By Annelise Klepper
Portraits by Emma Claire Stephens
As a three-star eventer, 21-year-old Mya Poulos is familiar with compartmentalizing her life into phases. Amidst the demands of her busy day, Mya is quick to remind herself that life requires balance. She’s an accomplished equestrian and a college student, but at the end of the day, Mya laughed, “I’m also just a girl.”
Mya grew up in Barrington Hills, Illinois. Her parents knew nothing about riding, but a few of her neighbors kept horses as pets. “I would feed them carrots and pet them for hours. I was so fascinated,” Mya said. “My town has an annual Fall Fair where they have pony rides. I wanted to ride every pony. I rode around 20 times. Clearly, my parents saw how much I loved horses, so I started riding lessons when I was 4.”
At that time, Mya was also experimenting with every activity possible, including soccer and cheerleading. “I was an ambitious kid; I liked it all. But a few of my girlfriends from elementary school were taking riding lessons, and it reminded me that I wanted to get into it again,” she said. “So when I was 8 years old, I began riding much more seriously. I began as a hunter-jumper for two or three years. I did Short Stirrup and local shows. Eventually, I was so sick of doing the same course again and again. I saw some videos online of eventing, and I begged my parents to let me try it.”
Because they were unfamiliar with the horse world, Mya’s parents stressed the importance of her being self-sufficient and taking the lead. “‘This is your thing,’ they would say. ‘You need to figure it out yourself.’ OK, I thought, So I’ll figure out how to do this new eventing thing,” she said with a smile.
Mya bought her first pony, Merrylegs, when she was around 10. He was the stereotypical naughty pony, and she rode up to the Novice level on him, training with Julie Bryer. Two years later, she bought her mare, Ellie, whom she still owns today. It was Ellie who gave her such a strong love of eventing. “She taught me so much. She took me from Novice to the two-star. She truly showed me how to ride every phase of eventing well,” Mya said.
A few years later, she found Duke. “He was my first young horse, and one of the most special horses I’ve ridden. He is so quirky. Every single coach I’ve ridden with tells me to get rid of him, but I adore him. It was rewarding to take him from never having evented to showing at the Intermediate level. I still have him today,” she said.
Mya started traveling to Ocala for the winter competition season when she was 14, with her trainer Karen O’Connor. Uprooting halfway through the year made it difficult to maintain a traditional school schedule. “I begged to move fully to online school, but my parents really insisted on a balance between riding and my education,” Mya said. “They thought that some sense of normalcy in a middle-school and high-school experience is valuable. We had a compromise: I would do school in person for the first semester, and online for the second.”
Though it wasn’t what Mya thought she wanted, the arrangement proved to be for her good. “I’m so grateful for that experience, in retrospect. It taught me an important lesson about perspective. I didn’t take high school drama too seriously because I had horses. I didn’t take horse drama too seriously because I had high school,” she reflected. “I think these experiences set me up to become a very autonomous and adaptable person. I had to take accountability for staying on top of my studies when I had to miss school for a competition. I had to balance every sector of my life because, like my parents had said, this is my thing.”
During her senior year of high school, Mya traveled to England on a horse-buying trip. “A few of the riders and coaches I met thought I was talented and invited me to come train with them,” she said. “I never expected that. I always imagined myself going to Europe to ride for a few years after I had graduated from college, but I never thought it would be when I was 18. I thought the idea was amazing, but I had no idea how it would work logistically.”
Serendipitously, the broker on the trip approached Mya’s parents and invited her to come live with her in England so that she could train. “I had no idea if my parents would be on board, but I believe everything happens for a reason, so I didn’t push it,” Mya said. “I was so surprised and excited when my parents agreed. They recognized what an amazing opportunity it would be, so I moved to England in January. I flew one of my horses out and bought a few while I was over there,” Mya recounted. “I was 18 years old, packing up my life to move across the world and live with a woman I had known for a week in the British Midlands. I knew virtually no one. I had no car. I knew nothing. In retrospect, it was insane, but I’m just so easygoing. I was raised to be independent and self-assured, so I took everything in stride.”
