Recently over the winter, sophomore Jenna Van Pelt had the opportunity to ride in the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida. While there, she had numerous responsibilities, keeping her busy from dawn until dusk. Schoolwork, riding, showing, and taking care of her horse were just some of these duties. Having the chance to ride with some of the nation’s top trainers was an invaluable experience that will serve her riding skills well.

Jenna got to participate in several different types of horse showing, involving some divisions that were dedicated to her style of riding, her horse’s style of jumping, and her speed over the jumps. Because of this variety, her “typical day” changed often. Even so, her routine was never a break; she worked every day. Normally, she would have to wake up at 6 in the morning to take care of her horse, and sometimes prepare for showing by walking the course she would have to ride later in the day. After that, she would need to go to school from 8 am – 11 am. This made getting her work in very difficult, because she had so little time to get it all in. Then, it would be time to ride. On the days that she showed, she needed to be sure to bathe her horse to get him clean and braid his mane, depending on the type of showing she was doing. Once she had finished, she had to make sure that her equipment was clean and ready to go for the next day. If the day did not include showing, Jenna would still ride and have lessons to improve her riding. She also got the opportunity to work for her trainers. This made the day longer and harder, but it gave her the chance to learn and watch other riders. At the end of this long day, she would have to go home and do her homework, sometimes skyping with her tutors to keep up with work. Her final task of the day would be to do a night check for her horse around 10 pm. Then, she would go home to sleep and get up to do it all over again.

Even though the weather might have been much better than Baltimore, Jenna did not get to see the beach to relax. Horse showing might involve several people, but it ultimately falls to the rider to be responsible for the horse, equipment, preparation, and training. Juggling this with school could not have been an easy task. Not only that, but Jenna was able to be successful in the show ring. This shows that the only way Jenna can move is up!

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