In 2003 the founders of RIFNA started looking for a way to bring equestrian team sports to the middle and high schools. Through much research, they concluded that a national clearinghouse of information and point tracking for all the equestrian disciplines was needed for public and private schools in order to promote interscholastic equestrian sport.  In 2004, RIFNA was established to serve this purpose.

RIFNA was designed to promote horsemanship, scholarship, and sportsmanship. RIFNA is a School Team based organization.  Students ride and compete against teams from local schools. All teams and individual riders involved have the opportunity to qualify and compete at state and national competitions. The goal is for the students to be recognized as athletes and teams just as other teams in their schools are.

The founders of RIFNA also realized the importance of making this organization about more than just competition.  RIFNA wants each of its riders to learn as grow as horse people and be better prepared for College programs and success in the Equine Industry.

RIFNA's goal is to utilize and partner local farms with schools for practices and competitions in up to three disciplines -- dressage, hunter/jumper, and western.  Through this partnering, RIFNA students of all economic backgrounds are given the opportunity to learn equine science, to gain confidence by mastering riding skills, and to participate in and be recognized for their team competitions. RIFNA's competitions are patterned like the college programs where the host farm supplies the horses and tack for all the competitors to ride.   By gaining show experience and perfecting their riding skills on unfamiliar horses, RIFNA riders are able to compete successfully for equestrian college scholarships and scholarships directly from RIFNA.

Based on these ideas, RIFNA has grown considerably over the past 5 years.  Hundreds of students and their teams have competed at barn shows and National Competitions.  Many scholarships have been awarded and all of the riders have been better prepared for college and college riding programs. Many of these riders have gone on to compete successfully on college teams including teams from Virginia Tech, Auburn University, and Berry College.  RIFNA supports the students, schools, and farms in doing something they all love.