Erin Cherry
Staff Writer
Stephanie Rew jumps with
her horse, Honey Blue Jeans
at competition (Photo by
Luke Maxcy).
Traditionally dogs are a man’s best friend.
But, several Pepperdine students have altered the norm by turning to horses for companionship. While the rest of Pepperdine’s campus is filled with beach bums, bookworms and musicians, a few dedicated and determined students will stop at nothing to fulfill their passion for horses.
Some students, including Shannon Kelly, Katie Burr and Stephanie Rew, have loved horses since childhood and compete in equestrian events at the national level.
Other exceptional and accomplished riders like Nicole Christy, Kristin Shaw and Sarah Titlow choose to compete on Pepperdine’s intercollegiate equestrian team. Still others such as Alissa Smith have found additional ways to fulfill their needs for the company of a horse since coming to Pepperdine.
The Pepperdine Equestrian Club continues on despite practices and competitions that are held off campus.
The equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association and participates in six competitions each school year. Aside from the league, there are also invitational and regional competitions that only qualified riders can attend. Though the Pepperdine team is at a disadvantage in these competitions because of its limited number of competitors, it has been relatively successful. The team has been invited back to the California Classic Invitational held in Fresno, a major feat for a team of no more than 10 members competing against teams of up to 50.
Small numbers can be viewed as a disadvantage at competitions because each individual’s points contribute to the total team score. However, the team remains positive because by having few members on the team, everyone is given the chance to ride and compete in events.
Co-captain Shaw said she enjoys the group aspect of intercollegiate equestrian competitions.
“You have the other teammates who can help you out,” Shaw said.
The equestrian team is different than other sports at Pepperdine because it does not require prior experience to join. Members can choose to be either competitive or recreational riders, meaning they can participate in competitions or they can join simply to learn how to ride.
Both western and English riders are encouraged to participate, although the team currently has only English riders participating. While presentation in showing and horsemanship are important aspects of both western and English riding, the types of riding differ in their overall style and posture. Western riding is a relaxed form for both horse and rider and the gates of the horse tend to be slower than those of horses in English riding. English riding is very proper and formal as far as straight riding posture and the dress of the riders. Western riders tend to dress more casually than do English riders who must wear a helmet and typically dress in neutral colors. The western and English saddles differ as well as the lingo used by competitors of both. The main difference during competitions is the varying aspects of riding styles the judges look at for both types of riders.
The team practices once a week at Foxfield Riding School in Westlake Village where approximately 100 horses are available to ride. Because the team does not have its own facilities it does not hold team practices. Team members participate in classes held for the public at the riding school.
Team member and distinguished English rider Titlow said the team would like to become more unified and practice together.
Intercollegiate competitions differ from individual-rider circuits because they do not require participants to have their own horse. Horses are available for each rider upon arrival at the competition and are chosen at random. This helps to level the playing field for those who might have a disadvantage by not owning and training with their own horse.
“It puts an emphasis on horsemanship,” Shaw said. “You have to be able to ride all horses.”
This horse lottery is possible because in show competitions participants are judged on how they ride and not on how their horse performs.
“It’s so different from any other show because you just hop on a horse and go,” Titlow said.
Smith, a freshman, found another way to be involved with horses.
Smith began competing in equestrian events when she was in seventh grade. During this time she also volunteered at the Pegasus Program, a therapeutic horseback riding program for children near her home in Colorado. Smith now volunteers once a week at Ride-On in Newbury Park, a therapy program similar to the one in Colorado.
“I really enjoyed (Pegasus) and could see what it could do in kid’s lives,” Smith said. “That was the one thing that kept me involved with horses.”
Smith’s role is primarily to walk with the children who are riding the horse while making sure that they don’t fall off. She will also soon begin working with the horses in order to keep them in shape.
The children who receive the therapy range from those who have Down syndrome to autism to partial paralysis. Smith has seen the therapy succeed, including in an autistic child who went from complete silence to being able to “talk about how much he loves cats” over four years.
Whether by participating on the Pepperdine equestrian team, helping at a horseback riding therapy program or competing in national events, students who love horses will do whatever it takes to continue being around them.
Katie Burr
Karli King
Staff Writer
For most Pepperdine students, it is difficult enough trying to balance rigorous college classes and a social life. For sophomore Katie Burr, these are only two parts of her busy schedule. Burr is a national horse-show champion, and showing horses is another activity she has learned to incorporate into her already packed semesters.
When she was 5 years old, like many other girls of that age, Burr had a burning desire to get a horse. She was so persistent that her parents finally agreed to let her take riding lessons. However, riding lessons were just the beginning. They had no way of knowing just how big a part of Burr’s life horses would become.
When she was 7 years old, Burr said her dream came true when she was given her first horse. She began showing horses in local competitions. When she did well in these smaller shows, she moved on to the regional shows. After excelling in regionals, at 12 years old she moved up to national competitions, the highest level of horse showing. She is now a nationally ranked champion.
