Abby was Reserve Champion in the Intermediate Over Fences division at IHSA Nationals this year aboard the aptly named Lucky, who is owned by Centenary University. Photo by Emilie Frede.
Abby, a junior at UCLA and Co-Captain of the UCLA Equestrian team, had a good feeling about her first IHSA Nationals right from the draw.
“I drew a horse named Lucky. He had won the Open Fences class, so even though I didn’t see him go, I knew he was going to do what I asked and be smooth and consistent. I really put my trust in him,” Abby recounted.
Though she had a lucky draw, Abby was also well prepared to execute a fantastic round and work off.
“I can only make it to the barn once a week because I work full time in a lab,” Abby shared. The UCLA equestrian team trains with Hansen Dam Riding School (HDRS) and the riders get to ride many different horses. “To prepare for Nationals, I hit the gym every day and watched a lot of old medal final videos. I focused on mental preparation since unfortunately I can’t be on a horse all the time.”
Her preparation paid off and Abby was Reserve Champion in the Intermediate Over Fences division with UCLA Coach Sandrine Seifert of HDRS and teammate Christine Wastila cheering her on. Abby also won the USHJA/IHSA Regional Sportsmanship Award for her great attitude during the show season.
“The sport can get harrowing sometimes and people can take their point chasing quite seriously,” Abby said. “It was nice to know that people appreciated the effort I put out to keeping competitions relaxed and fun. I want to make sure everyone feels included and that no one feels badly or left out.”
In addition to her equestrian successes, Abby has an impressive list of academic accomplishments. While working towards her Biochemistry degree, with a goal of pursuing an M.D./Ph.D. in Chemical Biology, Abby has secured a UCLA Raymond & Dorothy Wilson Research Fellowship, become a UCLA Amgen Scholar, and earned a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship, a Congressional award which is awarded to only 496 undergraduate students nationwide from a pool of nearly 5,000 applicants. Abby plans to continue balancing school, work, and riding in her senior year and hopes to make it to Nationals again next year.
