By Ali Abdollahi
Many young girls develop fantasies of themselves dressed in classical equestrian outfits, gracefully galloping atop majestic horses to the ovation and amazement of admiring onlookers.
For one Los Altos girl, that fantasy came true. But she is certainly not a little girl anymore.
Molly Morgan, a junior at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., is attempting to revive a once-flourishing equestrian program at her school.
Her long journey began a decade-and-a-half ago in the open fields of Portola Valley. Merely as an experimental pastime, a 6-year old Morgan began occasionally riding horses owned by one of her mother’s colleagues. After taking an initial liking to the activity, Morgan began to ride horses more regularly every summer during camp.
It was not until she was in fifth grade that her parents signed her up for horse-riding lessons. After seeing that their daughter not only liked riding, but also exhibited an exceptional talent for it, her parents began nurturing the growth of Morgan’s new passion.
“(Riding) is very addictive to anyone who’s in it,” Morgan said. “It just grabs a hold of you.”
By the time she reached seventh grade Morgan was already performing competitively. Morgan credits her dancing experience - she spent years taking ballet, tap and jazz lessons - with making her a better rider.
“(Dancing and riding) both have a lot to do with posture and presentation,” she said, “so they really compliment each other well.”
When she reached her junior year at Mountain View High, Morgan began entering more competitive contests.
“I upgraded to the next level, so I was doing more high-powered showings that had a purpose,” she said.
Morgan began to show her riding prowess in 1999 when she earned the title as Reserve Grand Champion in the Pebble Beach Equestrian Classic in the Children’s Hunter division.
But it was in 2000 that Morgan, with her long-time horse and partner “Fascination” (or “Max” as she calls him), made a name for herself by finishing seventh in Northern California.
Morgan would take in all the riding she could on her trips home from college, but had taken a hiatus from competitive riding. It was not until this last school year when fellow Northwestern student Elizabeth Cox “randomly e-mailed” Morgan after noticing in a school directory that she listed riding as a hobby.
Cox persuaded Morgan to try and re-start the university’s equestrian program, which died in 1994 due to a lack of interest. Morgan spent the winter attempting to solicit help from local barns and stables, but initially was met with little enthusiasm.
“The people there were just really skeptical,” she said. “They didn’t know if it would fly.”
However, after finding a faculty member to serve as their advisor, Morgan was able to garner probationary status for the upstart club.
After having their efforts featured in the Northwestern Daily this past March, the team’s line-up grew from two members to 25 within a month. Encouraged by the show of interest, Morgan and her teammates are planning to aggressively recruit freshmen this fall.
Due to their probationary status, the club will receive no funding from the school this school year and will have to rely on fund-raisers to support itself.
Despite that, Morgan said, “We realize that we’re the new kids on the block, but we really want to prove to everyone that we can be successful.”
Behind coach Jenny Cruger, the team has put an emphasis on presentation, and according to Morgan, hopes to participate in at least three shows during the upcoming Intercollegiate Horse Show Association season.
Morgan, a molecular biology major, would like this team to be her legacy.
“I was looking for a way to leave my mark at Northwestern,” Morgan said, “and I’d love to look back at the team in five years and say, ‘I started that’.”
By displaying such determination, Morgan is making strides toward making that dream come true, too.
