I started taking riding lessons when I was five years old, and I have been in love with horses and riding ever since. Not being from a horse-showing family, I have learned about the sport gradually: first riding for pleasure with my trainer, then in 2018 moving up to showing at local shows and through IEA. In 2022 I was lucky to acquire my Warmblood, Rivier van Liefde, who allowed me to achieve my goal of showing at 3’ and at USEF and USHJA rated shows. Rivier was a green horse who had never shown in a hunter or jumper ring, and I am so proud of our accomplishments in the past year and a half. In 2023 we were 6th in the Children’s Hunter at Loudoun Benefit, 7th out of 44 in the .85m Jumper at the 2023 Piedmont Classic in Upperville, and 2nd in the Low Children’s Jumper in the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Autumn Classic. For 2024, my goals include continuing to work on the 3’3” Junior Hunter and Equitation with Rivier, while also focusing on 3’6” equitation and jumpers with my new horse Vellore Z. I am so excited for this phase of my equestrian career.
I love being in the show ring because I enjoy the thinking and precision required of me as a rider. While my horse and I are a team, I know that as the rider I must always be thinking ahead, both in the ring and during practice. I feel very good when we are successful as a team! However, when we are not as successful as I would like to be, I know that I am responsible, and I need to work on improving how I am communicating with my horse. I have learned so many important and specific things from the different horses I have ridden, but I think the most important lesson has been never to give up. I think that may be why I enjoy the challenge of riding different horses in IEA. I believe that all riders, no matter what their age or experience, can learn. One thing to know about me is that I am always working to improve my riding and to learn from the people and horses around me.
I spend about five days a week at my barn, riding, taking care of my horses (and others) or helping other students. My barns have always been very communal places, and in addition to normal horse care and cleaning activities, I enjoy working with my fellow riders, trainers, and equine athletes. For example, I often work with my horse doing stretching exercises to help him bend. I recently taught myself how to body clip my horse, and as a result was able to start a mini body clipping business. I have worked as a volunteer summer camp counselor at my barns – Blacks Hill Stables and The Stable at WulfCrest – almost every summer since 6th grade, and I enjoy helping beginners understand the need to be gentle and communicate with their horse. Other ways I enjoy being at the barn are directly related to the business of showing. My current barn Wulf Crest Stables often hosts IEA shows, and sometimes I choose to help run the show instead of competing. This involves arriving at the barn early, preparing horses for riding, schooling, helping riders find the horses and keeping track of the points for all the teams that were there that day. I think the perspective I get from helping to run the show gives me a better empathy for my horses when I am competing.
I am currently a junior at Langley High School, a highly competitive public school in Fairfax County, Virginia, where I have maintained a 3.8 GPA while taking honors and AP classes. I enjoy hanging out with my friends and playing club soccer in the Great Falls/Reston League. In addition, I am passionate about photography and photo editing, and recently started my own horse show photography business. While it is important to find a school that is a good fit for me away from the barn as well as within its riding program, I am extremely passionate about riding, and I am looking to ride for a college program that is both team-oriented and focused on helping its riders improve as equestrians.
~ Shelby Irwin