Hometown: Spring Grove, Ill. Sport/Disciplines: Saddleseat

• What Grade you are in:
  • I am a sophomore in college.
• School:
  • I currently attend McHenry Community College for my general education classes.
• Degree:
  • I am currently working towards a biology degree.
• Activities involved:
  • Currently, I am involved in horseback riding and yoga. As a child my family always had me involved in some type of sport. Basketball and soccer happened to be my two other activities that stuck with me up until I graduated highschool.
• Interests
  • I am interested in sports, travel, and animals.
• How long have you been riding?
  • I have been riding saddle seat for almost 11 years.
• Your Horse’s name:
  • Right now, I do not own a show horse, but I do still own my very first walk trot horse, the beautiful, retired, Pretzel.
• Favorite Horse:
  • This is a hard question to answer, but my favorite horse would be CH The Daily Lottery.
• Your biggest Accomplishments:
  • My biggest accomplishments are receiving two reserve world champion titles, showing my (at the time) 3-year-old show horse for one season and being named the 2019 ASAW Five-Gaited Horse of the Year, showing over 30 horses before I turned 20 years old, and being accepted into the World Cup trials.
• Who influences you?
  • Inside the horse community, my biggest influences are Mayo and Jessica Moctezuma. Without them I wouldn’t even have half as much confidence in my riding ability, let alone have even thought of trying out for the World Cup team. Outside of the horse word my biggest influences are definitely my parents Rob and Natalie Luce. They have always pushed me to do my absolute best and have always had my back.
• Favorite Quote:
  • “The one who falls and gets up, is so much stronger than one who never fell.” - La La Anthony
• What being on the 2022 World Cup Team means to you:
  • Personally, I believe being a part of the 2022 World Cup Team means that anything can be done when you are dedicated and believe in yourself. My first year of showing I found out about the World Cup and dreamed that one day I would be a part of it. As a child, I was constantly told by adults at my first barn that my “box shaped” figure wasn’t slender enough or that my build wasn’t correct for equitation so I should just stick to “performance styles of showing” (show/country pleasure). For years, I let those negative words stick with me, and decided to close that door and move on. Back in 2019 I found a new type of confidence within my skill level and wanted to get out of my comfort zone. After talking to my trainer(s) I decided to reopen that door. For a while, I was reluctant to send in a World Cup tryout video. Luckily my barn family and their amazing source of support was with me every step of the way. They helped me calm my nerves and brought me to the realization that the worst possible outcome was a rejection email. Fast forwarding almost ten years, I can now say that I was able to prove to not only myself but others , that negative inputs shouldn’t stop me from wanting to try.