Kelly Loria, Eventing Young Rider, Wins First Time at Bat
Winning Young Riders is pretty much interesting enough for me. But throw in the fact that Kelly Loria has never even been to a Young Rider’s Championships, or left California to compete before, and is fairly new to eventing-and things sort of heat up. This Junior in High School shares her reflections on her blue-ribbon experience, who she looks up to, and a wish for greater inter-discipline camaraderie. Not to mention giving back to the world around her. Read on!
photo by Emily Daily at USEA
Q. What did your path to a Gold Medal at the North American Young Rider Championship’s look like?
A. This was actually my first time riding in the Young Rider Championships. I’ve had a lot of friends who have gone through the process and told me even if you don’t finish well it’s such a learning experieice and you walk away with so much. I agree, it’s a great environoment for aspiring eventers. It’s intense but so supportive. There’s pressure but also a lot of people helping out.
Q. In what way were they helping?
A. In every way possible. With advice, helping tack up your horse if you’re worried about time. I got to hang out with my teammates before champioships and it was really nice that we got to bond.
Q. Was NAYRC everything you had hoped for?
A. It was pretty similar to what I imagined. I went into it with an open mind and just wanted to finish. It was the first time me and my horse were even out of state. We’re new to the eventing world so I thought we would take it slow and find our footing.
All the green grass was so beautful. In California it’s a little brown! I like the town itself and it’s so involved with horses. I was impressed with the environment. The stalls and stabling were smaller than I expected but everything is getting redone. With the World Equestrian Games coming up it was exciting to be on same ground with world’s best.
Q. Did anything surprise you about being at Young Riders or was there anything unexpected?
A. I was surpirsed about how spread out it was. I wished I could have seen other disciplines. I didn’t even see an endurance rider. And they went on a 65 mile course! I thought we’d pass by at some point. I didn’t get to watch the reiners and that would have been nice. It would have been nice to have a stress on supporting all disciplines. It was nice being stabled next to show jumping and dresage and see how they care for their horses is not that different. But I would have liked to see different riding styles.
Q. What was the cross-country course like?
It was huge compared to what I get to ride on. And definitely the longest. There weren’t as many technical fences, only a couple tricky, and just really long with nice gallop stretches. Riding on grass was definitely different for me and my mare. It was nice not to stay on a path; it was nice to feel like you could ride wherever. We were galloping through fields by Rolex jumps thinking: One day maybe!
photo by Emily Daily at USEA
Q. What was your favorite part of Young Riders Championships?
A. I always love cross country, that’s always my favorite part. Riding out on a really nice course. Not everyone gets to say they got to ride on the same turf as the World Equestrian Games and that was exhilirating. People could not stop talking about the WEG’s and that made you more exicited to go ride.
Q. Are there any other young riders you admire?
A. I admire my own teammate Kelly Pugh. She kept such a positive attitude. She’s a good role model. She was in the two-star and has way more experiene than I do. It was nice to have someone help me out and walk through it with me. All my teammates were totally supportive; I was a deer in the headlights! They were all ridiculously helpful.
Q. Tell me about the relationship you have with your horse, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.
A. She’s the greatest horse I’ve ever gotten to work with and I’m extremely lucky to have her. She came to us off the track and was a super green eight year old and had been in a pasture. She was hot and volatile and it took us a while to get her to calm down. Now she’s like a rescue dog just looking forward to pleasing. She’s talented and athletic. Everything we’ve asked her she’s met and is the most willing mare I’ve ever worked with. She has so much heart; I’m totally in love with her. That’s probably why I only have one horse: I don’t want to throw her over the edge with jealousy! I’m happy to be working with Lu Lu, she’s great. She’s ridiculously brave and goes at everything with her best foot forward. She moved up to preliminary last fall at our last show and she was great. I evented up to Training before her. I had a Quarter Horse mare that went lame. And then she came along. She’s the underdog of the barn and we all love her.
Q. What do you think of the Young Rider program?
A. It gives you a goal and something to aim for so helps you develop skills. It’s a faster track to improvement because it gives you something to work towards.
Q. So what about school?
A. I’m a Junior in High School. I’ve missed a lot [of school] for horses but do my best. Going with my horse to college will be very difficult. Hope she stays sound and we can continue our eventing career. We’ll wait and see. She’s so new we’re trying to take it as safely as we can; we don’t want her to get injured or shell shocked. I don’t want to move up until we’re ready, I don’t want to ruin our good relationship. School is a wild card. I need to meet with college counselors. I’m not sure where my focus will be; I would love to get her in an environment where school would work out. I want her to have what’s best for her. There’s still planning ahead of us.
Q. Where do you hope your career will go from here?
A. I’ll take it a day at a time. Every time I go to an event I want it more and more. I love the atmosphere. I would love the career. Then I sit and think: What’s best for my family? My family has been supportive but it’s not always my decision. There’s a balance, I can’t just go out and jump in with both feet. More goes into that consideration with a career choice. I don’t have to rush into a decision. There are other things in life other than horseback riding. I’m not worried about it not working out. If it’s meant to work out it will.
Q. What other things do you love?
A. I enjoy traveling a lot and am interested in humanitarian work. I’ve had such a nice life. It’s the responsibility of people who are able to give back, to give back. That’s a goal down the road to travel with the Peace Corps. I have lived a nice life in nice suburb and went to a nice school and I have a HORSE. That’s stuff most people only dream about. I’d like to give back.
Q. Anything you want to add?
A. I’d like to give thanks to hometown trainer, Heidi Riddle at Half Halt Farm. She gave me my start and the chance to get my feet wet. She talked my mom into it and if not for her we wouldn’t be talking right now!
