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Abbi Jo Faul and LaBelle Maria are a team.

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Abbi Jo Faul rides her horse, LaBelle Maria, during competition.

Passion To Ride: Abbeville teen finds love in equestrian riding

Seventeen-year-old Abbi Jo Faul of Abbeville will be attending the United States Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) Pony Finals this month. Partnered with her horse, La Belle Maria, she will compete against other Pony Finals qualifiers in the nation.
The competition is set to take place at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY.
Faul is a student at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, LA and she, along with ‘Maria’ will be representing the Academy of the Sacred Heart Equestrian Center during the competition.
The pair will be broadcasted live on the USEF Network on August 8 and 9. The link for the broadcast is https://www.usef.org/tune-in.
She answered questions about her love of equestrain riding.

How would you describe what you do?
Riding is what I love to do. I have been able to form many partnerships with many horses, especially my own horse, Maria. Riding is a very difficult sport, being that you have an animal with a mind of its own underneath you, but it is also very rewarding. It consists of very early mornings and long hours at the barn.

Tell us about La Belle Maria. Is she your personal horse? Did you train her?

Maria is my own horse (her show name is La Belle Maria, and I just call her Maria for short).
I bought her in August of 2016, so it will be three years that I have had the pleasure of working with this horse this coming August. When I got Maria, she was what we call a “green” horse, which means she was inexperienced on a lot of things.
My trainer, Ms. Aubrey Fait, and I have worked extremely hard to get Maria to where she is today. Maria has grown so much from the time I bought her, and she has definitely taught me a lot too. I don’t know what kind of rider I would be without my horse! I owe much of my success to Maria, as well as my trainer.
Maria and I will be competing at the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Pony Finals this August 8 and 9 located at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, which is one of our greatest accomplishments so far (this is because a rider must qualify to compete at Pony Finals by winning a championship or reserve championship at an “A” or “AA” rated show. Maria and I qualified by winning a championship at Texas Winter Frost Fire, an “A” show that was held in Katy, Texas. We have been preparing for Pony Finals ever since!). The show will be livestreamed on the USEF Network for anyone who wishes to watch! The link to the network is https://www.usef.org/tune-in.

When did you know that you were passionate about riding and what is it that makes you so passionate about it?
I fell in love with horses when I was very little, being that my father (Ricky Faul) is a retired jockey. I was always around the racetrack watching my dad ride, but my mom was a little reluctant to allow me to take riding lessons because she had seen my dad take many falls from horses throughout his career.
I finally convinced her to let me take riding lessons and enroll in summer riding camps, and from there, I knew I loved to ride. I was around 8 years old when I began riding. I was able to take my riding onto a more serious competitive level when I got Maria; we started her at local schooling shows, and we have worked up to the higher level “A” shows, as well as the United States Equestrian Federation’s Pony Finals that we will compete in this August. My first national show was the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) National Finals this past April (IEA is completely different from my showing with Maria; in IEA, you draw a random horse’s name from a hat, and you are expected to ride a horse that you have never ridden before), and I placed seventh in the Junior Novice Flat Division at IEA National Finals in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

How supportive was your family?
Coming from a family that was already immersed in the horse world, they were very encouraging. I would not have been able to accomplish what I have without my parents, who have generously supported me and continue to support me throughout my riding. My mom and dad are at every show, always encouraging and smiling even throughout my toughest rides.

Are you nervous about representing the Academy of the Sacred Heart Equestrian Center?
I am a little nervous to represent Sacred Heart, but I am very honored too, as well! My friend, Sarah Roth, will also be competing and representing Sacred Heart at Pony Finals with me, so I think that definitely eases my nerves, as Sarah is always very encouraging and supportive toward me! I am very grateful to share this experience with her and her horse, Emmett. Sacred Heart Equestrian Center is a unique part of the Academy of the Sacred Heart, which is the school I attend, so I am hoping that Maria and I can do our best for our school, our trainer, and ourselves.

What does a typical week look like for you?
I spend most of my time at the barn, riding six days a week both in the summertime and during school. At the Academy, I take horseback for my physical education, so my riding time is built into my schedule; this makes it easy for me to grow as a rider as well as a student. I have been able to maintain a 4.0 GPA, which I am proud to say being that the Academy has a rigorous curriculum and expects the very best of its students. I am very blessed to attend the Academy of the Sacred Heart and participate in its riding program. It might seem a bit crazy that my entire week is centered on my riding, but it is truly what I love to do, and I am grateful for every minute that I get to spend at the barn.

How did you get started?
As I said previously, my dad is a retired jockey, so I have been around horses since I was a little girl. When I was able to start riding horses and taking lessons, my love for the sport grew as well as my ambitions to compete at a higher level.

How long have you trained for this event and how difficult was it?
I have been training for Pony Finals since I qualified for it in December; that’s about seven or eight months that we have been preparing for this competition. Maria and I have definitely had our challenging moments throughout our preparation, but she is a very smart horse, so once she understands what I am asking of her she gives it her absolute best.

What advice would you offer someone considering this as a career?
It’s easy to get down on yourself, being that riding is difficult and you must think about many things at once, all while you’re controlling a horse underneath you. It takes a lot of persistence! Determination will most definitely lead to success; if you love what you do, and you keep at it, you’ll get to where you want to be.

Common misconceptions about what you do from others.
Many people think that riding is easy because “the horse does all the work.” While it is true that the horse is working hard, the rider works hard as well. We have to tell the horse what to do and where to go, as we have a certain path and order of jumps that we are expected to follow (also, it’s never the same course of jumps; it changes each show), as well as certain components of riding that we are expected to demonstrate. We must also try our best to make our riding look pretty and organized, which is challenging at times. It is both a physically and mentally demanding sport.

What are your hobbies?
I like to read! And I love to spend time with my friends!

What are your goals in the future?
I will most likely be majoring in pre-med when I begin college next fall (I am a senior in high school). My brother, Rick Faul, is a doctor, and I think I would like to follow in his footsteps. Whatever career I decide to take, horses will always be a part of my life. They have a very, very special place in my heart, especially Maria!

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