Clockwise from top: Reed with trainers Katie and Henri Prudent; riding Cylana at the 2012 Olympic Trials held in March; and enjoying a moment of downtime with her father, Murray Kessler.
Where do you see yourself five years from now? I would love to be like Beezie [Madden] and have a successful international career. I would also eventually like to incorporate some teaching into my career.
Do you have any pre-show rituals, besides polishing your boots?
What advice would you give young riders?
Mika (a 10-year-old Selle Francais gelding) is a great horse also. He is a bit of a worrier, but he has really matured in the last year. The trials have given him a lot of confidence. I have ridden a lot of feisty mares; I prefer geldings if given the choice, but no stallions. I am not a fan of the attitude. So, right now, I think that Cylana and Mika are both pretty perfect for me.
What has been your hardest obstacle so far to overcome as a rider? My biggest obstacle is staying unemotional about competing and taking one day at a time. This all takes a lot of time and a lot of work and I have to work at keeping my emotions out of it. 70
equine Journal
| July 2012
I would tell them that this sport takes a lot of time and you have to approach every day and every competition doing the best you can, every time, to go somewhere in this sport. You have to commit to it, love it, be completely dedicated to it and know for sure that this is what you want to do. You have to make it your life to be successful.
What do you enjoy most about riding? Showing? Training? I love riding because it is such a humbling sport. You are only as good as your last class. You can never sit back and rest, you always have to be training and working and always doing your best. I also like the fact that this is a sport that you can remain competitive in your whole life. And, I just love horses. You don’t want to see me when I haven’t been around horses for a while, I get very cranky.
clockwise from top: mancini photos; Jilluann valliere; mancini photos
Yes [laughing] I have to wear my red, white, and blue socks, and now I also have to paint my nails bright green. My boyfriend teases me about this, but it has worked this far, right? My parents are actually worse about that kind of stuff. They always have to watch me from the same place and my dad wears a lucky baseball hat. If one doesn’t work, he tries another one for the next show. It’s kind of funny.