Seeing her mother’s friend ride a horse, sophomore Abbie Williams decided that she too wanted to horseback ride. Since then, horseback riding has become a huge part of her life.

Williams started horseback riding at the age of 5, back when she lived in Ecuador. After her mother took her to see her friend ride a horse, Williams decided that she wanted to start horseback riding herself. 

“Starting off was a learning curve,” William said. “You’re never really good at it when you start.” 

Williams learned how to horseback ride through her trainer, Jenny Heldt. Heldt has taught her a lot, and she continues to help her improve. Williams practices five to six days a week with her horse, Clover. When training with Heldt, she and Clover practice their jumps. When she is alone with Clover, she works on the technical areas. She really enjoys spending time with her horse and seeing their growth and progress.

“[Horseback riding] has taught me to not compare myself to others,” Williams said. “It’s a money based industry, and it’s really competitive. Do it because you love it, not because you want to be better than other people.”

Her favorite part about horseback riding is doing shows, but she also does tournaments all over the state. Previously, she and Clover ran hunters, which judged the horse’s performance, and did equitation, which judged the rider’s performance.

“Abbie is determined to always improve her skills with Clover,” said show circuit coach Anna Watson. “[She is] a good team member and helps her teammates feel better after a hard ride.” 

For more recent competitions, she participates in the jumpers division, where she has to make the tighest turns, ride the fastest, and complete all the jumps in order to win. 

“Abbie has always had great sportsmanship and determination in everything she does in and out of the barn,” trainer Jessica Derlis said. “She is brave but also very considerate and respectful of the horses she rides. She always wants to learn how to better herself and her horse.”

Horseback riding has taught Williams many lessons about persevering and not giving up when things get hard. In everything that she does, she pushes through, does her best, and never gives up.