Aspiring equestrian

The tension mounts as Meredith McDonnell’s hand disappears into a bowl full of names.

The outcome is always the same. She’ll pull out the name of a horse she’s never met and have about 10 minutes to familiarize herself with the 1,000-pound animal before taking to the ring.

“It’s really important that you know the two of you can work things out,” McDonnell said. “There has to be a partnership out there.”

McDonnell has been on plenty of unfamiliar steeds, but something feels different on this spring day in Lexington, Ky.

As soon as she rides into the ring, a feeling of being one with the horse washes over the 18-year-old Culpeper native, and it’s like all she had time to do was blink before she was crowned national champion in the team class of the intermediate equitation division (over fences) May 7 at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association.

She beat out 18 other riders from all over the country.

“It was so surreal,” McDonnell said. “I was lucky to draw a very good horse. We had an awesome round.”

McDonnell — a 2008 graduate of Culpeper County High School — has seen plenty of success in her two years with the equestrian program at Hollins University in Roanoke.

This spring, McDonnell helped Hollins claim the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship, and she was named to the all-ODAC team.

She also qualified for the Virginia Horse Show Association Adult medal finals last weekend at Commonwealth Park. She’ll return to Lexington Aug. 1 for that competition.

“A solid amount of work goes into preparing for these events,” McDonnell said. “I’ve been doing it all my life, but there’s still always something new to learn.”

McDonnell — who is majoring in political science — said the most difficult part of going from youth to collegiate riding was the random draw system, but she credits growing up around horses with easing the transition.

“It’s always something different,” she said of riding unfamiliar horses. “You’re working with an animal that has a mind of its own, so you’re going to have good days and bad days.”

McDonnell has been riding since she was about 6 years old, and she said her grandmother, Harriett Ellison, of Culpeper’s Valhalla Farm, has been her greatest influence.

“She always had horses and wanted me to learn to ride at an early age,” McDonnell said. “Horses bring joy to her life, and I’m just glad to be able to add to that.”

Despite all of her early success and accolades, McDonnell still sounds like most college sophomores when asked about future plans.

“I’m still trying to figure out what I’m going to do in life,” she said. “But I do know I’m always going to ride.”

Learning the lingo
2010 equestrian national champion Meredith McDonnell sheds some light on three common horse show events:

Hunter » Sort of a ballet. You want to be rhythmic, and find the perfect takeoff distance for the jumps.

Jumper » More like gymnastics. It’s a high-powered event. You want the fastest time without knocking down any rails.

Equitation » Judges score based on the rider’s position on the horse.