Sophomore Chana Karlin-Neumann and her horse, Norman, gallop toward the next hurdle, the most difficult on the course. The mount does not hesitate, though, and gallops toward the obstacle. The creature, muscles straining, throws himself up into the air. Legs extended, the animal and his rider barely make it over the jump, clearing by just a few inches.

Karlin-Neumann began riding horses when she was seven, nearly 10 years ago, at a summer camp, and continues to do so even now. Her busy schedule allows her to enjoy this activity about once a week , and she wishes she had more time for it. She rides horses recreationally, and also trains them to be leased or sold. In her future, she hopes to continue riding recreationally or competitively, although she does not see her career or her life’s work in equestrianism.

Her current mount, Norman, is a robust, well-built gray horse. He is being trained by Karlin-Neumann so that less experienced equestrians can ride him. According to Karlin-Neumann, he is confident, even a bit headstrong, and constantly excited. "He is really high-spirited." she said. Presently, the horse and rider are working on Norman’s form, teaching him to hold his head higher. Under her experienced hand, he will grow into a calmer, more reserved mount, who is a bit less headstrong, yet still capable of harnessing his energy for speed on his runs and height on his jumps.

Before Norman, Karlin-Neumann had trained a horse named Piglet, an older animal who needed to be retrained because she would not do jumps anymore, after having a bad fall. Karlin-Neumann carefully rebuilt the mount’s confidence and abilities, and Piglet began jumping again, with jumps that were very high and arced, and the horse was leased out to a customer by Kraner Training.

When Karlin-Neumann was younger, she attended schooling shows.

“I was really into showing,” said Karlin-Neumann. With her horse Torry, she won many prize ribbons, mostly for jumping events. She fondly remembers performing and riding in front of a crowd.

Karlin-Neumann uses riding to relieve stress from her busy schedule.

“I focus on it [riding],” she said. According to Karlin-Neumann, riding is a natural state that she uses it a a means of relaxation. Karlin-Neumann also enjoys the rewarding task of training horses — when she finishes training a horse she feels a powerful sense of accomplishment. The bond between mount and rider is strong, and Karlin-Neumann loves the age-old activity of riding a horse.

“The rider gets a connection with a horse,” she said.