January 13, 2016

Catching up with Sophia Calamari

Sophia Calamari, 14, has been riding for 12 years and is most well-known not just for her signature brown attire in the show ring, but also for winning Overall Grand Champion Green Pony Hunter at Pony Finals. We caught up with her to see what she will be up to this upcoming year.

According to Sophia, this year she will be riding in the junior hunters, the pony hunters, and “hopefully the Big Eq.”

“This year I will be working a lot on my equitation as I prepare to start the Big Eq,” she said.

Currently, she only owns a junior hunter named Celebrate, but she catch rides other horses and ponies, including most recently California Dreamin’ II, formerly owned by Stal Wilten, where they earned Reserve Champion in the Large Greens.

Sophia & California Dreamin; II. Photo Credit: Stal Wilten.

Sophia is most well-known for rockin’ the brown helmet and other show apparel in the hunter ring. We asked how this became her signature.

“My mom put me in the brown helmet when I was doing leadline because she thought it matched well with my red hair, and it’s been my thing ever since,” she said. “Now for the equitation, I have to wear black and everyone, including me, thinks it looks very strange on me!”

Sophia said that to continue her rigorous riding and showing schedule, she attends online school. However, she mostly does her schoolwork at night after she has ridden all day.

Sophia hopes to one day make it onto the United States Equestrian Team. She looks up with Liza Boyd, Kelley Farmer, and Beezie Madden. She also said if she could ride any horse it would be Lucy Deslauriers’ Hester because she thinks “he is incredible.”

Sophia & Spellbound. Photo Credit: PhelpsSports.com.

Although she spends most of her time riding, she does occasionally have time to unwind.

“Listening to music is usually how I unwind,” she said. “My favorite artists are Lana Del Rey and Elvis Presley.”

When asked how she deals with becoming a well-known, up and coming rider, Sophia had this to say:

“I am respectful to all the fellow riders, trainers, and other people involved in my riding career,” she said. “I am very appreciative for all the opportunities that I have been given. I want to become a good role model for younger riders.”

February 25, 2015

Anna Easton: Taking everything in stride

Anna Easton is a rider that believes someone with “enough talent, determination, and hard work” can make it in the horse world, according to her blog Big Eqspectations. Her horse journey is that of trail riding, pony jumpers, and the Big Eq. She had high hopes of qualifying for the Maclay Finals. Although she did not achieve that dream, she has taken it in stride, remained graceful, and had a great sense of positivity regarding her riding journey.

Anna said she knew her dream of qualifying for Medal or Maclay Finals was a “farfetched goal.” This was for a variety of reasons.

“I didn’t (and still don’t) have the finances, I was green in the show ring, and I didn’t have much time left. Nerves were always a big problem for me and when I got nervous, I couldn’t pick a distance to save my life,” she said.

However, despite not reaching her goal, she said she could write a book about everything she learned during her junior career.

“The equitation courses really taught me to slow down and think. It’s a lot easier to make decisions when you aren’t rushing through the course, which is what I try to do when I’m flustered. I also learned, through experiencing the benefits, why the equitation classes were created. It’s a lot easier to be clean and efficient in the jumper ring when you know how to ride the perfect track on a bending line, make balanced inside turns, and have the position to keep you secure while executing these things,” she said. “But, one of the most important things I learned was patience. Horses require a lot of patience, and people require more.”

Anna, now 18, has been riding she since was 5 years old. However, she also loves listening to music and is a self-described folk, blues, and classic rock fan. She also enjoys writing – from poetry to blog posts and anything in between. She also said her helmet is two sizes bigger than her head to accommodate her “big, curly mess” of hair with a “mind of its own.” She also responds to the nickname ‘Fuzz,’ which her sister dubbed her with when they were kids.

When Anna began riding, it was because her father wanted her to have a hobby that she could enjoy. Although she did local shows when she was 7 years old, she did not start showing on the rated circuits until she was 14.

“This was somewhat due to financial reasons, but mostly because my father had different goals for me when I started riding,” she said. “He mostly wanted me to have a hobby I could enjoy. But, when I showed interest in making my debut on the rated circuit, he completely supported and facilitated me.”

Photo Credit to Erica Rosinski Photography.

