nina ligon '10: pursuing her olympic dream
ESMONT – The late-autumn morning in southern Albemarle County was disagreeable and gloomy, and the visibility along a series of narrow, two-lane back roads that branched from Rt. 6 was limited at best.
Rain had been falling for almost 36 hours straight, and the temperature, 55 degrees, seemed cooler thanks to the moisture in the air.
Low-hanging clouds cast an ominous shade of gray. Snow showers were in the forecast.
A myriad puddles and rivulets turned the ground around the equestrian complex at River Lawn Farm into a virtual quagmire.
Still, Nina Ligon, Collegiate class of 2010, was busily at work.
You see, when you’re well within sight of your ultimate goal – earning a berth in the eventing competition in the 2012 Summer Olympics – there are precious few days off.
“This is pretty much my life,” Ligon said with a smile shortly after completing an 80-minute training session aboard Fernhill Fearless in a covered arena under the watchful eye of her dressage coach, Gert Zuther.
Ligon’s sport of choice is a three-phase crucible which includes dressage, cross country, and show jumping.
She’s very good. In fact, she’s one of the best.
As a 16-year-old high school sophomore, she won individual gold and led host Thailand (her mother Pan’s native country) to the team championship in the Southeast Asian Games.
In the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, her performance helped Thailand claim the silver medal.
This past spring, she transitioned to the three-star level, which elevated her into a select pool of Olympic contenders.
Her upgraded status also brought an invitation to participate in the London Test Event held in June at Greenwich Park, the site of the Olympic equestrian events.
“It was a chance for them to test the facilities as if they were running the Olympics,” she said
“It was a rare opportunity to see the venue which is a really important part of how we train and condition our horses and to see how the top riders from around the world handle the competition.”
This past November, the Fédération Equestre Internationale honored her with the HSBC Rising Star Award for athletes aged 14-21 who demonstrate outstanding talent and commitment.
“It was a really big shock,” she said. “I had no idea I’d been nominated.
“There’re a lot of really good riders out there. To be singled out is something special.”
A month later, the United States Eventing Association accorded her the Young Rider of the Year Award in the preliminary, intermediate, advanced, and overall categories for the second consecutive year.
Thailand does not field an Olympic equestrian team, so Ligon is attempting to qualify as an individual.
She ranks 14th on the FEI list. The expectation is that the organization will select 20 on March 1.
Her next major competition in Barocca d’Alva, Portugal, in late February will likely determine her future.
“It’s not ideal to compete so early in the season,” she said.
“It’s pretty much where everyone on the list will be, and there’re many within striking distance so I have no choice.”
Actually, horse and rider combinations must qualify based on points achieved in sanctioned competitions. Ligon and Fernhill Fearless, Tipperary Liadhnand, and Jazz King have met the standard. She and Butts Leon should follow suit by summer.
Winter is the off-season for eventers, for the hard ground heightens the risk of injury for “equine athletes” as they go through their jumping and cross country regimens.
Consequently, Ligon and her support team have relocated to Ocala, FL, and will set up camp in England if she earns an Olympic berth.
Ligon, 20, began riding when she was 5 and quickly discovered her athletic passion.
There were, of course, easier ways to indulge that passion than eventing, a complicated, high-risk endeavor that provides even the most accomplished practitioners more than a few unsettling, even frightening, moments.
So what, I asked her, is the allure?
“The sense of accomplishment,” she explained. “I started out as a very timid rider so I could conquer my fears.
“I’ve been very fortunate not to have too many bad falls, but there’ve been a couple of scary ones that made me wonder, ‘Why am I doing this?’
“But I really enjoy it, really love it.”
Despite all your success as an international athlete, you’ve remained refreshingly humble and grounded, I continued.
“There’re so many things that can go wrong,” she responded.
“That keeps you in check. Every time you’re up, there’s something
that brings you down again. You definitely can’t let success go to your head.”
What have you learned as a full-time equestrienne that you might not have learned if you’d continued to juggle school and riding? I asked
“I have a greater understanding of my horses because I spend so much time around the barn,” she said.
“The daily training is so important. That’s how you get to know
them best, learn to anticipate what they’ll do, and see how they’ll react to certain situations and how the two athletes complement each other.
“It’s very much a team sport. You’re not relying just on yourself but on another animal who has his own thoughts and is really quite unpredictable.
“Horses are incredibly different. Each one requires different training. Some are very fit athletes. Others, you’re constantly having to stay on top of their fitness. It’s dangerous to ride a tired horse because that’s when it starts making mistakes.
Your chances of making the Olympics seem excellent, I added
“It’s a lifelong dream,” she said. “The biggest part would be making it there.
“It would be great to be competitive.
“Most of the people going have way more experience than I do, so it’s just about going and giving a performance that I can be proud of.”
