CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — 9-year-old Jaiyon Taylor of Prince George has qualified for the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) Nationals, ranking as one of the top 12 riders in the country for her age group.
Jaiyon trains at the Redbird Equestrian Riding School in Chesterfield with her horse, Nymeria. She competes in dressage, an Olympic sport with origins in Greek military training from the fifth century BC.
"The whole purpose of dressage is to form a basis of harmony between horse and rider," said Ingrid Patel, owner of Redbird Equestrian. "At the Olympic level, you see it explained a lot as horse ballet."
Jaiyon's love for horses started early — she first rode at age 2. Initially, her parents wanted her to try a cheaper alternative.
"We brought her a power wheel horse. That was her first horse ... she's tried a bunch of different sports, but her love for horses and her wanting to ride never went away. So I was like, let me just go for it, and here we are," said Jamekia Taylor, Jaiyon's mother. "I didn't want to put a lot of money into something that she wasn't going to be good at, but she's actually really good at it. So once I saw that she was really good at it, I was like, 'Yeah, let's just go for it.'"
As a 70-pound fourth grader, Jaiyon has mastered making a horse weighing more than half a ton do exactly what she wants.
"You use your leg muscles to squeeze, and that's how she can take off. Or you can use your hand gesture to make it take off," Jaiyon said.
While there is no racing or jumping in dressage, riders must still control an animal with a mind of its own.
"It's kind of easy, but it's kind of hard at the same time," Jaiyon said. "Because you have to figure out how to do it right and not make it go wrong so she won't take off on you and you get hurt."
Patel praised Jaiyon's ability to focus during her rides.
"If you're thinking about all of the things that can go wrong, all of those things are going to happen. If you're scared that the horse is gonna go faster, yes, that horse is gonna go faster. But if you're listening to your coach, and you have the ability to zone in in the moment, that's where I was really surprised by her," Patel said.
Getting hurt is a possibility Jamekia deals with each time her daughter gets on a horse.
"A lot of the parents gave me a lot of reassurance that she'll be fine, and even if she does fall, she'll get back up, because kids are more resilient than we are as old people," Jamekia said. "I trust Jaiyon, I trust her, and I know if something's bothering her or she's not comfortable, she'll tell me."
Patel started Redbird Equestrian five years ago to give more people the opportunity to experience equestrian sports.
"My whole goal in starting this place was to open up accessibility and having equestrian experiences to as many people as possible. So I really wanted to be available to a wide variety of socioeconomic backgrounds," Patel said.
Jaiyon will head to Nationals later this month. Her horse will not be traveling with her, as all riders who reach this level must ride an unfamiliar horse to keep the playing field level.
"When she won regionals, I cried, like, the ugly cry, because I just felt like, really, this is my baby. My daughter is doing this," Jamekia said. "Also by her being an African American rider who is in a very low percentile, she has inspired other girls that look like her to ride now. And that's just amazing. I just feel like it's an amazing thing. I'm proud of her."
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