Now that she has aged out, she hopes to make it as a professional. She began her professional life as a working student for Don Stewart making the long drive from her home in Atlanta to his farm in Ocala.

“My job with Don is an opportunity that I am very excited about!” Anna said. “I’m mainly going to be hacking horses, showing horses to potential buyers, doing horse-related laundry, and cleaning tack at the end of the day I’m also hoping to show some as horses are available. A lot goes into running an operation of that size and I would love to learn about all aspects, from the care of the horses, to the business side of things.”

While she does plan to attend college, she also plans to make riding her career and says she has been designing her dream barn since she was 8 years old. Her ultimate career goal is to be a successful Grand Prix rider, as she considers herself to be more of a jumper rider.

Anna loves the jumper ring because of the teamwork.

“The hunter ring showcases the horse and the equitation ring showcases the rider. But, the jumper ring showcases the team,” she said. “A good jumper has the same goals as its rider; Get over the jumps clean and fast. They’re on at all times, and they’re powerful and agile. Nothing beats riding a horse like that. But, another thing I love about the jumper ring is the fact that it is completely objective. No politics and no worrying about who’s at the gate.”

However, Anna said that her favorite thing about equitation is its purpose. She feels that eq classes create more solid and effective riders, and it helps them transition into higher levels in the sport as well as into professionals if that is what they choose.

Anna also rode in the hunters for about 6 months when she was 12 or 13. She thought it was “fun, but slow.” Although she does appreciate the hunters much more now and loves the hunter derbies, she said hunters “will never steal [her] heart like the jumper ring has.”

Anna’s love for the jumpers also comes from the fact that she started there. Being blunt, Anna said she wasn’t “politically correct” enough for the horse world with her dad as her trainer and her lack of finances. Her perfectionism attracted her to the equitation, which she used to better herself as a rider.

Photo Credit to David Bell.

After aging out, Anna has decided she will leave equitation behind aside from her goal for qualifying for the Talent Search Finals.

Although Anna rode with her dad growing up, she also got a chance to ride with Rob Gage, a well-known USEF judge. She met him through Judge My Ride, a website where riders can post photos and videos of themselves riding and get feedback from USEF rated judges, like Rob.

“He was the main person who commented on my pictures and was very encouraging as I tried to improve my position. He came to my town for a clinic in May of 2012. I was terrified when I met him, which is really funny in hindsight Rob is hysterical, blunt, and always supportive,” she said. “He tells you, loudly, when you screw up because he wants you to fix it so you can succeed. I almost always ride my best when I’m around Rob because his confidence in me makes me confident in myself.”

Right now, Anna has 6 horses, most of which are leased out. She has the ponies she rode in the pony jumpers that taught her to jump. She also has her equitation horse that is leased out in Massachusetts. Additionally, she has two jumpers, Charlie and Prize. Charlies is an older Thoroughbred who is doing 1.20m courses, and Prize is a rescue mare that jumps 1.30m.

Anna didn’t experience the dreaded “aging out syndrome” like some riders do when their junior career ends.

“I’ve always viewed my junior career as the start of a long-term career in the horse world. Riding as a junior is not the end, it’s the beginning. Even though I didn’t earn any big titles during my junior years, I’m thrilled with what I learned and the experiences I had,” Anna said. “This sport is a constant education. If you don’t succeed in your junior years, you have the rest of your amateur or professional years to try again. I’m excited to see what my future as a non-junior holds.”

Although Anna is riding with Don Stewart, she plans on continuing to rider with her father as well. Anna has several trainers, and she enjoys getting to work with a number of different professionals as it gives her different ways to think about things.

“It’s nice to gather all the information I can, try each method, and then decide what works best for me, my style, and my horses,” she said.

Although Anna did not get to meet her goals as a junior, she has discovered one thing: time is a friend when it comes to riding.

“Tomorrow always provides us with the opportunity to do better and to try harder. Time provides us with knowledge and experience, which is invaluable and never plentiful enough in the horse world. You also have to enjoy each step of the journey,” she said. “If you don’t like the path you take to get to your goal, was the goal really worth it? I may not have qualified for the Maclay, but I have nothing but fond memories of every day I spent working towards that dream.”

We asked Anna her advice for riders that want to qualify for the Big Eq Finals. She said be realistic.

