University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Hannah Jane Lucas
April 12, 2023 | Equestrian, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Hannah Jane Lucas first got introduced to horses not because she was interested in riding but because her childhood best friend was taking lessons and she wanted to be with her friend. All it took was one lesson for her to get hooked, and all these years later the Georgia equestrian rider is more passionate than ever about the sport.
A junior from Ridgeway, S.C., Lucas sat down for a Quick Chat recently to talk about her start in riding, her favorite horse in Georgia's stable, her upcoming study-abroad trip, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:Â
Frierson: Were you practically born on a horse like some of your teammates I've talked with, or did you get interested in riding on your own?
Lucas: It's kind of crazy now looking back on it. My parents never had anything to do with horses, no interest in it; they didn't like it or dislike it, they just had no experience with it.
My elementary school best friend was taking riding lessons, so I wanted to do it. Not because I loved horses so much but because I wanted to hang out with my friend. Now, looking back, it's crazy that all those years ago it started with a friend who isn't even riding anymore, and look at where it has taken me.
All it took was that first lesson for me to fall in love with it.
Frierson: How long did it take to feel comfortable on a horse?
Lucas: I think I was very fortunate to start so young because when you're young you don't think about the what-ifs. I was also that kid that loved trying new things, so I never really approached things worrying about this or that. I just always jumped into things.
Frierson: Of the other sports you played growing up, did anything ever connect with you the way riding did?
Lucas: I did dance for almost 10 years, so I quit dancing when I was about 12, probably about the time I got my first horse. My parents didn't tell me I needed to quit dance or anything, I just wanted to spend all of my time at the barn, and dance was starting to take away from that.
I have a vivid memory of having a dance recital on the same weekend as one of my favorite horse shows, so I had to miss the horse show. And I was like, I'm quitting dance as soon as this is over [laughs], so it was never a tough choice I had to make. I enjoyed my time with the horses more.
Frierson: What can you tell me about your first horse?
Lucas: My first horse was just the absolute sweetest. His name was Roo, and he was really young, he was five. I was nine at the time, so it was a young horse for a young kid. He was that perfect horse for me. Even though he was younger, he would just take care of me. He was like a grandpa in a way, but that was when you were riding him. When you were on the ground, he was the biggest ham. He would dance around on the crossties and he was just a ham; he'd try to bite you -- never in a mean way but he was playful all the time.
He was the best babysitter and teacher I could have asked for.
Frierson: Like junior golf and tennis, equestrian is largely an individual thing, so what was it like to come to Georgia and suddenly have 60-something teammates?
Lucas: I love it. I've always been the type of person that loves a group environment. I love doing things with people, and thankfully, the way my barn was coming up, even though we were all individuals and we weren't competing with each other, we were all very much rooting each other on. So for me, coming here wasn't a huge adjustment.
But being here at Georgia and getting to be on a true team, competing for the people standing to the left and right of you, I think it has so much to offer. This is something that you only get to do as part of a team in college, so I'm really thankful to get to do it.
Frierson: Do you have a favorite horse among the ones here at Georgia?
Lucas: I do, and his name is Frank. He came in my freshman year, and when he first came in no one really liked riding him. He was a little bit of a hothead and kind of ran around a lot. He was a little hard to manage, but I was like, I'm going to make this my little personal project to figure this horse out.
I started going out almost every day and riding him outside of my practice time. The more you ride a horse, the more you figure them out. Just getting to know him, he is the most honest horse. He never tries to do wrong; he's constantly trying to figure out what you want. That sometimes gets misinterpreted, but he's such a pleaser and I love horses that operate like that.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Lucas: I would have to say Cava. I could eat there every day, and do eat it almost every day. I get the crazy feta, the chicken, sweet potatoes and pickled onions. There are other components but those are the big four.
Frierson: How are you in the kitchen? Do you enjoy cooking?
Lucas: I do, but I would say I enjoy my meals because I know I invested the time in cooking them. I think if I prepared them for someone else, they might not enjoy them as much [laughs].
I'm a nutrition major and I'm doing a study-abroad in Italy. We're going to get to meet with chefs, so hopefully by the end of the summer I'll be much, much better.
Frierson: Where are you going in Italy?
Lucas: I'm going to Italy and Croatia, and it's going to be super cool. It's called Nutrition Abroad, so we're going to go to olive oil factories and wineries and dairy farms to see the production side of it. It's going to be awesome.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director 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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