Local riders have stable relationship

equestrianEquestrian competitors from Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor often share advice as well as passion for their sport.In the sport of equestrian, riders from surrounding schools gather daily to practice their jumps, groom and build trust with their horses.

When the Battle of the Bay in this sport takes place, there are no school pep rallies, no honorary captains nor any of the other pageantry that surrounds some Corona del Mar High-Newport Harbor matchups in other sports.

It’s more of a friendly competition with mutual respect given to fellow riders. Assistance and advice are often offered to competitors from other teams. And most competitors stable their horses in the same facility.

In fact, girls from the two schools actually ride together to and from practice.

But both Newport-Mesa schools have athletes who compete in the Orange County Interscholastic Equestrian League. The league was created in 1993 to give area riders an opportunity to promote and oversee equestrian competitions.

Corona del Mar has been a strong force in the OCIEL the last six seasons. The Sea Kings have finished no lower that fourth in overall season points the previous five seasons.

This season looks to a sixth straight top-four finish as CdM finished fourth the first two shows and third the following four shows. There are seven total shows scheduled in the 2004-05 season.

Leah Zarian, a Newport Harbor sophomore, has ridden for eight years. Her mom loves it, but dad isn’t so sure.

“I’ve had so many accidents, he’s a little gun-shy about it,” Zarian said.

The 15-year-old enjoys the connection built with the horse. She prefers equestrian over other team sports that she has played.

“This is more mental. It’s more about you cooperating with the horse,” she said.

One of Zarian’s best friends should be one of her sworn rivals.

Kathryn Pulford is a junior at Corona del Mar. She says she began riding when her parents took her to the Orange County Fair when she was 5.

“The first time I went on a pony ride at the fair, I must have made my parents let me stay on 10 times that night,” Pulford said.

She believes one of the biggest challenges is adjusting to each horse.

“Each horse has its own personality, and you have to adapt to it,” Pulford said.

She enjoys being around the animals because they are soft and “cuddly.”

They might not get quite as beat up as football players, but injuries are a factor in equestrian.

In other sports, an opposing player may weight more than 300 pounds. In equestrian your “teammate” typically weighs more than 1,200 pounds.

Pulford takes pride in one of her battle scars. After a fall, her horse stepped on her arm, and left a giant horseshoe imprint.

Both girls estimate they spend more than 10 hours weekly practicing their sport. On the week of the competition, those hours can double.

There is also the commute time from Newport Beach to the stables in San Juan Capistrano.

A challenge both girls said they face is the perception of the sport.

“People think its real easy,” Pulford said. “That we just sit there and the horse does all the work.”

Both girls are looking forward to the upcoming season finale.

The seventh and final competition of the season will be Sunday at The Oaks in San Juan Capistrano.