Horsing around: Meet equestrian athlete and Sun Devil Rachel Marsh
Sun Devil Rachel Marsh grew up surrounded by horses in Iowa, encouraged by her father to discover a love for riding, just like him. Now, a second-year student in her undergraduate program at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business, not a lot has changed — she’s still surrounded by horses, but now she rides competitively for ASU’s equestrian club team.
“I've been riding horses my whole life, but I never thought that I would be able to ride in college because I don't have enough money to own my own horse,” Marsh said.
In high school, she began riding competitively, both nationally and internationally, and that path led to her the equestrian club at ASU.
“And then when I was researching college, I found out that schools have equestrian teams that you don't have to own a horse to be a part of, and I saw that ASU had one. I came here and have been on the team for two years, and I've been loving it,” she said.
Members of ASU’s equestrian club team ride horses that live on Coach Rachel Jansen Jones’s property, Crossroads Farm, which is complete with three barns, large riding rings,10 acres and more than 75 horses.
Marsh not only contributes to the team through her riding, but she also serves as the marketing director for the club. Additionally, she plans to run for captain of the team in her junior or senior year.
“Right now as the marketing director, I run our website, I run our email, I run our social media and I do a lot of communicating with sponsors,” Marsh said.
In addition to her role on the equestrian team, she’s also currently serving as the vice president of sports clubs e-board affiliated with Sun Devil Fitness Complex and will take the helm as president for the 2024-2025 academic year.
“When I was a freshman, I loved our team, and I knew that I wanted to run for captain one day. Our captain at the time was the secretary of the e-board of sport clubs,” Marsh said. “She told me I should apply and recommended me for the job. I got the vice president job, even though I interviewed for secretary, which was really nice.”
Marsh said that one of the most rewarding parts about being involved in a sports club is the connections that you make.
“I think being a sport club athlete is a unique situation where it's a bit more of a student-life-athletics balance than I would assume D1 athletics is,” she said. “But my biggest piece of advice is to talk to other teams, talk to as many people as you can. Really get involved and be a part of your team.”
The connections that Marsh makes at ASU don’t stop in the riding rings.
“I'm a Devil's Advocate tour guide, so I give tours to prospective students, and that has really opened my eyes to where everybody comes from,” Marsh said. “At ASU, we have somebody from every congressional district represented, and 144 countries. Meeting all of those prospective students, seeing why they're coming to school, and seeing how I can help them is really interesting. It's really got me out of my shell a lot, and helped me a lot with my work in sports clubs.”
With her demanding athletics positions, a 15-hour a week job and 18 credit hours to juggle per semester, Marsh said that it’s crucial to find a balance between it all.
“I definitely have a knack for getting myself involved in things,” she said. “I said in high school that I was going to take a break in college and really just enjoy my time, but in enjoying my time, I've gotten involved in things, and it's hard to balance it all.”
“I live by my Google calendar. I plan everything out,” she added.
With a strong creative mind, Marsh is still considering her career path after college, but hopes to work in marketing, public relations, or to go pro with the horses. She’s currently studying digital and integrated marketing communications, with a minor in psychology and a minor in musical theater.
“All three of the degrees that I'm pursuing are pretty opposite, and then I work in sports as well, so they're all across the board,” she said. “This summer I'm doing a marketing internship in Australia, which is super cool.”
In the meantime, Marsh is making the most of the time she has at ASU, and she recommends the same to her fellow Sun Devils.
“I pinch myself every season that I get to compete, and that I'm doing all of the things that I'm doing, and it's really cool,” Marsh said. “So just get involved, get out there, meet people.”
If you want to support Marsh and the equestrian club team, check out their website and social media accounts.