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Meet Sophia Donovan, FEI 3* Endurance Rider & NEW Kerrits Team Rider
Kerrits Team Riders
3 minute read
Discipline: Endurance Riding
Follow Sophia's Journey: On Instagram / On Facebook
About Sophia:
Meet our newest Kerrits Team Rider! Sophia is a Canadian-American FEI 3* Endurance Rider, who has competed across the east of the U.S. as well as internationally. She is slated to represent Team Canada at the upcoming 2024 FEI World Championships in Monpazier, France.
My Riding Background:
I was horse-obsessed from a very young age, despite having no family connection to horses, and struck a bargain with my parents at 8 years old; that if I qualified for State championships in my sport at the time, swimming, I could start horseback riding lessons.
After my first ever lesson on the lead line with Misty, the world’s greatest lesson pony, there was no turning back - I was hooked! I continued riding throughout most of my childhood, dabbling in everything from jumping, to trail riding, barrels, and team penning, until my parents saw me get tossed into a fence at the end of a slightly-too-exciting run around the poles. I came out uninjured, thankfully, but it was a scary experience for them, and they pulled me out of riding for the rest of middle and high school.
"I felt like a piece of my life was missing and figured out pretty quickly that it was horses."
A few years down the line, as a sophomore in college, I felt like a piece of my life was missing and figured out pretty quickly that it was horses. Luckily, I was able to spend a few months back near my hometown and returned to my original 'horse family' at Dun Roamin Farm, where they graciously allowed me to swap lessons for chore shifts and helped me refresh my horsemanship skills and gain confidence back in the saddle. For my junior college year, I moved down to DC and was able to join the GWU equestrian team. At this time, I started wearing breeches and found them to be horribly uncomfortable and I was so glad to discover Kerrits riding tights. They remain, to this day, the only brand of riding tights and breeches I will wear and have served me well for thousands of hours and miles of trail.
I spent several years after college focusing on my horsemanship over competing, and had the great privilege of assisting in re-training several young OTTBs to be lesson and trail horses. In 2021 I took another short stint in my upstate NY hometown before starting business school and stumbled upon an “Endurance 101 Clinic” held by a local barn. This piqued my interest as I hadn’t really heard much about Endurance riding before.
I signed up, showed up, spent three days learning as much as could be crammed into a long weekend, rode the longest distance of my life up to that point (12 miles!), and became utterly convinced that this was my niche in the horse world. And boy was I right! Over 2,000 competitive miles later, I’ve qualified for World Championships in Monpazier, France and have my sights set on representing Team Canada this fall.
Want to learn more about Endurance Riding? Check out our blog with Kerrits Team Rider and internationally acclaimed endurance horse rider, Beverly Grey.
My Favorite Kerrits Products:
Top Rail Coolcore® Sleeveless Riding Shirt
$19.00
$54.00
A sleeveless, sporty, quarter-zip riding top. Riders can stay cool and comfortable in the saddle, thanks to the 360° moisture movement technology of Coolcore®. Cooling power is naturally engineered directly into recycled fibers, ensuring moisture-wicking performance that will never wash… read more
Coolcore® Silicone Full Leg Riding Tech Tight
$109.00
Ideal for the hottest days, these lightweight, technical horse riding tights deliver cooling power, confidence-boosting coverage and figure-flattering support. Designed with active equestrians in mind, these tights are engineered to maximize performance through thermoregulation with Coolcore® 360° Moisture Movement Technology.… read more
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