Senior Alicia Dewey can fly.

At least, that’s how jumping on horseback feels to her. When she rides, she feels calm, relaxed, and stress-free.

Although many people claim that horseback riding is not a sport, it is actually very athletic and requires love and dedication, both Dewey and junior Rebecca Bueno said.

Dewey has been riding, first at Sage Farm, in Dover, then at Apple Knoll, in Millis, since the age of 10. Bueno began at around the same age, and has followed her trainer to four different barns since.

Bueno became a nationally ranked horseback rider her freshman year, first by qualifying for regionals, which she won, and then placing third in her zone, where only the top three competitors move on. She placed eighth in the country in her division, and has already qualified for regionals this year, which will take place in March in Syracuse, NY.

Like Bueno, sophomore Chloe Kotik has experience with the Interscholastic Equestrian Association, an organization which runs teams and competitions for young riders. Kotik said that although competitions can start as early as 6:30 a.m., and riders must stay all day even if they are competing for only a few minutes, the time with the team is very rewarding.

“We stayed overnight in a hotel, and we all had a really fun time hanging out together,” Kotik said. “It’s really fun.”

Bueno hopes to be recruited for college horseback riding but said she does not want to go into the horse industry as a profession.

“I’ll always want to have horses in my life, but unless you are making a ton of money, you won’t go anywhere, and it’s going to hurt your dreams,” Bueno said.

Bueno competes in hunters, where the horse’s ability and performance are judged, and equitation, where the rider is the one evaluated. Dewey’s favorite event is jumping, in which the horse attempts to leap over fences without knocking any over. Kotik enjoys both hunters and jumping.

Susan Morley, Dewey’s mother, said that contrary to popular belief, horseback riding is a very physical sport.

“In the winter, the parents are all wrapped up in their down things, and the kids are taking theirs off when they ride because they get hot,” Morley said. “They’re working hard. It’s a lot of exercise.”

Riders feel a strong connection with their horses, all three riders said. Kotik said most barns have less than twelve horses, and that a rider’s size dictates which horse they will ride, meaning that most riders ride the same horse every time. Kotik said she thinks it is good for a rider to bond with her horse but that it can be difficult.

“You can’t get too attached because you know at any time the horse could get sold, or you could move on to a new barn,” Kotik said.

Bueno’s old horse, Remi, died a month ago, and she has felt his loss keenly.

“It’s like losing a piece of you,” Bueno said.

Dewey is also close to Chocolate, the horse she rides.

“He scares himself a lot, so he’s very unpredictable when you ride him, but you know when he’s going to spook, and it’s really funny,” she said.

Both Bueno and Dewey said that they are sometimes told that riding is not a sport because the horse is the one doing the work, when in reality it is the riders who must exert themselves to remain in control.

“I have to tell them, they have to listen to me, and I have to work just as hard as they do,” Bueno said.

In addition to spending over 30 hours a week at the barn, she also works out almost every morning before school.

“You have to be in really good shape,” Bueno said. “You want to have a strong core and strong legs so you can stay in the saddle and not get hurt.”

Bueno has experienced injury firsthand. Recently, she was riding a new horse when it suddenly got scared and threw her off.

She missed two days of school but was mostly unharmed. However, she came away with a greater respect for the danger of working with horses.

“Horses are huge animals. It’s easy to forget that they are animals and they can hurt you,” Bueno said. “They can just as easily flip over on top of you as do exactly what you say.”

Despite the risks, she said that riding horses makes her incredibly happy.

“I would be at the barn every day of my life,” Bueno said, “every hour, if I could.”

Rosa Pait can be contacted at [email protected].