Texas A & M awaits South Elgin's Buchmiller

When she was little, all Haley Buchmiller talked about was horses.

So her parents, Carl and Debra, took her to the Streamwood-based Perfecta Farm.

“My parents said since I could talk, all I talked about was horses,” says Buchmiller, a senior at South Elgin High School. “The knew some people who rode at Perfecta. They thought if I did it I would get scared and stop talking about it.”

Didn't happen.

“I didn't get scared,” she says. “I just kept going at it and now here I am.”

Buchmiller has turned a childhood fancy into something that has led to a college education. Buchmiller, a Bartlett resident, recently earned an equestrian scholarship to Texas A & M University.

Equestrian is regarded as an emerging NCAA sport. Buchmiller says there are 23 schools in the country that have equestrian teams 18 of them being at the NCAA Division I level. According to Buchmiller, Texas A & M is ranked No. 1 in the country currently, while schools like Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina and Baylor are among the other highly touted programs.

“It's something I've been dreaming about for awhile,” Buchmiller said. “It's neat to know it has become a reality. I feel accomplished. And now I have more goals to look forward to.”

Buchmiller looked into attending Texas A &M, Southern Methodist, Georgia and Auburn.

“I pretty much narrowed it down to Texas A & M,” she explains. “I wanted to go somewhere warm and was interested in the schools that are higher in the rankings. Texas A & M is where I felt right and where I belonged. I really felt the biggest connection to the coach and the girls on the team. We clicked. It felt natural to be there.”

The connection to her future teammates was important to Buchmiller.

“Even though it's an individual sport, you are still part of the team,” she said. “You have to support each other. You may not be competing in every competition, but you still have to support the team and do your part around the barn with mucking stalls and making sure the horses are taken care of.”

Buchmiller would like to study equine science at Texas A & M (her goal is to earn a degree in animal sciences with a focus on behavior management). She sports a 3.8 grade-point average at South Elgin.

“It's more about things like management and nutrition and behavior of horses,” she said. “Just like my trainer (Perfecta's Kim Gardiner), I would like to own my own horse business someday.”

Buchmiller has enjoyed a fruitful equestrian career. A 10-year veteran of equestrian competitions, she has earned a silver medal from the United States Equestrian Federation an honor presented to individuals that have earned 10 wins in competition. She is working toward her gold-medal recognition (20 wins). This weekend, Buchmiller earned her 15th medal at the Ledges Sporting Horses event in Roscoe.

Buchmiller has won the Illinois Hunter and Jumper Association Equitation in the 15-17-year-old age division the past three years.

She's also competed in national competitions in Syracuse, N.Y., Gladstone, N.J., and Harrisburg, Pa.

“To be able to qualify in those has been a huge accomplishment by itself,” she says.

Gardiner says commitment and hard work have pushed Buchmiller to great heights over the years.

“She puts a lot of effort into it,” Gardiner said. “She's a good horse manager. She knows the horses and takes care of them herself. She's very dedicated to it. It's not just her own personal ridings. She's done volunteer work for our handicapped riders and she's a good role model to the younger kids we have here.”

Gardiner revealed that in addition to her Texas A & M scholarship, Buchmiller has also been awarded a $1,000 scholarship by the IHJA, which factors in exemplary riding, as well as sportsmanship and being a role model.

Buchmiller's current horse is a 12-year-old Oldenburg Warmblood named Stiletto.

“We called her ‘Pumps,' ” she laughs.

Stiletto, though, was sidelined by injury for a stretch in 2009 and the beginning of 2010, forcing Buchmiller to find catch rides (industry jargon for a rider who rides other people's horses in shows).

“She's at full-strength now,” Buchmiller said of Stiletto. “I was able to compete with her nationally this fall. I feel like I perform my best with me on her. I'm able to establish that bond. When she was hurt, I had to rehabilitate her. I feel like it's drawn a better connection between us because I spend so much time taking care of her.”

Rising to great success in equestrian, however, has required some sacrifice for Buchmiller, who has a part-time job at an area tanning salon.

“It takes up most of my time,” she says. “I don't have that drive for anything else. I'm so passionate about this. I'll go home and then go straight to the barn and ride until 9 p.m. I'm out there six days a week for long hours, plus I have to take care of the horses. That in itself is a lot of work. It's not something you can throw in a garage and be fine. They are animals.”

And now Buchmiller is excited to get on with the next phase of her life.

“It's been such a huge passion of mine. I want to make a career out of it,” she says. “Going to Texas A & M, they are going to help me find more interests in this field. When I'm older I want to spread my knowledge to younger riders.”