“My mom rode when she was younger, and wanted to teach me,” Wyatt said.
Kristin has three quarter horses, whose names are: Jack, Meggie, and Dolly.
According the American Quarter Horse Association, quarter horses are “heavily muscled, compact horses” that are capable of “running a short distance over a straightaway faster than any other horse.”
She competes in two events, show jumping and reining. Both require the rider and horse to be in tune, and complete specific movements, whether it be jumping or pacing the horse into a particular gallop. Normally she wins her division, and she’s been ranked “Grand Champion” two to three times.
However, Wyatt isn’t all about the victories.
“One of my favorite things is I get to train my own horse,” she said. “Dolly is a baby I’m in the process of training.
As an avid rider, Kristin considers horse riding of any kind to be a unique sport.
“Riding is something not a lot of people get to experience, which makes the sport that much more special to me,” she said.
Sophomore Anna Rademacher spends every Saturday and Sunday at her home away from home, Sunny Stables. The barn, located in Liberty, Missouri, is where she rides a horse by the name of Hallelujah.
Hallelujah, an American Saddlebred, is her trainer’s horse. Anna and Hallelujah have received 50 ribbons, one of which is a champion ribbon. Rademacher competes in an event called “saddle seat.”
“I have to make the horse look good,” Anna said.
According to the American Saddlebred Horse Association, Saddlebred horses are the “ultimate show horse,” as they are a “spectacle of beauty and grace,” as well as an “intense athletic competitor.”
While in the ring for her horse shows, Rademacher has Hallelujah trained to walk, trot and cantor. Judges then rate based on performance. She has been riding for 8 years.
“I passed a barn while moving from Florida, and wanted to start riding. I have loved it ever since,” she said.
Horse riding is an important aspect of her life. Her family is supportive of her. Although her friends struggle to understand it, they still think it is a cool activity.
“I would consider it a sport, even though some of my friends don’t,” she said. “It’s challenging in its own way and unique.”
