Katherine Poston, Reporter and Designer
Adrian Leonard, a sophomore, recently traveled to Oklahoma to compete in the Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show.
Leonard began riding horses when she was 10 years old. Since then, she has participated in competitions primarily within Washington state.
“[Riding] has taught me discipline and the importance of a strong work ethic,” Leonard said. “I’ve learned to value commitment heavily and how to be empathetic towards everyone and everything, not just humans.”
This past October, however, Leonard traveled with her horse to Oklahoma City, winning multiple awards at the Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show, a three-day competition.
Leonard doesn’t think that she would have begun riding had it not been for her neighbor.
“When I first moved to the island, my neighbor had horses,” Leonard said. “I was in third grade and I was very shy, so instead of talking to the lady who owned those horses, I would hop her fence into their pasture so I could hang out with the horses. One day she caught me, and we became friends. She showed me the routine of the barn, and the hard work it took to manage horses.”
Leonard has been riding horses for six years; she began riding at the age of ten when she first became interested. Her horse, a purebred Morgan, is named Lokie after the Norse God of Mischief. Leonard believes that the name suits him well.
Although Leonard does not own Lokie — she rents him from her teacher — she has ridden him for six years.
Leonard rides Lokie in every competition she competes in, which has been between four and five competitions per year for the past six years.
Preparing for a competition requires a lot of work. During a normal month, Leonard will practice with Lokie about two hours a day, four days a week. When preparing for a competition, she will practice significantly more.
“I push myself harder so I’m prepared,” Leonard said
Leonard structures her lessons based on how she and Lokie feel that day. Often she will ride without stirrups, an exercise which requires a great deal of leg muscle.
“When we began training for Oklahoma, I began riding five days a week with my lessons becoming longer and harder,” Leonard said.
Leonard has been riding in nearly every competition on Vashon for the past four years, as well as traveling to compete across Washington. When competing on Vashon, Leonard generally does quite well.
When Leonard set a goal of competing in Oklahoma City, she began training more intensely than before, partially prompted by her past experience. When she first began to compete outside of Vashon, she didn’t do as well as she had hoped. This time, she doesn’t want to make the same mistake.
“Before I set my sights on Oklahoma, I wouldn’t ride as often and as intensely,” Leonard said.
In the second week of October, Leonard flew south to Oklahoma.
Leonard’s hard work paid off. She placed second in two divisions: the jumper’s division and the hunter’s division. She also placed first at Grand National Championship and two Reserve World Championships.
“My success has definitely proven to me that I can turn this into a career if I wish,” Leonard said.
Riding can also be very difficult, and the dedication Leonard has shown to riding has taken most of her time.
“I became frustrated when riding would conflict with things such as school and friends, and I often had to miss out on events for riding,” she said. “There were moments when I wanted to quit because I was just so mad at things, like my lack of progress or being unable to grasp a new concept.”
Both she and Lokie have greatly improved within the last year.
“When I first began riding, [Lokie] was in need of some more training,” Leonard said. “I wouldn’t have been able to place in Oklahoma even a year ago like I did this past October. There was a lot of improvement on both our parts.” Leonard said
Riding is not just a hobby for Leonard.
“We all have our thing that keeps us sane, and that is riding for me,” Leonard said. “It is the most frustrating and challenging aspect of my life but also the best. I wouldn’t be able to live without it.”