A l u m n i
N e w s
2010s
Lancer Spotlight S
itting regally astride her Arabian horse, Phoebe Afire, Gilmour alumna Brooke Marie Jarvis ’10 looks like she was meant to ride into championship history. And she did in Albuquerque, N.M., in July at the U.S. Youth National for Arabians and Half-Arabian Horses. Not only did Jarvis win nationals in the Arabian English Pleasure category – where, she says, “horses trot high and are beautiful in the bridle” – but she also won in the Arabian English Pleasure Junior Owner to Ride and the Arabian English Pleasure Junior to Ride competitions with her horse Lady Ava Isabella, a Half-Arabian. It is rare to win nationals in both of those events because more horses are entered and the equestrians do not need to own the horse they ride in the latter event. All three judges voted for Jarvis. Even more important than winning three championships to Jarvis was that she surpassed trainers at a regional competition this past year. Amateurs, juniors and trainers showed horses around the ring to exhibit three gaits: the walk, the trot and the cantor. It was the first time a junior equestrian beat trainers that were showing national champion horses. “That meant more than a national championship ever could,” Jarvis says. The college freshman, who now attends Loyola University Chicago, has even competed in the International Arabian Horse Show in the United Arab Emirates. “Being an equestrian is my biggest passion,” she says. Jarvis, who plans to study international relations and hopes to be a diplomat in the Middle East, comes by her interest in horses naturally. Her mother owns
62
Brooke Marie Jarvis ’10 and Phoebe Afire
an insurance agency that specializes in equine and exotic animals and her father breeds horses. Although she began riding when she was 2 years old, Jarvis did not start out on ponies. Instead she rode a horse that was 15 hands high, more than five feet tall. “I don’t think that I was frightened because I was at the barn all of the time,” she recalls. By the time she started as a first grader at Gilmour, Jarvis was an old pro and really knew her way around horses. She understands the importance of using body language and emotions to connect to horses and explains that they can pick up information just from intonation. “Horses are extremely smart and sensitive,” she says. Riding is all about balance and she believes the various kinds of dancing lessons she has taken have been beneficial. “Determination is the biggest thing I apply to both dance and horses,” Jarvis notes. “With dance it is all about being one step better than you were before and trying new things and it is the same thing with horses.” During her senior year, Jarvis felt fortunate that her schedule at Gilmour allowed her to spend more time with her horses at their barn in Mantua. Juggling her work as an equestrian with academics and extracurricular activities was no small feat. Jarvis competed on the Speech and Debate Team for four years advancing to nationals two years and to state four years. She also was on the Girls Varsity Lacrosse team and was a cheerleader. Going off to college will be bittersweet for Jarvis, who rides every day. She plans to return home frequently to work with Phoebe Afire because her trainer does not ride the horse and Jarvis plans to resume competition next summer adding, “I am leaving part of my heart here.”