By: Isabella Langner and Megan Saul

Public Relations Manager and Media Production Editor

Have you ever competed against Kendall Jenner in horseback riding? Sophomore Carys Capone has. Apart from being a determined student, caring sister, and skilled fashion designer, Capone also expresses her talents as an accomplished equestrian.

Although an expert at horseback riding, Capone is fairly new to the sport as she started in 2020, right before COVID began. Before she climbed on a horse, Capone did ballet for 12 years. Although she enjoys both activities, Capone prefers riding horses Since she began, she has been riding at Windy Hill Equestrians. Going beyond just loving the sport, Capone shared that her favorite part “is the community. Everyone is really nice.” Like most things, horseback riding comes with many challenges, including mental and physical obstacles. Capone shared, “You could get bucked off your horse the day before a competition. You just have to get back up the next day.” 

Capone has two different horses, Cupido and Hiphop, that she rides and competes with. She stated, “I do the equitations, where you judge the rider, with Cupido; I do the jumpers, where you go really fast, with Hiphop.” Although Capone enjoys horseback riding, it is a large commitment; six days a week she drives about 25 minutes to practice in Los Altos hills. With traffic, it can take Capone almost 45 minutes to get to Windy Hill Equestrians. On top of practices, Capone frequently has competitions in places that range from Palm Springs to Michigan. The long distances Capone has to travel for competitions sometimes make it difficult to complete schoolwork on time and get a good night’s sleep. Capone said, “Sometimes I’ll get home at like nine o’clock at night, and I’ll have an essay due the next day so I have to finish it then.” Luckily, given the long distances Capone has to travel, she makes the traveling worth it, often fishing her competitions victorious. 

When Capone is not with her horses or winning competitions, she completes homework for her rigorous courses. Although she takes many interesting classes such as French 3, Algebra 2, and Honors English, she most enjoys taking Fashion with Mrs. Patricia Sutton. Capone stated, “My favorite thing I have made so far was this shirt. I thought it was really cute. It had flowery lace on it and was white. It was also fitted at the top and then it was loose on the bottom.” She decided to take the course freshman year because she has always had an interest in the subject. She continued into Fashion 2 this year in order to improve her sewing and designing. So, if you need some horseback lessons or a sewing tutorial, go straight to Carys Capone.