To most people who are not involved with horses, horse shows can be somewhat of a mystery. But Burr explains that “it is really quite simple.” The horse and rider are brought into the inner ring where they are judged in three different areas: the three gates,” or walk, trot and canter, the quality of the horse and the skills of the rider.
“It’s really just about the overall picture of the horse and rider,” Burr said.
That may not sound like a complicated ordeal, but in one show, Burr may show 10 to 15 horses and she competes in shows about every six months. These shows can last anywhere from four days to two weeks, depending upon the number of people involved.
For all that work, a large prize would be expected for the winning horse and rider, but that’s not the case. The champion rider only receives a minimal amount of money, a ribbon and roses. But for Burr this doesn’t matter; she said it’s all about the feeling of success.
“It may sound corny, but I just love the rush I get when I have a good ride,” she said. “When it’s your passion, there is nothing better than that.”
The Temecula, Calif., native has traveled all over the United States for her passion. She followed her trainer Gene LaCroix to Kentucky where Burr also keeps her more than 50 horses. Burr said commuting to Kentucky is a small price to pay to train with LaCroix. She has been training with him for six years, and considers him one of the best trainers for the breed she competes with, the Arabians.
She does not just travel long distances to train. She has also journeyed to compete in places such as Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Illinois. Just recently she had a competition mid-semester in Arizona. This is when balancing class and competing in shows becomes tricky for the busy college student.
During the show in Arizona, Burr flew back to the Pepperdine campus on a Sunday night to attend classes and take a midterm on Monday. That same Monday evening she returned to Arizona to finish the competition, which continued on through Spring Break.
“It’s difficult to be at a competition during school,” Burr said. “You want to focus completely on the horses, but you also have to think about school at the same time. Not to mention how tired it makes you.”
It’s complicated to arrange your schedule around week-long competitions, but Burr described her professors as being “very accommodating.”
Although Burr said her hectic schedule becomes exhausting both physically and mentally, Burr wouldn’t trade it for the world. She even loves showing horses so much, she struggles to think of something she doesn’t enjoy about it.
“If there is anything, I guess it would have to be the clothes,” she said of the uniform-like clothing required. “They are very uncomfortable. And no matter what the weather is like, we wear the same clothes. Summers in Kentucky can reach 105 degrees, but we wear the same clothing we would in freezing cold weather.”
No matter the difficulties Burr faces, showing horses is her passion and she is willing to endure. Neither the constant travel nor the undesirable clothing is enough to deter her from the sport she said she loves.
Shannon Kelly
Carolyn Oh
Staff Writer
Just as the first glimmer of sunshine sprays its arcs of light over the horizon, with a pair of reins in hand and the saddle beneath her seat, Shannon Kelly, a freshman journalism major, is up and ready to start another day.
Born and raised in Rolling Hills, Calif., Kelly is more than the typical all-American girl living the “typical” California lifestyle. Beyond spending hours tanning on the beach and raiding shopping malls, Kelly’s focus and passion is set on what she proclaimed as the best of all things: horses. From her first competition at the age of 6, to the intense training sessions, sacrifices, victories and tough decisions, Kelly’s story is an inspiration all in itself.
“I was on a horse before I could walk,” Kelly said. “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t around a horse.”
Kelly’s mother, who grew up as a horsewoman, has had the privilege of watching Kelly develop as a rider.
“She was a natural rider from the very beginning,” Valerie Kelly said. “Her calm and gentle nature made it easy for most horses to understand and trust her. She has a gift.”
Kelly’s main sport with her horses was in show-jumping. In this sport, the rider and horse compete in a set course with hundreds of other riders and demonstrate their skills by jumping over obstacles.
As months melted into years, Kelly not only matured into a poised show jumper, but a spectacular one as well. The medals and plaques that mounted her walls multiplied, and by the time she turned 18, she was considered as one of the best in the nation.
“I can’t even count the number of ribbons she has won,” said Valerie Kelly. “She went from an amateur rider competing at the Ononbarka National Medal Final at the age of 9, to getting invited to compete among the top 50 riders in the nation at Madison Square Garden. All I can say is, she is amazing.”
Kelly too, felt that her invitation to compete at Madison Square Garden was the highlight of her riding career.
“As I was riding around the round-out masses, I thought to myself, ‘this is the moment I had been waiting for,’” Kelly said. “All my years of hard work and all my years of training had finally paid off.”
Kelly’s mother said it was one the proudest moments in her life.
“I will never forget the moment her name flashed up on that big screen,” said Kelly. “And as the memories of her as a little girl competing on her first pony flickered back to me, I could not hold my tears back.”
As the saying goes, great things sprout from great sacrifices, and the road leading up to Kelly’s success she said has been far from easy. Because Kelly’s training was incredibly expensive and time consuming, her family sacrificed a great deal for her sake.
“My dad worked overtime to pay off all the expenses,” said Kelly. “My mom practically lived in the car, driving me here and there, and my twin brother, who isn’t even really into horses, gave up his time with friends and other commitments so he could come support me during competition.”
