This week our Campus Celebrity is a national champion. Catherine Hensly ’14 won the Walk Trot Canter Equitation (Individual) competition at the 2012 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championships. I sat down with Catherine before she left for the competition to talk about what making the Hollins Riding Team so special.
Amber Rambharose (AR): Tell me a little bit about your experience as a Hollins Rider.
Catherine Hensly (CH): It’s been great. It was one of the reasons I came to Hollins, because it has such a fabulous program and the lesson program with the coaches and the horses, it does a lot to teach you to become a better rider and to focus on yourself, rather than correcting your horse.
AR: How long have you been riding here?
CH: I’ve been fortunate enough to ride every semester since I got here, so two years now, and I’ve been riding for the team since my freshman year.
AR: Can you talk about the sense of community on the team and how you guys work together because you guys are national champions often.
CH: Yes! I don’t know the statistics, but yes. It works really well. The coaches watch the lessons really closely and they pick who they want to show and then your level is determined by what you’ve done previously. The nature of the sport is inherently individualistic, obviously you’re going into the ring on your own, you’re not a team on field. But at the same time there’s a lot of support, and we help each other out a lot. If someone needs anything, either in the ring or academically, we all help each other out.
AR: How long have you been riding outside of school?
CH: I’ve been riding for about ten years.
AR: What would you say to someone who is considering riding here at Hollins but isn’t sure about making the commitment?
CH: I would tell them to go for it. The instruction is great and I know the price looks expensive at face value but it’s actually much less than you would pay at a barn anywhere else. You’ll also get to ride some wonderful horses and make some great friends!
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Hollins chapter.