Elizabeth Guagenti 11 says that the best part of horse-riding is the connection between the horse and the rider. She has been riding horses for around twelve years, and has competed and specialized in many different horse-riding events, the most recent being reining. Lately, she has especially focused on attracting the attention of colleges, where she plans to continue her horse-riding career.

When Guagenti was five, her father took an interest in horses and bought her a pony. She said that she remembers the pony quite well.

“That pony was evil. He ran through the fence with me on him. I was in shorts, I remember getting off and tapping his nose and saying ‘bad pony’ and then walked away,” Guagenti said.

Despite her original experience, Guagenti became interested in riding horses. She says that her favorite part of the sport is the connection between the rider and the horse.Throughout the years, she has experimented in many different events.

“I had a lot of fun doing Pikes Peak Rangerettes while I was in there, I had some fun doing the speed events, like barrels and poles. I really, really enjoyed western pleasure and western horsemanship,” Guagenti said.

However, the event that she has become the most passionate about is reining, where she gives commands for the horse to run fast and then quickly come to a complete stop.

“I’m a reiner, so the horse that’s been really fast and then they stop and their buts like drag. It’s really cool,” Guagenti said.

Guagenti keeps up her horse skills at practices two to three times a week. After a thorough warm-up, she tests her horse’s response to reining.

“Then we start the fun of stops. So, we run up and down the arena until they’re running good and we feel like if we say ‘woah’ they’re gonna stop nice and pretty. And then we back them up if they don’t sit on their butt,” Guagenti explained.

At the end of August, Guagenti displayed her horse-riding skills at the Colorado State Fair, competing in the youth, rooky, non-pro, and youth freestyle events. She got to pick the music for her youth freestyle routine.

“We dedicated the song, which was I Hope You Dance, to my grandfather, who passed away, cause that’s kinda his song,” Guagenti said.

Guagenti isn’t the only person in her family who rides horses. Both her father and brother took an interest in the sport.

“My dad’s a Pikes Peak Range Rider. But when he does ride, it’s not pretty. My brother used to ride, but then he got tired of me telling him what to do,” Guagenti said.

Her mom is also supportive of her riding, despite being allergic to horses. She comes to watch her events.

“She still comes to horse shows and still helps me saddle and everything,” Guagenti explained.

Guagenti has spent a majority of her life cultivating her horse-riding skills, and plans to pursue her passion for many years to come with her family supporting her along the way. She says that the connection between her and her horse will only become stronger in the years to come.