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12/27/2023 12:48 PMDog has been championed as man’s best friend, with a special bond that is shared between both parties. Yet for Ainsley Strecker, she is adding an addendum to that expression, with an incredible equine career that has already seen several major strides. There are still more to come, though, as herself and her horses continue to gallop to greatness.
The Valley Regional High School senior first rode a horse at the age of 3, when her mother, Susan, put her on one. Three years later, she shared her first pony, named Popsicle, with her brother Cooper. Later, she had another by the name of James, which served as Ainsley’s first horse to call her own.
Every year since she started showing, Ainsley has qualified for the Connecticut Horse Show Association (CHSA) finals. Hundreds of horses show in CHSA classes, but only the top 20 qualify for finals.
“It’s very fun to show at finals, but I get really nervous,” says Ainsley. “This past August, my horse, Roli, and I got ribbons in all three classes we competed in. We came home with a fifth, a seventh, and a ninth-place ribbon. I was super proud of her for being such a good girl; she’s always good.”
Ainsley adds that with this list of accolades from the CHSA events, it has helped her come out of her shell more and more as an athlete and competitor who always appreciates the temperament of her riding mate.
“I have always been a timid rider,” Ainsley says. “So to go from walking on the lead line to jumping was a huge accomplishment for me. The highlight of showing James was when we went to a nationally rated show in Vermont and came home with a third-place ribbon. He was so perfect at that show, and he is always perfect.”
As her career has projected upwards, so has Ainsley’s confidence to take literal leaps within the confines of competition–now being an individual who can command a horse who can jump well over a foot.
“I jump now, and I’m a lot less of a nervous person from when I first started,” says Ainsley. “When I was little, I would only walk on the lead line, and now I jump 18 inches. I have more confidence from when I first started, because I have such a nice pony in James, and my horse, Roli, is so good. They give me all the confidence in the world to go out and do this. With them, I feel like I can do anything.”
Ainsley and James have been together for a dozen years now, and more inseparable than ever. And now, while James may have completed his last sprints and leaps for Ainsley, the connection and heart-warming companionship between the two is still active, alive, and well.
“James taught me how to walk off the lead line, and he has taught me how to do everything,” Ainsley says. “I went from just walking to jumping 18 inches. In 2018, I retired him because I outgrew him and he was 28 years old. He is so kind, and he’s gotten me through a lot. I trust him with my life, and he trusts me. There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for each other. He is thirty-three years old now, and he lives at home in my backyard with Popsicle. James is my heart.”
But as James retired, in came Roli for Ainsley. Roli has served as a massive source of motivation and inspiration for her to not only do her best, but also to accomplish major feats with the utmost confidence.
“I got Roli after James retired, and she’s just the best little horse. I’ve had her for four years, and she is just the most perfect little girl ever,” says Ainsley. “She has taught me how to ride well, she has taught me how to do better at CHSA finals and, most of all, she’s taught me that together we’re better than we are apart. She is very patient with me when I get scared, and she’s teaching me to believe in myself. She’s my best friend.”
Ainsley’s trainer Jenn Braiden details that her great growth in the sport stems from her great pride and passion for the competition, and for Mother Nature.
“I watched over Ainsley over the last year and a half as a mentor and a friend. Ainsley has the drive and the passion to ride her horse, Roli,” says Braiden. “In the year and a half, she has successfully competed at the CHSA finals twice. I enjoyed watching her achieve her goals, placing in the top ten at the finals. She sets goals and works very hard to achieve them. Not only does she have the love to ride, but has a heart to care for all creatures, great and small.”
Ainsley aims to get back to CHSA finals again and find her footing, as she looks to nourish her natural abilities and self-belief. She concludes that through the years, the events, and the laurels she has acquired, Ainsley has acquired the knowledge to embrace errors, rather than letting them become a hindrance, in addition to expressing her gratitude for nature and its creatures.
“I want to jump again at the CHSA finals, and I want to have better balance. I want to ride better and become even more confident. I hope that I always learn something every time I ride,” Ainsley says. “I have learned to be scared and do it anyway, and to never give up. Everyone falls off, but getting up and getting back on is what matters. I always pet James and Roli when I make a mistake, so they know it wasn’t their fault. I have learned to always be thankful to the animals, and for the opportunities they give me. And one of the most important things my trainer, Jenn Braiden, has taught me is that it’s okay to make mistakes, as long as I learn from them. I’m just so lucky to be surrounded by so many wonderful people in the horse world, and to spend every day with the best horse and pony in the world!”