Paulazzo's equestrian adventures

By Gwen Carroll May 21, 2025

In recent years, Suzanne Paulazzo, Social Studies Department, has been returning to an old hobby of hers: horse riding.

Paulazzo spent her high school years bouncing between extracurriculars like any other student, although she spent most of her time competing in skating or horse riding. Unable to pursue both, she eventually dropped horse riding for the ice rink—and never quite put it down, as she still skates today, albeit on a less competitive level.

“People still skate in old age, but it is difficult to compete after around 20 years old, so I decided to stick with it in high school. At the same time, I heard about a 72-year-old Olympic horse rider on Japan’s team, which reassured me that I could get back into horse riding competitively later,” Paulazzo said.

True to her high school self’s word, Paulazzo reentered the horse riding sphere in 2018. At first, she was only around horses as much as her daughter: dropping her off at riding practice, hanging out with the horses while waiting, then returning home. Eventually, fed up with just standing around, Paulazzo began to take her own horse riding lessons at the same time as her daughter.

Around this time, Paulazzo’s friend made an offer for a care lease: Paulazzo would care for her friend’s old show horse and pay all of his expenses, but would be able to  access him anytime.

“In high school, there is plenty of pressure to cram in extracurriculars before leaving for college; then in college, the pressure to compete and improve quickly is higher. Pursuing horse riding now has let me take off those expectations and ride at whatever pace my horse and I find comfortable,” Paulazzo said.

Her newfound ability to take things slow has led Paulazzo to build back up to riding in competitions. In her event, “Hunters,” horses clear obstacles akin to debris that one might find in an English countryside, such as hedges, gates or greenery—in Paulazzo’s competitions, usually reaching heights of two to three feet. Judges watch for quality over quantity, meaning they give higher scores to riders that keep a steady seat on their horses than those who make mistakes. Paulazzo’s strong mutual trust in her horse has been of great help to her in this sort of competition.

Paulazzo acknowledges that she is not pushing herself as hard as she can when horse riding; but more importantly, she has spent years reconnecting with an old hobby, this time with enough freedom to let her savor it.

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About the Contributors

Gwen Carroll is the page editor for community news and last word. it is her third year in journalism. she likes playing rhythm games and taking naps when it's warm out.