One LSU senior will spend this summer meeting people from more than 20 different countries, exploring the French countryside and representing the United States in competition, thanks in large part to a pony named Cappuccino Blast.
Kinesiology senior Kendell Richter first found herself on a horse at 18 months old, and has since taken to all types of riding with an obsessive passion. Her father, Arthur Richter, said once she started, all she wanted to do was ride.
“It’s been her life,” Arthur said. “In high school, she would miss dances and football games [to train]. … She would be happy living above a barn. She gives lessons, raises three horses and pretty much trains herself all on her own.”
A lifetime worth of riding culminated in Kendell becoming the first Louisianian to ever be named to the United States Mounted Games Association team. With this selection came the opportunity to travel to the la Nocturne International Mounted Games competition June 15 and 16 in Saint Sauvant, France.
Kendell got her first taste of mounted games at a show in 2003, where something grabbed her attention. Unlike traditional shows with their notoriously large amounts of dead time, the action was fast, yet it retained all the grace of those more refined styles.
During any given game, teams of riders maneuver through obstacle courses in relay races that demand exceptional dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Riders often have to pass equipment between each other while riding at top speeds, similar to a baton exchange in a track race. As many as 20 games can be played at one show, each taking no more than 90 seconds to complete.
“It is really fast-paced, and it forces you to be ready for anything,” Kendell said. “I like the challenge it presents.”
When Kendell first saw mounted games, she saw an opportunity to continue competing with her pony, Cappuccino Blast — Chino for short — whom she had ridden in jumping shows but had since outgrown. She said training Chino presented its share of problems, but he grew to like it.
“He was scared of some of the equipment at first. It took about a year for him to really get comfortable,” Kendell said. “Now he just loves it. We joke that if he was a person, he would be that track nerd because all he likes to do is run races.”
Learning the games herself and teaching them to her pony were tough enough, but then came the issue of finding venues where they could compete. Kendell is one of only a few riders who is active in mounted games in Louisiana, forcing her to travel a minimum of 14 hours to Tennessee or Kentucky. She said the travel has just become part of the routine, and it has its benefits.
“The worst part about [doing mounted games in Louisiana] is I don’t have anyone to practice with,” she said. “But [at competitions], I have made friends from all over, even some that live in Australia.”
