A strong appendix mare shows off its glistening, athletic and muscled body as it trots to its owner in the warm midday sun.
The horse’s sweet and cuddly nature peeks through her brawny exterior as she nuzzles her head against her owner’s hand.
Cal High junior Hailey Yi climbs onto her horse, Athena, and surveys the fences on the lush pasture. They go through their usual warm-up and Athena finds her element, jumping high and galloping happily, still full of boundless energy when they’re done.
“A lot of horses tend to be lazy,” Yi said. “[Athena] is very excited all the time and is really happy to do her job.”
Yi is among Cal’s four female competitive horse riders. The other three are Sophia Park, Svanika Doddavarapu and Sarah Truitner.
Yi is a show jumper who has been competitively horse riding for almost four years. Connecting with animals and playing with friends got her into casual riding at six years old. Now, after many years of having dealt with horses, Yi acknowledges the difficulties of participating in the activity.
“Horse riding is my therapy, but it also gives me a reason to go to therapy,” Yi joked. “It’s very mentally and physically draining, but I think that’s like any sport.”
Yi admits that working together with another living animal can be unpredictable, but it also makes for a new friend and a feeling of teamwork.
Like Yi, junior Sophia Park understands the complexities of riding, having been participating for eight years as a hunter jumper. The hunter jumper discipline sees hunter riders judged subjectively on artistry and form, whereas jumper riders are judged objectively on speed and agility.
While Park enjoys working with a partner that can’t speak English and loves spending time with her warmblooded horse, Everett, her riding journey hasn’t always been enjoyable.
“Confidence plays a huge role in riding,” Park said. “When I started off, I had no confidence because I was new, and I also didn’t get the best of training.”
Park’s early struggles were the result of inconsistent training, instructors pushing her and her horses beyond their capabilities, and a barn environment that hindered her progress.
After a long search, Park finally found her home at Sterling Farms in Livermore. There, under the guidance of Sterling Farms owner and head trainer Adrienne Grasso, Park found the consistent support and training she had been looking for.
“The entire goal of my program is to produce riders that are well rounded and good horsemen,” Grasso said.
To achieve this, Grasso emphasizes a foundation of horsemanship, teaching riders to understand their horses through feel and observation, providing proper horse care, and developing problem-solving skills. Grasso also makes sure kids facing financial challenges are given access to more opportunities, including those offered through the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA).
In this affordable program, barns offer their properties for student horse shows, where riders compete on randomly assigned horses, providing a unique experience each time.
Park finds this to be an amazing program, as does freshman Svanika Doddavarapu, who also benefits from IEA and is familiar with Sterling Farms, having competed in one of their shows with Team Kelly Maddox Training.
Doddavarapu has been very active in horseback riding competitions since joining IEA this year and receiving two consecutive first-place medals. The most recent was at her own barn on Oct. 13. She plans to continue competing and looks forward to her upcoming shows this year.
Doddavarapu’s discipline is in English riding, specifically hunt seat, which is judged on equitation, a rider’s skill and ability to control the horse.
She admits that learning horseback riding is difficult, and determination and confidence are a huge part of grasping the sport.
“You can’t have the horse throw you around,” Doddavarapu said. “You have to be willing to get back up.”
Yi agrees that without confidence, horse riding becomes much more difficult.
“You influence your horse’s mood and anxiety, so if you are fronting as a confident and sure rider, then your ride will be as successful as it can be,” Yi said.
Confidence, trust and determination are all a part of building the horse-rider relationship. But as Yi said earlier, trying to be compatible with another species can have unpredictable consequences, like injuries.
Yi herself is privy to this, after having broken four of her fingers due to a rough fall. A few years ago, Yi and her horse at the time crashed into a fence and the frightened creature spun Yi off. Then the horse ran away in a hurry, stomping on Yi’s hand in the process.
“It definitely took a good few seconds for me to feel the effects,” Yi said. “Once I did, the burning effect on my hand amplified and stung.”
Despite the injury, Yi is grateful that it only took a month to heal.
Like Yi, Park also experienced the risks of riding. When she was 10, she split the skin between her two nostrils.
After exploring an unfamiliar trail in the woods, her horse ran off, bucking Park onto the ground with her face smashed into gravel and rocks.
Fortunately, shock was all she felt, and after the hospital patched her up, Park went home without stitches, glue, or broken bones. Just two black eyes and her split nose.
“The only thing I had to do at home was to make sure someone woke me up every hour when I slept,” Park said. “To check that, first I wasn’t dead and that I didn’t lose my memory.”
Cost is another challenge of riding, which is one of Park’s least favorite aspects.
The financial commitment is significant, with costs ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars per month. According to Horse Rookie, the cost of simply owning a horse is estimated to be $350 to $1,000 per month.
“You need money to move on,” Park said. “If you don’t have money to buy a horse, then you’re kind of just stuck in the same spot.”
Grasso understands these financial challenges firsthand, as she didn’t come from a wealthy background herself. She now offers opportunities at Sterling Farms to help others by working student program where riders exchange work for lessons.
“There are a lot of opportunities to make money here and there, through horse grooming, hair braiding, and body clipping,” Grasso said. “Just be a self starter and you can definitely do it if that’s what you really want.”
Injuries and costly equipment may make horseback riding seem unattractive to some, but at the heart of it is a love for animals and riding.
Freshman Sarah Truitner has been riding in schooling shows for five years. Schooling shows are low pressure environments that help riders gain experience.
Truitner acknowledges that it takes quite a long time to learn to ride, but that she still adores the sport for its horses.
“I really like horses,” Truitner said. “I like getting to ride them because they’re really cool animals.”
Doddavarapu, however, finds joy in the sport’s non-toxic environment and the teamwork she shares with her horse.
“Your [horse] can’t argue with you. Well, they can be a little mean,” Doddavarapu joked, “but in the end, they mean the best.”
