Joanna Novakovic riding a horse through the grass and smiling.

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By Melissa Newcomb

“Whatever you struggle with in life,” observes Joanna Garbarino Novakovic ’04, “is what you’re going to struggle with on your horse.” It’s a philosophy that Novakovic, the equestrian team’s outgoing head coach, has long shared with her students.

For example, she says, a reluctance to be assertive will be swiftly exposed and challenged on horseback.

“The theme of my training is, ‘How can you build skills that are going to be good with your horse—and also good in your life?’” says Novakovic, whose own accomplishments as a professional rider include winning four U.S. Equestrian Federation national championships.

Joanna Novakovic talks to her team before a show in 2019 in the Oxley Equestrian Center.
Eldon Lindsay / Cornell Athletics
Leading a 2019 meeting in the Oxley Equestrian Center, in her role as regional president of the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA).

Since fall 2014, the Human Ecology alum has tapped the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime in the saddle—as a student, a competitor, and a trainer—to lead her squad to notable success.

Now, the former human development major is retiring from coaching, with plans to spend more time with family—including husband Steven Novakovic ’04, MPS ’05, and dad James Garbarino, PhD ’73—and (of course) her horse, an 11-year-old hunter/jumper named Eddie.

The theme of my training is, ‘How can you build skills that are going to be good with your horse—and also good in your life?'

“She has been a champion for her student-athletes, staff, and horses throughout her coaching career,” Big Red Athletics Director Nicki Moore said when Novakovic’s departure was announced, “and has represented Cornell with excellence.”

As Novakovic explains: coaching equestrian is a highly demanding role, entailing not just training the human athletes but managing care of the horses.

The Big Red team, which had 28 women and 20 equines on its 2024–25 roster, competes throughout the academic year, hosting shows and attending them at other schools.

Joanna Novakovic stands with Clifford, the equestrian team's horse, and holds his IHSA Hall of Fame Induction trophy.
With the legendary Clifford, a.k.a. the "big red horse"—the first animal inducted into the IHSA hall of fame.

At competitions, the riders—who are categorized by skill level and experience—are judged on their ability to control their mounts through walks, trots, and jumps.

The animals are provided by the host schools; riders are randomly paired with them with no time to prepare.

“Your equipment is alive—and has its own personality,” notes Novakovic, who holds a master’s in marriage and family therapy from Syracuse University, which has helped inform her approach to training.

“A basketball coach can go home, leave the balls overnight, and not worry about them. But horses are delicate creatures. It’s a lot of responsibility.”

Big Red riders are expected to do weekly chores at the Oxley Equestrian Center, such as feeding horses and cleaning stalls. The animals also get top-flight veterinary care, including chiropractic, acupuncture, and regular “mani-pedis.”

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“It’s a big commitment to be taking care of horses at six in the morning,” Novakovic observes, “but it means you know the people on the team really want to be there.”

She has been a champion for her student-athletes, staff, and horses throughout her coaching career, and has represented Cornell with excellence.

Nicki Moore, director of athletics

And she should know—having been riding practically since she was old enough to sit on a horse. She began taking lessons in her native Chicago and continued after her family moved to Ithaca at age 12, when her dad joined Cornell’s psychology faculty.

(Now a professor emeritus, James Garbarino is an internationally recognized authority on adolescent males and the criminal justice system. In 1999, he published a pioneering book on the subject, Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them.)

A young Joanna Novakovic sits on a horse that is guided by her aunt.
On her first ride, guided by her aunt.

Under Coach Jo, as she’s known, the equestrian team has seen major success—including a whopping 17 regional and Ivy championships since 2015.

In 2016, her squad qualified for the Big Red’s first-ever Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) National Championship, finishing seventh.

Your equipment is alive—and has its own personality.

Novakovic’s former students even include an IHSA national champion: Shana Coffey ’17, DVM ’21, who took the title in the novice fences category in 2015.

That same year, Chelsea Huss ’17 was named reserve champion (the second-place finisher) in the open fences division.

“Jo is a deeply caring person,” says another of her former athletes, CALS alum Claira Seely ’17, PhD ’23. “She believes that together, the students and horses make up the team environment, and she understands how to have everybody work collaboratively.”

An Ithaca local, Seely began training with Novakovic as a young teen. She not only went on to compete for the Big Red as an undergrad, but served as an assistant coach under Novakovic while pursuing a doctorate in animal science.

Joanna Novakovic and rider Claira Seely stand together outside after a show smiling and holding large trophies and champion ribbons.
Celebrating a victory with Claira Seely ’17, PhD ’23 (left).

“One of my favorite things about her is her ability to make everybody feel equally valued,” says Seely, now an assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire.

“Whether someone was a beginner or advanced rider, she could teach us all.”

Top: Novakovic riding a horse named Rocky at an Ithaca-area facility. (Lisa Cameron-Norfleet / Zebra Crossing Photography) All photos provided, unless otherwise indicated.

Published May 22, 2025

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