Grabbing the Reins

Story and Photos by Ginia McFarland, Shadow Ridge High School

One more bobby pin in her bun. The chaps are zipped up, her shirt tucked in. Time to mount the horse she drew. Her coach centers her number, whispering reminders about equitation. Elbows, shoulders back, smile. The critiques every rider hears. Smile. Smile even if her horse bucks. She smiles to impress the judge. Smile for the scholarship. Smile to win. Smile for the team. The team needs her best performance. She needs to qualify for her team.

Shadow Ridge High School Sophomore, Bianca Juravlea, started working with Arizona State University (ASU) coach and Arizona Quarter Horse Association judge, Holly Hover, to work towards her goal of getting scholarships and improving in ranch riding. “Holly taught me how to show a horse, what the judges are looking for, and how to make patterns look easy,” Juravlea said.

Juravlea started riding in fifth grade at a horse camp her parents found in an ad. In seventh grade she started working with her social studies teacher, a world champion in western pleasure. “She taught me the basics of riding, she also got me to try new horses,” Juravlea said. After riding with her teacher for a while, she started to work with Hover. Showing with Hover means more than ribbons to Juravlea. “Showing with Holly means a lot to me. She has made a lot of my dreams come true and showed me how to correctly ride a horse,” Juravlea said.

Since working with Hover, Juravlea’s perspective of the horse industry has changed. “There are so many versatile disciplines to try. She also showed me you don’t need a fancy horse to compete,” said Juravlea. With more knowledge, Juravlea wishes to continue riding throughout all levels of school. “I do plan to ride in college. I have my mind set on Baylor University, because I love the program there,” she said. Hover has already started preparing Juravlea for college horsemanship. “Honestly, competing prepares me the most for college,” said Juravlea. The coach is a valuable part of the rider’s performance. “The coach affect’s the rider’s performance by making the rider feel confident in doing the right thing,” said Juravlea.

Hover has changed Juravlea’s equine career forever. “Holly has taught me that horses are gentle and not here to hurt you,” said Juravlea.