Jim Arrigon, a nationally recognized collegiate equestrian coach with 30 years of experience, took the reins as executive director of Liberty University’s 300-acre Equestrian Center in early August.
“He will be actively involved with the competitive equestrian teams, the operations of the facility, new academic offerings, and proactively work with our staff and students, mentoring them to increase their knowledge base and expertise,” said Lee Beaumont, Liberty’s senior director for Auxiliary Services.
Arrigon is the only person to have coached national championship teams and individual riders in the NCAA, Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), and the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA). He most recently trained a high school riding team out of Beckett Run Farm in Ohio, which he and his wife, Gwen, have operated for the past 10 years. He has served as the IHSA’s national secretary since 1991 and has guided collegiate and high school riders to more than 30 team and individual national championships since 1985.
“I applied because it’s Liberty, so I knew it was going to be something special,” Arrigon said. “As I’ve watched Liberty develop, everything they do, they do it big and do it well.”
In the two years since Liberty revived its equestrian program as a Club Sport, the program has grown dramatically.
Last summer, a second ring and an 18-stable barn were constructed to accommodate more student-owned horses, and men’s and women’s Western teams were added for the 2014-15 season. This summer, an additional 45 acres of pastureland was cleared, providing more room for the center’s 60 horses to graze.
Arrigon is prepared to help take the program to the next level. He anticipates the equestrian center will be equipped to host shows in the near future, with a facility upgrade that will include an indoor riding arena built over the existing ring.
He will also work in conjunction with Eric Brubaker, director of Liberty’s kinesiology program, to develop equestrian classes starting in the spring semester.
