University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Graysen Stroud
February 12, 2019 | Equestrian, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Graysen Stroud was on a horse before she was even out of the womb. Her passion for riding is truly lifelong and shows no sign of dissipating as the Western rider from the Pacific Northwest wraps up her time at Georgia.
A senior from Snohomish, Wash., a small town of about 10,000 located 30 miles north of Seattle, Stroud came about as far across the continental United States as you can go to compete for the Bulldogs. She was the SEC Freshman Reining Rider of the Year, an All-American as a sophomore and the SEC Reining Co-Rider of the Year last season.
During a Quick Chat on Monday, Stroud talked about her charming hometown, her start in riding, her perfect Chipotle meal and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: I looked up your hometown of Snohomish online and I saw that a few years ago it was named one of the 10 coolest small towns in America. What is it about Snohomish that's so cool?
Stroud: I love Snohomish, kind of everything about it. It's definitely a small town and you kind of know everyone around you. ... It's filled with antique stores and there's a lot of farming, dairy, cattle. It's a really, really special town and I am still really close with a lot of people there. I love Snohomish.
Frierson: Talking to a bunch of riders over the years, it seems like either you were placed on a horse as an infant and have been riding ever since or somewhere around 10 you begged and begged for riding lessons and that was how you got your start. So how did you get started?
Stroud: For me, I literally was in the womb on the horse. Both of my parents are horse trainers, so I came out running right on a horse. I literally have been riding since I can remember. When I was three, I had a 30-year-old horse and I loped and galloped around everywhere and she was totally safe and I had a really good time on her.
I just grew up riding a whole bunch of different horses and ponies and my mom — my parents are divorced — my mom has a facility in Monroe, which is the town over, and she does the Horsemanship side of things, and then my dad does the Reining. I've got kind of the best of both worlds, being able to grow up riding a whole bunch of really cool horses and travel and that's how I wound up here.
Frierson: You're from Washington, you've competed in events all around the country and you've spent the past four years here at Georgia — it seems like equestrian has taken you a long way.
Stroud: Yeah, for a long time growing up I had no idea about the NCEA and the chance to get a scholarship to these big schools. When we had one of our family friends get a scholarship to Auburn and ended up riding there, we figured we may as well look into it.
Then I started going to more shows to get my name out there and ended up being pretty successful, so coaches were looking at me from a pretty young age and then I verbally committed to Georgia my junior year. I had no idea that I could attend such a prestigious school and get this kind of education and get a scholarship and come all the way across the country.
Frierson: Did you drive across the country to school as a freshman?
Stroud: No, I don't do car rides well, I get uncomfortable and it hurts my back. I have tailbone problems, so sitting down for that long would mentally and physically be too much. I shipped my car here and I plan on shipping my car back, as well.
My mom wants to do a road trip back home and I'm like, I just can't do that.
Frierson: So you're a rider that has a hard time riding in a car?
Stroud: It's been an issue that I've been dealing with the past couple of years, but you have to work through it.
Frierson: If you could go anywhere in the world on somebody else's dime, where would you like to go? And who would you take with you?
Stroud: I'd probably take my mom, because we're best friends, to Greece. I want to go there so bad. I've had quite a few friends go there in the past couple of years and I just think it's really beautiful. I think it would be a really cool adventure and my mom is always down to do whatever and we're very close.
Frierson: What's the most creative thing you do, or something creative you wish you could do?
Stroud: That's a tough one. Well, I can't sing at all, I'm terrible, but I love singing. I sing all the time, so I guess if I could sing well that would be cool because then I wouldn't irritate my friends and family so much when I blare out all the music.
Frierson: When you do sing, what do you sing?
Stroud: Country music — I love country music and I go to a lot of the concerts here, like at the Georgia Theatre.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Stroud: Chipotle. I love Mexican food and specifically Chipotle. I could eat that all day every day.
Frierson: So a typical weekday lunch, what are you going to get?
Stroud: I get the same thing every single time I go, there's no changing it: a burrito bowl with white rice, black beans, veggies, steak, cheese, sour cream, double corn and lettuce. The same thing every time.
(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.
