Laura Kattilakoski

Staff Writer

Texas may be known for horses, cowboys and longhorns, but most Coppell High School students have never even been on a horse. However, for some, horseback riding has become more than just a hobby and is an important part of their everyday lives.

Sophomore Paige Albright has been involved in horseback riding for about five years. She first became interested in horses after dropping off her friend’s brother for one of his lessons. She thought the sport looked fun and asked her mom if she could start lessons; since, she has been unable to stop riding.

“My favorite part is the feeling and I like the connection that happens. That sounds really cheesy, but it’s true because there’s a lot of connecting and I like the energy you always feel. It’s like a rush sometimes and it’s just… a cool feeling,” Albright said.

Since she started riding, Albright has ridden at several different area barns. She currently rides at Hillcrest in Argyle with trainers Natalee Newton and Julie Cleveland and enjoys riding in lessons. Despite having new friends at Hillcrest, she found her once-in-a-lifetime horse at a barn called Cross Creek in Grapevine when she was in middle school. She fell in love with lesson horse Harry, who she competed in hunter jumper classes with for a short time.

“My most exciting memory was probably the show in Waco a few years ago, in seventh grade, when I got third place on Harry out of like 36 people,” Albright said. “That was a big deal.”

Junior Hanna Kattilakoski rode briefly at Cross Creek at the same time as Albright, but now she rides at a private barn in Coppell. She boards her own horse there, Harley, who she has been training for just over a year.

“My favorite horse memory was when I was taking my horse to one of her first shows. It was a rough week, but we pulled through. I ended up doing pretty well — we got champion. I felt connected to my horse and I felt successful despite the miserable weather. I just really enjoyed spending time with my horse,” Kattilakoski said.

Junior Shannon Burdine is yet another student at CHS who enjoys spending her free time horseback riding. Her aunt and mom inspired her to start riding at a very early age.

“My aunt is really big in the national horse world and my mom was as well, so they got me interested in it,” Burdine said. “I started at the age of 2, basically riding horses that my aunt breeds. She owns a famous western pleasure horse, Radical Rodder, so I’ve kind of been riding horses like him throughout my life.”

Burdine has mostly ridden Western, but has also tried her hand at English-style riding, which includes jumping.

“I rode western until like age 10, when I saw the Saddle Club, and I got into jumping until around 15, when I went back to western riding,” Burdine said.

Burdine hopes to be accepted to TCU and compete on their equestrian team in both western and English-style riding.

Although both styles are on horseback, they differ from each other in many ways, from the type of saddle to how the rider holds the reins. In English-style riding, the saddle is lighter and well equipped to allow the rider to rise out of it over fences. Western saddles are heavier with a horn on the front. Both styles have their benefits, but according to Burdine, the best part of both is the same.

“My favorite part about riding is that you feel like you’re flying,” Burdine said.