Riding on

Although wrestling helped to bring her to Alberta, Krystin Paquette says her true passion will always be riding a horse.

The 17-year-old from Murillo landed a wrestling scholarship to the University of Alberta in Edmonton and planned to head there for school in the fall. Unfortunately, her moving away will mean that she will have less time to spend riding her horse.

She said that’s something she hopes to rectify and hopes to reunite with her horse in Alberta as soon as possible.

“Wrestling is my sport but horses are my life,” she said. “First year there I’m not going to bring her because there’s just too much going on. But probably second year I’ll bring her out with me. I love doing it and my horse is pretty awesome and my whole family does it. Even if I have other things going on, I’m always able to come back to it.”

Krystin has been riding competitively since her mother first put her on a pony when she was five years old. Her training paid off when she was one of the finalists in a racing competition in Manitoba last year.

She was also one of about a dozen youth at the Lakehead Light Horse Association Gymkhana held at the Murillo Fairgrounds on Sunday. She said that horseracing is a good sport for youth to get into.

That’s a sentiment Grace Pella agrees with.

The 14-year-old moved from Marathon to Murillo and decided to register at the Gymkhana. Being her first time in that kind of a competition, she said it was it a lot of fun.

Grace said there wasn’t a lot of horse riding in Marathon so she was glad to move to a community that embraced a sport that she enjoyed.

“Everyone has been very welcoming,” she said. “It’s nice to get tips from senior riders.”

Debbie Hay, president of the Lakehead Light Horse Association, said about a dozen youth and adult riders participated in this year’s gymkhana. She suspected that other activities and the poor weather kept from some riders from coming.

She believes the gymkhana is a good opportunity for experienced and new riders because of their relaxed atmosphere.

“We’re non-profit and it’s an event that people can come out and have fun with their horses,” she said. “We’re the only group that’s running a gymkhana on a volunteer basis. We try to get six in and you have to attend at least four to qualify.”

The next gymkhana is scheduled to be held on Aug. 18 starting around 9 a.m.