Ashlee’s favorite quote is “It doesn’t matter how good you are, it matters if you have the passion,” and that sums up the reason she wanted to bring the love of horseback riding to Rowan University. Ever since she was a child she had a passion for animals and it has been a huge part of her life.
Two years ago a fellow Rowan student, Megan Kearny, brought the idea of starting an equestrian team to Ashlee and the two of them decided to come together and start a petition to start a club. A year later the club is up and running. While the other co-founder graduated, Ashlee is very involved with the team. She is the president and runs meetings, fundraisers, assures other people who hold office are fulfilling their duties, and is the Head Captain of the team. Essentially, she is the face of the Equestrian team.
This year the team was involved with the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association or IHSA where the girls compete for ribbons with other universities and they compete in about ten shows a year. They meet for practice multiple times a week and are very dedicated to the team as well as the barn they practice at. In addition to this, Ashlee offers lessons to children to show the merit in sticking with this sport and following your heart’s passion.
She has been very serious about horseback riding for about four years now since she joined IHSA but she has been riding for her entire life. Horses are not just a part of her life; they are her passion. She is a Health Promotion and Fitness Management major and would love nothing more than to be involved in hippotherapy which is therapeutic horseback riding. Ashlee wants to spread the enjoyment she gets from horseback riding to others in need.
The responsibilities and the love of horses she has are remarkable. Anyone who meets her will no doubt get the same impression as I have. She has turned a hobby into what she wants to do for the rest of her life and is a stellar example to the world that if you love something it will bring happiness to your life. She encourages any and all people to follow your passion and therefore will never be unhappy again. I believe that the world would be a better and happier place if everyone followed Ashlee’s example and shaped their life around something that they genuinely love.