To continue on with Olympic week on The Velvet Rider, I decided to do a post on Reed Kessler. I think she should be a major inspiration to young riders everywhere. At only 18 years old, she has been named to the US Olympic Show Jumping Team on Cylana. She is the youngest person in history to be named to an Olympic Team in show jumping. Wow! How exciting is that?
Now, don’t let her age fool you. She is quite an accomplished rider. She recently won the 1.60M Spectra Energy Cup in Spruce Meadows on Cylana, was named the US Olympic Committee Female Athlete of the Month for March 2012, and won the US Olympic Selection Trials. This barely touches her achievements!
Reed’s horse Cylana is a 10 year old Belgium warmblood whom she purchased last summer in Switzerland. The horse has gotten the reputation of being a little on the plump side when coming to the States, but she is in Olympic form these days. Reed has said that she is a very easy ride and has come a long way. She had only had Cylana for about 8 months when the Olympic trials started, and Cylana hadn’t ever jumped anything as high as the Olympic standard. Reed had this to say about Cylana: “… You tell her something one time and she knows it. All she wants to do is be in the ring. She hates being in the barn. She knows she’s a talent, and she wants to show everyone. She’s a businesswoman and doesn’t want to sit on the couch.” Sounds like this pair were made for each other!
Be sure to keep an eye out for these two when the Olympics begin. I have a feeling they will be fun to watch and will represent our country proudly! Reed will join fellow equestrians Rich Fellers, McLain Ward, and Beezie Madden as they compete for the medals in show jumping.
For more info on Reed Kessler, visit her site here.
Below are some shots of Reed and Cylana. Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the photo.
**I do not own the rights to any of these pictures. They are copyrighted by the original photographers.**