Growing up with both parents in the Air Force, Taylor Kamataris had to learn to adapt to change at an early age. But through all the moves, each time she started over at a new school, and long deployments, Taylor found it was horses, and the friends she made at the barn who remained constant and provided comfort.
“It was really nice to be able to have something to ground me, look forward to, and to have something constant,” she said.
Kamataris, 16, inherited a love of horses from her mom Alison Kamataris, who grew up riding. After a few trail rides, Taylor was hooked, so the family found her a barn to take lessons, and she only fell deeper in love. She was drawn to the need to form deeper relationships with horses since they can’t communicate verbally.
“It’s so interesting and so fun to be able to figure out different horses and all the different personalities,” she said.
Taylor began showing in the short stirrup divisions in the hunters and equitation, but when she got her first pony, Choco, who was best suited for the jumper ring, she found her true calling. The strategy and geometry involved with picking the best and most efficient track appealed to her appreciation for math. Though Choco was quirky, Taylor described him as special.
“He really loved his job,” she said. “He just loved to run around the ring and jump jumps, and he was so much fun. He was an amazing pony to learn on.”
Benchmarks and Big Goals
After the family moved to Northern Virginia, Taylor started riding with Terri Young at Clairvaux LLC in Leesburg, Virginia, five years ago. Young has been instrumental to Taylor’s riding and has helped her pursue big goals, like participating in the USHJA Emerging Athletes Program and riding at the 2025 Gotham North/FEI North American Youth Jumping Championship presented by USHJA (NAYC). While Taylor admitted she wasn’t sure if some dreams would be realized, Young showed her how small steps and benchmarks could help her on the path to bigger ones.
“She’s always been able to see the realistic side of it but also support me and say, ‘You will reach them, but just in time,’” said Taylor. “She’s just been so supportive of everything I’ve tried to do, no matter the obstacles. It’s been nice to have her with me for so long and consistently.”
Taylor was able to compete at NAYC thanks to a USET Foundation Performance Pathway Jumping Grant, which helped offset the costs of attending the championship. Though Zone 3 didn’t field a team for the Pre-Junior level, she made friends with other riders from her Zone and got to learn from those competing in the Young Rider division.
“It was such a great experience for me to be able to talk to other people and meet other people doing different things at higher levels,” she said. “It was good exposure, and I could watch all the Young Riders go and meet a lot of different people and learn from the media training that they offered. I made sure to attend every opportunity that they gave me. I think it was so much fun, and I’m excited to do it again this year.”
A Partnership Built on Trust
Her current partner is Callagan, a 2014 Hanoverian gelding (Conthargos x Balou Du Rouet), who is teaching her how to jump bigger fences and more complicated tracks. They paired up in December and have methodically moved up in height as their bond has strengthened. While Callagan wants to get to know his person before he’ll become cuddly, through hours spent together, Taylor has gained his affection.
“He definitely has opinions on a lot of things,” she said. “He has a very calm personality in the barn, and then as soon as you get on him in the ring, he just lights up. He loves his job. He always has a fun expression on his face. You’ll really never see his ears pinned.”
One of her favorite things about him is how much he’s taught her. Callagan has tells when she’s not riding correctly, and when she fixes her mistakes, he rewards that as well. Having a horse that shows where she needs to improve had made her a more capable rider, and they’ve built a sense of trust.
“We’ve grown together in that relationship,” she said. “He’s able to trust me more, and I can trust him more when it comes to a long distance or when I put him to a spot that isn’t our favorite. We’ve built that relationship to where we both know that we can get out of it. He’s helped me to be able to trust myself.”
Life Lessons
After an early childhood marked by periods where one of her parents were deployed for up to a year at a time, Taylor has a deeper appreciation for time spent with her parents. She cherishes every horse show they attend and getting to share the moments many take for granted.
“I think I’m able to appreciate it in a lot of different ways, because they did miss so many things growing up,” she said. “My mom probably missed a few horse shows, and my dad missed a lot of lessons and riding, so whenever they’re at horse shows, it really puts it all together and means so much.”
Her military upbringing fostered her independence and adaptability, two skills that have benefited her as an equestrian. She’s developed strong organizational skills which help her balance a busy schedule that revolves around schoolwork and riding. She attends public school and is proactive in communicating with her teachers to ensure she stays ahead of any assignments when she’s going to be out of school. She also participates in the USEF Interscholastic Athlete Program, which recognizes students who complete 100 hours of riding or three competitions throughout the school year with an Interscholastic Athlete Varsity patch and pins.
“Education is super important to me, and I really want to get a good foundation,” Taylor said. “I’ve organized them to fit with each other as much as they can and riding will always be there.”
While growing up in a military family had its challenges, it’s shaped Taylor into who she is today, and no matter the challenges it entailed, Taylor always knew she had horses to lean on.