By Laura Scaletti
Portraits by Kristie Scholten
Augusta Iwasaki may have ridden a string of “Small” horses and ponies for her family’s Makoto Farms growing up, but there’s nothing small about her success in the show world. From USEF Pony Finals to USEF Junior Hunter Finals to USHJA International Hunter Derbies and big equitation finals to the jumper ring, Augusta has been a consistent presence in the winner’s circle since she began showing at age 6.
Being born into a horsey family, Augusta has been involved with horses as long as she can remember. “I don’t even think I had to be introduced to them,” she chuckled. “I loved growing up in a horsey family, because I love horses.”
Horses have shaped Augusta in innumerable ways. “They have given me something that I can always count on and bring passion into my life. Horses have taught me maturity, sportsmanship and resilience, and have brought my family together from the start,” Augusta said.
Family Affair
Augusta credits the unwavering support of her parents, Liz Reilly and Chris Iwasaki, for shaping her into the person and rider she is today. “They have given me every opportunity to improve and follow my dreams. I couldn’t be more grateful for them,” she said.
At Makoto Farms, Liz is the head trainer while Chris is the manager. Together they’ve produced top riders and horses that have 
won across the country. The duo always ensured Augusta was well mounted from the time she started riding. This gave Augusta a leg up to become a technical rider at an early age.
In addition to training with her mother, Augusta has had the opportunity to work with many top professionals over the years to further her riding IQ along the way. “The most influential people in my growth as an equestrian, other than my parents, are Erica Quinn, Ken and Emily Smith, Chrissy Kear, Daisy Farish, Nora Gray and Susie Schroer,” Augusta said.
Augusta loves that horses are a family affair. “Sharing the sport has made me very close to my parents, because we all get to share something that we love. Working with them gives me the best built-in support system,” she said.
One of Augusta’s favorite memories as a horsey family is when she was competing her horse Small Affair. Augusta showed Small Affair as a younger Junior and had watched him in the Makoto program since she was showing in the ponies. “Getting to show him and experience riding the horse I had been such a huge fan of throughout my childhood was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, especially because my parents had such a special connection with him,” Augusta said. “Small Affair was such a huge part of my career and taught me so much. It was so exciting to get to make my parents proud with a horse they loved.”
Last Hurrah
While Augusta had won major championships in the hunter ring from ponies to horses, she set a lofty goal for her last Junior year—win an equitation final. Augusta didn’t just meet her goal, she exceeded it by winning the 2022 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals—East, 2022 Washington International Equitation Finals and 2022 ASPCA Maclay Finals.
“I had been competing in the equitation ring for many years prior to winning the finals in my last years. Winning the finals at indoors was the highlight of my last Junior year,” Augusta said.
Never one to back down from a challenge, Augusta not only won three of the major equitation finals in 2022, but she did so during her freshman year of college. “It was a struggle to start college and compete in finals, especially because I had been attending online school since I finished elementary school. I was almost never at college on the weekends, but I took my weekdays to get back into the groove of a classroom and stay on top of my classes,” she said.
Augusta has been living and breathing horses daily since she started riding, so being separated from her horses and the horse show scene so she could study took a little getting used to. “I was leaving campus so much to compete and practice that I didn’t notice a huge difference in my riding, but it was a huge change to not be at the horse shows all week, every week. I tried to stay very disciplined in both my riding and schoolwork, which helped me not get too behind in either,” Augusta said.
Victory after victory helped prove the old adage that hard work pays off. “I still struggle to put into words today how amazing the 2022 indoors season was for me. My team and I worked for those accomplishments for years before they came to fruition, and it was the most rewarding experience of my life,” Augusta said. “Each one of these experiences was so special.”
Team Time
After participating in the show ring as an individual, Augusta decided she wanted to go to college and get the NCAA Equestrian Team experience. Augusta is currently a sophomore studying psychology at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. “I chose SMU because of their team dynamic, the great education and the location,” Augusta said.
