Upper Echelon Academy

Feb 23, 2024

Anyone involved in the equine industry knows it’s a commitment, particularly for young riders who are training and competing. The hours of work dedicated to simply reaching the point of qualifying for competition are demanding – let alone the training and discipline required to prepare for each event. These kids have the added responsibility of school on top of all that, and it goes without saying that finding the balance between education and training without exhausting themselves can be a real challenge.

Upper Echelon Academy (UEA) was created for the express purpose of providing young equestrians a way of combining their academics and training without having to sacrifice either one. Since its inception, partners UEA partners Kate Bomgaars, Heather Amber and Clementine Goutal have established on-site academic services to students from Kindergarten age all the way to college level at locations all over the world. At the start of the 2023 school year, its newest location opened at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala.

“It’s a beautiful facility. And being able to offer academic support for the exhibitors and athletes is a bonus for them.” 

-Kate Bomgaars, UEA partner

“It’s a beautiful facility,” Bomgaars says. “And being able to offer academic support for the exhibitors and athletes is a bonus for them.”

Bomgaars is an equestrian herself; she grew up in Wellington and was active in competitions, so she knows firsthand the struggle of maintaining academics while also pursuing her passion.

“I needed support, but back then there weren’t as many options,” she explains. “My school had no idea how to do something like that.”

Together with her partners, UAE was created to address those needs and build that key support.

“Our network gives students a home base for either full time school through UEA, or comprehensive show support,” outlines Bomgaars, “We allow competitive equestrians to focus on their sport and training goals while also achieving the best results academically through top curriculum, expert teachers and advisory teams.”

All curriculum is online, and can be done either year-round or in seasonal rotations if students want to return to a traditional school format for part of their academic year. There’s also an emphasis on applied and practical study with one-on-one sessions with tutors. Administrators and advisors create lesson plans and benchmarks for each student that are tailored to individual strengths, courses of study, and goals.  The Academy also offers college preparatory courses as well as options for university students.

“The students have complete flexibility,” Bomgaars elaborates. “We never lower the standard of academics, but we do try to keep it tailored to them and their training schedule. Ours is a very holistic approach; we get to know the students and their families personally so we can devise the best learning program possible for them.”

“The students have complete flexibility. We never lower the standard of academics, but we do try to keep it tailored to them and their training schedule. Ours is a very holistic approach; we get to know the students and their families personally so we can devise the best learning program possible for them.” 

-Kate Bomgaars, UEA partner

UAE’s alignment with WEC expands the network of top academic services for the equestrian community, with on-site study rooms, academic advising, and instructional support for all the exhibitors. The new, state-of-the-art facility has WiFi, comfortable study spaces, and snacks so the students can completely focus on school, whether they’re doing weekend or long-term study.

“I’m from Wellington, so I knew about UAE from living there,” says WEC’s Director of Equine Operations Christy Barker, who was excited to fold the Academy into WEC’s developing mission of bolstering the Equestrian industry in Ocala. “The kids come in and compete in shows for a weekend or two to three weeks – so to have a resource for them to study just made sense. As WEC grows, so does the community. It’s definitely an advantage.”

UAE currently has about 75 seasonal students and approximately 40 who are in full-time academics. Not all of them are equestrians, either; anyone can apply to become a student, including golfers, tennis players, and soccer athletes. Because of the remote learning technology they’re all able to travel to different competition venues and pick right back up where they left off in their lessons.

“Our program allows them to focus on their sport while also achieving the best results academically through top curriculum and expert teaching and advising teams,” Bomgaars says. “Nothing is compromised. We’re there every step of the way.”