Tori Gonzales goes for a ride: Claims national Beginner Western Horsemanship title
Lee Morrison TimesReporter.com staff writer
National horsemanship champion Tori Gonzales doesn't own a horse.
But that hardly mattered as the 2014 Claymont High School graduate rode a horse picked at random to victory in the Beginner Western Horsemanship in the recent IHSA National Horse Show in Harrisburg, Pa.
Gonzales also is a member of the Ohio State University Western Equestrian Team, which won Reserve Champion honors. There are 33 team members, but only six were selected to go to the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) National Horse Show.
"I've always liked horses and riding trails for fun, but I was also kind of terrified and not experienced with them," she said. "When I got into college, I wanted to take on something horse-related. It all happened very fast."
Generally, Horsemanship, as a class, is designed to show the rider's ability to ride and handle her horse, but it's more than a horse show class. It is a basic skill that every good horseman should know, and good horsemanship is an asset to the rider and horse in Western Pleasure, Barrel Racing or Trail Riding.
Gonzales explained that for the IHSA it's a bit different because contestants draw a horse at random and they are judged on how the rider performs on that horse. "It's not judged at all on the horse -- it's all based on the rider," she said, adding she competed against seven other riders.
In the 2017 Beginner Western Horsemanship contest, she finished eighth.
What led to the huge jump in the standings in 2018? "A lot of hard work," she said. "I think I lived in the barn. I spent two to eight hours per day there, but it was fun and kept me busy. And, I didn't really know what I was getting into last year. This year, I had more of an understanding. Ohio State's team is very reputable. I believe we've had 10 national championships and even more reserve championships. It's one of the most successful programs that Ohio State has."
Which is saying something.
Gonzales said she was "kind of surprised to win. I knew it was going to be between a good friend of mine from North Carolina and me, but I didn't know if I'd win or not. Honestly, I was a little nervous, but I could tell that I'd tried hardest and did what I had to do."
She plans to compete in a couple of more shows during fall semester to be able to qualify for alumni-related horsemanship activities.
She wishes she owned a horse, but with the cost of being in school and a lack of family background with horses prevented it. She still hopes to own a horse some day.
Until then, the incoming fifth-year senior is majoring in psychology and pre-law.
"I have a big dog -- about the size of a horse, if that counts -- she goes to school with me."
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