re: The SEC voted to add equestrian as a sport......

Then it becomes about the horse as much if not more than the rider, and the richer programs would always be able to afford nicer horses. This tests a rider's ability to make any horse perform basic tasks of the discipline. At the upper levels, it is all about the horses. A great rider will get an average horse a bit farther in a competition, but they will very rarely win major competitions on a less than great horse because the athletic demands of the tope level events.