FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
SIDELINES NOVEMBER 2012 11
I age out. I am working on
fnding my upper level horse
currently however!
If you could have/ride any
horse, which would it be?
If I could ride any horse in the
world I think I would ride Phillip
Dutton’s (deceased) partner
Woodburn. That horse was an
absolute machine on cross-
country - I don’t think he ever
had a cross-country jumping
penalty in his entire career.
He always looked so happy
doing his job and made the
world’s toughest courses look
effortless. Karen O’Connor’s
(deceased) partner Theodore
O’Connor would be a close
second, although I think I’d
be pretty terrifed going up to
those huge jumps on a pony! I
also wouldn’t say no to taking
a trip around any course on
Boyd Martin’s Neville Bardos.
What
is your most
embarrassing moment with
horses?
My most embarrassing
moment competing actually
happened at one of my frst
events. I was at a Pony Club
rally competing my mare Tango
in the eventing rally. I was pretty
new to riding that horse and I
was really tiny. I had just gone
from riding a pony to a feisty
16 hand mare who was pretty
opinionated so I was a little over-
Julia represented Area IX at the North American Junior and
Young Rider Championships in 2010.
mounted! We got about three jumps around the cross-country
before she tossed me off at a jump and went running around the
course without me! This was when you could have two falls on
cross-country without being eliminated so the jump judge asked
me if I wanted to keep going. I think I just shrugged and said “If I
can catch her, yes!” I caught Tango, hopped back on and started
back on course. We got over about three more jumps before she
threw me off AGAIN and went galloping off, holding up the whole
course again! Undeterred, I asked for permission to show-jump
the next day so I could at least get some practice in. Once again, I
only got over one jump before I got bucked off again! I was furious
at the time but laugh looking back now. Once I was a little better
rider, Tango was a great horse for cross-country and got me really
hooked on the sport.
What is your favorite thing to do outside of the barn?
I don’t have much time outside of the barn so I don’t have a
ton of hobbies! I’m in a sorority at my school (Kappa Phi Omega)
though and really have enjoyed being involved in that. When I
have time, I also enjoy skiing and hiking.
About the writer: Alessandra Shultz grew up in the mountains of
Colorado, but now lives in upstate New York to study Apparel Design
Management at Cornell University. She currently has two mares which
she trail rides and shows in the jumpers.