In England, Mya lived with Kate Walls, who helped her develop the management side of horsemanship, while she trained with Christopher Bartle, Di Lampard and Ian Woodhead.
For Mya, the work that goes into eventing is what makes it worthwhile. “Most of the time, not every phase can go perfectly, so when you have those rare days where everything goes well, you know you really deserve it,” Mya said. “You have to adapt and learn what approach will work the best in each moment. You need grit in cross-country, you need softness in dressage. You need technique in jumping.”
The mental aspect of the sport is equally important to her. “I have a lot of anxiety out of the saddle, but not when I ride. On horses, you forget the outside noise,” she said. “It’s almost like you put in headphones. The rest of the world falls away. It’s nice to fully focus on something, to let that feeling take over and supersede the rest.”
Mya’s philosophy toward the sport remains grounded. “At the end of the day, it isn’t that serious,” Mya said. “Ultimately, horses are on this planet to eat grass in a herd and be happy. What we ask them to do in the show ring is crazy, so I value what my horses give me, and I also let them be horses. They aren’t bubble-wrapped. I think that’s really important. My calm demeanor helps me stay centered under pressure. It is also especially useful when it comes to my hot horses.”
Mya’s recent partnership with DHI Rock Dancer, aka Rocky, has already produced strong results. Together, they finished second in the two-star short at Stable View, third in the two-star long at Tryon International and fourth in the two-star short at TerraNova International.
“Rocky is a new horse to me that I’ve only had since November, and he’s one of the coolest horses I’ve had,” Mya said. “He genuinely loves every phase and excels in each one. He’s probably the best cross-country horse I’ve ever sat on and is so game for anything. I really think he could make a super senior team horse in the future. I’m just so lucky to call him mine and continue our partnership.”
Mya’s parents have been integral to her journey, despite their lack of an equestrian background. “It’s definitely been interesting for my parents to watch me go through the highs and lows of eventing,” Mya said. “It’s all so new to them. I’m glad, though, that they aren’t horsey because they can look at things objectively and logically. My dad is a businessman, so for him it’s been interesting because he looks at horses like a business. I come to both of my parents with my problems and for advice. The clarity they provide me is helpful and refreshing. There are things about horses that my parents can’t understand, though, and I’ve relied on the help of my coaches.”
Mya currently rides with Leslie Law. “I owe so much to my coaches. Everyone I have ridden with has given me tools for my tool box,” she said. “Surrounding yourself with people who want the best for you is vital in this sport. You need people who have your best interests at heart and are rooting for you through the highs and lows. You need coaches who give you supportive criticism, but also build you up. The love and support for the well-being of the horses should always come first.”
Despite her dedication to riding, Mya makes sure to maintain a life outside the equestrian world. “When I’m outside of the barn, I love cooking, baking, reading, hanging out with friends and shopping—I love shopping a little too much,” Mya said with a laugh. “I make it a point to try to go home when I can. I like to be a girl. I like to dress up, go out and have fun. I think it’s important for me to go home and have that sense of normalcy and be around my girlfriends who are in sororities and live the traditional university life. You can get so wrapped up in the horse world that it’s important to cultivate your life outside of competing and training, to breathe for a minute and not smell like a horse for a day or two.”
Currently, Mya is a junior in an online college pursuing a degree in business marketing. “I’m not a school person, but my parents and I agree it’s important to get a degree as a plan B,” Mya said. “I don’t anticipate a life without riding, but you can never tell what the future will bring. I understand how important an education is. It gives you options.”
Her studies have also helped her in her riding career. Mya admitted, “I’ve been working with a social media manager, and I’ve seen firsthand how useful it is to market yourself and your business. I’m a humble person; I don’t like talking about myself. It’s been weird for me to put myself out there—like, ‘Look at me, look at what I’m doing!’ That’s a big adjustment, but I understand that as my career goes on, that’s something I have to do.”
Looking ahead, Mya’s goals are clear. “In five years, I’d like to be going five-star, representing the U.S. in a few Nations Cups and working on getting on some senior teams. First and foremost, though, to just be the best rider and person I can be.”
Follow Mya on Instagram @mya.poulos.equestrian
Photos by Emma Claire Stephens, emmaclaire.com
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