“If you are 17 years old, just moving up to the 3′, and have only shown on the local circuit, it’s not going to happen. Now, there is nothing wrong with being 17, moving up to 3′, and only showing on the local circuit. It’s just not the recipe that gets you to a Big Eq Final. There are reasons I didn’t qualify. I didn’t have enough time, money, or experience,” she said. “You need to have the right horse, enough money to show a couple times per month, and enough time to really get the experience you need over the equitation courses.”

She also suggested that someone show as often as possible because a show is a completely different atmosphere than riding at home.

“There is a lot of self-inflicted pressure in the ring and experience is the only cure.” Anna said, “In addition to that, the more courses you see and ride, the better.”

Photo Credit to Holly Ridge Photorgraphy.

Like myself, Anna suffers from a case of the nerves, and she said it tends to affect her eye. However, she found that time, experience, and developing confidence in herself have helped her. She also said that coming to the realization that she can’t always be perfect was another big thing that helped.

As usual, we asked Anna who she looks up to in the horse world, and she of course said Beezie Madden.

“She’s phenomenal. She’s gutsy, intelligent, and unbelievably solid. It has always bothered me that so many upper level riders let their position go out the window. People make excuses constantly, like ‘it’s more important to be effective than pretty.’ I get it. It is hard to ‘equitate’ over bigger jumps on horses who jump with so much power, but both Beezie and McLain Ward prove it’s possible to be effective and have an effective, attractive position. I really admire that.”

Anna’s favorite brands include:

Antares
Devoucoux
Tailored Sportsman
EIS
Essex Classics
Parlantis
Horseware Ireland

She also loves to buy on eBay and high-end used tack Facebook groups.

Anna said she believes that one never knows where this sport is going to take them.

“…[M]y mother has said to me a lot ‘Everything that has happened has led to this.’ It doesn’t matter which incident she’s talking about, it always holds true … I started showing with Don last year for the sole purpose of qualifying for the Maclay. Instead of that, I got a job with him, which is much better, in my opinion. Since we can’t tell what path we’re on, it makes no sense to panic when things are going wrong. There is always a silver lining, though it may be hard to find, and you can always turn bad into good. This advice has kept my eyes open and provided me with a lot of opportunities I never thought I would be fortunate enough to receive.”

If you would like to keep up with Anna, she has her own blog. She also has a Facebook page, Instagram, YouTube, and is always available by email.

January 28, 2015

Hunter Holloway: Making her mark on all 3 rings

Hunter Holloway riding Tori Colvin’s horse, Patrick, during the work-off at the 2014 Maclay Finals.

While Hunter Holloway has been riding since she was a young girl, she really broke into the scene and onto our radar when she placed second at the Maclay Finals this year on Any Given Sunday (though it should be noted that she won her first Grand Prix class at the age of 12 making her the youngest rider ever to win a national standard Grand Prix). Hunter was head to head with first place winner, Tori Colvin, and they went all the way to a work-off and switching horses to determine the winner.

Hunter is someone who lives and breathes horses. She spends most – if not all – of her time at the barn. According to an article in the Kansas City Star, Hunter, who is based in Kansas, spends at least 12 hours a day with horses. She balances that with attending high school – online – and a busy competition schedule. She also works on her family’s farm, helping to train and sell horses.

Hunter recently caught my eye as a rider to watch. She has had success in the hunter, jumper, and equitation rings at such a young age. She has ridden with George Morris and recently started training with Anne Kursinski. She is also sponsored by my favorite equestrian apparel company, Le Fash.

Hunter riding Any Given Sunday at the 2014 ASPCA Maclay Finals where she placed second.

I reached out to Hunter to see if she would be willing to be interviewed, and she said yes. I was extremely excited for this opportunity, and I am extremely excited to be writing this post.

