LESLY MOORE

BREAKFAST under the TREES

The Equestrian Rising Star in Wellington is taking the World of Show Jumping to another level.

By Rebeca Herrero

Lesly Moore is one of those young heroes in the Equestrian World. Her determination and passion for riding horses is something you witnessed on very few occasions. As I saw her in Wellington, bringing her pony, I knew she was something special. Moore is only 11 years old. She has been riding for the last few years in the Equestrian Capital of the World, and she also attends shows around the country.

As the photographs in this article can show, Moore was being photographed by the master artist David Erdek in Kentucky. Her elegance as a young lady that comes from town nearby to Wellington, Palm Beach, can be perceived in each shot. “I really loved doing that. I love my pony….,” said Moore while we interviewed her next to two of her favorite people, her trainer Nadine Higley, and her nanny since she was an infant, Reina.

“She will be a big star. What I have seen in Lesly is not something that you come across everyday.

Her determination to win, her discipline to practice almost every day, it’s something that I’ve seen a few times in my lifetime, and I’ve worked in Wellington for decades,” explained Higley, while overseeing a grueling routine of jumping, jumping and more jumping.

Show jumpers are considered the most elegant of all the equine sports. You need to be good at the technique plus it comes with a certain style. The clothes you wear, how polished your horse looks, and well, succeeding in the ring comes as a package of constant practice, discipline, and determination.

“I love riding horses, I started just before I met Nadine,” said the young equestrian lady who spends every single day of the week (except Mondays), training. “We connected instantly. She has got something that other people do not have. Talent. You can have passion, but maybe lack the talent. She has both,” admits Higley. Both have traveled the circuit in the last two

“She did very well during the Pony Finals! She was going to showcase her talent again this year, but due to covid we had to cancel. Lesly is already qualified for 2021. She is also competing at Global Dressage in Wellington and has acquired her first jumper,” mentioned Higley.

Moore is happy as a daisy when it comes to the sport. She loves her ponies. “She can ride, it’s not about age, it’s about ability. She is there now,” admitted her trainer while looking in admiration at that angelic face. Strong, powerful, and young, but with a great determination to succeed.

“The common denominator with all these disciplines, polo, dressage, three-day eventing and show jumping is the horse. Striving for the perfect moment to succeed, only a few riders and horse breeders get to make it to the top. It takes a village to achieve great success. Here, Lesly’s mother and grandmother, Danielle Moore Town of Palm Beach Council Member and Lesly Smith, a former mayor of Palm Beach, are one of those families that make it happen. They support Lesly unconditionally. If all the elements are aligned, then you have a rising star,” said Higley.

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