Claira Seely ‘17 joined the Cornell equestrian coaching staff during the fall of 2019. A member of the Cornell Equestrian team from 2013-17, Seely is very familiar with the Cornell equestrian program, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Big Red coaching staff.
As a student-athlete, Seely was a two-time IHSA Nationals qualifier, helping Cornell qualify as a team in 2016 and qualifying as an individual in 2017. She posted top-five finishes in novice flat both years, placing fourth in 2016 and recording a fifth place individual finish in 2017.
Seely also had success at the regional and zonal levels, as she was crowned the Individual Regional Champion and Individual Zone Champion in novice flat in 2017. She didn’t stop there, however, winning the Individual Regional Championship in intermediate fences in 2017.
During her time with the Big Red, Seely won multiple Ivy League Championships as well. She earned the titles of 2014 Walk Trot Canter Champion, 2015 Novice Flat Champion, and 2017 Intermediate Flat Champion.
Seely graduated from Cornell in 2017 with a B.S. in animal science. She would go on to obtain her master’s degree in dairy science from Wisconsin in 2019.
A native of Ithaca, N.Y., Seely is currently pursuing a PhD in the Department of Population Medicine in Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
*Updated December 2019
