Sophomore Adair Moses won the 2022 United States Hunter Jumper Association National Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to the Hunter Jumper Association’s official website, the organization unifies and represents the hunter and jumper disciplines of equestrian sport through education, recognition and sports programs.

Moses started her horse-riding journey by going on casual trail rides with her mom who used to be an equestrian as a kid.

“My mom did western style cutting. Basically, she had to demonstrate the ability to control the horse as well as the ability to handle cattle,” said Moses.

With the family influence, Moses found her passion for horse riding at a young age and joined a horse-riding club, Hunter Lane, to sharpen her skills as a hunter jumper.

“My two main coaches are Stacy and David Sanderson,” said Moses. “Coach David mostly manages the horses, and Stacy usually coaches me. She is very fun and caring, but she also makes sure to keep me disciplined.”

She started with easy competitions and showcases when she was younger and became more competitive later on.

“At first it was really more about getting my mom and I into competitions because being competitive in hunter jumping is a very big commitment,” said Moses.

After setting her mind on hunter jumping, she focused on preparing for competitions and improving her jumping skills.

“I go to the barn almost every day after school and pretty much every weekend as well. Hunter jumping is not really an athletic sport it’s more mental,” said Moses. “It’s all about doing things perfectly simultaneously.”

Selwyn Rayzor, Moses’s mom, is a huge supporter of her commitment to succeed in hunter jumping.

“Adair is fully committed, so I’m fully supportive even if it means driving for hours for early morning starts.”

According to Moses, hunter jumping requires a lot of focus as riders need to perform every jump at the exact designated spot. However, nervousness is a common obstacle.

“I don’t really get that nervous going into my rounds, I get more excited nervous. I’ve never really had a problem with calming myself down,” said Moses.

Moses felt confident as she had already qualified early in 2022 for the first round going into the competition.

“You never really know what’s going to happen honestly; you never know how your horse is going to react to certain environments,” said Moses. “The National Finals was in Vegas, [and] they had very cool facility, but the place is literally in a basement under a casino.”

Moses cleared all worries before her round and focused on what she can do to bring out the best results to showcase her hard work during the year. However, she wishes that she was better at controlling her emotions.

“I was in the lead, so I kind of slacked off and messed up a jump in the second round,” said Moses. “So, I got fourth in that round, but I’m on my way to win it.”

After the finals in Las Vegas, her family went to a nice restaurant and watched a Cirque du Soleil show to celebrate the win.

Moses is not content with her success at the 2022 US Hunter Jump National Finals, and she already has plans to attend several other competitions in 2023.

“I’m going to the Junior Hunter Finals in California, which is the finals for my division,” said Moses. “I want to go to Devon in Pennsylvania, which is the most prestigious competition. You really have to be qualified for it.”

Moses says her passion is her biggest motivator, and she owes all her achievements to it.

“Hunter jumping really focuses on mental training, which helped me in many aspects, even outside of horse riding. The ultimate goal is to continue my passion in college as a D1 athlete,” she said.