AHS equestrians jump at the chance to compete

By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

Agoura High equestrian Amy Klebesadel

Isn’t it every child’s dream to ride a galloping horse across the finish line? That dream is likely to come true for Amy Klebesadel, Analiese Kovisto and Jenna Burnett.

The teens are part of the 22-member Agoura High School equestrian club, which competes Sunday in a regional competition with 50 other mostly private schools and more than 250 riders.

The competition has four judging categories: hunter, where horses are judged on body form and movement; jumper, where riders compete on a timed course with fences; equitation, where riders are judged on how they handles their horses; and dressage, where horses must perform sequences of steps, reading subtle cues from riders.

Based on a rider’s skill and experience, equestrians compete in four divisions with increasingly higher fences: two-foot high for novices; 2 ½ feet for freshmen; three feet for junior varsity and 3 ½ feet high for varsity competitors.

Agoura’s equestrians occupy either first or second place in three of the four categories. In overall points, they have three of the top riders—Gloria Sheller, Klebesadel and Burnett—and the team is currently in second place. The latter ranking is impressive because the group has only three riders at the varsity level, although some schools have as many as a dozen.

The top team is La Reina High, a private school in Thousand Oaks.

Equestrian is the only sport where men and women compete against each other, said Janet Klebesadel, Amy’s mother.

The goal of the sport is for riders to communicate subtly to the horse through their bodies—adjusting the pressure they exert to correspond to various movements they want the horse to make.

Burnett, 16, the top varsity rider, has been competing since she was nine. She said she loves it when her horse, Leonardo, responds to her signals.

"I don’t really own him," Burnett said. "He owns me. Everything between us is a joint thing."

Burnett wants to attend a college with an equestrian team and hopes her uncle, a professional wrestler, will sponsor her in the costly sport.

Besides buying or leasing a horse, riders must purchase riding equipment, lessons, trainer fees, entry fees, transportation to and from competitions, and more.

Fifteen-year old Kovisto, who ranks in the top five in junior varsity dressage, estimated the annual cost to her parents to be between $18,000 and $20,000.

Besides money, the sport takes up nearly all of the girls’ free time. Each day they spend about four hours grooming and caring for the horses, with only an hour spent actually riding. Despite her commitment and responsibility, Klebesadel, also 15, said it’s a love for horses that drives her to devote so much of her time and energy to the sport.

However, the girls said they’re frustrated their school doesn’t recognize them as a team.

Lawrence Misel, principal of Agoura High School, said only sports sanctioned by the California Interscholastic Federation are recognized as having teams.

"Informally, we’re very proud of them," Misel said. "They’ve done a phenomenal job."

He said the school’s Lacrosse group is in the same situation. It, too, is considered a club and not a team.

According to Misel, apart from financial support, the distinction between club and team lies in semantics: teams have coaches and perform in athletics; clubs have advisers and engage in activities.

Janet Klebesadel said the group isn’t looking for financial support, but wants recognition as athletes.

The three girls agreed that a group picture in the yearbook under "teams" would suffice.

The club is scheduled to participate in the Interscholastic Equestrian League competition on Feb. 6 at Hansen Dam Equestrian Center in the San Fernando Valley.

Calabasas and Westlake high schools also are expected to participate. They currently rank in the top 30 schools overall.

The final competition for the season is April 17. For more information, visit the league’s website at http://www.theiel.org/.