By Nabeeh Ndiaye
Photo courtesy of Elpita Photography
In December, Willow freshman Emerson Keely was selected to compete on an International Saddle Seat Team in South Africa on behalf of the United States Saddle Seat Association (USSSA), placing second.
Keely competed on a team with other talented riders from around the country, including another young student from the New Orleans area. Each team was made up of five riders. Keely was on the five gaited Senior team.
Keely has been riding horses since she was four years old. She grew up riding at Cascade Stables, which some may know as Audubon Stables.
“I consider them my family,” Keely said.
Going on a decade riding at Cascade now, Keely’s love for horses and riding hasn’t been diminished in the slightest. To this day, she goes to the barn and trains after school Tuesday through Saturday
“It can get difficult to balance my riding and schoolwork, but it isn’t so hard when I stay caught up,” Keely said. She also volunteers as a junior counselor at Cascade’s summer camp, which introduces children to horseback riding here in the heart of Uptown.
Fortunately, on her trip, Keely was able to experience some of the geographic and cultural differences South Africa had to provide.
“We competed in December, but that time of year is their summer,” Keely said. “It was a pretty awesome experience! It was interesting to see animals in their natural habitats and the landscapes, which are very different from New Orleans.”
Keely’s riding experience also gives her some insight on different horses and how to work with them. She says that when training, they try to ride horses of varying temperaments so they can get used to a range of horses. “All horses are different. Some can be young and skittish, some can be ‘broke’, or older and know how to do their job without the rider even telling them.”
Keely’s future in riding is bright. Her passion for the sport shows no sign of slowing down, and she’s willing to work to improve.
“I love my horse and my riding, and I would never dream of giving it up,” Keely said. “I would like to become a trainer in the future, but even if horses are a ‘side hustle,’ I’d still be happy. I’d like to possibly make the World Cup Team before I graduate high school or win a blue ribbon in one of the national or world competitions in my division.”
