Emma McConville's Equestrian Experience

By Bella Mansfield

When Emma McConville first mounted a horse at age three, it was love at first ride.

“It was the coolest thing to me, granted I was very young, but I remember sitting in the saddle on this big, beautiful animal as it cantered across the farm and that was it,” said McConville.

Emma McConville is a 19 years old freshman at Stonehill College, and has been riding horses since she was three years old. Her older sister, Bridget, started riding as a form of therapy to help with her learning disabilities, and McConville was immediately hooked on the idea of horses. One of the trainers took her out on a ride, and she has been riding ever since.

McConville and her sister have been riding at the same barn, Neveah Farm in Plainville Massachusetts. The first horse she ever owned she had for six years, her name was Beauty, and she was dark brown. With this horse, she learned the basics of riding, working with her first trainer Diane Anderson. McConville’s memories with her are happy ones, before she entered the competitive world of horse-showing.

“She was very all-natural. She was always saying ‘be one with the horse’. She taught me everything I needed to know about riding and I loved her, but there came a time where I had to leave her so I could become more competitive,” said McConville.

As she became more competitive, McConville worked` her second trainer, Kellie Monahan and discovered how intense horse-back riding can be. Under Monahan, she came to realize the labor-intensive and focus the sport required.

Monahan was a fun, focused, and determined trainer. She was always ready with the next critique for McConville.

“Great, now do that again, but suck less,” said Monahan often.

McConville made the 15-minute trip down to the barn every day at four o’clock to ride six out of seven days of the week. There was always more practice to be had, something to improve, or some show to prepare for.

“Riding taught me determination. It was basically school, barn, home, every single day. You always want to be better than the next rider you meet. It’s very time consuming, but it pays off,” said McConville.

Riding so often made juggling a social life nearly impossible for McConville. Always being at the barn meant she was never at social or school events, like sports games or parties. Coming to Stonehill College and joining the Equestrian team, she was excited to have riding be a part of the school experience, something it never was before.

“I knew being on the team meant always having someone to go to the barn with, to talk to when cleaning the horses, or even just to help you,” said McConville.

            She was also drawn to the idea of having friends who understood the world of riding. There are many critics of the sport who do not realize what the riders actually have to do besides just riding.

            “There are always people who say that it’s not a real sport and the horses do all the work, but that’s really not true,” said McConville.

The sport requires a lot of time. In high school, she had to push friendships to the side and focus on developing a strong bond with her horse.

“I always take care of my own horse. From getting him ready, riding, and cleaning him after, there is never a moment at the barn where we aren’t connected, and that’s important. Horses are very anxious animals, so there is a lot of trust in the relationship of a rider and their horse,” said McConville.

Unlike other riders, McConville chooses to take care of her own horse, a decision she believes makes a difference. Her barn has a grooming team, and most of the private riders there use it, but not McConville. Like with the horse, her and her sister have established strong relationships with the head groomer, Edson Meza.

“Edson is like a best friend to me. I think because me and my sister take care of our own horses, he isn’t afraid to open up to us. It’s not a business relationship, and he has more respect for us for doing things on our own. The other girls don’t really interact with the groomers, but I’ll always make time to say hi, ask if they want a coffee before I come down. The little things like that matter to them,” said McConville.

“We love Emma, she is mi amor, my love. Great girl, very hard-working,” said Meza.

Taking care of her horses has taught McConville a lot about responsibility and patience, something she needs to have in the competitive side of riding. Her current trainer, Dyana Rucco, is both her favorite and most intense trainer she has had so far. It was because of her she heard about the Stonehill Equestrian team and made her decision to be a part of the class of 2020.

“I knew that I was going to stop riding independently after my freshman year of college, so I wanted to have it as a part of my life in some way. Stonehill has a great team, and it’s really exciting to be a part of,” said McConville.

Riding independently and riding on a team is very different, something she was not expecting. When competing and shows on her own, it’s usually only her, her mom and sister. Riding with the team, she is in a completely different element, a new barn, new horses, and new support system, she said.

“I like having that group of 21 girls who have my back, people to cheer you on, or to cheer you up if you don’t do as well as you hoped,” said McConville.

On the team, the girls don’t just ride together, but they do other things as well, like team dinners, team work outs, and just hanging out.

“It’s nice to have the girls around, especially having Captains who are older than me, they’re sort of like a mentor. Sometimes it’s sad to think that my days of riding independently are coming to an end, but I know I’ll have the experience of riding with the team for the next four years, so I can’t complain. It’s exciting,” said McConville.