Hunter’s list of accolades is long (thank you to Le Fash’s sponsors page for this list). Among others she was:

The youngest rider in history chosen to represent the United Stations in the FEI Nations Cup Young Rider Team in Germany;
Devon 2014 Reserve Best Child Rider;
Altech National Horse Show 2013 Reserve Champion in the Younger Large Junior Hunters division;
Pennsylvania National Horse Show 2013 Reserve Champion in the Younger Small Junior Hunters division;
Washington International Horse Show 2013 Reserve Champion in the Younger Small Junior Hunters division;
Reserve Champion at the 2013 East Coast Junior Hunter Finals;
Second place at the 2014 ASPCA Maclay Finals;

Hunter riding Lyons Creek Bellini at Summer in the Rockies. Photo Credit: PhelpsSports.com

At 16 years old, Hunter has a lot under her belt, and there is no doubt she will be a big contender during the last two years of her junior career.

Hunter has been with horses ever since she was young. In fact, her mom rode horses while she was pregnant with Hunter and even took a tumble at one point!

“It wasn’t a bad fall though,” Hunter said. “She was flatting around when the horse tripped really bad causing her to fall off.”

Growing up, Hunter’s trainer was her mom, Brandie. She was also trained by, and continues to train with, Don Stewart. She recently started training with Anne Kursinski, and even worked in New Jersey as a working student for Anne at Anne’s Farm Market Street over the summer. While in Wellington, Hunter meets up with Anne for lessons.

Hunter said that Anne is an “amazing person” and an “inspiration” to her.

“She is so passionate about what she does, just watching her teach and ride allows you to learn so much,” Hunter said.

While Hunter competes in all 3 rings, her main focus for this year is the jumpers.

“I’d really like to do some bigger classes and some World Cup qualifier stuff,” She said. “Also wanting to try and do some more team events this year. I still have my sights set on the equitation finals as well so I’ll continue to work towards that.”

However, despite her focus on jumpers, she still plans on “doing it all.”

“My family’s Equi-Venture Farm has a business based on buying and selling horses,” Hunter said. “I’ll keep showing the horses until they sell, everything I ride or have ridden has been a sales horse. It’s how we make our money so we can continue to do this.”

Hunter Holloway & YOLO. Photo Credit: PhelpsSports.com

A typical day for Hunter includes riding about 10 horses and working on schoolwork. She also adds in her busy competition schedule. She is currently in Wellington and will be going back and forth between Wellington and Ocala to compete – with Anne.

Hunter stated she wants to go pro with her riding.

“I hope to take it as far as I can, hopefully the Olympics one day,” she said, adding: “Go big or go home.”

It is well-known that Hunter loves Le Fash. But what other equestrian products can she not do without?

“CWD, JOTT, Samshield, EquiFit, Bizi Bee Boutique, and Purina. They are all amazing products and fulfill all your equestrian needs,” she said. (Editor’s Note: We second the EquiFit, and a Samshield is on our wishlist!)

Hunter has had the opportunity to train and ride with amazing trainers and riders throughout her life. We asked her who she would love to clinic with if she had the chance. Aside from Anne Kursinski and George Morris, she said Beezie Madden and McLain Ward who she feels “are the poster children for the U.S. classical style of riding.”

Hunter Holloway competing in the Junior Hunters at WIHS, 2013. Photo Credit: The Plaid Horse.

It was recently announced that Le Fash founder and president, Arianna Vastino, will be working closely with Hunter on some new apparel for the summer. We asked Hunter if she could give away any details. Though she couldn’t reveal any upcoming items, she did give us one hint:

“I’m super excited about it and let’s just say it’s going to be very classic yet fashion forward,” she said.

Hunter has obviously had a huge amount of success at only 16. We asked her if she had an advice for riders that wish to make it big in this sport.

“Hard work and making sure the trainers around you know that you want it,” she said. “Ride whatever you can and get in the ring as much as possible. I believe hard work is the biggest thing though. You have to work hard for the things you want most.”

January 26, 2015

Aleece Jarman on turning pro, training with her parents, and spending as much time as she can with horses

I interviewed Aleece Jarman – a junior rider who just turned pro! Aleece currently competes in the hunters and jumpers and rides out of her family’s farm, Aubrey Hill Equestrian Center, located in Florida.

Aleece & Canto in the high junior jumpers at Conyers. Photo Credit to Flashpoint Photography.

Aleece began riding about 14 years ago. When she was younger she also did ballet and gymnastics, but her parents wanted her to choose one sport to invest her time in – she chose riding horses. For most of her life, she has adapted so that she could invest as much time and focus into riding and competing as possible.

