Sara Katula loves playing the piano, singing, and drawing. However, that all changed when her dad bought her mom a horse for her birthday. Horses soon became one of Sara’s favorite hobbies; and piano, singing, and drawing became secondary. “Horseback riding?” I asked, as I started the interview with Sara Katula, a 16-year-old junior at Worthington Christian High School; “What got you into horseback riding?” She said, “My mom rides horses, and she used to take me to Otterbein summer camps, where they taught you how to ride horses.” Then she added, “That is where I met my first horse, Joey.”
Intrigued, I asked “When did you get to keep your own horse; and what kind of horse was it?” She said, “I got my first horse on my mom’s 40th birthday; his name was Chase, and he was a Quarter Horse with a chestnut color.”
In response to my curiosity about the venues Sara attends for her horse shows, Sara informed me that “My horse shows are at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, and there are three events.”
I then asked Sara about the responsibilities of caring for a horse. She said that “It takes hard work even with helpers; you need to exercise the horse four times a week.”
When Sara got her horse, Chase, she got him trained because it takes extra work to train a horse.
“The best thing about horseback riding is the adrenaline and getting to know your horse so well that you become a team,” Sara exclaimed.
Sara is looking for a school with an equestrian center, also known as a place with a stable; that way, she can become good enough to teach other kids how to ride.
However, Sara does not enjoy watching horse races because she feels that the owners push the horses so much that they may end up getting hurt and ultimately have to be put to sleep.
To close the interview, I asked Sara, “If there was one job you could do, what would it be?” “A vet; I would want to be a vet,” she said.
