EC Photo of the Day: Heigh-Ho Graduation!

By: Brittany Bevis

Today’s EC Photo of the Day started out as simply that, a fun photo taken by one of our readers. But after learning more about 17-year-old Tina Glenn from Lutz, Florida, we decided this hardworking and adventurous young equestrian deserved more than a share on Facebook.

When Tina decided to take senior pictures to celebrate her upcoming high school graduation, she knew she wanted something special that would incorporate the love of her life, “Longo,” her 20-something-year-old Thoroughbred.

“We don’t know his exact age,” Tina says. “He is anywhere from 17-23, so we just say 20! His show name is Homerun Hitter, and he’s named after Evan Longoria, a baseball player for the Tampa Bay Rays.”

Tina and Longo compete in Hunter/Jumper classes at competitions in Florida. They recently attended the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington and the HITS Horse Show in Ocala. During their first time competing at the HITS, Tina and Longo placed first and second in their class of 60 entries.

When they aren’t in the show pen, you can find this talented duo perfecting their equitation skills by taking bareback and sometimes bridleless lessons at Winward Farm. In fact, they just took a bareback jumping lesson yesterday. Click here to watch a video.

For her graduation photos, Tina decided to incorporate her love of bareback riding with a new trick she taught Longo.

“I taught my horse to rear at liberty, with no tack,” she says. “His cue to rear is by pulling up on his mane and giving him a big kick. Of course, it helps if you have a carrot in your hand! He also loves to jump while tackless. He’s my once-in-a-lifetime horse.”

“All of my tackless/bareback riding started because, after we bought Longo, we couldn’t afford a saddle for a few more months, so bareback was all I had!”

Tina isn’t just an accomplished equestrian, she’s also a competitive weightlifter. She recently placed first in a sub qualifier at a competition in January by lifting 150 lb.

After she graduates from Sunlake High School, Tina would like to become a flight attendant. However, her dream is to be a horse trainer.

Scroll below to view more fun pictures from Tina’s graduation photo session. We’d love to see your horse-themed senior pictures as well! Send them to b.bevis@equinechronicle.com and they might appear on our website or Facebook page.