Although it took some juggling to be successful in the classroom and show ring, Augusta’s glad she decided to start SMU in the fall of 2022. “I didn’t want to come in the spring, because I thought I would be behind my classmates who already found their place. It ended up being a smart decision to start ‘on-time,’” Augusta said.
From the moment Augusta walked on campus, she felt like she belonged. “I love all the girls on the SMU team and the camaraderie between all of us,” she said.
Although she’s away from her “home team” at Makoto, Augusta still has an amazing support team in place with her teammates and coaches. “On the team, compared to competing individually, you have people to lean on and support you during the actual competition. At a regular horse show, if you have a bad day there’s nothing you can do; but at our NCAA meets, I have teammates who can and will pick up my slack,” she said. “At times it can be more pressure than competing individually, because you have more people counting on you, but it can also be easier because the result doesn’t rest solely on your shoulders.”
Augusta and her team made history when they won the 2023 NCEA National Championship, capturing the school’s ninth national championship, and its first equestrian national championship. During the championship season, Augusta posted an 11-1 overall record, earned First-Team All American honors and was named 2023 NCEA Fences Rider of the Year.
“I’ve had a lot of notable experiences with the SMU Equestrian Team, but winning the NCEA National Championships is at the top of the list,” she said. “I have met lifelong friends at SMU and have a family away from home with them.”
Amateur Life
In addition to being on the SMU team, Augusta is competing her own horses in the Amateur divisions. As a go-to catch rider, who spent most of her time at horse shows, it’s been quite the transition from Junior to Amateur life for Augusta. “Now, I go to class five days a week and practice at school instead of riding six days a week and showing almost every week. It’s been a change to only ride my own horses, and I miss being able to experience a lot of different horses, but I’ve really enjoyed being an Amateur and getting to go to school,” Augusta said.
Much like she juggled equitation finals when she first arrived at SMU, Augusta relies on planning and discipline to make everything work. “I have a hard time doing my schoolwork once I leave campus to compete, so I try my best to get work done beforehand and make my workload a little easier while I’m gone. Writing down my schedule, planning what I’m going to do ahead of time and staying in communication with my professors has been a huge help in staying on top of my schoolwork,” Augusta said.
After earning a silver medal in August 2023 at the North American Young Rider Championship, Augusta was selected to represent Team USA at the FEI Youth Nations Cup in Belgium in September 2023. “It was such an incredible experience. I’ve always wanted to compete for Team USA and I got to go with one of my favorite horses of all time, Fresca,” Augusta said. “That was so special because she’s been amazing all year, so I felt confident going in, even though it was a very new experience.”
Competing at the FEI Youth Nations Cup was the first time Augusta showed outside of the U.S. “It was definitely nerve-racking, as I wanted to make a good impression for the future, but it was so much fun. Being on the team at SMU helped me understand the different kind of pressure that comes from competing for yourself and your teammates,” Augusta said. “I think I would have been more starstruck if I hadn’t gotten to experience team competition beforehand.”
Augusta hasn’t been showing much outside of the SMU Equestrian Team since missing school for a week and a half for the trip to Belgium. When she does find time to break away, she shows Fresca in the U25 Jumpers and High Amateur Junior Jumpers, and her horse Small Love in the Amateur Owner Hunters.
After years of being in Calabasas, California, the family relocated Makoto Farm to Ocala, Florida, in 2023. “My parents decided to move because it was difficult for the horses and us to be traveling across the country year-round. My mom had been looking at farms for a while, then she found the farm in Ocala, and everything just fell into place. Having the farm in Florida makes it easier for me to go home and ride because we show so much on the East Coast,” Augusta said.
Looking Ahead
Happy with college student and Amateur life now, Augusta has her eyes on the future. “I plan on going professional after college. I’d also like to compete internationally and hopefully step into senior competitions with Team USA in the future,” she said. “One day, down the road, I want to take over Makoto Farms.”
Augusta is thankful for the life she’s living thanks to horses. “Horses have given me so much and have connected me to so many people I plan to have in my life forever,” Augusta said. “Horses have given me the path to follow for my future.”
Follow Augusta on Instagram @Augusta_iwasaki
Photos by Kristie Scholten, kristiescholten.com
