Sophomore Jaylee Holland has a special bond with her horse, Sixey. They ride together almost every single day and have competitions often. Holland loves horses a lot, and she has been riding since she was 11 years old. Before that she had been a cheerleader, but she had always had a love for horses and that eventually led her to switch sports.
Holland started riding at Horses for Heroes from one and a half to two years, but she moved barns because she started riding with her friends and their horses. She has always thought that horses were super cool, and that hasn’t changed. Holland enjoys many aspects of her sport, but one of her favorite things is seeing herself grow over the years.
“I love seeing my progress throughout my life and focusing on improving every time I have a competition,” Holland comments.
Holland’s mom used to ride when she was young but was never really serious about it, so Holland is basically the first person to ride competitively in her family. For inspiration, Holland looks up to many professional riders, including Hailey Kinsel, Kassie Mowry, Jordan Briggs, and Fallon Taylor. All four of these riders are barrel racers, which is one of Holland’s main events.
Holland and Sixey ride in two main events in almost every competition, which is barrel racing and pole bending. Her favorite, however, is barrel racing because the main idea of the event is speed and turning, which she loves. With Sixey, barrels are always the best choice too because Holland’s horse is really good at it. Sixey is also good with poles, but Holland prefers barrel racing.
Sixey is super special because he comes from a racing bloodline and is related to some amazing horses. He has many different treats, but his favorites are watermelon, mixed basil treats, minty muffins, and apple cookies. Holland loves how sweet horses are, and this definitely includes Sixey. He is Holland’s first horse when she was surprised with him two years ago. Her parents bought the horse as a gift on Easter in 2023.
Holland loves many things about Sixey but one of the horse’s best qualities is his attitude.
“My favorite thing about Sixey is that he always tries his heart out for me when we race in events,” Holland says.
One of Holland’s friends that she rides with at her barn is junior McKenzie Ludwig, who has been with Jaylee and Sixey since day one. She has really seen them improve and is proud of their progress together.
“Jaylee and Sixey have become an amazing team,” Ludwig comments. “I remember when they first started out and he’d buck her off, but now they work amazing together!”
Holland plans on riding for the rest of her life because it’s so fun and relaxing, and she’s willing to go pro if she can because many of her role models that are professional riders are very inspirational for her.
