As she brought her left rein back slightly in a half-halt and applied a light pressure to the right shoulder of her horse, Jewel, sophomore Chengzi Guo and Jewel, bent into a beautiful, controlled 20-meter circle. Sitting deep into her seat and closing her reins into her hands, she brought Jewel to a stop in the center of the ring. She saluted the judges, satisfied that she had

successfully finished the round.

Guo ended up winning first place at the Woodside Spring Dressage on this past May.

“I was really excited for getting the highest score that I’ve ever gotten,” Guo said. “It made me look forward to the next competition even more.”

When she was 8, Guo was flipping through a recreational summer magazine when she discovered the sport that she would soon come to love. She enrolled in classes later that summer.

Now, Guo spends six hours every week at the Under the Son Horsemanship and Garrod Farms located in the hills above Saratoga. On weekends, she competes at regional and state shows from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., clocking in more than enough hours to qualify for the school’s Independent Study Physical Education (ISPE) program.  

From the first time Guo rode a horse, more than six years ago, Guo knew that horseback riding was different than any other sport she’d ever tried.

Guo said she initially struggled to stay balanced, instead of bouncing in the saddle. Guo said she had to learn to get used to multitasking, keeping track of the horse’s body and her own body, and in turn, responding in the right way.

“Once I figured out which muscles to tighten and contract at the right times, I became really connected with the horse,” Guo said.

Before that summer, Guo thought the sport was just about jumping over bars and trotting around a ring. But she soon realized how complex horseback riding really is.

“Horseback riding is one of the most subtle sports,” Guo said. “When you’re riding, you have to give different aids, like hand, leg and seat signals, and respond to the horse's actions every second.”

But horseback riding isn’t only riding, Guo said. Some of the most important aspects of the sport are also the most invisible: grooming the horses, tacking up cleaning stalls and water troughs and feeding.

In addition, Guo said that when horseback riding, it’s important to restrict your body’s movement as much as possible while still instructing the horse to perform an action. Guo said that she spent two months learning and perfecting the transition from canter to walk using only her seat,  without pulling on the reins.

From the outsider’s perspective, nothing has changed. In truth, Guo must relax her core muscles, put her weight toward the back of the saddle, resist the motion with her seat and close her hands around the reins in order to guide her horse to a stop.

Because Guo doesn’t own her own horse, she has been riding on different horses for competitions in the past six years, including a Quarter named Spirit, a paint arabian mix named Teddy Bear and a palomino thoroughbred named Honey Boy.

Her first horse, Spirit, was carefree and stubborn. After six months with him, Guo had her first fall.

Teddy Bear, on the other hand, was shy during their first encounter because he had been neglected by his previous owner.

“He's pretty spooky, but he's also really sensitive and you can tell that he tries really hard to please you,” Guo said.

Her third horse, Honey Boy, is extremely intelligent. When Guo rides him, she always has to be alert and respond to his every move.

Because all three horses have unique personalities, Guo said, she takes different strategies with each one to “yield the same result.”

After about one-and-a-half years of training, Guo competed in her first local competition, Garrod’s, in 2011.

According to Guo, she spent 50 hours preparing for the competition. The night before, she washed and groomed her horse, cleaned her bridle and saddles pad, and braided her horse, Jewel’s manes and tails.

On the day of the show, Guo woke up at 5 a.m. to groom her horse. Combing through Jewel’s mane, she barely noticed how her hands were shaking with excitement.

When she arrived at the competition, she warmed up with her horse around the rink.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the first class, or contest round, began at 8 a.m. Guo eagerly waited with Jewel while the first competitors entered the rink. As the competitors went on, Guo stroked Jewel to keep her calm and happy.

When the announcer’s voice called Guo and Jewel up, Guo led Jewel in a trot to the center of the rink, confident that this would be a great performance.

This would only be her first round of many classes to come later in the day. By 8 p.m., Guo had performed her different routines four times and was exhausted.

Although riding is tiring, difficult and at times frustrating, Guo finds the sport exhilarating and unlike any other.

“Horseback riding is different because it involves a living animal,” Guo said. “I think to place your trust in a prey animal that is 10 to 15 times heavier and more powerful than you, and then be able to form a connection with it, is pretty amazing.”