By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
Lucy Davis tried riding horses as soon as she could walk, began taking lessons at age 5 and started showing in the short stirrup division the next year. She hasn’t left the saddle since and will represent her country at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The 23-year-old, who grew up in and around Pacific Palisades and attended St. Matthew’s, was awarded the United States Equestrian Team’s 2012 Lionel Guerrand-Hermes Trophy (presented annually to a young rider who exemplifies sportsmanship) and won the 2013 Grand Prix in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Since 2013 Davis has ridden a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding called Barron (named after her grandfather) and in June they were one of four athlete-and-horse combinations named to the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2016 Games by the the U.S. Equestrian Federation. The Show Jumping competition will be held Aug. 12-19 at the Deodoro Olympic Equestrian Center in Rio.
Currently training in Germany, Davis took time out for an interview with the Palisadian-Post to talked about her horse, her childhood and her daily routine.
Post: How did you qualify for the Olympics?
Lucy Davis: The qualification process started about a year ago, when all U.S. riders competed in hopes of gaining enough good results, and national ranking points to be selected to the “short list,” which was finalized in April and gave 10 riders a chance to compete for the four spots on the team. Once on the list of 10, each rider had to jump two Nation’s Cups (team competitions) in Europe this spring and our performance in those trials determined the selection. I jumped with my horse, Barron, in La Baule, France and St. Gallen, Switzerland. After good results in both competitions, I was confident about my chances. However, I still had to wait three weeks after my final trial to hear that I officially made it, which obvious was the source of some premature graying.
Post: Did you contemplate not going to the Olympics because of the Zika virus and/or concerns about safety?
Lucy Davis: This has been my dream since childhood and now that it’s a reality nothing can stop me from seeing it through! It’s no secret that many of the current sociocultural and political problems are an unfortunate inconvenience for the country to say the least, but I do believe the media has a large role in embellishing the effect it’ll have on the Olympics itself. I’ve reached out to people who are already there who claim that, within the context of the Olympics, things are running smoothly. Either way, smooth or not, I am taking the risk.
Post: Did you play any other sports growing up?
Lucy Davis: I actually grew up on the outskirts of the Palisades, near Mandeville Canyon. I played lots of sports growing up, including AYSO soccer, softball and basketball, all at the Palisades Recreation Center. I went to Calvary Christian for preschool, then started at St. Matthew’s in kindergarten. I played soccer there and also liked swimming in the ocean and alpine skiing. I went to Harvard-Westlake High, then I chose to attend Stanford because it’s the best place on earth. Besides being a picturesque campus with a barn five minutes from my dorm, Stanford allowed me to juggle everything I could ever want in life: sports, academics, arts and a social life. I miss it every day!
Post: Did you have your own horses growing up and, if so, where did you stable them?
Lucy Davis: I started riding ponies in Sullivan Canyon. Once I got more serious about the sport, I was lucky to get my own horse and we moved to that neighborhood so my mom and I could keep horses in our front yard…right off of Sunset, which is pretty unreal!
Post: What makes Barron so special and why have you had so much success with him?
Lucy Davis: Barron has all the qualities you look for in a top show jumping horse. He’s brave, has incredible stamina and can jump as high as you’d ever need to and higher. He’s also what riders call “careful,” which is essential and basically means he tries his hardest not to touch the jumps. Since keeping all of the poles up is the aim of the game, this is key. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: getting Barron was like finding a huge pot of gold.
Post: How difficult was it to juggle academics and training at Stanford?
Lucy Davis: I’m a big believer in going to school and riding. It’s possible to do both but you need help because you can’t ride every day. At Stanford I was able to ride every morning, usually three or four horses, then I’d go to class. In the afternoons I could go to the gym or run around campus with friends. I majored in architecture and it was awesome. It shows you can get your degree while pursuing your dream — it doesn’t have to be one or the other.
Post: What do you enjoy most about horseback riding?
Lucy Davis: I love my sport because I love horses. I grew up as your quintessential pony freak and in high school I was gone most weekends for competitions. I realized at one point that this passion I had for horses and competition could actually take me more places than I’d ever dreamed. It’s a fast-paced, high-pressure sport where age and sex don’t matter. It’s particularly unique that a small girl like me can compete against (and hopefully beat) grown men on a daily basis.
Post: How did you end up in Germany for training? What’s a typical day like for you?
Lucy Davis: I spent my first summer training in Germany in 2010 when I was 17. I was initially drawn to Europe because the sport is much more respected and understood by the public. It’s where the sport actually began and therefore is ingrained in the culture. However, I returned each summer, studied in Berlin for a bit and am now training full-time in Germany because I’ve been working for the past six years with a German trainer, Markus Beerbaum. A typical day training in Germany begins by biking to the barn with my puppy, Ethel, beside me. I usually am on my first horse of the day by 8 a.m. and will ride six to eight horses before lunch time. After lunch, I try to do some other sort of physical training… running, yoga, and biking. Unfortunately, I’m in a small town called Thedinghausen where there’s not much happening in the evenings. Most weekends I’m traveling for competitions across Europe, so I get to explore some interesting places and like to take advantage of those opportunities.
Post: Who has been the most influential person throughout your riding career?
Lucy Davis: My grandfather Robert Barron Frieze, who I actually named Barron after. He worked in horseracing as a jockey’s agent and is the one who first encouraged me to take riding lessons. So I obviously owe a lot to him. As far as my hero or idol, I’d say [British showjumper] Scott Brash.
Post: Have you set any personal goals for Rio?
Lucy Davis: Of course, like everyone else, I would love to earn a medal, but mainly I just want to go in the ring, not think too much and trust my instincts. I’m fortunate to have this opportunity and I’m going to give it my best shot.
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