UC Davis is pushing back on the controversy surrounding its decision to cut the highly successful Division-I equestrian program. The university claims its financial audit was accurate after a third-party review raised questions about suspicious numbers.
There is a significant discrepancy in how the school’s athletic budget was analyzed, which ultimately justifies the monetary cuts.
Therefore, the Aggies will no longer compete in equestrian as a Division-I sport. It will be moved to the club level.
UC Davis cut the equestrian program to save money.
The University of California, Davis used to have one of the strongest college equestrian programs in the United States. The Aggies won back-to-back conference championships in 2023 and 2024, and won again in 2026. They also competed at the national championships in 2019 and 2024. UC Davis was at one point ranked as high as No. 7 in 2026.
The program no longer exists on the Division-I level as a school-sanctioned sport as of July 1, 2026. The Aggies announced in January that it will only compete in equestrian on the club level following the 2025-2026 academic year.
UC Davis cited financial concerns as the basis for the decision. It was tasked with making a ~10% cut to the athletic department’s budget, which came out to approximately $1.05 million. The demotion of the equestrian program would save a cost of approximately $1.02 million. It was essentially 1-to-1.
Unfortunately, the university did wrong by its student-athletes. Administrators supposedly decided to cut the program about five months before it informed the participants. Their delay prevented the athletes from entering the transfer portal. They were trapped.
To make the decision even more controversial, a parent-led investigation found that the university might’ve lied about its justification for the cut. An external financial audit found very different numbers than the ones that were reported.
According to the independent audit conducted by parents, UC Davis overstated the equestrian team’s expenses by more than $850,000. The miscalculation was significant.
The university stands by its own financial audit.
A spokesperson for the university immediately objected to the outside audit. However, UC Davis agreed to conduct a secondary audit to confirm its original numbers. That review was completed earlier this week.
Although UC Davis was willing to identify weaknesses in the university’s administrative processes, it stands by its original reporting and decision to cut the equestrian program. The full statement and audit can be found here.
Auditors reviewed financial records, NCAA reports, university budget documents, fundraising activities, communications with the public, and the work of an outside consulting firm that helped evaluate the proposed savings. They did not find any evidence that UC Davis intentionally manipulated financial information or exaggerated the expected savings from the program’s elimination.
The auditors ultimately determined that the biggest source of confusion was the difference between NCAA financial reports and the university’s internal budgeting process. NCAA reports track all resources used by a team. That includes donated equipment and supplies, which must be counted as both revenue and expenses. Because those donations do not cost the university any money, they were excluded from the university’s internal budget analysis.
The NCAA report showed approximately $1.9 million in annual expenses with the donations included. UC Davis estimated the program’s cost at $1.1 million without the donations includes.
In the end, the third of three audits — conducted by the university — found the numbers to be accurate. It also found that the athletics department lacked formal written procedures and documentation for preparing NCAA financial reports. The athletic department instead relied on informal processes that reduced oversight and transparency. Case closed.
UC Davis’ equestrian program ceased to exist as a Division-I sport on July 1, 2026. It will not return for the foreseeable future.