“When I was in fifth grade I became homeschooled so I could focus even more on my riding and showing,” she said. “A few years after that I switched to online school so I could complete my work a little bit easier especially when traveling. Now I’m 18 and starting out my first year as a professional. I honestly can’t imagine myself doing anything else.”

Being a professional means a busy day. Typically, Aleece will start schoolwork around 8:15 in the morning. This takes her about 3 to 4 hours. After eating lunch, she begins her rides of the day which are usually a minimum of 3 to 4. After finishing up riding, she and her family eat dinner and watch television together.

Aleece’s parents have played an integral part in her riding. They are not just the owners of where she rides – they’re her trainers too.

Aleece & Levi in the younger small juniors at Devon. Photo Credit to Mollie Bailey and Molly Sorge.

“Training with them is great! Not only do we joke around and have a good time but I feel more comfortable being trained by my parents,” she said. “They know me better than anyone so if I’m having trouble with my riding they will know exactly how to explain it so I am able to understand. We don’t fight at all. Our entire family is very respectful when it comes to each other and I definitely think that helps.”

Aleece said she loves having her entire family involved in riding, and she feels it helps to bring them closer together.

“We’re able to share a sport that we love with each other and that’s pretty cool because some families aren’t able to do that,” Aleece said.

Aleece recently became a professional rider, and she was extremely excited about it. She personally loves having new goals and problems to overcome, and she also loves challenges. Although aging out has been a little nerve wracking, she considers it to be a new chapter in her career. She also said that she hasn’t found it difficult to start riding as a professional, even at only 18 years old.

“I have a lot of people around me that are extremely supportive and want me to have as much success as I possibly can,” Aleece said. “I just continue to ride to the best of my ability and work hard to improve my riding every single day.”

Aleece did hunters for most of her life and considers it to be her “main” discipline. However, when she turned 16, she decided to try doing jumper classes because they looked “extremely challenging.” Additionally, the jumper levels go much higher than they do in the hunter ring. She also wanted to expand her knowledge and skill set.

Aleece & Calisto, owned by Ashley Aycox, in the Elite Shows International Derby (Aleece’s first!) in Pensacola, Florida. Photo Credit to Nina Lisa.

Aleece currently competes in both the hunter and jumper classes on a few different horses. Her personal horse, Cantori (or “Canto”), is a 9 year old Holsteiner. During the end of her junior career, she showed him in the high junior jumpers. As she progresses in her professional career and he in his training and experience, she hopes to show him in welcomes, classics, Mini Prixs, and Grand Prixs. (Note: Aleece recently announced on her Instagram that she will be selling Canto. A horse that she has been riding, named Stevens, will become her personal horse.)

She also shows two other horses, both of which are for sale. Big Promise – or Promise – a 10 year old Dutch Warmblood that she considers to be a “great first jumper.” In fact, he helped Aleece get from the 1.10 meter classes to the 1.35 and 1.40 classes. Additionally, Promise is now ridden by Aleece’s sister who wanted to start doing jumper classes.

Finally, Aleece rides Wanelo – or Nelo – a 6 year old Dutch Warmblood in the pre-greens. He is also a sale horse.

Being able to train horses and ponies is something about which Aleece is extremely proud. She has been doing so since the age of 9 with the help of her parents.

“Putting all of that hard work and time into a horse or pony and then winning a big class or even qualifying for a big show means more than words can describe,” she said.

With all the success that Aleece has experienced, I wondered whether she ever felt the pressure to be ‘perfect.’ She did, especially when she used to show her small pony, Rico Suavè. Due to her success on him, a lot of spectators would attend her classes to watch her ride. She said this would make her nervous and cause her to choke.

“Eventually I learned to push the nerves away and just go out there and ride. Now that I’m older and have more show experience, I tend to not get nervous. No one is perfect so I finally stopped trying to be,” she said. “Turns out things work out much better when you aren’t trying to perform at an impossible standard!”

Aleece is extremely active on social media which hasn’t always been fun for her. She said that she’s experienced an incredible amount of internet hate, but she hasn’t let that get to her.

“Some people have said things to me that I do not wish to repeat…” She said. “Fortunately, I’ve always been the type of person that could care less what others think especially when it comes to my riding. I’m happy with who I am and that’s what matters. People that hide behind anonymous and try to destroy your life aren’t even worth your time. You just have to keep your chin up and focus on the things that really matter.”

