There Are Many Faces of Latinas and Latinos

Young hunter rider Elliena Sol Apollo takes pride in her Puerto Rican roots, both in the show ring and out of the saddle.

by Elliena Sol Apollo

My absolute favorite part of the day is coming home to the barn and being around my best friends: my horses, of course! Like people, they all have their own unique personalities, which has given me the opportunity to bond with each one in a very different way. For example, my horse, Goldy, stares at me with such depth. It’s like he is staring right into the very core of my soul, looking past the immediate gaze of my eyes, almost as if he is on a mission and so very interested in what is underneath it all.

So many times when we meet people, it just feels like they look and judge us for what they instantly see. They do not bother to dig deeper and learn about the person behind the gaze, or, in the equestrian world, to learn about who is in the saddle and how they got there. In riding, many times we don’t get to hear the backstory of the horse/rider team. We make assumptions and go about our day. That’s why since the age of eight, I started to interview many of the top riders to learn about their backstory. I loved to hear about their training, their unique qualities, and what we as riders can learn and apply to also become great.

My riding journey started when I was 2 years old at the hands of my mom and my ita (“ita” is short for abuelita, my grandmother), with my mom leading the pony and my ita acting as a side-walker making sure I didn’t fall. From the time I was little, I can remember them speaking Spanish to me. I remember traveling to Puerto Rico with my abuelo (granddad), going to the Crash Boat beach in Aguadilla, and eating the most amazing empanadas at the local bakery. Growing up as a Latina has taught me the diverse aspects of my culture. Being raised surrounded by my Hispanic family members has enabled me to be deeply grounded into my Hispanic roots.

In our equestrian world, often the only Latina or Latino reference is made or thought of when people refer to grooms. On

the show grounds or maybe in your barn, the Latinos are the grooms who speak Spanish and may have broken accents yet take amazing care of the horses. Then the thought stops there.

My very fair skin, green eyes, and light brown hair do not fit the mold of the “typical” Latina. I am here to tell you that there are many faces of Latinas and Latinos. I am a Latina who has made a name for herself in the saddle competing with green ponies and, most recently, green horses. During the Winter Equestrian Festival season in Wellington, Fla., I entered hunter divisions filled with professionals. I was a junior rider competing and winning on my 5-year-old against professionals on their young horses. As a Latina, it makes me so proud to know that at WEF I was one, if not the only, Latina competing in my hunter divisions. In the Latino culture, what ties us all together is that we are talented, hardworking, devoted, and goal-oriented. In my case, I have been able to learn all of that from being in the saddle.

I rode average ponies and showed mostly lower-level schooling shows until I was about 8 years old. Then it all started to click in an indescribable way. It started with our farrier bringing us a pony who he didn’t want. I remember begging my mom to keep her, even though I didn’t even know if I could ride her. Isabelle had lived in a field and was only saddle-broke. Together with my mom, Delia Alvarez-Apollo, and my other trainer, Nona Garson, we took her from not knowing anything to Top 5 in the USEF Horse of the Year standings and fourth in the M&S League Finals. After that, my mom bought some green ponies and started to teach me how to break and train. It has taught me to be creative in my approach, be calm, and to relax.

I love stepping into the ring and being in the zone. It is an amazing feeling knowing that whatever the outcome is, it is my product, and that I have worked so hard to be successful inside and outside of the ring. Competing gives me a sense of confidence that I can carry everywhere. I use it in my approach to new things, like music. I play guitar, piano, saxophone, accordion, and violin. In the music, I find an incredible rhythm that carries me and stays with me even when I ride.

Riding has taught me not to be afraid of making mistakes. It has changed my perception about the achievable. This sport has given me the opportunity to accomplish so many things that I thought were out of my reach. With my four-legged friends, I feel that, with the proper plan, every goal is obtainable. With every show and every Winter Equestrian Festival season, I keep setting new goals. I keep reaching higher. Even when I start to slip a little, I have amazing people around me who push me ahead. Most of all, I have the bond with my horses. The language we speak has no words, but we speak volumes. They don’t care if it’s in English or in Spanish, because they clearly understand the language of love. The horses have taught me about how to love, how to commit, and how to keep trying. As a Latina youth rider, I hope that other Latina riders keep climbing to the top. We can keep paving a way into each discipline and be looked at as a force to be reckoned with in our equestrian world.

I am Elliena Sol Apollo. I am a Latina athlete representing Puerto Rico. I ride hunters and am proud to be an equestrian!

Photos: Teresa Ramsay Photo Sportfot