What do you do with horses?

Langdon- “I do saddle seat riding which is similar to dressage. We do intricate patterns and stuff in competitions, and we’re judged on how well we did the pattern and how well we executed it.”

What do you mean by patterns?

Langdon- “For example, like a really, really simple one would be like a figure eight. That’d be a super simple one, but it’s like intricate, long patterns, with changes in gates, and like dropping and picking up stirrups, and things like that.”

What got you into riding?

Langdon-“My family got me into riding. I’m third generation so my grandma rode horses, my mom rode horses and now I ride horses. I used to hate it when I was little, but now I love it.”

What preparation goes into a competition?

Langdon-“A lot of practice. My horse is in Kentucky, so I go to Kentucky every weekend to ride, and we have some great facilities there.”

How long and intensive are your practices?

Langdon-“Usually when I ride, I ride for about two hours at each barn. I have my main barn which is where my horses are, and we work on patterns and stuff along with rail work which is another portion of completion. Then I go to the other barn, which is where we ride lesson horses, which is where you’re allowed to mess up a little bit more so that you can learn to ride your show horse better. And on those lesson horses we do weighted exercises and banded posting and stuff. There’s these weird bands they put on your waist to make it harder to ride, so you have to use more muscles. I don’t really know how to explain it.”

What is included in your competition uniform?

Langdon-“Too much. It kind of looks like a tux. It’s very similar to the hunter jumper outfits. Sometimes we have to wear a bow tie and sometimes we have to wear a normal tie—depends on what time we’re showing. Sometimes we wear a top hat, and sometimes we wear a day hat. Once again, it depends on what time we’re showing. There’s also a coat and pants, vest, and collared shirt.”

When you’re in the arena, what’s going through your mind?

Langdon-“I’m usually really nervous, but the best thing to do is stay calm. It sounds stupid, but horses can tell if you’re anxious, and they’ll get anxious too, so you must calm so you and them can focus when doing your patterns or rail work.”

What is your current horse’s name, and can you tell me more about her?

Langdon-“Her name is Eve. She’s an all black American Saddlebred, and her show name is Black as Knight, spelled k-n-i-g-h-t. She’s named after her father which is also spelled the same way, and she’s a super cool horse.”

What is the process of getting a horse?

Langdon-“I own my horse, but you can lease a horse from someone if you want. It kind of depends on what’s right for you.”

What were the results of your most recent competition?

Langdon-“So it was in Kansas City, Missouri, and I placed second in the Nation for fourteen through seventeen year olds. It was a really fun experience and I cannot thank my trainers and family enough for helping me get to that point.”

What has it been like to balance schoolwork and horse competitions?

Langdon-“It’s been challenging because sometimes it can be really overwhelming coming back from a week-long competition. Because I’m gone for a couple days, I have so much make-up work, but I really have to try and be balanced in my life and organize to keep my hobbies.”

Will you do something similar to this in college?

Langdon-“I’ll probably ride my whole life. It’s my whole reason for everything that I do. It’s like my motivating factor, so I will definitely continue riding in college.”

What’s the maximum age that somebody can be in horseback riding?

Langdon-“There’s no age limit in horseback riding so you can ride until you physically can’t.”

What is one misconception that people usually have about horseback riding?

Langdon-“That the horse does all the work and that it’s just super easy. I feel like it looks a lot easier than it is—just like anything else. If someone’s good at it, they’ll make it look easy. I’ve seen people get on horses and it’s a hot mess, and then the trainer gets on and it looks perfect. So it just takes a lot of time and dedication.”

What does horse riding mean to you?

Langdon-“It means love and dedication and a way to find a new community of people. I’m able to grow stronger bonds with other people and be with things that I’m passionate about.”

What is the best you’ve ever done in a competition?

Langdon-“The best I’ve ever done was last year at the World Championships show. I placed third in the championship class with my old horse, Gambler, and I was literally happy crying about it.”

If people are interested in horse showing, where should they start?

Langdon-“There’s little barns around everywhere. I’d say to just get saddle time. Look up barns on the internet and find saddle time because the more you’re in the saddle, the better you’ll become. You can’t get good at horseback riding from the ground.”

What is a useful skill you’ve learned from riding?

Langdon-“Patience. Sometimes horses can be really frisky just like any other animal, and it can be really hard to find patience with them. But, I have to find patience or else I’m not going to get the pattern done and I’ll be in the center ring with a huge problem.” 

What is your favorite story to share from riding horses?

Langdon-“I’m going to share one of my mom’s stories. My mom was with one of her friends, and they were riding out in the middle of the country and there were train tracks nearby. The train started going by, and my mom was backwards on her horse with no saddle. Then, the horse started running back to the barn, and my mom’s friend fell off of her horse. When my mom got to the barn, she hit her head on the barn door.”

What’s your favorite thing about riding horses?

Langdon-“Everything—the community it’s given me and the opportunities that I’ve gained from it. It just makes me happy and there’s nothing like being around horses.”