Though she is a professional, Aleece said she does have a riding weakness: her size.

“I’m only 5’ tall so being strong enough is sometimes a big issue for me. For my height I’m quite muscular but compared to taller women or men I’m very weak,” she said. “Controlling horses much bigger than me can be a difficult task especially if the horse is acting up.”

However, she also thinks her size is an advantage as it allows her to ride any size horse or pony, and she wouldn’t want to be taller.

Aleece doesn’t have any specific goals going into this year aside from improving her riding and skill set. She also wants to learn as much as she can from the sport. Her ultimate long-term goal is to show in a Grand Prix or jumper derby at Spruce Meadows.

Aleece & Canto competing in the high junior jumpers at the Classic Company show in Pensacola, Florida. Photo Credit to A&S Photography.

Since she is 18, college is just around the corner, but Aleece hasn’t figured out yet what she would like to do aside from taking some photography classes. However, she did stress that riding will always come first for her, and she considers it to be her profession.

As for other professionals, Aleece said she has always looked up to Nick Skelton.

“His horses are always in amazing shape and perform to the best of their abilities,” she said. “He goes in that ring to get the job done and he makes it look effortless in the process.”

She also considers McLain Ward to be a role model and would love to clinic with him one day.

“He is an incredible rider who not only has amazing equitation, but he’s also quite admirable in jump offs. He knows exactly how to set a horse up for a turn and knows exactly when to push the limit,” she said.

Finally, we asked about her favorite riding products. She loves Tailored Sportsman breeches (which she was still wearing at 7 pm during her interview), her GPA Speed Air helmet, and Pikeur jackets and belts.

If you’d like to keep up with Aleece, she can be found on Facebook, Kik (Username: AleeceJarman), Ask.fm, and Instagram (which she uses the most).

All photos are courtesy of Aleece Jarman and credited to the photographers listed in the caption. Please do not use without permission.

January 12, 2015

Up & Coming Rider: Lizzy, Pony Jumper Finals Team Gold Winner

Lizzy & Theo at Pony Finals. Photo Credit to Chronicle of the Horse.

I’m very excited to announce that I got the chance to interview Lizzy S., who won team gold at the Pony Finals with her lease pony, Theo. After aging out, Lizzy started as a freshman at Auburn University, where she is majoring in pre-vet animal science at the College of Agriculture.

Lizzy describes herself as a “very open person with a lot of goals.”

“I love to have fun but when it comes down to it I will always choose studying over going out because my future means so much to me,” she said.

Lizzy also considers herself to be a “very accepting person.”

“I was raised in a very loving home,” she said. “We moved around a lot and I was exposed to a lot of cultures when I was very young.”

Lizzy & Theo schooling. Photo Credit to Lindsey Toothman.

Despite her riding accolades, interesting life growing up, and her large aspirations, she did say she doesn’t consider herself “too interesting.

Although Lizzy has aged out and is no longer riding Theo, she is trying to find as many riding opportunities as she can. However, college hasn’t made her life too different, and she is focusing on making sure she gets good grades and is successful academically.

“I think first semester I focused more on academics than riding, and second semester I can ride more because I’ve figured it out,” Lizzy said. “My junior status has never been too important to me. In the long run I love to compete, and I can still do that without that status. I only needed it to compete at Pony Finals and now that I’ve had a successful round there, I’m content with it.”

Despite her lack of riding first semester, Lizzy has managed to work out a few opportunities to ride her second semester so she can ride more. Additionally, she did have a working student position over winter break but had to give it up to do a medical issue.

Speaking of Pony Jumper Finals, Lizzy described that experience as “amazing.” In 2012, she competed at Pony Finals with a different pony and got a bronze team medal and 13^th overall. Despite that, Lizzy still wasn’t satisfied. However, she considered herself to be “done” with pony jumpers until her friend suggested she try Theo.

“Theo fell in my lap exactly one year from the starting date of Pony Finals 2014. We had a lot of ground to cover, and we entered our first AA show in February. If you look at the videos from our first show you’ll think it was a miracle we survived an entire course at Pony Finals,” she said. “Both him and I had a lot to fix. I poured my heart and soul into him, and it paid off. My goal going into that competition was to get through the finish flags on every course. If I did that, I would be so happy. We did that and a lot more.”

