My first riding experience came when I was 8 years old. It was at a small barn, and after a few lessons I was matched with my first pony. He was incredibly naughty and sassy, but I loved him and I was hooked! For the next few years I spent as much time as I could at the barn. I focused on learning every aspect of horsemanship, about caring for my ponies, and knowing every detail of their bodies. I studied their mood and behavior. I used this information to try and keep them feeling their very best. Since the barn was small, we had no grooms. Even though the work was hard, I quickly learned how to do everything for my pony at home and at the local shows. I was able to join Pony Club with my barn mates and really enjoyed being part of a team that was focused on our ponies. We were able to attend the Pony Club rallies in Kentucky, and we were even able to learn more about caring for the ponies during part of the competition. During this time I continued to show in the local shows but also started showing in the regional A shows. I really enjoyed these shows and wanted to continue showing at this level.
In 2022, I moved to a much larger show barn so that I could go to the higher level shows regularly. Even though the new barn was two hours away from our house, I was so glad I made the switch. I quickly made new friends and was able to show with them and learn through our camaraderie. I now had three great trainers each with different skills to teach. The facilities were nicer with multiple rings that had excellent footing. Because I switched to this barn, I was able to significantly improve my riding. Further, I got to cheer on and be challenged by my barn mates. For the first time, I was able to work alongside other riders who had similar goals. It was so exciting to hang our ribbons up at the end of the show day and talk about our rides.
Through the years, both of my barns taught me about dedication and determination. School was always my number one priority. I often found myself doing schoolwork in the backseat of the car while driving two hours to the barn and two hours home so I could ride during the week. The weekends were filled with more trips to the barn when we weren’t at shows. Despite this, I have taken every available honors, dual enrollment, and AP class that my school offers each semester.
During the 9th and 10th grade, I joined my school’s Varsity Track and Cross Country teams. I really enjoyed being part of a team where I could cheer people on and be supported by people with similar interests. During my time running, I learned the value of working hard to improve myself even earning the award of most improved athlete. Unlike riding, running depends on how well you can do by yourself, there isn’t a horse with its own brain to partner up with. This helped me to learn to own up to my mistakes and try to never make the same mistake twice. Even though I stopped running on the track team due to a lack of time, I will never forget the value of hard work, dedication, and being on a team.
In 2021, I began to compete with my first horse, Coco. With Coco, I was able to move from ponies all the way to the 3’3” Juniors. During our time together, I went to my first indoors, where I came in 3rd at the Washington International Horse Show, and my first Junior Hunter Finals, where we placed 16th in the first round, 19th in the flat, and 9th in the handy. Overall, we were 7th out of the 66 that competed. Together, we also won the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby at the December Classic I in Aiken, and we were champion of the 3’3” 15 & Under Large Junior Hunters at WEF. I am so thankful for our time together and the accomplishments we shared. In 2023, I got a jumper, Turn up the Heat, or Channing. So far, I qualified for indoors in the 1.10m and 1.15m with Channing, where we placed 8th and 5th in the Pennsylvania National Horse Show and 6th at the Washington International Horse Show. Currently, Channing and I have now moved up to the 1.20m Junior Jumpers. In late 2023, I was lucky enough to buy Affirm, who I call Chili. Chili and I started out in the 3’3” Juniors but we quickly moved up the 3’6” Juniors. We’ve had numerous successful shows together, even though Chili, who was seven years old at the time, was still pretty green. I also qualified for Devon and indoors on Chili. I decided to only show him at WIHS. We placed 8th in the classic and came in 9th in both the handy and under saddle. Now that we’ve grown together, we’ve tri-colored at our last 2 shows and won the combined Junior Hunter Classic with both scores in the 80s since coming home from Washington. Currently, Chili and I are ranked 13th in the nation in the 3’6” 15 and Under Large Junior Hunters.
I am currently a junior at Whitesburg Christian Academy, where I have maintained a 4.0 unweighted GPA and a 4.38 weighted GPA while taking numerous honors and AP classes. For 3 years I competed on our Varsity Track and Field team, and I ran on our Varsity Indoor Track team for 2 years. I also competed on our state winning Varsity Cross Country running team for 2 years. At school, I am in multiple clubs, such as FCA, NHS, and Science Olympiad. I am particularly passionate about Science Olympiad. Throughout the past two years I competed in regional and state competitions, I gained multiple medals, including 2nd place in Detector Building at the regional competition in 2023 and 2nd place in Detector Building at the regional competition in 2024. I lead my Codebusters team to a 1st place finish at the regional competition in 2024, and 1st place in Codebusters at the state competition in 2024.
Having the opportunity to ride on a college team would allow me to showcase all that I have learned from the sport. I do not shy away from hard work and would give everything my best effort. I thrive off of challenges, and I’m always learning from my experiences. It is also important for me to find a college program where I can spend time working alongside my teammates striving towards a common goal. As a teammate, I would bring patience, positivity, and passion to the table. Overall, I am looking forward to finding a team-oriented program that challenges me as an equestrian, teammate, and friend.
~ Mia Thomasson