Natasha Daigle, a senior at Lewiston High School, started horseback riding at age 7 and showing at 10. Years of hard work paid off in October when she placed sixth in her age class at the Morgan Horse Grand Nationals and World Championships in Oklahoma City. She rides saddle seat on Lucie (a.k.a. Sensational Touch) and has big, horse-filled plans for the future.

Name: Natasha, Tasha, little Daigle

Age: 17

Lives: Lewiston

Tell us about your experience in Oklahoma: It was incredible. Getting ready for it was crazy, it was really stressful, and then once we got there, it was like “Oh My God. I don’t care how stressful it was, this was worth it.” While we were getting ready for it, my family and I were fundraising. I was trying to balance school, and work, and training, plus I was going to physical therapy for my ankle, but now that I am back, I would not trade any of it for anything in the world.

Is the competition pretty intense? It is so crazy! There are more than 1,000 horses there from about 45 states, and even from different countries. The part that I loved about the competition there was that everyone you were competing against had an incredible team behind them from the horse and rider to the trainer, and assistant trainer, and their families. There are only minor details between you and the person that is right above or below you in a placing. Every move you make in the show arena counts, and because there are three judges for each class, your every move is seen.

What are your plans for college, and will Lucie go with you? I am going to go to school to major in equine studies. My top two choices for school are actually in England, which is so exciting. My other choices are Bethany College in West Virginia, and Stephens College and William Woods University, which are both in Missouri. It’s a bummer, but Lucie will not be coming to college with me. She is still a young horse, and we will end up either selling her or leasing her. I think she still has a long and successful show career ahead of her.

What’s the last non-equine book you read? Well, we just finished reading a few of the tales from “The Canterbury Tales” in AP English Literature. They were actually really funny.

Last music listened to that you’d recommend? The last thing I listened to was a mixed playlist from iTunes. It had stuff on it from Matt Nathanson, La Roux, Annie Little, Colbie Caillat, Ingrid Michealson and Eric Hutchinson.

Twitter, MySpace and Facebook: Yeah or nay? I use (MySpace) just because it is a really easy way to keep in touch with my friends who I don’t see every day or that are in college right now.

A little-known horse factoid: Lucie actually likes food that I eat. When we were at the New England Regional, my breakfast every morning was two Cliff Bars, and I would always share them with her because if I didn’t, she would start hitting her hoof on her stall door.

Copy the Story Link