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Riding Along With Joanna Reeg

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UFL chapter.

 

Joanna Reeg was too young to remember her first horse ride, but growing up, it was clear the majestic animal would become an important part of her life.

“My mom cast along the horse bug to me,” she said.

Ribbons, statues, and saddles can be found in Reeg’s house from her mother’s riding days, she said. Reeg and her sister used to love going into the garage to rummage through a box of old horse care items and play with them.

Her mom’s passion for horses influenced her entire family, but Reeg said her relationship with them is more involved than her six other siblings.

“As I got older, it sort of became an infatuation. They definitely appreciate them, but I’m sort of on a whole different level,” she said. “I enjoy competing more and actually showing.”

Among other extracurricular activities, the 20-year-old junior is an active member of UF’s equestrian team. She jumped into a leadership role as early as spring of her freshman year, in which she became the vice president. Last year she served as the team’s president, during which the team was named “Club of the Year.” And this year, she is the Western Team Captain.

Reeg is also a Cicerone, involved in agricultural organizations, a university choir singer, and a member of Campus Crusades for Christ. She said sleep and TV are frequent sacrifices she makes to balance her full schedule, but horses consume the majority of her time.

However, it’s not just her involvement with the Equestrian team that keeps her around a barn a few times a week. She currently studies animal sciences with a specialization in the equine industry, hoping to some day work in the equine pharmaceutical industry.

“I spend more time with horses than I do with my best friend,” she said.

And that’s not all. Last summer, she worked at WinShape Camps, teaching little girls the ropes and putting them on horses for the first time. Seeing them learn and fall in love with the animals reminds her of her own experiences as a child, she said.

“You can see how they impact people’s lives,” she said. “I got to see how much horses mean to little girls.

“They always got off horses with the biggest smiles on their faces.”

Reeg plans to spend the upcoming summer the same way, she said. She hasn’t owned a horse since coming to UF. She sold her half-Quarter, half-Paint mare named “Dazzling” Daisy, but she said she’ll never be able to stay away.

“When I ride, I can forget about everything else, and there’s this pure joy,” she said. “When the horse is listening and you’re talking to it, with cues from your body and leg, you’re in a partnership with this animal.

“You can tune out the rest of the world, and it’s just you and this animal, and it’s just perfect.”

Marisa Ross is a proud Gator alumna from the University of Florida's College of Journalism, where she had the privilege of working with the UFL chapter of Her Campus as a writer, blogger, and editor. Shortly after graduating in 2015, she spent some time abroad teaching English in Madrid, Spain, and voluteering with the press team for the Rio 2016 Olympics. Currently, Marisa resides in South Florida and is thrilled to be a part of Her Campus yet again, this time as the Branded Content Specialist for Integrating Marketing with the national team. In her free time, she stays active by training for races, playing volleyball, and doing anything outdoors or on the water. And if she's not daydreaming about her next travel itinerary, she's probably embarking on a cultural adventure to explore new cities, cuisines, and activities.
Cara oversees Her Campus Media's community department and serves as strategic lead for the expansion, development and management of all HCM communities, including the Her Campus Chapter Network, InfluenceHer Collective, College Fashionista, Spoon University, Campus Trendsetters, alumni and high school. She works closely with company leadership to develop new community-related sales offerings and the Integrated Marketing team to support all community-focused client marketing programs from end to end. Cara has experience working with high-profile talent, such as Jessica Alba, Andrew Yang, Amber Tamblyn, Aja Naomi King, Troian Bellisario, Jessica Marie Garcia, Nico Tortorella, Nastia Liukin, Rebecca Minkoff, Cecile Richards and Samantha Power, as well as brands like Coca-Cola, L'Oréal Paris, The New York Times, HBO, Uber, H&M and more. Having been a part of the HC family since 2011, Cara served as Campus Correspondent of the HC chapter at the University of Florida where she studied journalism, women’s studies and leadership. A New Yorker turned Floridian, Cara has a Friends quote for any situation. You can usually find her with her friends and family at the beach, a concert or live sports event or binge-watching Grey's Anatomy or Sons of Anarchy. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @thecararose.