Molly (left) and her trainer Liza Towell Boyd.
All photos by Lisa Gardner
Molly and her horse Fiyero, better known as Patch. Molly's trainer Liza Boyd won the AHJF Hunter Classic Spectacular 2008 at WEF on Patch.
Photo by Lisa Gardner
Table of Contents / SIDELINES JR
By Jan Westmark
Junior rider Molly Gardner may look like most teenagers, but thanks to her horses and a challenging sport she has already learned life lessons that many teens haven't. Those lessons: teamwork and sportsmanship.
"My horses are basically my 'teammates' and I have had to learn how to work with them. Riding has taught me that I have to cooperate with others, including my horses, to be able to be successful and happy in life," said the 15-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina.
"Riding has also taught me about sportsmanship," she added. "I have had to learn how to win and lose, be friendly with everyone, and be happy for someone else when my day didn't go as I wanted it to. Sportsmanship is the biggest thing I get out of riding because it teaches me to be a winner inside and out, no matter what."
Molly, who trains with Jack Towell, Liza Towell Boyd and Jason Schlotterback at Finally Farm, has found herself in the winner's circle many times. In 2005, she and her horse Orient won the NAL 2005 Children's Hunter Championship at Harrisburg. The year before they won the championship in the Zone 3 Finals Children's Hunter 14 and Under division.
Molly has continued to work as a team with her horses and trainers in 2008, already earning a reserve championship at the Winter Equestrian Festival in the Large Junior Hunters 15 and Under. "I won two big classes at WEF on my new horse Fiyero (Patch). It was my first time to win classes in the juniors at WEF and it was only my third show on Patch. We had beautiful trips and I was really excited about it," she said.
Winning isn't Molly's only satisfaction, however. "At the Capital Challenge with my horse Georgetown we received a 90 and an 89, and almost won the class but ended up second. I had won a Capitol Challenge class once before so coming really close to winning another one with such high scores was awesome. I loved getting such high scores at such a big show."
Molly didn't start out at big shows, but started riding instead at a summer camp when she was seven years old. "We quickly began to jump and I fell off but I was laughing the whole time because I was caked with mud," she said. "I immediately got back on and knew that I never wanted to get off."
Molly isn't the only rider in her family, in fact riding and showing is something the whole family does together. Her older sister Maddie, 17, rides in the children's hunters and her younger sister Anne rides in the children's jumpers and the small juniors.
While Molly enjoys showing together as a family, her favorite thing about showing...
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