Introducing Ava Stearns - Sponsored Rider Spotlight

We absolutely adore working with our group of select riders! They are a unique group of unicorns that love everything about horses. With that said, we are super excited to welcome Ava Stearns, currently in her senior year at Auburn University, to our list of sponsored riders. She is a 2022 NCEA First Team All-American and will be graduating this year with a major in business. Ava spent her junior years as a working student with the incomparable team at Northrun Stables. A few notable accomplishments from her junior career include:

2019 Winner, ASPCA Maclay Regionals & Finals; 2nd USET Talent Search Finals 2019 and 2020; and 2nd WHIS Equitation Finals 2019.

Her extensive list of accomplishments is impressive and we are overjoyed to have such a lovely and grounded person join our group. We recently sat down with Ava to ask a few personal questions so we could better understand what makes her tick as an equestrian.

● How long have you been riding? What is your proudest accomplishment?

I have been riding for as long as I can remember. My mother has a farm on Martha’s Vineyard where I grew up, so I always had horses in my life. I have been lucky enough to have many fantastic moments throught my career, but my proudest accomplishments would probably have to be the horses I brought along. There is something really special about forming a relationship with a young or challenging horse and working with them, and eventually having the privilege to watch them succeed with their next rider.

● What other practices do you use to maintain perspective and keep a positive mindset?

Growing up, my mother always used to tell me “you are either making things better or making things worse”. This always helped to remind me that although things might not always be perfect, dwelling on the past would not help me reach my end goal. Instead, I learned that it is more productive to view my mistakes as a learning opportunity.

● What are your favorite guilty pleasures?

My favorite guilty pleasure is definitely ice cream!

● What are words/quotes that you live by?

One quotes that I live by is “be your sister’s keeper” which comes from Auburn Equestrian head coach Greg Williams. To me, this means looking out for the people in your life, and they will do the same.

● Other interests besides horses?

I absolutely love to read. Once I sit down with a good book, I will stay up all night to finish it!