Alyna Ruiz is a freshman here at Mt. SAC Early College Academy and has a passion for riding horses.

Alyna has been riding horses for two years, and started during quarantine when her dad would take her riding at his ranch. Since then, she has absolutely loved riding horses.

“I like riding horses because you just feel so peaceful and it is so fun,” Alyna says.

Alyna also plays Escaramuza, a sport in which eight girls perform a synchronized routine on horses. She likes Escaramuza because it has allowed her to make friends and has taught her various skills.

“[Y]ou have to be patient in order for an exercise to come out [the way you want it to],” Alyna describes. “Not every practice is going to be good because your horse can…just not want to work with [you]. That’s what you have to expect when you are working with live animals.”

Alyna has two horses that she has to care for. One of them is for her team, whilst the other is for her sliding, which is a technique used for horseback riding.

“I don’t use the other [horse] for my team because he likes to fight with other horses,” Alyna explains.

Like any other animal, you have to take care of your horses, so Alyna makes sure that her horses are exercised, given showers, brushed, and have their stalls cleaned.

Regardless of the difficulties that come with playing Escaramuza, Alyna loves playing the sport.