Haley Schoolfield, who was named TCU's Director of Equestrian on June 19, 2013, will enter her 10th season at the helm of the Horned Frogs Equestrian program in 2022-23.
Schoolfield is coming off one her most solid coaching performances, which saw the Horned Frogs go 12-7 overall and 3-3 in Big 12 meets during the 201-22 campaign. TCU opened the Spring season with a win over No. 7-ranked Delaware State and then proceeded to rattle off a school record eight straight wins. The win streak was snapped in the Big 12 Championship Finals, as the Frogs fell to eventual National Champions, Oklahoma State.
TCU earned the No. 4 seed in the NCEA National Championships, where they downed No. 5-ranked Georgia, but fell to the No. 1-ranked Cowgirls in the semifinals. The magical season was solidified with six NCEA All-American nods, a pair of Big 12 Conference Riders of the Year, and five All-Big 12 Team selections. Schoolfield was also honored, earning her second career Big 12 Coach of the Year honor.
The 2020-21 season saw the Horned Frogs go 6-6 overall and 2-3 in Big 12 meets. TCU earned the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Championship, where they picked up a win over Fresno State, but fell to Oklahoma State in heartbreaking fashion, as the Cowgirls had to come back to down the Frogs, 11-9. Mattie Dukes (Reining) and Jessica McAllister (Horsemanship) were both named Big 12 Riders of the Year and TCU totaled five riders on the All-Big 12 Team. Schoolfield was instrumental in TCU setting a new program record with seven All-American honorees, which surpassed the previous high of six selections (2013, 2015).
In her seventh season at the helm, Schoolfield led the Horned Frogs to a 6-7 record, in a season that had the Big 12 and NCEA Championship canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Schoolfield and the program stood out in a major way, with senior Laska Anderson becoming a Rhodes Scholar Finalist, followed by a Dr. Prentice Gautt Big 12 Postgraduate Scholarship for her doctoral studies. Raegan Rast earned Big 12 Fences Rider of the Year honors after her 11-3 season. TCU had two All-Americans in the shortened season, as well as two All-Big 12 riders. 18 Frogs found their way on to the NCEA All-Academic teams, 14 on the All-Big 12. An impressive 10 Rookies were honored in the Academic All-Big 12 rookie ranks. TCU earned six Rider of the Month awards. The Frogs coaching staff excelled within the equine athletes too, with four Horned Frog horses being named to the NCEA Top 10 Horses list.
Schoolfield recorded a record of 5-9 with the TCU Equestrian program in 2018-19. The team’s signature win came against No. 3 SMU on Mar. 9, after a 5-0 sweep in Reining propelled the Frogs to victory on Senior Day and also netting the team in its seventh consecutive NCEA Championship appearance. The Frogs tied a program record with 19 NCEA Academic honorees and set a record with 18 Academic All-Big 12 honorees. The success in the classroom did not stop there as junior Laska Anderson was awarded the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement award from the Big 12. The success was not limited to academics, however. The Frogs posted five All-Americans, two of which garnered First Team recognition. TCU also had six All-Big 12 honorees, with three separate events having two recognized (Fences, H'ship, Reining). The
team had six Rider of the Month awards and had three NCEA top 10 horses. Schoolfield finished her tenure as President of the NCEA in May of 2019.
In the 2017-18 season, Schoolfield pioneered the 9-9 Horned Frogs to the NCEA Semifinals, upsetting Big 12 rival and No. 3 Oklahoma State in the first round 10-6 behind a 6-2 charge in the Hunt Seat. The Frogs wrapped up the season with an overall record of 9-9. Schoolfield took the helm as the NCEA President in May and concluded her first of two years in the position in 2018. Schoolfield coached her riders to many accolades during the year, Laska Anderson earned
NCEA Horsemanship Rider of the Year, Elite Equestrian and First Team All-America honors. The Frogs had four All-American selections overall, two of which were First Teamers. Seven All-Big 12 riders rode out for TCU during the year, four on the Hunt Seat side and three in Western. 19 Frogs received NCEA Academic All-American honors, as well as 11 named Academic All-Big 12.
The awards continued for the program's work outside the classroom as Julia Finn earned TCU’s Hal Halbruck Community Service Award. The Frogs earned nine Big 12 and five NCEA Rider of the Month Honors. Alongside her highly talented roster of star Student-Athletes, Schoolfield and her staff earned one NCEA Top 10 horse, as well as an NCEA Horse of the Month.
