My love for horses first came about as a toddler from watching various TV shows and movies featuring horses with my older sister. Throughout my childhood, my parents found small ways to nurture my interest, such as visiting local stables and weeklong summer camps. None of us could have predicted that a Groupon my dad gifted me at age 10 for a riding lesson would become a turning point. That single lesson with my now-trainers Leslie Ward Wenstrom and Megan Downey set me on a path that has shaped my life ever since!
I began competing at age 12 on the Colorado Hunter Jumper Association (CHJA) circuit. My early experience was with lease horses, which helped me discover my personal riding style, learn to adjust to the horse beneath me, and understand the importance of tailored care for each horse. In 2022, I became a working student at my home barn, a role that allowed me to expand my lesson opportunities, gain hands-on experience in horse care and barn management, and provided me access to take horses to CHJA shows. As a working student, I clean tack and stalls, prep grain, tack and untack horses, do evening feedings, help care for ailing horses, and sometimes assist the trainers with caring for the arenas.
In May 2024, to better position myself to advance to showing on the A Circuit, my family and I purchased my horse Monopoly, in part with money I’d saved from my working student earnings. Since that time, I’ve increased my working student hours to help work off part of his stable board. During the school year, you can usually find me at the barn most afternoons, and during the summer, I’m there daily.
The last year with Monopoly has brought about a lot of growth for me and for him. After showing on the CJHA circuit for our first year together, we began competing on the A Circuit in May 2025. We have had great success in the 3’3 15-17 Equitation, 3’3-3’6 medals and the 1.10 jumpers. I am qualified for the NCEA Junior Medal Championship West and am so excited to say I am attending! Our partnership also qualified me for the NHS Hamel Area Championship and the Gladstone Cup. I am extremely excited to finish out 2025 in new classes to me, such as the Dover and Platinum Performance Talent Search! I will spend the off season after NCEA finals attending college clinics, volunteering at animal rescues and IEA shows, building on my and Monopoly’s education for the upcoming season, and helping educate greener horses in my barn’s program.
I am currently a junior at Rock Canyon High School in Highlands Ranch, CO, a top-ranked high school in Colorado. Even while spending so many hours working at my home barn, I still take AP classes and maintain a 3.25 weighted GPA. I am a Colorado native, and like most Coloradans, I love being outdoors (in fact, my name, Waverly, is an old English word for aspen meadow). When I’m not at the barn or school, you can find me spending time with my family and friends, enjoying the Colorado sunshine.
Riding for an NCAA Division I Equestrian Team is more than a goal for me—it would be a testament to the grit and perseverance I’ve built over years of hard work. Unlike many riders, I haven’t had this path handed to me. I’ve had to be resourceful, determined, and self-driven to earn every opportunity in the sport. Being an equestrian has taught me resilience, patience, and a relentless work ethic, and I’m proud of the journey that’s shaped me. I’m excited to find the right NCAA Division I program where I can continue pushing myself to grow as a rider, contribute to a team, and prove that passion and persistence are what matter most!
~ Waverly Oppenheimer