Mariah Hughlock is certainly peaking at the right time.
Hughlock—a member of the RPI Equestrian Club—grabbed her only first place finish of the equestrian season in the zone competition at the intermediate level of her respective sport. The win earned Hughlock the right to attend the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Nationals, which will be held May 6 to May 9 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Only the top two finishers at zones, which brings out the best riders from the New York and New England, win the honor of riding in the IHSA Nationals and Hughlock, who almost did not qualify for zones with a third place finish in regional, was skeptical she would even have a chance at the top two spots.
“I didn’t think I was going to do well at zones,” Hughlock said, “Especially since it is like top tier.”
Perhaps the biggest surprise about Hughlock’s success was that she reached nationals on virtually her natural ability.
Hughlock, who is in her just 10th season as a rider, normally practices twice a week. However, the junior’s grueling schedule as a biomedical engineer forced her to miss all her riding practices prior to the zone match.
“Most people start [riding] when they are like two,” Hughlock said. “And most teams practice five days a week.”
It is the commute, and not Hughlock’s lack of passion, that prevents her from practicing.
“It’s sometimes really difficult,” Hughlock said. “The barn is at least 30 minutes away, so that makes a two hour practice a three hour trip.”
Yet, Hughlock’s desire and enjoyment for riding is unmatched, which is quite possibly the greatest reason for her success. Hughlock never gets nervous before a performance, and she attributes that mainly to the fact that she is only there to get some excitement.
“I view it [riding] as fun,” Hughlock said. “My teammates wonder why I don’t get nervous, and I think that is because I’m there just to ride.”
Hughlock passed on other schools with established equestrian programs to attend RPI to avoid turning the event she loves into a job.
“I wasn’t sure I’d make the team elsewhere,” Hughlock said. “And I liked the relaxed atmosphere I could compete in here at Rensselaer.”
Hughlock had an excellent season at the intermediate level and will be moving up to the open level, the highest level of competition, next year. But her sights are still set on ending this year’s run at the intermediate level with a bang.
On May 7, Hughlock, along with her parents, will travel to Tennessee for nationals to scout the horse she will be riding. In equestrian riding, a competitor is simply given a horse and does not even get a chance to test ride it before the match. Hughlock will show on May 8, the final day of the four-day IHSA Nationals.
