14-Year-Old Ady Kallay Named 18 and Under Equitation APHA World Champion
By: Brittany Bevis
Tonight’s win in 18 and Under Equitation marked a first in the “big girls” age group for multiple World Champion, Ady Kallay. Although she’s only 14, this composed and decorated, young equestrian has accumulated a host of prior wins in the 13 and under and walk-trot divisions in the past, to the tune of 15 World titles with her longtime partner, Gotta Be Sensational, aka “Joey.”
Ady resides in Canada and her trainers, Arturo Maestas and Jesse Jones, live in Texas. Prior to the pandemic, Ady would fly down once a month to train. That all stopped in 2020, when the U.S./Canadian border effectively shut down. Although restrictions have loosened in the U.S. in recent months, the situation is still fairly closed in Canada, which made the trip to Fort Worth a bit tricky. Ady and her mother flew into the States two weeks ago and underwent COVID testing. Once they return to Canada, they will have more tests and spend a two-week quarantine in a hotel. But tonight’s big win with a huge cheering section of supporters behind her made all of the logistical challenges well worth it.
“My goal was to get a clean pattern,” Ady says. “I wanted to set goals that I could easily meet. I walked through everything with my trainers, and they told me my marks. I thought our posting trot at the beginning was pretty strong. I was a little bit worried, because sometimes he lopes off, so I wanted to make sure I told him to trot. That was a nerve-wracking part. I got straight enough in my lead change, so that went pretty well, and our forehand turn was pretty good. I could’ve done a few minor details differently that would’ve made it better; but, overall it went well.”
Ady has been riding for most of her young life, and it’s clear that she’s a bit of a perfectionist. She’s very honest and open about her struggles with nerves and shared a few tips that she uses to combat them.
“I’ve been riding my whole life actually,” she says. “I don’t really member when I wasn’t riding! I’m 14 now, and I’ve been with Arturo and Jesse for five years. I always try to do the best I can. They know I can do it when I’m practicing, and I just want to show them that I can [deliver] in the show pen. I try not to let nerves overpower me, because that’s a big struggle for me. I try to remember to breathe, listen to what my trainers tell me, and I like talking to Joey during the pattern, because it helps calm me down.”
Just by watching Ady ride in her favorite class it’s easy to see that she has superior core strength and grace, which is something she has likely obtained by studying ballet. “One thing my trainers tell me is to keep my arms up. I think that’s my main thing; because, when I bring my arms down, it brings up other complications. Also, they tell me to put my heels down, but that’s a pretty standard thing.”
“I think Equitation is both mine and Joey’s favorite class. I enjoy English and patterns, so it’s a good combination. Also, it’s the class I can focus the most in, and I get less nervous. I think my biggest goal for the future is to try to control my nerves, because it gets a bit out of control sometimes. Also, I want to keep setting a higher standard for myself each year.”
Reserve in the class was Lauren Gralla with One Flashy Sensation. Third was Catherine Goffard with Huntified. Fourth was Pour Me A Cuervo with Macie Soderquist. Fifth was KM Vested In Bo with Abigail Zawisza.
The winner of Novice Youth Equitation was Abigail Zawisza with KM Vested In Bo. Winning Novice Youth 13 and Under Equitation was Callie Brda with Whatcha Expect. Winning 13 and Under Equitation was Hailey Smith with Look At My Hot Chips.
