By Paige Beck

Junior Karly Connolly finally arrived in Kansas City after driving long hours with her mother; she was on her way to the 2018 National Horse Show Competition. She was nervous for the weekend, but she was excited about what was to come, and justly so. Connolly placed third at Nationals Nov. 10, a big competition for riders like herself.

Connolly and her mother drove to Hale Arena, where the competition was located. Connolly’s trainer was waiting for her with her horse, Zoe. Zoe lives in Pella, Iowa, so Connolly’s trainer drove her to Kansas for the show. Zoe is a 5-year-old American Saddlebred horse. Connolly said, “She is very sweet and willing to do everything.”

Tyson is Connolly’s other horse. He lives in Denver, so the two don’t get a lot of time together. She said, “He has a very sweet and funny personality.” He is an Arabian dark bay bred, and he has three white socks.

Connolly first started riding horses at the age of 3. She travels all around the country for horse shows to show off her skills that she has learned over the years. Her mother was the one who introduced Connolly to the idea of riding; her mother also showed horses when she was younger. Connolly thought she would give riding a try, and she has loved it ever since. Connolly’s mother is proud of her and is glad that she followed in her footsteps by showing horses.

At the National Horse Show, Connolly rides either Zoe or Tyson, however, occasionally she will ride a horse that is provided by the venue. The judges score her based on how well she presented her horse.

When Connolly goes to a horse show, she usually recognizes some of the other girls. She has become friends with a lot of them over the years and now she talks to them every day on social media. Connolly said, “It doesn’t matter if I see them three times a week or once a year, I always stay in contact with them.”

Connolly starts all of her competitions by cleaning her saddle and bridle. She also always wears stage makeup, however, she doesn’t do it herself, she gets it done. Connolly wears a performance costume that consists of a hat, blazer, dress pants, a tie, and black riding boots. She doesn’t wear the same one every time she preforms, but they all look very similar to each other.

Connolly explained that she warms up for her all of the performances, by running through her routine a couple of times. Connolly said, “During a horse show performance, you do basic walking techniques, trot, canter, and an individual pattern.” She practices all of these techniques before performing, so she is ready to ride.

Connolly has 15 shows every year before she has to go to nationals. Connolly got third place at nations on Friday, November 9, 2018. Over the years Connolly has won two national championships and gotten runner-up six times at other horse show events. Connolly said, “My hard work paid off, and it was relieving as the pressure was gone.”

Connolly has traveled to many different places around America, the farthest being Scottsdale, Arizona. Connolly often misses school because she has to travel to shows. Connolly also practices one to two times a week to prepare for all of her shows. Not only does she practice in Pella, Iowa, once a week with Zoe, but she also travels to Denver once a month to spend the weekend with Tyson.

Tyson is Connolly’s favorite horse. At Scottsdale, Connolly had won that show, and as they were putting the ribbon on Tyson, he let out a big whinny. He wouldn’t stop winning, and everyone was laughing. Connolly was very embarrassed at the time, but she remembers it as a laugh now.

But it hasn’t always been good for Tyson and Connolly. Tyson hurt his back bad a little after they bought him, and then he would run away when she tried showing him. Connolly had to learn how to ride him so he would feel comfortable performing, and she had to teach him not to run away in front of the judges. Tyson had to get a lot of medical help as well, so he could keep performing. It took him two years to recover, but now he is in the best shape and ready to be ridden.  

Connolly said that overcoming an obstacle like that is the best part about riding horses, and that’s why she loves it so much. “It’s so gratifying to overcome that,” she said. It gives her comfort knowing that if there is something in her way, that she is strong enough to keep on going forward.

When Connolly started riding horses as a little girl, she didn’t realize how much of an impact it would have in her life. Even though Connolly cannot see herself coaching in the future, she does plan to keep riding throughout her life. She wants to introduce the idea of doing horse shows to her future kids, and she is also considering being a judge at horse shows.

Connolly has learned so much throughout her riding career, it has taught her how to be patient. Animals are unpredictable, so Connolly has to trust that her horse is going to do what she has taught them to do. Connolly has also learned about hard work. She has to train hard, so she can get the results she wants. Connolly said, “Working with an animal that can’t understand me, has made me learn how to overcome obstacles and work hard in life.”