AUBURN- Jessica May doesn't remember exactly what it was that made her fall in love with horses; she just remembers that for almost her entire life, horses and horseback riding have fascinated her, dating back to her first ride when she was 7 years old.
Jennifer Meyers / The Citizen
Jessica May, of Sennett, stands with horse Dash in front of numerous awards she won this past spring at Riley Farms Wednesday.
Jessica May, of Sennett, stands with horse Dash in front of numerous awards she won this past spring at Riley Farms Wednesday.
“I don't really know what got me started when I was little,” said May, now 21. “I just knew that I loved horses and that I always wanted to ride them.”
May's parents saw their daughter's interest and signed her up for lessons with Karen Kulha of Birch Wood Stables.
“I really learned a lot from Karen,” May said. “I learned a lot of the basics and skills that got me started riding and helped to build my foundations as a rider.”
Along the way May started to take an interest in competitive riding and entered many local shows and exhibitions.
“It was a lot of fun,” May said. “I usually did pretty well and I learned a lot from those shows.”
By the time she was 13, May said she was ready to make the leap to the next level, working with David Connors.
“I was ready to start learning a different type of riding,” she said. “I was ready to start learning things that were a little more advanced.”
This also took her competitive career to the next level as May started to compete around the country in American Quarter Horse Association events in places such as Texas, Florida and Ohio.
“It is a lot of fun to work with the people,” May said. “You get to see friends you don't see except at shows. I have made friends all over the country. They are so much fun to be around and to work with and to learn from. It is also nice to be able to compete and to do well.”
Competition after competition, May showed that she certainly could do well.
In Ohio she won the Quarter Horse congress championship. In Texas she won the youth world championship and took second at nationals in Fort Worth.
While May has the reins, she does attribute some of her success to her horse, Dash, who she has had for seven years.
“We just clicked right away,” May said. “He was a troubled horse. I guess his old owner had to fight with him a lot. But we just got along right away. He can get nervous sometimes, but when he does we'll walk and just try it again. He is a great horse and he has done really well at shows.”
May decided after graduating from high school that she wanted to turn her passion into a true career and enrolled in Virginia Intermont College, a school that focuses on everything about horses, from riding to physiology. There, she is an equine studies major.
“I get to go for rides and get credit for that, but I also learn about what to look for in a horse so as to get the most out of him,” May said. “We learn about horses' health and reproduction and things like stall management. It is a really broad spectrum of learning.”
May, who will be a senior in the fall has also spent a lot of time doing everything she can while at school to stay active in the riding world.
“I do what ever I can,” May said, “I muck out stalls or any odd jobs to get a lesson in or maybe learn a little bit more to become a better rider and to keep learning.”
This determination has shown through in the past few months, as May has earned some impressive accolades on the collegiate riding level.
On April 28 and 29, May was riding in a Dressage competition in New Jersey where she took the national championship in her division.
“That was amazing,” May said. “I'd never ridden Dressage before, it was something new, but I decided to try. It is like the next level. I really didn't think I would do all that well. But I worked really hard and it turned out well; that was really cool.”
May followed this up a week later with an impressive showing at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, where she took third in the intermediate category.
“That was great,” May said. “Last year I didn't even place so that was a little disappointing. But this year I rode well and did a lot better. It was a really amazing feeling to do so well.”
This summer, May will be putting her skills to work interning with Anne Karsinski, a former Olympic rider.
“I'll be taking care of a group of horses,” May said. “And I hope to get in a little time riding too and maybe get a few lessons form her while I'm there too.”
One day May hopes that she will have the opportunity to ride in the Olympics, an accomplishment she said that has become her ultimate goal as a rider, but one way or the other she knows that she will always be involved with horses and riding.
“I'd definitely love to ride in the Olympics,” May said. “But no matter what I want to ride and train for the rest of my life. I like to see the joy people get and the happiness people have and the fun when they are around the horses, so hopefully that is what I will be doing the rest of my life.”
May's parents saw their daughter's interest and signed her up for lessons with Karen Kulha of Birch Wood Stables.
“I really learned a lot from Karen,” May said. “I learned a lot of the basics and skills that got me started riding and helped to build my foundations as a rider.”
Along the way May started to take an interest in competitive riding and entered many local shows and exhibitions.
“It was a lot of fun,” May said. “I usually did pretty well and I learned a lot from those shows.”
By the time she was 13, May said she was ready to make the leap to the next level, working with David Connors.
“I was ready to start learning a different type of riding,” she said. “I was ready to start learning things that were a little more advanced.”
This also took her competitive career to the next level as May started to compete around the country in American Quarter Horse Association events in places such as Texas, Florida and Ohio.
“It is a lot of fun to work with the people,” May said. “You get to see friends you don't see except at shows. I have made friends all over the country. They are so much fun to be around and to work with and to learn from. It is also nice to be able to compete and to do well.”
Competition after competition, May showed that she certainly could do well.
In Ohio she won the Quarter Horse congress championship. In Texas she won the youth world championship and took second at nationals in Fort Worth.
While May has the reins, she does attribute some of her success to her horse, Dash, who she has had for seven years.
“We just clicked right away,” May said. “He was a troubled horse. I guess his old owner had to fight with him a lot. But we just got along right away. He can get nervous sometimes, but when he does we'll walk and just try it again. He is a great horse and he has done really well at shows.”
May decided after graduating from high school that she wanted to turn her passion into a true career and enrolled in Virginia Intermont College, a school that focuses on everything about horses, from riding to physiology. There, she is an equine studies major.
“I get to go for rides and get credit for that, but I also learn about what to look for in a horse so as to get the most out of him,” May said. “We learn about horses' health and reproduction and things like stall management. It is a really broad spectrum of learning.”
May, who will be a senior in the fall has also spent a lot of time doing everything she can while at school to stay active in the riding world.
“I do what ever I can,” May said, “I muck out stalls or any odd jobs to get a lesson in or maybe learn a little bit more to become a better rider and to keep learning.”
This determination has shown through in the past few months, as May has earned some impressive accolades on the collegiate riding level.
On April 28 and 29, May was riding in a Dressage competition in New Jersey where she took the national championship in her division.
“That was amazing,” May said. “I'd never ridden Dressage before, it was something new, but I decided to try. It is like the next level. I really didn't think I would do all that well. But I worked really hard and it turned out well; that was really cool.”
May followed this up a week later with an impressive showing at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, where she took third in the intermediate category.
“That was great,” May said. “Last year I didn't even place so that was a little disappointing. But this year I rode well and did a lot better. It was a really amazing feeling to do so well.”
This summer, May will be putting her skills to work interning with Anne Karsinski, a former Olympic rider.
“I'll be taking care of a group of horses,” May said. “And I hope to get in a little time riding too and maybe get a few lessons form her while I'm there too.”
One day May hopes that she will have the opportunity to ride in the Olympics, an accomplishment she said that has become her ultimate goal as a rider, but one way or the other she knows that she will always be involved with horses and riding.
“I'd definitely love to ride in the Olympics,” May said. “But no matter what I want to ride and train for the rest of my life. I like to see the joy people get and the happiness people have and the fun when they are around the horses, so hopefully that is what I will be doing the rest of my life.”
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