Yes, I am a new student in a new town my senior year of high school. Yes, I elected to leave a prestigious boarding school because it was not fulfilling the time I yearned for in the saddle, nor would it have gotten me down the equestrian path that I covet. But let’s start from the beginning…
When I was 7 years old, my parents put my brother in riding lessons to see if he liked it before he went off to a boarding school with a program. I remember telling my mother, “Well if Mixon gets to ride a horse, I want to try it, too!” He eventually discovered it was not the path for him… but it was for me! Ever since that day, my love for equines has been strong. I could not get enough of it, whether being with a horse entailed a jumping lesson, 4-H show, or just simply grazing my lesson animal. Finally, when I was 10, I received my first horse; An 18-year-old Appaloosa gelding named “Freckle Faced Joe.” We competed in various schooling shows together, and he was my 4-H project horse. He really taught me to be persistent and push through frustration. Whether that was refusing jumps or being put on the ground multiple times, I learned to not give up.
Similarly, After Joe, I had a green off-the-track Thoroughbred that I brought along as a Hunter. We went to 4-H state together and excelled in the dressage portion. We then started competing in a few A-rated shows all over Florida. Throughout middle school and my 9th grade year, I was competing in IEA competitions as well, where I qualified for Zone 4 finals twice. I loved competing in IEA and getting to ride an abundance of diverse horses. I mainly did this and a few rated shows up until I got my large hunter pony. Yes, that’s right, a pony! I proceeded a bit backwards by getting a horse first and then a pony, but I had developed the goal of competing in pony finals a little later than most. My large pony and I competed in Pony Finals 2018 and 2019 and qualified for the Pony Medal and Pony Hunter Derby Finals in 2019. It was an incredible experience, which sparked my eagerness to compete in other national USEF finals. In September 2019, I also competed in the Children’s Ponies at Marshall & Sterling Finals in Saugerties, New York, where we had well-executed, consistent rounds. After this I personally made the decision to further my academic education at The Culver Academies Boarding School in Culver, Indiana.
In my two years enrolled there, I participated in an extremely rigorous academic schedule with AP classes, while maintaining a high GPA, and involvement in the student leadership life which Culver values highly. Within this curriculum, I took an equine science class in which I was riding and learning various disciplines including dressage, barrel racing, and polo, and I was also tested on the anatomy of a horse and several equine diseases and treatments. I spent many extracurricular hours on the Varsity Jumping Team and participating as a member of the nationally recognized Equestriennes Honor Organization. In normal times, the Equestriennes would walk down Pennsylvania Avenue for each Presidential Inaugural Parade, but due to it’s cancellation for COVID-19 concerns in January 2021, we were invited to be in the Virtual Parade Across America. Leading up to this event, we had months of parade practice under our belts, while collaborating with the CMA (Culver Military Academy) Troopers, who were also a part of the virtual parade. I enjoyed my time at Culver immensely, because I met many life-long friends, and got to try new activities even within riding.
However, when I was sent home for the Corona Virus in March 2020, I started to miss showing on the A-circuit. I decided to find a horse and begin competing again, which I did all summer. When I returned to Culver in Fall 2020, I was ,of course, delighted to be with my friends and start in-person learning again, but our COVID-19 restrictions were exceedingly stringent. The issue I struggled with most was that we could only take a weekend leave once a term. Hence, once I checked in, I did not show until Christmastime. Although I valued the experiences I had at Culver, especially in-person learning for my junior year, which I am well aware was not the case for many, the riding and showing I was prevented from doing outweighed the academic excellence.
So, here I am in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. This is a bit of an adjustment, but I am riding every day, and loving every minute! The original plan for this time at home was just to make the most of my last eligible junior year by qualifying for Junior Hunter Finals, Indoors, but especially Maclay Finals. Although I still covet those goals, I have now turned my attention to attempting to ride in college on an NCAA team, as I have seen multiple friends recently commit. To be completely honest, I never considered this to be an option to go for until I made the decision to leave Culver academies due to lack of showing. But now, as I aim to Qualify and be consistent at these year-end finals, I would be extremely grateful to be considered for a position on a college team, which would be the ultimate payoff for all my hard work.
~ Victoria Holmes