Malibu High School (MHS) senior Kelsey Holmes has been jumping to the top of regional equestrian leaderboards in recent months.
The 16-year-old is currently ranked second among young riders in the United States Equestrian Association’s (USEA) Area IV Eventing Division, which encompasses riders from California and Hawaii.
USEA rankings are determined based on a point system that awards riders points according to their place in competitions. After nine competitions in 2015 so far, Holmes has scored 27.0 points, earning her the second place ranking.
Holmes refers to eventing, her equestrian specialty, as a “horse triathlon” that consists of three phases over the course of three days. Events include dressage, a traditional cross country phase; cross country, a test of speed and endurance; and show jumping, a test of stamina and recovery.
Holmes practices and competes with two different horses — a male named Squid and a female named Heart of Gold SE.
“Squid is my teacher horse because he’s done it all before, so I am able to learn things from him,” Holmes said. “Heart of Gold SE and I are kind of learning together, which is fun and challenging.”
Holmes and Heart of Gold SE’s learning experiences paid off at The Summer Event at Woodside in August where the duo placed first in the Preliminary Rider division — an international level of competition.
“My younger horse had been having difficulty for a while, but we were finally able to hold the lead from start to finish,” she said of their accomplishment.
Jennifer Wooten, Holmes’s coach at the Malibu Eventing barn in Agoura Hills, attributed Holmes’ horse training success to her dedication.
“It doesn’t matter if she’s having a good or a bad day — she always shows up to the barn,” Wooten said. “She has a very good mental focus and never makes the same mistake twice. She did a remarkable job of producing her horse.”
Along with her success in the USEA, Holmes has made her mark among the Interscholastic Equestrian League of Los Angeles (IEL) high school rankings as captain of the MHS equestrian squad. At the end of the 2014-15 high school season, she placed fifth overall among IEL Varsity riders with 120.0 total points and second in the Varsity Dressage division with 64.0 points.
Perhaps just as impressive as her riding accomplishments, however, is the role Holmes takes on as a team leader.
Because equestrian is not a school-sponsored sport at MHS, the team does not have an official coach, which places more administrative responsibility on Holmes’ role as captain.
“It’s up to the captain to organize team meetings and outside activities, and to make sure the applications for competitions are filled out correctly,” she said. “It’s very different from school sports where the coach takes care of those things.”
Holmes’ mother, Lisa, serves as the team’s parent representative and helps her with additional responsibilities.
Not having an official coach does not mean that the MHS team lacks camaraderie. Holmes has been on the team since seventh grade and a captain since her sophomore year, and, over the course of her career, she has witnessed and contributed to change.
“As the years have gone on, it has become much more of a team,” she said. “Now we do community service and have team meetings. We’re always at the barn supporting and cheering for each other.”
The 2015-16 MHS equestrian team features a young but promising squad of 10 girls, which includes Holmes and fellow senior Victoria Cohen.
“Our team is smaller than most, but I’m really hoping we can get ranked,” she said of the team’s goals for the rest of the season.
After her senior year, Holmes hopes to attend college to study biology on a pre-vet or pre-med track. As far as riding goes, she is undecided, but hopes to keep pursuing equestrian as part of a college team.
The MHS squad, led by Holmes, begins their 2015-16 season at the Interscholastic Equestrian League Show #1 on Oct. 25.