Galloping to Greatness

Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world; give freshman Lauren Kirby the right hooves, and she can conquer the course.  In September, Kirby placed second in the 4-H State Horse Show.  In doing so, she qualified for the Southern Regionals that will be held in Georgia next July.

The 4-H Horse Show competition consists of three major rounds:  States, Regionals, and Nationals.  Currently, Kirby has done well enough to make her way to Regionals.  If she can come out on top there, she will move on to Nationals, the highest and most competitive level where she will have to compete against the best riders in the nation.  “I was really surprised, honestly, when I qualified this year,” said Kirby. “Hard work, persistence, determination—that’s what it has taken to make it this far,” she said.

Kirby regularly rides eight horses during her conditioning practices, but during competitions she only rides one.  Her best and favorite horse is named Hershey.  Hershey is a pony and is very comfortable with Kirby.  She rode Hershey during the 4-H State Show for all five of her events.  The events she competed in were Showmanship, Pony Pleasure, Equitation, Classics, and Trail.  Kirby made the top ten in every event except for one, where she was disqualified because Hershey became frightened and refused to jump a fence in the Trail event.  This mistake did not affect Kirby much in placement, though, as she still went on to place second in the entire competition for her age group.

horseriderKirby has excelled in the sport after only being a part of it for a few years, and she has already ridden her way to the top in Virginia.  Moving on to Regionals in Georgia is a big step for Kirby and her equestrian career.  “I’m excited and nervous for what this competition will hold for me,” she said.  Kirby said she is more anxious for Regionals because she will not have her close riding friends with her.  Another factor that makes her nervous for the competition is not knowing what horse she will be riding.  “If I have Hershey, I think I have a good chance at placing,” Kirby said.  The potential problem with Hershey is that he is a pony, so by the time competition week rolls around next July, she may have outgrown him.  If Hershey is no longer a suitable horse for Kirby, she will ride her second choice horse, Sterling.  Fortunately, she is confident with both horses.

After five years of pursuing her passion, Kirby is finally getting to prove her skills on the saddle.  Even after the 4-H competitions are over, she will continue her gallop towards greatness.  “I plan on taking part in every competition I can from here on out, but right now I’m keeping my focus completely on Regionals.  I’m hoping that all my hard work and late nights at the barn will pay off,” said Kirby.