Joe Humphrey brought national championship experience to South Dakota State when he joined equestrian program as an assistant in 2005, and continues to build the Jackrabbits into a national contender after taking over the program in the fall of 2010.

A Kevil, Ky., native, Humphrey guided the 2007, 2009 and 2010 SDSU Western teams to the Varsity Equestrian National Championships, and coached a total of 20 Western riders in his tenure that qualified for Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Regional shows. Of those 20 riders, six qualified in multiple years, including Tory Ruppert, who qualified for the regional show three times. Humphrey also coached four riders that advanced to the IHSA Western National show.

The success of Humphrey coached riders continues into the summer, as Helen Lauth earned a selection to compete at the National Reining Horse Association Derby in the Collegiate Championship class in Oklahoma City, Okla., in both 2009 and 2010, finishing eighth overall in 2009 and sixth in 2010.

During the 2006-07 season the Jackrabbit Western team garnered a selection to the Varsity Equestrian National Championships for the first time in school history, and seven Humphrey-coached riders qualified individually for IHSA Regional competition, with two riders advancing to Western Semi Finals competition hosted by Cal-Poly, Pomona.

Under Humphrey's leadership, the Western squad put together a solid season in 2007-08, sending eight riders to postseason competition, two of which advanced to the IHSA Western Semi Final, including Abby Knobbe, who won the open reining horsemanship class.

The two semi-final riders then qualified for the IHSA National Championship Show held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. Two other Jackrabbit riders also represented SDSU at the Varsity Equestrian Championships in reining.

Humphrey guided four individual riders to the IHSA Regional during the 2008-09 season, led by Ruppert, who advanced to IHSA Nationals. 2008-09 also saw the Western team return to the Varsity Equestrian National Championships in Waco, Texas, for the second time in school history.

Humphrey's success continued into the 2009-10 season, when seven riders qualified for the IHSA Regional show in Crookston, Minn. Angela Gebhart led the way for the Jackrabbits with a win in open reining to advance to the IHSA Western Semifinals in Pomona, Calif., where she finished fourth. From there, Gebhart went on to IHSA Nationals at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., where she finished ninth in the nation.

The Jackrabbit Western team qualified for the Varsity Equestrian National Championships in 2009-10 for the second straight year and third time overall. The Jacks rode well at nationals in Waco, Texas, but fell to defending national champion Georgia in the first round.

Prior to joining the Jackrabbits for their inaugural campaign during the 2005-06 season, Humphrey served as assistant coach in charge of the Western discipline at South Carolina for three seasons. The Gamecocks finished fifth in the Western standings at the 2005 Varsity Equestrian National Championships in Santa Fe, N.M., while combining with a first-place effort in the Hunt Seat standings to win the overall championship.

Before his days at South Carolina, Humphrey served as graduate assistant coach of the Western Kentucky University equestrian club team in Bowling Green, Ky. He earned a bachelor's degree in animal science at WKU in 2000 and a master's degree in agriculture in 2002.

As a member of the Western Kentucky equestrian team, Humphrey won the American Quarter Horse Association Trophy open reining class at the 1999 IHSA Nationals in Cazenovia, N.Y., and earned Reserve National Champion in open reining in 1997 and open western horsemanship in 1996 at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association level.  

In addition to his riding skills, Humphrey also judged on the winning team in the junior division of the All-American Quarter Horse Congress Judging contest in 1995, placing ninth individually.

A member of the Varsity Steering Committee for equestrian since 2001, Humphrey served on the competition committee from 2002-08 and the championship selection committee from 2007-08. He began serving on the Promotions committee in 2008 and continues to serve as the chairman for the 2009-10 season. In addition to all of the committees, Humphrey works with the new school task force.

Before Humphrey started his coaching career, he managed the West Kentucky Exposition Center in Murray, Ky., for one year. He plays an active role of numerous equine-related organizations and also judges and announces horse shows of all levels.