Horse riding is an exhilarating activity, but it isn’t just about physical activity; it also involves building a deep connection with that horse.  

Sophomore Aubrey Jones was inspired to get into horse riding after some major life events. 

“I had lost my mom and brother about two years ago, so I decided to start it as just therapy, and then just a couple months ago, we officially bought him,” Jones said. 

Jones says she mainly works with her horse, Kingston, doing a lot of shows with him, like running around barrels or pole bending, which is weaving in and out of poles.  

“I don’t do cattle work with him right now, but I’m hoping to do that in the future,” Jones said. “I just do basic things that you do with a horse, clean them, take care of them and stuff.”  

Horse riding comes with good and bad days, but also has therapeutic aspects to it. 

“It has been very like in waves, because there’s days that are really good, and it takes a lot of mindset to do it. It’s very fun though, it’s relaxing, therapeutic. Some days I’ll just go out and ride him and just wait till the sunset falls and it’s very relaxing,” Jones said. 

Jones’ strength as a rider is being able to move with her horse. 

“My strengths are most definitely running with him and just actually being able to move with him, when I do all the events that I do,” Jones said. 

Jones’ main weakness is not always being able to see when her horse is communicating with her. 

“My weaknesses are probably when he tries to tell me something and I don’t like necessarily see it all the time; I think that’s something I could work on doing: paying attention to him and listening to him,” Jones said. 

Giving reassurance is the main way Jones helps her horse understand that they’re not going to be harmed. 

“Sometimes he’ll try and kick, or if I’m trying to pick up his back feet, he’ll try and kick back at me, and it has happened for a while now, and I try to, like, show him by, like, going by his back, and then going down his leg and trying to pick it up to show him that it’s not like, it’s not gonna harm him and I’m not gonna hurt him and then eventually, once he relaxes a little bit, he eventually lets me pick it up,” Jones said.  

Horse riding has impacted Jones’s life by providing companionship and loyalty after losing her mom and brother. 

“It has impacted my life very much because I lost my mom and brother, and so just having that companionship and a horse and that trust and that loyalty like it really means a lot knowing that a 12,000-pound animal that could kill you any moment, chooses to love you and care for you and you know. I get to share that companionship with him, and the fact that he loves me and he cares about me, and I can see it through him,” Jones said. 

Competing in shows and events is Jones’ favorite part about horse riding. 

“My favorite part is probably the game shows where you go and do all the events it’s so fun, they have barrels, you set up three barrels, two, and then one, like, it’s basically a triangle, and then you go around one, and then the other, and then the other one home and then there’s pool bending, which is just running down and weaving through them, there’s figure eight just run down, do figure eight around poles and then come home, there’s a couple others, like capture the flag you run down, turn around the barrel and grab the flag out of the barrel and run home, there’s a lot of different things that you can find,” Jones said. 

Jones started off doing lessons with her trainer, Haley, and had went from three different horses she was on. One named Breezy and another one named Sawyer.  

“But from the moment I had walked into that barn stalking, something in my head, my heart was like, ‘he’s gonna be the one,’” Jones said. “So eventually, going through those two horses, I eventually got it with him.” 

Jones said that even though Kingston was the first horse she ever fell off of, she constantly wanted to keep coming back to him.  

“[I] kept wanting to ride him,” Jones said. “I didn’t want to ride any other horse but him.  I could feel a connection there with him and eventually got to a point where I was mainly the only person riding him.” 

Then an opportunity presented itself when her trainer had to sell off her horses.  

“That’s when I had the opportunity to buy him for what I believed he was worth and now I own him,” Jones said. “He’s no longer a lesson horse, and I actually get to be with him. I’ve been riding for about two years now.”  

Owning her own horse means a lot to her, Jones said, because “there aren’t many people out there that can say that.” 

“It means a lot knowing that he trusts me enough and he cares for me enough to let me own him and to take care of him and ride him and all that stuff because he could hurt me at any time that he wants to, but he never does,” Jones said. 

Jones’s dad, Will Jones, describes the growth he has seen in Aubrey since she has began riding. 

“She’s definitely gained a lot more confidence, and, you know, work ethic and so, yeah, a lot of growth in both of those areas,” Will Jones said. 

Providing rides to shows and making sure Aubrey has everything she needs is how Will Jones says he shows his support. 

“I’m like her personal ATM,” Will Jones said. “I’m just kidding, but I make sure she gets there and has everything she needs to be able to ride and have fun riding her horses and get her to the shows and stuff.”  

Helping with the maintenance and care of the horse is some of the ways Will Jones is involved with Aubrey’s riding career. 

“Well, I do the transportation of the horse and other horses, and I help with maintenance on the farm and different tasks there, helping Aubrey get set up with the horse before she rides and after she’s done riding and that kind of stuff,” Jones said. 

Being there for Aubrey mentally and providing needs are some ways Jones shows his support for her. 

“Just, you know more emotionally, be there for if she’s talking about stuff, or just make sure she has what she needs to be successful riding,” Jones said. 

Effort and time are the main changes as a parent. 

“I wouldn’t say it’s changed too much; it’s just we’re busier than we used to be, that’s for sure, because it takes a lot of effort and time to take care of a horse,” Jones said. 

Keeping a positive mindset and working hard is the advice Jones would give to Aubrey as she continues her horse-riding journey. 

“Just to keep working hard, and, you know, keep positive attitude, and she’ll do great,” Jones said.