A Lifetime of Horsin' Around
Ever since she was little, Caroline has always had an unconditional love for animals. For a long time, she begged her mom for a puppy, but recognizing her love for horses,her mom threw her in a camp at the Chastain Horse Park, right next to school. She quickly fell in love with sports and soon after the camp she started taking lessons on a regular basis. Around three to four years ago, she competed for the first time. She described the feeling of her first competition as almost a dream. She talked about her navy jacket and her polished boots making her feel like a seasoned professional.
After talking with Caroline for a while, I asked her what her favorite thing about horseback riding was and what made it so great. Everyone has their favorite thing about whatever hobby they do. For me, it's the sound of the baseball hitting the wooden barrel. I was dying to know what that was for Caroline. After hesitation, Caroline explained her love for animals and this ultimately was what caused her to stick to the sport. When asked about the reasons she rides she responded, “I’m not going to ride Giraffes”.
Although Caroline loves horseback riding, she did talk about the pretentious way that the sport comes off to other people. She said the drama surrounding the sport has caused many hurt feelings within the community. She also talked about the cheating scandals that are uncommon but occasionally do happen. In one instance, a trainer gave their horses a tranquilizer for dogs and cats to calm down the horses before the competition. This allowed for the horses to be much calmer and complete the course without any disruptions. Even though these things happen, Caroline still has a strong passion for the intense support.
Before the beginning of her horseback riding career, she played soccer and like many kids, she hated it. After trying her luck in cross country, Caroline quickly learned her endurance and strength were better suited for riding horses even though it’s not necessarily an easier sport. Horseback riding is her niche; she’s found the one thing in her life she loves so much and plans to stick with it.
Talking about her past with horseback riding led to conversations about the future. We talked about the possibility of her going to college to continue riding. Colleges recruit these highly talented equestrians from all around the country to compete against other colleges. Although this does sound interesting to her, she wants to have a social life outside of riding in college. These same colleges have club riding teams and that is a much more appealing option for Caroline. Talking more about time outside of horseback riding, I was curious to know what her schedule looks like. Without hesitation, she told me that there is absolutely no time outside of riding. There is no offseason, so Caroline must be in the saddle year round if she wants to compete at the level she is at right now. Although she doesn't love this, her love for the sport motivates her to get all of her work done outside of riding.
Even though she admits sometimes riding is a lot to handle, Caroline would not have it any other way. It is extremely noticeable how much she cares about this sport and what it has in store for her. Who knows, maybe Caroline is famous one day fulfilling her passion, riding horses.
By Adam Smith