Lizzy had a hugely successful jump-off after what she calls “two silly mistakes” that ended up helping her team win gold.

Lizzy (left) & her teammates after winning team gold at Pony Finals. Photo Credit to Chronicle of the Horse.

“Theo and I ended up in 5^th overall and with a gold team medal. The super cool part about it is that no bronze and silver medals were handed out for team,” she said. “The other teams had to be within 20 faults of the gold team to qualify for a medal, and [the] Pony Club team was so good that no one was within 20 faults! I have never been more proud of that pony or that team. That moment is something I will always hold onto.”

Lizzy said for Pony Finals, “don’t ride for time.”

“The only time the time counts is in the jump off for the medals. Ride smart, read the rules. Don’t let yourself get nervous and don’t let yourself blank out. There is NO SUCH THING as too much leg. And be confident in yourself and your pony!” She said.

Lizzy is no longer riding Theo because he went back to his current owner. She said that he is competing in eventing with his current owner and is “doing well.”

Lizzy & Theo. Photo Credit to AK Photography.

Lizzy does want to go back to showing and competing, even though she doesn’t currently have a horse. She also plans to take her riding as far as she can possibly go with it.

“Upper level show jumping is always something that I have aspired to,” she said. “I also enjoy teaching and learning and would love to take that as far as I can.”

Lizzy grew up at a lesson barn like most of us, but she also participated in Pony Club. She said Pony Club made her the rider she is today.

Lizzy & Theo. Photo Courtesy of Lizzy S.

“I have horsemanship skills that I commonly see lacking in my competitors. Pony Club emphasizes knowledge and safety,” Lizzy said. “I truly think that that experience made me a better rider and contributed to the win we had at Pony Finals. If you watched the videos – none of our girls [rode] for time. We take the safe, practical approach.”

Lizzy said that she not only knows what she needs to do to keep her horse or pony healthy but also the why of what she is doing. This knowledge has also set her apart from a lot of others in the pre-vet science major at Auburn.

”I honestly recommend Pony Club to everyone. I think the knowledge and professionalism that it teaches you is irreplaceable,” Lizzy said. “I also know that the connections that it has opened me up to [have] given me the best coaches I could ever imagine.”

Lizzy likes competing in the jumpers, and she will continue to do so if she is able. Her favorite thing about the jumpers is that they’re “unbiased.”

Lizzy & Theo. Photo Credit to Limerick Photography.

“There is little room for cheating. If i walked Theo into a hunter round we would probably place different each time with a different judge with the same round,” she said. “In jumpers, that’s not possible.”

Lizzy said that her nerves and her back are her biggest riding weakness. She is a self-described “micro-manager,” which makes her tend to hold her breath. However, she pointed out that this habit makes her round go terribly.

“If you watch my rounds at pony finals, I talk to Theo,” she said. “It’s obnoxious, yes, but me encouraging him makes me visibly relax more.”

Lizzy & Theo after their win at Pony Finals.

We asked Lizzy her opinion on internet bullying, as it is something that has plagued a lot of equestrians as of late. Lizzy said she doesn’t deal with bullying well, but she eventually realized that if people have a problem with her, that’s fine. She would rather someone come to her directly if they have an issue with her rather than pick on her anonymously or behind her back.

As a college student and someone who went through the college application process, Lizzy has the following advice for those that will be or are applying to college now:

“Make yourself stand out. No college wants all of their students to have a 4.0 and be in the top 10 percent and no extracurriculars. Make yourself so unique there’s no way they can say no to you,” she said.

Right now, Lizzy spends most of her time studying. However, she doesn’t regret it as she finished her first semester of college with a 3.81 GPA, which is amazing! She also added that it is incredibly difficult to get an ‘A’ at Auburn, so she is very proud of her academic success.

Lizzy after winning team gold at Pony Finals. Photo Credit to Chronicle of the Horse.

2014 just ended, and Lizzy said her biggest lesson from last year was to have fun.

“I mean I am still incredibly competitive but some of the pictures you’ll see me smiling and laughing because having fun is something I forgot to do for a long time,” she said.