Riding and showing horses has a been a passion for BHS freshman Izzy Harvey for the past five years.

“I’ve been riding horses since I was nine but I first started showing horses when I was ten years old and have been doing it ever since,”  Harvey said.

Harvey has been showing and competing with her horse Sailor for a while now. They have attended many different type of shows. She shows her horse in Western Pleasure, Showmanship, Horsemanship and Trail.

“I love going to horse shows because I get to go with everybody I show horses with and we get to stay in a hotel and is just super fun,” Harvey said. “The farthest I’ve ever gone to travel for my horse shows was three hours, I normally show my horses in Topeka.”

Riding and competing take time away from Harvey’s school hours, but she manages to get everything done.

“I ride about four or five times a week and I ride for about 3 hours so I spend about 15 hours a week riding,” Harvey said.

Showing horses are judged differently than a lot of other things.

“It depends on the class you’re in,” Harvey said. “In Halter classes they judge on the conformation, build, body type and muscles. In Showmanship they judge on the relationship you have with the handler and the horse and how they respond to each other and Western Pleasure they judge on the style of the horse, how slow they’re going, the arch in their back, their neck, their ears, how responsive they’re to the rider and how effortless they look. Horsemanship, it’s showmanship that you’re on the horse, the response how the horse reacts to the rider and like the pattern. English is just how extended the horse is.”

Harvey has many responsibilities for taking care of her horse.

“I have to ride my horse quite a bit,” Harvey said. “I have to keep up with her and I have to do what I have to do and my parents have me help pay for stuff, I have to take lessons quite a bit. I have to help with chores sometimes, but since I board her at another barn I don’t have to do a lot of chores which is nice.”