Straight from the Rider’s Mouth: Saying the Hardest Goodbye

By UC Davis’ Lizzy Schulz, NCEA News:

Lizzy Schulz is a UC Davis junior from Marietta, Georgia. A Reiner and horse care captain, she has competed in USEF Medal Finals as well as USHJA Medal Finals, and was active in the Georgia Hunter Jumper Association. She is a managerial economics major with a minor in accounting at UC Davis. This is her story.

My journey as an NCEA rider has been anything less than extraordinary. I started riding when I was 7 years old. I did not come from a horse family or an area that had a lot of barns. So, I started out at a small barn nestled in the heart of my town. It began with one week of summer camp, then two weeks, and then me asking to take lessons consistently. Growing up, I did not have the financial resources to ride, but my mom picked up extra shifts and an extra job to make it happen.

For years I rode any horse I could. I started showing at a small Hunter Jumper circuit in Georgia on a pony my trainer rescued. After a few years, I got my first horse, a big bay warmblood named Casino. I took him to my first rated show in Tryon and I took every opportunity to watch the top riders and wonder how I could be like them. Unfortunately, Casino went lame in 2018 and was on stall rest for 9 months. During his time off, I went to the barn everyday to watch and learn from other riders. Even as a kid, I knew that the barn was my homebase. I eventually rehabbed him and moved up to the Children’s hunters and 3” Equitation. That is when I decided I wanted to do the Big Eq.

I convinced my mom to buy me a horse I found on Facebook. Happy was a young equitation prospect at a local sales barn. She was not the best mover or the most careful, but I fell in love with her heart. Not having the funds, I could not ride with the top equitation trainers in the country and drop everything to show on a big circuit. That’s when I started clinicing as much as I could to have access to the top of the sport. To afford the clinics and shows I began clipping, braiding, grooming, and doing any type of little job to make some extra money. This is when I discovered USHJA’s Emerging Athletes Program. I understood that I could not go to every big show, but I could get my name out there with EAP. My first regional session was in 2021 on Happy, I qualified for Nationals that year and in 2022. That fall I attended Capital Challenge and Medal Finals, working all night at the show to pay off my bills. This is when I started reaching out to coaches.

I was surprised to hear back from different big programs as some random girl from Georgia. I was never able to afford a summer camp, so I scrapped together any money I had to go visit different schools. I knew that my education was a priority and I did not want to sacrifice that. When my dad pointed out Davis, I knew I had to contact Head Coach Jill Humphrey. As soon as I stepped foot on Davis’s campus, I knew I was home. I was excited to continue talking to Jill and was working to move up to the Talent Search and 1.20 Junior Jumpers. January my Junior year, I imported my first real jumper, Tanner. I showed him and Happy until Happy had a career ending injury. In the Spring I worked hard to improve as a pair with Tanner and I made plans to take him to Jumping Seat Finals in the Fall. Tragically, he passed away that Summer and I was left horseless and hopeless about my riding career.

Knowing this was my last indoor season as a Junior, I leased a horse from a friend of a friend and catch rode anything I could. I still had Happy but we were not sure if she would be rideable again. Nevertheless, I took my new horse to indoors and competed in the High Adult jumpers once I aged out. I was still emailing coaches for recruitment, but then it took a turn for the worse. I broke my transfers process in my back and tore a ligament in my right ankle. I recovered, but I knew that my options as a recruit were limited. So, I turned my focus on applying to schools and showing in the jumpers. I knew in my heart that I wanted to go to Davis, even if I was not on the team. When I received my acceptance letter, I hit “accept” before I called my parents.

Right before I left for college, I injured my shoulder at USHJA Jumper Zone Championships and was in physical therapy. However, I tried to ignore the pain and move on. Jill was kind enough to keep me in the saddle my freshman year and I got a job at the campus Equestrian Center to keep horses in my life. I had no expectations of being on the team, I was just happy to be at a top university doing what I love most. Things changed quickly when I passed out in the shower and was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome. By the end of freshman year, my shoulder injury caught up with me and I had full reconstructive surgery. This is how I got diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which is a lack of connective tissue leading to severe pain and reoccurring dislocation of my joints. I was told that jumping was destroying my body. This news crushed me, but I knew there had to be a way for me to keep riding.

I spent that Summer in physical therapy and working at Spy Coast Farms in Lexington, Ky. I got a very unexpected text in September; Jill reached out to ask if I would be interested in walking on to the team. After explaining to her that my body would not tolerate Hunt Seat, she asked if I would be interested in the reining squad. I had ridden reiniers here and there growing up, but I was determined to work hard and learn the sport. Even though I was on contract until half way through preseason, the girls and coaches accepted me with open arms.

I was beyond grateful for Coach Jill and Coach Kendal, who took a big chance on me. I put my head down and worked as hard as I could to be a great teammate. In between my shifts at my different jobs and my classes, I would go to the barn to put in extra hours. I watched videos about reining and read countless articles on top of practicing so that I could improve and become a well-rounded horsewoman. I struggled everyday with chronic pain, but I had the best support system in the world. I was surrounded by the teammates, horses, and staff that I love. I had good days and bad days, but I always wanted to support my girls and watch them win.

After two years on the team, and one as horse-care captain, I have gotten to be a part of early mornings and late nights with my favorite people. I got to experience some of our biggest wins in program history, and nothing beats the feeling of cheering on your best friends and watching them win it big. If any recruit is reading this, being a starter is not all being on an NCEA team is, each girl plays a huge role in the team’s success and enjoy the journey you are on!

 

Sitting here writing this, I can’t help but mourn this program. As of January 9th, 2026, UC Davis Athletics cut the Equestrian team. This team means everything to me. I never expected to make it this far as a scrappy working student from Georgia facing chronic illness and economic hardship. I know there are many riders out there in the same boat as me, and I hope that they get to feel the love and support of a team like I had at Davis. This may be the end of a chapter, but I am thankful everyday that I was able to experience UCDEQ. Even on our worst days as a team, I could not have been happier to be there. Being an NCEA athlete gave me a home, horses, and a sisterhood I will never forget. So for every rider out there, be thankful for every day you have with your team, because you never realize how fast it can be taken away.