During the 2016-17 season, Schoolfield led the Frogs to the NCEA National Championships for the fourth time. Two Hunt Seat riders earned Rider of the Month accolades from the NCEA, and six student-athletes were named Academic All-Americans while five more were named to the Honor Roll. Kari Hancock, a First Team NCEA Academic All-American, also earned the title of Elite Equestrian and was awarded the prestigious Postgraduate Scholarship from the NCAA. On the conference side, Schoolfield helped two equestrians earn the title Rider of the Year from the Big 12 as well as five more as Rider of the Month. Two equestrians were named MOPs of the Big 12 Championship, six were named Academic All-Big 12, and three were named All-Big 12 in their respective disciplines. Kari Hancock was also awarded the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award from the Big 12 and was a Big 12 Champion for Life. On top of the success of her student-athletes, the Frogs also had a horse ranked as a Top Horse by the NCEA following the conclusion of the season.
In 2015-16, Schoolfield was named the National Collegiate Equestrian Association National Coach of the Year. She guided the Horned Frogs to the program's first National Championship Runner-Up performance at the 2016 NCEA National Championships in Waco. The Horned Frogs made NCEA history by becoming the lowest seed ever to advance to the finals under the current format. In the end, the Frogs became the first Big 12 Conference team to compete in the finals against an SEC foe. Individually, Schoolfield helped six student-athletes earn All-Championship accolades, while Megan McMullen was named Most Outstanding Player in Horsemanship at nationals. TCU had four student-athletes earn NCEA All-America accolades this season, including junior Molly Peddicord who claimed All-America honors in two disciplines. The program also had two Big 12 Conference Riders of the Year and four all-conference selections in 2015-16.
Outside the show ring, Schoolfield had seven student-athletes honored as part of the prestigious 2016 Beval Saddlery Academic Team, including two first-team honorees. The Purple and White also had 12 student-athletes named to the 2016 Academic All-Big 12 Equestrian Team, while the Frogs had two horses wrap-up the season ranked in the top-10 horses nationally.
The 2014-15 campaign saw the program rise to new heights as TCU climbed to high as No. 2 in the national rankings, the highest ranking in school history. During the course of the season, the Frogs under Schoolfield’s watch earned six All-America honors, which tied for the most All-America awards in a single season in school history. TCU also had six student-athletes earn all-conference accolades throughout the season while garnering the Big 12 Reining Rider of the Year and the Big 12 Most Outstanding Performer honoree at the 2015 Big 12 Championship.
Not to be outdone, the Frogs also once again excelled in the classroom, placing five first-team honorees on the prestigious Beval Saddlery Academic Team and once again capturing Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors for a third-straight season.
In her first year at the helm, Schoolfield made school history becoming the first TCU head coach to be named Big 12 Coach of the Year. Schoolfield led the Horned Frogs to a 3-3 conference mark during the 2013-14 season, garnering victories over Baylor, Kansas State and Oklahoma State.
By being honored as the 2014 Big 12 Coach of the Year, Schoolfield became the first TCU head coach to receive Coach of the Year accolades in the Big 12 Conference. Not only did her student-athletes shine in the show ring this past season with both Alexi Child and Shelby St. Hilaire earning NCEA All-America accolades, but also in the classroom as seven student-athletes were awarded Academic All-America recognition by the NCEA, including Child who was also named Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Schoolfield, previously head equestrian coach at SMU for four years (2009-13), oversees the Horned Frogs’ Hunt Seat and Western disciplines as Director.
Prior to taking over the SMU program, Schoolfield was an assistant coach for two years (2007-09) at TCU. She was in charge of the Hunt Seat division.
In Schoolfield’s first year at TCU, which marked just the second year of the equestrian program, the Horned Frogs won the 2008 Western National Championship. TCU's Western squad was also the 2009 National Runner-Up.
A native of Willis, Texas, Schoolfield is a 2002 Texas A&M graduate with a bachelor's degree in agricultural development with an animal science emphasis. A four-year letter-winner for the Aggies, Schoolfield competed on the English side. She was a team captain her senior year and won the Open Flat at the 2001 California Spring Classic. Schoolfield is now officially a Horned Frog after earning her master’s in education in December 2017.
Schoolfield has earned her USEF ‘R’ judges card in 2019. Schoolfield is a USHJA Certified Trainer as well, earning her certification in 2012.
Schoolfield and her husband, Clay, were married in December 2008.