This is more than just a pony ride on this merry-go-round called life.

To the Penn State equestrian team, competing in horse shows is first and foremost a sport, and it wishes to be viewed as such.

While officially listed as a club sport, the equestrian team is consistently one of the top teams in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), in which it competes against various levels of competition, including varsity.

Because of its classification as a club team, it would be hard to find anyone on campus that knows about Penn State's national championship in 1989.

Or its ranking of fifth in the nation last season.

Or its finish in this past weekend's IHSA Tournament of Champions.

"Our riders put in a lot of work, they deserve the recognition and university support that come with being a varsity team," Penn State equestrian coach Dee Vonada said.

Unfortunately, the varsity classification doesn't appear to be coming to the equestrian team anytime soon.

While the NCAA views equestrian as an emerging sport, it will require 19 more than the current 21 varsity teams across the nation before the sport will become a fully recognized varsity sport and be able to hold an NCAA championship.

However, several hurdles stand in the way of one of the nation's oldest equestrian teams gaining a varsity classification.

"There are conflicts between the NCAA's rules and how horse shows are traditionally run," Vonada said. "Right now the NCAA only views equestrian as a women's sport, so our numbers would take a hit."

Numbers that are one of Penn State's strengths, as this year's tryouts drew close to 200 competitors, who were then whittled down to the close to 70 riders who comprise the current team.

So while one of the largest and most devoted teams on campus continues to "ride" underneath the radar, one large trail block stands in between it and the attention it deserves, and the NCAA is a very large trail block indeed.