By Aaliyeh Habibi

She gets home from school and immediately begins to dress herself for the event. She does a dance around the room to put on her multiple pairs of pants, preparing for the harsh wind. Socks, boots, and half-chaps complete her outfit. She grabs her bag and coat, then heads to the barn. This is a weekly routine for freshman Emily Helmick.

Emily has been competing in horse shows for three years now. But has had a burning passion for the sport since she was six.

“I really had a thing for elephants for a long time, but one day I just woke up and decided I that I liked horses,” Emily said. “And that’s how my hobby began.”

Emily has been riding at Great Griffin Farms in Wentzville for four years now. She has been riding Cookie, an Arabian cross-breed for about 2 or 3 months. She attends one lesson per week, while also practicing on her own.

“Emily is a hard worker, and occasionally hard headed. I think she has definitely improved more this year than any of the previous years,” instructor Mari Jebens said. 

Awards and ribbons line Emily’s wall in her bedroom, a reminder of all her accomplishments.

“Emily has accomplished a lot,” her mother Char Helmick said. “She’d probably tell you that the most memorable thing she’s accomplished is all the ribbons and things she’s won at shows, but I think for me it’s watching her improve and move up to more advanced horses.”

While Emily makes riding the horse look easy, it’s not so easy to fit her passion into her schedule with school and other extracurricular activities she participates in.

“If I couldn’t ride horses, then I would just want to be with them,” Emily said. “The horses themselves are my favorite part of experience.”