Gliding over a fence, freshman Lily West and an American Quarter horse named Scotchie, compete at the September show for the Ridgefield series. “My favorite thing about riding is having the fun opportunities [such as] trail rides, riding at different barns and working with different animals,” West said. “It can be very rewarding.”

Lily West – Horsebackriding

Emma Iswarienko, Staff Writer

Only an estimated 1% of Americans regularly ride horses, and freshman Lily West is part of that crew. Horseback riding has gotten her through a barn change and moving to a new school.

“When I was little, we were looking for things to do for my sister and I over the summer and we found this horseback riding camp,” West said. “[We] have a ton of pets: four dogs and a goat named Pickles, so we were really into working with animals,” West said.

Even though the pandemic forced a hiatus on horse-back riding competitions for West and her sister Ellie West, they continued to train with horses Scotchie, an American Quarter Horse, and Gambler, a baby Thoroughbred.

“[Horse-back riding is] a sport where you really have to practice being good at it, and it has to be consistent,” West said. “Not being able to have that practice definitely impacted the horse community a lot.”

West has been struggling with anxiety however with the physical exertion of horseback riding has helped her receive some of the anxiety that is plaguing her. Spending time with animals is proven to show that working with the animals allows you to calm down and think.

“[Horse-back riding] helps teach me [a lot] about control. I’m a very anxious person, [so] having that ability to control [certain aspects of my life] helps calm my nerves, and it’s something to work off of if I’m feeling emotional,” West said.