There are many paths to becoming a horseman—or woman. Some folks begin by riding before they can walk. Others stumble across horses by accident and fall in love. No matter how you got in the saddle, a desire to grow your knowledge and become a better rider paves the way to a lifelong love for these animals—and sometimes, a desire to introduce others to the sport.
Bria Ames lives in St. Augustine, Fla., and she’s been riding for nine years. She used to be a gymnast, but when her mom saw a Facebook ad for a summer horse camp, Bria decided to try it out. She hit it off with the instructor, Rachel Edwards, and began taking riding lessons. Eventually, she ditched gymnastics for riding.
Bria enjoys improving her horsemanship every time she hits the saddle in events such as barrel racing, horsemanship and occasionally jumping. Under the tutelage of Rachel, Amy Talbot, and Ali Smith, she rides several horses at the lesson barn, but mainly one named Beans. She also loves spending time with her favorite horse, Vegas.
Now 16 years old, Bria is involved in the Youth Equestrian Development Association (YEDA), which puts together teams of riders in grades 4-12 to participate in clinics and compete in shows, where they can earn scholarships and participate in collegiate recruitment opportunities.
Read on for Bria’s thoughts on horses, competition, and her dreams for a future where anyone can ride.
Western Life Today: What do you love about horses?
Bria: Probably my favorite thing is that it’s just fun. Whenever I’m stressed, when I go horseback riding, I’m able to enjoy it and let go of things. I love the bond between a horse and a rider.
WLT: How have you improved your horsemanship since you got started?
Bria: When I started riding, I mainly did open shows, and them my coach and our team decided to do YEDA, where you show a horse that you draw, so a lot of times it’s a horse you’ve never ridden before. You can’t train on him or ride him until you’re in the ring and you’re being judged. That probably helped me the most with getting to know different horses and ride horses at various levels with different cues.
WLT: What do you like about competing in YEDA?
Bria: It’s a really good environment. They’re kind, and you can work toward scholarships when you are a senior.
WLT: What else do you do with your time?
Bria: I’m on the weightlifting team for my school, and during football season I help with football games and the football team. I’ve managed for the track team as well, and I help out with basketball. I just like to help out a lot at school. And at some horse shows, I go and help do concessions if I can’t ride.
WLT: Why is helping so important to you?
Bria: I enjoy it, but it’s not just to help them. My family feels like that’s what God wants us to do. Help others, and spread good things, and make it easier for other people who might need help with anything.
WLT: What motivates you to keep working with horses?
Bria: Probably just my love of horses. I also want to be able to see more diversity in the horse arena. Where I am, there’s not a lot of diversity. I want there to be—not just with people of color, but boys and girls, too.
WLT: What are your future goals?
Bria: I want to own my own barn and give lessons. My mom and I would do a nonprofit program, so if a person wants a horse, we can put them on a horse, but they can work for the horse, work with me, kind of like what I do with my lessons now. Like a co-op/homeschool type of organization. I just want to have a big place for everybody to learn and figure out what they want to do with horses, like my coach did for me.
WLT: Why is this your dream business?
Bria: I know for a lot of people, it’s hard with money, so I want to be able to help kids like me that want to ride, finding them a place to board, so that they’re able to have the same experiences and opportunities as those who can afford it. I want more people to be able to ride horses. I know that I love it, and I want other people to be able to feel that same way.
Learn more about Youth Equestrian Development Association (YEDA) at showyeda.com.
This Q&A with Bria Ames appeared in the October 2024 issue of Western Life Today magazine. Click here to subscribe!
