Photo Courtesy of Lorie Kruckeberg

Freshman Ava Gerth stands with her barrel racing horse, Peppy. Gerth shared a dream of competing in the National Finals for the rodeo with Peppy, and she has her eyes set on that target. “I love riding horses because it gives me self-confidence, and I feel like I can do anything. It makes me feel strong and able to overcome any sort of tragedy. I want to pursue this because of how it makes me feel and how happy it makes me. In everything relating to being on a horse, I love it, and it is my passion,” Gerth said.

Cheering and shouting, freshman Ava Gerth rides a light brown horse onto the racing track. She races around barrels on her horse with speed and agility, adrenaline pumping through her veins. 

Gerth began riding horses when she was five because of her late grandfather, who also rode horses. After his death, she continued riding horses because of her love for the sport and to respect her grandfather. She soon found out her passion for barrel racing, a rodeo event for women in which a mounted rider must take sharp turns around a series of barrels, and she began competing in the event with her horse. 

“[Grandpa] helped me pursue my dreams in barrel racing. I loved him very much, and we were very close. I want to appreciate and honor his memory through horse riding,” Gerth said.

Gerth owns a Quarab horse named Peppy from a royal bloodline. She bought him a year ago and soon discovered the horse had suffered abuse from a former owner. 

“[Peppy] is my best friend. We’ve had our ups and downs, and I was scared of him for a while. We were missing a bond,” Gerth said, “I realized that he was acting this way because he had left-over trauma from that [abuse], and it wasn’t his fault. Before I saw an anxious, scared horse, but now I can see that he’s got a [loving] personality hidden behind all that. He follows me around all over the place and licks my hands, and it’s so cute.”

Gerth keeps Peppy at a ranch, where she must do chores and jobs, such as cleaning the tack room, bathrooms or the horse itself. She also pays for some of Peppy’s necessities, such as the saddle, while her parents pay for the other essentials. Gerth has made many friends with other riders through barrel racing and her duties at her ranch. 

“I love [the friends I have made] with all my heart. It makes me happy to know that the hobby I love the most has connected me with some of the people I love the most. I’ve got to say that it is a heartwarming feeling,” Gerth said. 

Gerth plans to continue practicing with Peppy at her ranch with her professional trainer until she reaches her goals for her and Peppy. 

“When I ride [Peppy], I get a pure adrenaline rush. I feel extremely accomplished. There’s a lot of pride there, especially since I’m retraining him,” Gerth said, “Getting on [Peppy] with no incidents is a huge, wonderful accomplishment, and I would be extremely proud of myself and of Peppy. There has barely ever been a time when I haven’t seen him give whatever he’s doing his all. He tries so hard for me, and it pushes me to try hard for him. If he puts that much effort into work, so should I, which fits into all aspects of life.”

Gerth wants to pursue equestrian riding and barrel racing in the future and go to a college with an equestrian aspect. She wants to take up barrel racing as a career and plans on having a side job to support her dreams, such as an ultrasound tech. Additionally, she wants to achieve the National Finals for the rodeo with her horse Peppy in the future.

“I am excited for what the future holds for us,” said Gerth. “I know that this will take a lot of hard work, but I feel brave when with Peppy. Peppy makes me feel unstoppable because he went through all the [abuse], and he’s so anxious, and it’s so hard for him to focus. Yet he tries anyway, and he tries his hardest. I think this is a good goal for us, and I am sure we can achieve it. ”