20/ MARCH/APRIL 2013 THE RIDER


Reining In Athleticism And Academic Success Darby Mailhot Captures Attention of Several U.S. Universities


By Andrea Cascone


Darby Mailhot of Mulmur, Ontario, has had a deep love for horses since she was a child. By the time she was four years old, her fierce talent and competitive nature was evident when com- peting at various local competi- tions. By the time that she was ten, Darby had mastered both English and Western disciplines and had found her niche; rein- ing. It is a lesser known Western discipline and can be best described as the Western ver- sion of dressage. The rider must rely on only one hand to rein the horse. Mailhot’s incredible tal- ent and professional disposition has won the attention of some very prestigious post-secondary schools in the United States. Now at age seventeen, she has achieved seventh in the world ranking for her age group in the sport.


Two years ago, she decided to seek out scholarship opportu- nities and visited various


schools and US shows on the east coast. Of this experience, Mailhot says that she is grateful for her travels as they intro- duced her to a wide variety of riders and associations. Says Mailhot: “I find that most stu- dents are not enlightened about the opportunities available to them. So many of them think that you have to give something up in order to achieve a post- secondary education.” As well, she notes that information regarding scholarship opportu- nities is not made readily avail- able to high school students. “A lot of teachers underestimate what the students’ capabilities. They don’t put the time and effort into educating students about these various scholarship opportunities.” With academic interests in biology and animal science, she is as passionate about spreading awareness about academic opportunities for her peers as she is about her sport. She urges those who


achieve their goals, so why not try?” She is proud of her achievements and admits that she loves being able to share photographs from her travels on social media. She is also grate- ful for the constant companion- ship of her horse Custom Chrome Wonder. “He is la best friend on four legs. He is always able to calm me down in the final seconds before a competi- tion,” she says. Her parents own a farm so Darby is lucky enough to be able to spend every day with him. “I tried thirty horses back to back before I realized that I wanted the second horse I tried because he was the one for me.”


share her love of horses with similar academic ambitions to visit the National Collegiate Equestrian Association website http://www.varsityequestrian.co m as their information was


invaluable as she prepared her post-secondary applications. Her ability to balance her competitive goals with her social and academic ambitions is something that Darby is con- fident she can maintain through- out university. She attributes her sense of leadership and her abil- ity to work well under pressure to the various competitions in which she participated as a child. “When you are enrolled in sports from a young age you naturally develop these skills and you have to learn very early on how to balance the competi- tive side of the sport with the support and friendship of those you’re competing against,” she remarks. Balance and diversity are key issues when selecting


prospective schools, and Mail- hot says that it was her ability to be diverse and adapt to chang- ing environments that really captured the attention of the var- ious schools offering her schol- arships. “They wanted to see people who could handle other horses and a variety of tasks.” Her academic success in high school was also considered, “it’s not just about your riding abili- ties, your academics need to be very strong as well,” she says. When asked about how she feels about her status as a role model for young Canadian ath- letes Mailhot insists: “I never thought of myself in that light. I do this because I love it. Any- one who has a passion for some- thing already has the means to


Mailhot recognizes that she is lucky having had the constant support of those around her including her mother, Dana, who remarks, “these athletes are held in high regard in the States.” The schools go out of their way to help their athletes balance academics with compe- titions, and both mother and daughter speak highly of the amazing support system and sense of community that is built into these programs. Darby has now accepted the scholarship offer from South Dakota and will be enrolling this September. It’s clear that Darby Mail- hot has a very bright future ahead of her, and with the con- tinued support of her family and friends as well as her ongoing partnership with her horse, there is nothing that can rein in this champion.


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