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Joy Collins ’91 serves as the Riding Program Manager.  She is a USHJA Certified Trainer, holds a Massachusetts Riding Instructor’s License and is a graduate H-A Pony Clubber.  Her duties include overseeing all aspects of the p.e riding classes and community riding lessons offered at the Mount Holyoke College Equestrian Center. 

Collins has worn many hats in her tenure at Mount Holyoke.  As an undergrad, she competed in the Open level on the IHSA Team and competed internationally in showjumping and dressage with the AIEC student riding group in France and Italy.  After graduating from the College in 1991, Collins was hired on as an instructor where she taught all levels of college riders and formed a competitive community riding group named “the Joyriders” – several members of which have gone on to become equine professionals themselves.  She rode as an alum in the IHSA through the 1990’s. She won the 1995 National Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Alumni Flat in Colorado and took top honors at the National IHSA Championships Coach’s class in 1997. 

In 2000, Collins won the Pro-Am Massachusetts Hunter Seat Equitation Medal Final and earned various wins in eventing at Area I events.  While earning her Master’s Degree at Springfield College in the mid 90’s, Collins also took on head coaching duties for both Springfield and Hampshire College IHSA Club teams and then served as assistant coach for the Mount Holyoke varsity IHSA team culminating in a national title win in 2000.  Collins founded the College's high school IEA team and served as its coach from 2004-06.  She served as Acting Director of the Equestrian Center in 2004 and External Program Director and Assistant Riding Program Director before taking on the Riding Program Manager duties.  

Adding to her equestrian profile, Collins has an interest in course designing and judging. She served as head course designer for the 1997 IHSA National Show and several years of the IEA Regionals, Talent Search, open hunter and jumper shows and combined test shows held at Mount Holyoke. She also served as horse show manager for the popular winter MHC show series and annual spring MHC combined test and serves as a certified 4-H and local h/j judge and Pony Club clinician.  She is a life member of the U.S. Pony Clubs, USHJA, USEF, MHC and USEA.

In addition to all things horses, Collins enjoys reading, walking, swimming, movies, pickle ball and racquetball. She holds a blue belt in Brazilian Jujitsu.  She enjoys travelling with her family “as much as I can”.