to the U.S. Department of Education’s Equity in Athletics Data Analysis (EADA) program.”
This comes after the UC Davis Equestrian Team lost its NCAA Division I designation, leaving parents and supporters shocked. Dawn Gonzales, a mother of one of the girls on the team, took to social media to urge the public to consider donating after the university announced it would reclassify the equestrian team as a club sport rather than a Division I team through the NCAA.
“Despite being back-to-back conference champions (2023 & 2024) and currently ranked among the top programs in the nation, UC Davis announced it will demote the Equestrian program to a club sport starting in July 2026,” Gonzales wrote. “This decision effectively ends the Division I dreams of 33 dedicated female athletes and leaves them with almost no options to compete at this level on the West Coast.”
According to the group Reinstate the UC Davis Women’s Equestrian Team, the fourth page of the report claims UC Davis spends approximately $1.5 million annually on equestrian – more than double programs like South Dakota State, which reports roughly $326,000 – yet provides no methodology or source for how these figures were derived.
They go on to say page 12 lists the operating budget at $1.35 million, the EADA lists the Equestrian team’s operating budget at $861,053, and meanwhile, an independent review of public budget documents shows the Equestrian team’s operating expenses are around $500,000.
“The category-level numbers are even more alarming,’ the statement reads. “UC Davis lists $722,000 in equipment costs and $372,000 in ‘Other’ expenses – nearly ten times and twenty-three times higher, respectively, than comparable institutions such as California State University, Fresno.”
According to parents, the report offers no justification for why UC Davis costs exceed those of peer institutions by such extraordinary margins, particularly given that current student-athletes provide significant labor and facilities are paid separately.
“Even the labeling and definitions in the report are wrong indicating that the author had little to no understanding of the Equestrian sport,” their statement reads. “The report lists the ECAC conference as DIII, which is incorrect.”
The report compares roster sizes among ‘comparable’ programs yet includes Long Island University and Stonehill College in the full analysis. Long Island University and Stonehill College are IHSA programs. Plus, the inclusion of Dartmouth College is challenging as it’s a single-discipline equestrian program, meaning they require fewer human and equine athletes altogether.
“UC Davis has repeatedly characterized this decision as the result of a long and thoughtful evaluation. This report shows that the elimination of equestrian was under consideration well before athletes were notified – including during active recruiting and transfer cycles,” the parents’ statement reads. “UC Davis Athletics knowingly misled these athletes, effectively destroying their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete on a D1 team and causing irreparable damage to their academic and athletic careers.”
California is the epicenter of the U.S. horse industry, producing and supporting an industry valued at $4.1 billion – larger than even Texas at $3 billion, according to Reinstate the UC Davis Women’s Equestrian Team. According to the group, the report’s claim that UC Davis would be better served by Stunt because of proximity to gymnastics feeder schools “is laughable.”
“We are not deterred by the release of this long-awaited report. If it held real importance and helped their case, UC Davis leadership would have released it on Jan. 9; they didn’t,” the group stated. “In fact, the report shows either incompetence by the athletic department in running its athletic program or a deliberate attempt to adjust budgets to justify the cut. Plus, metadata of the report shows it was created at 5:49 p.m. Pacific on Feb. 17. The only reason they released the report is because they are in hot water.
“We will continue to raise the heat, demand UC Davis reverse their decision, and protect women’s sports.”