“I’m the happiest when I’m riding. I forget about everything. It’s the one time when I feel completely at peace.”
This week’s Campus Celebrity is kind of a big deal. Sophomore Allie Percoco spent her summer training and competing as a show horseback rider and at the end of August, all of her hard work paid off. This talented young woman holds a world champion title as the number one show horse rider in the world…. yes, in the world. I guess you could say that she’s the Miss America among show horse fans and competitors. Her Campus sat down with the reigning champ to get a lesson in show horse riding 101, but more importantly to acknowledge her celeb worthy accomplishments.
Her Campus: For those of us who don’t know what it is, can you explain what show horse riding is?Allie Percoco: The horses we ride are American bred and they’re called American Saddlebreds, which is the only American breed there is. We can’t compete in the Olympics because the breed isn’t international. The type of riding is called saddle seat, which is an English style and it focuses on technicality, so if you do one thing wrong you’re basically done. I have to look completely in control of my horse while my horse is judged by the way he lifts his leg during a certain trot and how his head is pulled back a certain way. It’s truly a team effort though. We have to look like a team physically and we are both judged on our physical appearance from top to bottom—him by the color and sheen of his coat, to the way his hooves and hair are groomed and me by my outfit and my overall showmanship. It’s like being a model, you can’t have any imperfections. The actual show is kind of like a dog show in that we walk a lap around the arena, but then we also do a trot and a canter.
HC: What is the world’s competition?AP: It’s a week-long competition that starts out with 2,500 participants hoping to qualify in various age groups. I competed in the 18 and over division, but there’s usually never anyone over the age of 30 competing. Each rider performs once and either qualifies to move on to the final round or doesn’t. As the competition progresses, every night gets more and more formal as the week goes on. It’s a prestigious socialite event for people all over the world, but the competition is always in the U.S. and this year it was at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. The competition went from August 18-23. Roughly 18,000 people filled the stands in floor length gowns and black tie attire.
HC: What was it like to hear your name announced as the World Champion Show Horse Rider?AP: There’s nothing that can beat the first time. I won the title for my age group when I was 13 and it was a surreal experience. I still don’t feel like I’ve won both times. This sounds cliché for me to be like “#blessed,” but I really am blessed to have an amazing support system and amazing animals. All of my horses have different personalities and my horse can tell when he wins, and if he doesn’t he’ll get mad and stomp around. Horses are very intelligent animals. Above everything, it’s a win for everyone including my trainers.
HC: So what about the second time?AP: I only had my horse for a year before the competition in August and he was originally a stallion, which means they’re kind of wild and unpredictable, so for me I had to go through the process of training his mind to be a show horse. When I competed and won with him, all of that hard work paid off. I was the first one at an amateur level to win World’s with a stallion, and people were kind of amazed.
HC: How did you get started show horse riding?AP: It’s actually a generational thing. When my mom was seven years old, her brother passed away from Leukemia and my grandmother and her were looking for something to help them cope, so they started riding horses at a farm down the street. My mom fell in love with riding and she has actually won national titles herself, but she never pushed me to ride. It’s just always been a bonding thing for my entire family. My younger sister rides too and my grandma is the head honcho, I guess you could say.
HC: Where are your horses kept now that you’re at school?AP: Well I live on the beach in the city, but my family has a house in Kentucky where our horses are boarded and trained. I have two horses, but one is retired. Martini (I didn’t get to name him, the breeders did) is just livin’ the life, eating grass not really having to worry about a thing. I don’t want to sound like one of those creepy horse-loving girls, but he truly is my best friend. We grew up together, and I won my first World’s competition with him when I was 13.
HC: Did you ever think riding was going to become somewhat of a profession for you?AP: When you’re a kid you don’t really know, but I think my mom could see a raw talent in me at a young age, so I just kept doing it because it was something I loved to do and still do to this day.
HC: How much time do you dedicate to practice and competing?AP: From March through November is competition season, but I spend the majority of the summer competing and riding. Nationals are in November, so right now I just need to make sure I’m in shape for the competition. I try to work out every single day to stay strong and I go to Kentucky to ride on the weekends when I can.
HC: What’s it like trying to juggle school, friends, riding and just life in general?AP: It’s always been a hard balance, but I’ve always tried to put my studies first. During high school I missed out on a lot of social events, but it never bothered me because I was so passionate about horseback riding.
HC: Do you see yourself competing professionally for a while?AP: I plan to compete all throughout college, as long as I can pay for it, but I want to ride for the rest of my life.
Taking off the show horse riding hat… literally.
HC: Where do you see yourself in the next seven years?AP: I hope to own an international commercial real estate company someday. I don’t know where my riding career will be, but I want to maybe go back to Boston where my family is and establish my own company.
HC: What would you say your life motto is?AP: Everything happens for a reason. I’ve had so many failures and so many wins and every single one of them has taken me to where I need to be. When I was a senior in high school, I was waitlisted for every Ivy League school and I was devastated, but I couldn’t be happier at Miami and I’m close enough to Kentucky so I can keep riding.
Allie will be heading to Kansas City, Missouri in October for the national competition. If she walks away number one yet again, she will have earned the Triple Crown, which is the highest accomplishment a show horse rider can receive. Her Campus wishes her the best of luck at Nationals and in all of her future endeavors.