However, it wasn’t until later in life, when Kelly realized just how much both her parents and brother gave up so she could live out her dream.
“Everything they did wasn’t as apparent to me back then as it is now,” Kelly said. “If there is anyway I could repay them for all their support and love, I would do it in a heartbeat. As of now, all I can say is ‘thank you’.”
On top of the sacrifices Kelly’s family made for her, Kelly said she was forced to make sacrifices of her own. During the hours when most people were sleeping, Kelly was up at five every morning to train. When her friends were out to a movie during a weekend, Kelly was on a powerful horse. And while people enjoyed a night out at a club or party, Kelly chose to reside in the stables and water, feed, and spend hours with what she described as her one true love: Octavia, a Swedish Warmblood from Holland.
“I’ve been attached to all my horses,” Kelly said. “But the connection I had with Octavia was different. I knew that whatever happened, I could never part with her.”
And her words stood firm when a tough decision was hurtled into her direction.
Kelly was at the peak of her jumping career and was proclaimed as one of the best heading into her last season of competition. However, because she was to attend Pepperdine in the fall, her family could not afford to keep a horse, pay for college and shell out additional money that was needed to cover the expenses of competition all at once. Although it anguished Kelly to be hit with such an agonizing reality, deep inside, she knew what she had to do. Even if she had to give up competition, Octavia would stay with her.
“What is a few extra months of competition over the loss of my best friend?” said Kelly. “For me, the love I have for my horse will always surpass the love I have for competition. For me, there is more to life than a blue ribbon. It is all about my relationship for the animal that makes me who I am today.”
As a college student with unclear future plans, Kelly said she will always turn to her horses.
“As long as they are always with me and I am always with them, my life is complete,” she said.
Stephanie Rew
Brittany Dean
Staff Writer
This is Stephanie Rew’s first year at Pepperdine, and if seen in a crowd, she appears just as a normal 18 year old trying to get through her first year in college. However, Rew has been riding horses since she was 5 and was Reserve World Champion, a prestigious award in horse competition.
“I feel I am better on a horse than on my own two feet,” Rew said. “I think I am a little bow-legged.”
Rew said most people don’t understand the dynamic that exists between the animals and their riders: horses are partners, not just pets. A bond is formed due to the time the horse and rider spend together. The fact that a 150-pound human can work with a 1,500-pound animal is one of the things that Rew said fascinates her about horses. Rew also said that she formed her own language and system with her horses and that through friendship they have a bond that can’t be broken.
Rew has always known that she wanted to ride horses.
“I was born with it,” Rew said. “I don’t know why I love horses.”
She has competed since she was 8 and remembers her first pony ride at 3. Currently, she is not on the Pepperdine equestrian team because of her lack of time to commit to it.
Rew said she believes that her love for horses is genetic because she shares her passion with her mother. Rew doesn’t focus on one aspect of equestrian sports, but does all-around competitions.
Her favorite horses are paint horses because of their versatility in riding and competing. Paint horses are known for their colorful coat from their thoroughbred lineage and their disposition. They are more personable than other breeds of horses.
Horse riding was Rew’s love, but she said it took a lot of dedication. Her training regiment included personal aerobics, weight lifting, and running training for her horse. When she was competing, she spent on average four hours training: one to two hours riding and the rest focused on the various parts of competition.
Riding also is an expense that not only costs time but money.
“My horse was my college fund,” Rew said.
Rew owns three horses and has a baby on the way. They are all American Paint Horses and have peculiar names: R Cross Crackers, Honey N Blue Jeans and Never Dirty.
One of Rew’s favorite aspects in riding is the trail, which is basically an obstacle course for horses. Trails are apart of western competition which focuses on the horses physical movement and obedience to the rider. Rew loves all-around competitions because they are complicated and challenge her to improve many different areas in riding from barrel racing to showmanship to jumping.
When competing, Rew said that she is rarely ever nervous. She said she believes that she is a natural competitor. She gives her heart and passion to competition and said through dedication she has made it really far.
One thing Rew has learned is that there is no winner and loser. There are judges who can be influenced and scores are based solely on opinion. She believes that this aspect has prepared her for real life where politics are crucial to how far you get. Dealing with the many aspects of competition: herself, her horse, other competitors, trainers have helped her to deal with the many obstacles she has each day.
Horse riding is only one of her passions in life.
At the moment Rew, is retired from horse competing and is exploring other interests. She said she loves to travel, read, write, look at art, listen to music and anything that requires her artistic side. In high school she wrote for the newspaper and a magazine. She is majoring in creative writing and wants to pursue a career in screen writing
If Rew could teach other riders one thing that she has learned along the way, she said it would have to be that a rider has to love the sport and not the ribbons. She strives to be the best competitor she can be by constantly reaching new goals. The majority of her inspiration comes from pushing herself and she believes that it is all about doing her best. She enjoys watching other great riders for motivation.
Rew’s motto is, “Live life to the brims,” and she plans on doing that, not only riding, but throughout her life.
03-17-2005
