Isabella Hudson (IH)

Scarlet Gitelson (SG)

What’s your favorite sticker on your computer?

It was from a competition I did for horseback riding. It just reminds me, because I miss it a lot.

How did you get interested in horseback riding?

I did a camp when I was 6 or 5, and I just took off from there. It started as lessons and then it was a horseback riding camp. And then I did competition season for one year and then I got my own horse and then another horse and just kept on doing it. And never really stopped, ever.

What’s your favorite part of the sport? 

I think it’s such a mentally hard sport because it’s like your partner is literally an animal who doesn’t speak English—doesn’t really speak at all—and you have to kind of read their mind and read their body language. It’s so rewarding when something’s going right. It’s all the hard work you put in, and you have this symbolic relationship and connection with an animal. So when you’re having a good ride, you’re like, “Wow.” All the times where you’re like crying because you fell off or whatever it is—it’s so rewarding. So I think that that’s my favorite part is when I meet a new horse, get a new horse and spend years building our connection and building trust and building a relationship together and it finally begins to pay off—that’s really special.

How do you build that trust?

It depends. For example, my first horse, Dan, loved loved loved just you petting him. I spent a lot of time in their stalls—I get them ready, I take care of them, I brush them—just quality time. I think other horses prefer when you actually aren’t around them and let them do their job. I think my main thing is I like to spend a lot of time with them in their stall, in their space, to see what they like. When you get them ready, do they stand up or do they look around? Are they anxious? Just their behavior and just time with riding them over and over and over again to see how different situations they react to and so they can also sense how I’m reacting to different situations. I feel like that builds a lot of trust.

When you’re just kind of like sitting in their stall, getting them ready, what are you thinking about?

I usually am thinking, “Oh, God, I hope this ride goes well today.” I can’t lie. I’m usually trying to sense if they seem tired or happy. If they seem to have a lot of energy. It depends, really. With my younger horse, I just pray to God that today’s not the day he decides to take me off him and takes me down. He’s kind of a wild card. So I see how his mood is. It’s just my place to decompress. So I usually put music on, and I decompress, and I sit there, and I’m in the moment, and I’m thinking about my ride. I’m thinking about really nothing else but my ride and the horse.

 What’s your favorite song to play?

I listen to the most random. I go from the hardest rap to the countriest country to Taylor Swift. So, I’m really all across the board.

What’s one thing about you that you think your friends wouldn’t expect?

I’m kind of introverted, and I really actually enjoy being alone. I’m loud, I’m always screaming, and I’m very talkative when I’m with my friends, and I love being with my friends, but I think, I really, really like being alone. I like not talking to people. I think that helps me be able to talk to people and be loud.

What’s your favorite thing to do by yourself when you just need to decompress?

I usually watch “Pitch Perfect” or some sort of cartoon, or not cartoon but animated. I was watching “Rio” last night, the bird movie. I hate shows that I have to really, really think about when I’m decompressing. I really like “Pitch Perfect,” “Mean Girls.” Any basic, dumb show is—when I’m decompressing—is my go to.

Who’s your favorite character from a TV show?

Phoebe from “Friends.” I think she’s so funny. I love her.

If you could live in any of the apartments that any of the “Friends” characters live in throughout the show, which one would you live in?

I think I’m going to have to go with Monica and Rachel’s, just because it’s the main one. It’s pretty, and it’s girly. Obviously, I wouldn’t want to live in the guys’ apartment.