Have you ever wanted to be able to compete on a horse or just ride for your enjoyment? Lorelei Escobedo (class of 2016) gets to fulfill that dream every day. She enjoys horses and competing in shows and competitions. More specifically she competes in shows called Saddlebeat Competitions. In this competition she is judged by how precise her posture is and her overall appearance. She competes with her horse Lucy. While she does have another horse named Prez, he is new to her family and has not been in any shows at this time. She also does Saddleseat Pleasure. In this competition, Escobedo goes through an intricate process while performing.
“ The riders trot into the arena starting counterclockwise. Where the ringmaster and judge are in the middle of the arena watching the competitors, they usually look for the best paired horse and rider that look smooth and in synch with each motion,” she said.
The competitors trot in each direction one time as the judge gives out commands. At the end, the riders stop in the middle and face the ringmaster. Then the winners are given to the announcer at the end of that competition.
Escobedo competes in about seven competitions a year, typically, competing outside of her barn two or three times while the others are within her barn. She will do competitions in her barn whenever she has the chance. She enjoys everything about the competitions and has fun competing in them. Even her horse enjoys them too.
“You can tell when [Lucy] is excited because she will always have her ears up, step high, and she loves to pass the other horses in the arena. I just have to always laugh at that,” she said.
Escobedo has been competing for about four years now, but started going to shows outside of her barn three years ago.
“I wanted to try it, so when the school barn show was announced one time I signed up and I liked it and wanted to continue,” she said.
At her first away show she won third place. She was excited to have placed third especially because she competed against twelve other people in the competition. Third place is the highest she has ever scored at an away competition. But, the highest she has ranked in her barn is first place!
“I love it too much to quit and it would leave a big hole in my life,” she said.
