Noor Jerath may be new to the Missouri Horse Shows Association circuit, but at age 15 she is an experienced horsewoman. Jerath’s love for horses began at a young age, when she would beg her parents to take her on carousels and pony rides at fairs. Her love of horses continued from there. For her seventh birthday she attended a horse camp and never looked back, starting riding lessons shortly after.
Jerath was born in North Carolina and lived there until she moved to St. Louis this past August. She currently rides at Glendale Stables with trainer Kent Swalla in Columbia, Missouri. Jerath shows her Morgan, CBMF Duplicity, aka Waldo, in Junior Exhibitor Classic Pleasure Saddle and Equitation.With being two hours away from Waldo, Jerath values the time they get to spend together.
“My favourite thing about riding is the bond that you develop with your horse. Waldo lives two hours away from me, so I can’t just spontaneously go see him, but in NC, my horse, Ava, lived about 15 minutes away. Whenever I had a bad day or was feeling stressed, I would go to the barn to be around her. Now, even on days that I don’t ride Waldo for whatever reason, I will still go spend time with him brushing him or just talking to him. I love being around horses because I feel like you can really become friends with your horse, and it is amazing how much this bond can help improve your riding.” said Jerath.
Jerath’s goal for the 2018 season is to be able to ride her horse as much as possible, so she can get to know him better and become a better team. Between being busy with school work and riding, Jerath works to keep a balance between the two. Jerath hopes to be able to show as much as she can this year, creating memories along the way. However, her favorite horse memory is from outside the show ring.
“One of my all-time favourite horse memories does not actually have anything to do with any of my horses (although if the horse had been Waldo, it would have been a thousand times better). Anyway, so my family went to Argentina over spring break this year. Buenos Aires (where we went) is very close to a town in Uruguay which just so happens to offer riding along the beach. I have always wanted to ride in the water, so this was just perfect. We first rode along some beautiful countryside to get to the beach. The horses were very well trained while not being dull, and the guide was great in that he was not scared of anyone ruining his horses, so he allowed us to trot, canter, and gallop as we pleased. When we finally got to the beach, it was just so surreal to gallop right on the water down the deserted sand with a super awesome horse.”
When she’s not spending time at the barn, Jerath spends a lot of her time working on homework. When she is not busy with school work, she enjoys reading and baking (and enjoying what she makes). Jerath is also a writer and enjoys writing for her school’s newspaper.
With several wins already under their belt this year, Jerath and Waldo look to continue their success in the show ring. Jerath is looking forward to continuing to bond with Waldo and getting to show as much as possible.
