Emma is the Spring 2022 Platinum Stables Hunter-Jumper Excellence Award, sponsored by Platinum Stables.
I remember the very first time I saw a horse up close. Watching a Spruce Meadows competition as a young child, clutching the railing and watching a rider and animal work together to accomplish an amazing goal. The feel of the wind gusting over me when they rushed past, the smell of sweat and grass and animals, the sound of hooves charging and leaping, and the sight of the arching body sailing over jumps taller than I was. Horses have always held a place in my heart, and many pieces of paper have been covered in drawings and scribbles from my youth, daydreaming of riding a horse the way the champions did. My name is Emma Herspiegel, and I am an eighteen-year-old equestrian, and riding is my dream. I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with my family and pets, all of whom I adore. My favorite pastime is to go hiking with my dog as often as possible. I also love kayaking, paddle boarding, cycling, reading and exploring.
The first time I rode was when I was very small at summer camp, but unfortunately, I did not get the chance to continue until recently. I am currently riding once a week in English riding hunter class on a lesson horse, and I have been riding for nearly two years now. I competed in the novice rider show ring circuit offered by the English riding schools around my town. Last year I competed at, and won multiple times, within the eighteen inch level. I also compete in the flat/equitation classes offered.
As this year’s show season approaches, I am hoping to move up to the two foot level alongside my eighteen inch rounds. I have been practicing and gradually moving up to the two foot range over the winter and am excited to show even once at this level. This is a big accomplishment for me, as I do not have my own horse to train on, and my time learning and practicing in the saddle is limited due to financial strain. My family cannot afford to pay the cost for lessons more than once a week. To make up for this deficiency, I try to do strength and endurance training as much as possible during the days I have outside the saddle.
My mother has always taught me the importance of dedication and hard work. As an immigrant from Nicaragua, she has always worked her hardest to look after and protect myself and my family. Her example is the guiding light in my life, and she has always encouraged me to follow my dreams and chase equestrianism with the same fire that I do anything else. At the same time, I am well aware of the financial difficulties faced by my parents, and I have often worked part time for my father’s landscaping company to help lighten the load the best I can. It was an exhausting job to work before school: waking up at 4 a.m. to shovel snow on properties, come back for classes, before going out and helping my father to finish his route. Afterward, I needed to complete all my homework for school before starting again the next day.
Despite the difficult schedule, these experiences taught me the importance of dedication and perseverance in the face of adversity. My mother’s birth country of Nicaragua is a place I visited a few years ago and a place I cherish. Something I have been deeply aware of growing up, was aware that there is no show jumping team for Nicaragua in the Olympics. I was never able to watch competitions from South or Central America growing up, with the Olympics being one of the only places I could see the sport on television. I knew that there are not as many Latinx equestrian competitors, especially from my own origins. Many of the names I grew up watching were of European descent, where the sport is much more prevalent.
Next year, I hope to enter the University of Calgary as a first-year student. My passion lies in zoology, and I have been given conditional acceptance into the Faculty of Science undergraduate program of Biological Sciences, and I am hoping to be accepted into the zoology major as well.
I aspire to continue riding throughout my university career, which I am aware will be difficult due to financial constraints. My long-term goals are a tad bit grander than my short term goals, but I am prepared to fight to make them a success. After completing my undergraduate degree, I hope to be accepted into the Royal Veterinary College in London. This institution has an equestrian show jumping team of their own, which I hope to compete with when I attend. After getting my degree, I dream of taking on an internship that will allow me to practice on wild and exotic species of animals.
My plans for a future career align with becoming an equine or wildlife veterinarian, or a wildlife biologist. Along with this, I have very large dreams for my riding career. Though it may seem very far-fetched and perhaps even impossible, I dream of one day owning my own horse and competing at high levels of show jumping, perhaps even Grand Prix level. I wish to be the person riding at a high level in the ring, soaring as a team over jumps that seemed much easier to conquer as a child. I long for that connection, that feeling of peace and thrill that comes with riding a horse.