University of Georgia Athletics
A Quick Chat With ... Kyndall Harper
October 21, 2016 | Equestrian
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
Georgia equestrian junior Kyndall Harper has been riding since she was very young. She loves to ride and compete, yes, but the St. Augustine, Fla., native also just loves being around the horses.
At the Georgia Equestrian Complex in Bishop on Tuesday, Harper, an honorable mention All-American in Reining last season, made time for a quick chat. She talked about the horses, her love of crafting and scrapbooking and much more.
Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: When did you first get involved with horses and what drew you to them?
Harper: I've grown up around horses and I had my first pony with I was about three years old. My parents always had horses and they started getting into Reining, and that's how I got into it.
They had Reining horses and I started going to the shows with them, and then I decided that I wanted to do it.
Frierson: What is the jump like from just being a good rider to competing in a specific discipline like Reining? What's the learning curve?
Harper: I think just growing up with it, that helped me as a rider. Learning the horsemanship and learning how to take care of them and clean their stalls and feed them and everything like that, it all builds on itself.
I've been showing competitively since I was like 10, so it's been about 10 years now.
Frierson: How much of the enjoyment is the interaction with the horses, not even in competition but just the day-to-day care and interaction?
Harper: That's my favorite part. You're attached to them all. One of my retired show horses — I'm from St. Augustine — and he's still at home and he's like hanging out. My grandparents and my sister are taking care of him while I'm at school, and he is like a family pet. His name is Chicken and he is like a pet.
Frierson: Do you have a favorite out here?
Harper: I like Smoke. If we get to choose who we get to ride, I'll choose Smoke. He's difficult but he's very talented, so it makes it rewarding once he figures it out that he can do it and he knows what you're asking of him. That makes it really rewarding.
Frierson: When you compete on the road you use the other team's horses, so how long does it take to assess the horse you don't know but you have to ride?
Harper: I think as soon as the horse you're going to compete on walks out to the arena for warmups, you turn all your attention to that horse. You can tell right then a lot by how he walks in, if it's going to be spooky or if it's going to be a solid show horse. Just watching the warmup you learn a lot and then as soon as you get on it you can feel what you have to work with.
Frierson: Equestrian is the only sport that's a ways away from campus, about 20 minutes. Do you feel disconnected at all with the other Georgia sports?
Harper: I don't think so. Look at the farm, it's 100-plus acres and you're not going to be able to find that kind of space on campus. We have privacy out here and these gorgeous pastures, and it's not that far. I drive it four times a week and once you find the routine and stuff, it's no big deal.
Frierson: This is such a lovely place — it's so tranquil and the air is clean and fresh — is it a retreat for you in some ways? If you've had a bad day do you sometimes come out here just to get away and be with the horses?
Harper: Definitely, and that comes down to just wanting to be around them. Even if you come out and give them a bath or brush their mane and tail, just being around the horses is a therapeutic event.
Frierson: What's the biggest adjustment to college for an equestrian rider?
Harper: I think adjustment to the workload, just learning the routine of everything and having to incorporate study-hall hours, tutoring and the full academic workload, on top of practices and traveling.
I think monitoring your sleep schedule is one of the biggest adjustments. I remember that was hard for me my freshman year. The older you get the wiser and confident you become, and then you're in a position to reach out and help everyone else get ahead.
Frierson: What's the most creative thing you do? Or what's something creative you wish you could do?
Harper: I would consider myself artistic, but I wish I had a little more artistic ability.
Frierson: How are you artistic?
Harper: I love crafting and making things and painting. Scrapbooking is my favorite.
Frierson: Is that something that comes in handy with the team?
Harper: We do have poster parties before the meets that are great team bonding exercises, and I can use my creativity there. Breaking out the glitter and the markers is my favorite.
Frierson: What do you do during the quiet times, away from school and riding?
Harper: I try to ride whenever I can, that's literally what I do, even when we don't have stuff to do out here. Or I try to catch up on school work and try to get ahead in all my classes.
Frierson: When you say ride do you mean like what I think of, like a cowboy in the West just out for a ride?
Harper: I like just going out, even when it's an unstructured practice, just going out and loping around and taking them out in the field or on a trail ride. I like to get the horse's mind and my mind off the arena.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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