My Desert Circuit: Meet Natalie Rae Medlock

We sat down with Natalie Rae Medlock of Orange, CA after her win in Desert Circuit V’s DIHP Adult Equitation Challenge to learn more about her rides, her favorite horse show memories, and how she switches between the Hunter, Equitation, and Jumper arenas. Watch her winning ride below!

What does having the Adult Equitation Challenge here at DIHP mean to you?

It’s fun, it’s a different class we don’t normally have. Adult Equitation is already a small division so it’s nice to have something fun to look forward to and work towards.

What is your favorite thing about Quanta? 

That’s hard. Probably her patch on her butt is my actual favorite! But I love that she’s just game. She’s always trying to make you happy. 

What do you look forward to the most about horse showing?

The fun camaraderie and the competition all at once. It’s fun to be in the ring with my friends and say, “Hey good job! You kicked my butt, but you’re going down next time!” It’s the fun inner poking I guess. 

What is the best memory you have of riding?

My very first barn, I was probably six-years-old. My mom came to pick me up in the evening because she would drop me off in the morning. I came in, got in the car, and said, “MOM! I kept Junior [her horse] out all day!” She asked, “All day? Well did you offer him water?” and I replied with “No! He didn’t want any!” 

It was just the innocence of horses. He obviously wanted water, but that’s my favorite riding memory. We still laugh about it.

We are on Friday of Desert Circuit V. What has been your favorite memory so far this week? 

As much as I love my mare [Quanta], my favorite thing about this week has been my Jumper! I’ve been moving up on him and it’s been so much fun. We’re moving into the 1.30m Jumper classes.

How do you switch between Hunters, Jumpers, and Equitation? 

I have to remind myself a lot what each purpose is on each horse. Sometimes my trainer will be like, “That was really gappy!” and I’ll say, “Well, I just came from the Hunter ring!” I have three equitation horses. They are: Espoir, Bourbon, and Quanta . I also do Quanta in the hunters. Then Da Silva R is my Jumper. 

What has been your favorite part about the Horse Park this season so far? 

I actually am really enjoying the Equitation arena! It’s super nice that it has its own, dedicated area. 

Find the full results from the class here.