by Diane E. Barber
Horses have captivated Haley Harrington since she was 4-years-old. She has drawn pictures of them, photographed them and written poems about them. She has devoured countless books about them and as a competitor she has won countless blue ribbons and, most recently, championship rose garlands.
Over the past year she and her horse Bendito Sidiago have won two National Championships and a Reserve Championship at the Arabian Horse Youth Nationals in August in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“Some people didn’t think we would make it because Benito is a half Arabian pony and doesn’t look like an Arabian. We had a really hard time for a long time, but we made it. I am so proud of him,” she said.
Harrington not only competed on a pony with limited professional training, she had to get very active in the Arabian Horse Youth Association (AHYA) to have sport horse classes added to the competition schedule. The sport horse category is for horses with the conformation, movement and disposition to be competitive in dressage, jumping, driving, eventing and hunter classes. After successfully having the classes added, she won top honors in them. As a testament to her hard work and the respect she garnered with the AHYA, she is now the vice president and historian of the organization.
Why does she compete then?
“I compete because I love the challenge and the feeling of knowing that my horse and I are a team and one as we make a seamless turn or jump — that is really the sweetest victory of all,” she said.
Along with the familiar grace, courage, and kindness that she wears with a smile in and out of the saddle, her apparent charitable nature and compassion for others is notably atypical of most teenagers.
“The first time I was exposed to community service I was in 7th grade at Ridgecrest Intermediate School. In leadership class, I learned about the joy of helping other people. I was forever changed. I was in charge of a school supplies drive to bring school supplies to kids in Africa. The response was overwhelming. I brought 150 pounds (three full suitcases) to Africa and still had half of all the supplies collected left over. The other supplies were given to School on Wheels, an organization for kids without an address, and to Harbor Interfaith, a shelter in San Pedro. In 8th grade, I took leadership class again. That year, I was one of three girls in charge of putting on a Halloween carnival for the school to raise money for UNICEF. Also, I helped raise money for Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital, collected goods for the soldiers in Iraq, raised money to send the care goods to the soldiers, and ran a school supplies drive. I so enjoyed my time in my leadership classes that I created HOPE, which stands for Helping Other People Everywhere, and that is exactly what I want to do.”
“Every year, hundreds of useable backpacks, binders, pens, pencils, and other educational supplies are thrown away. Not only is this wasteful, it is harmful to the environment. I created a school supplies reuse project (reHOPE) that not only provides school supplies to children in need; it also reduces harmful impacts to the environment. reHOPE involves collecting unwanted school supplies from students at the intermediate and high schools in the Palos Verdes Unified School District and delivering the collected supplies to school children in need,” said Haley.
After school, Harrington and a small corps of volunteers can be found collecting salvageable school supplies from campus trashcans. The discarded items are loaded into waiting cars and driven to Harrington’s Rolling Hills Estates home to be separated, organized and boxed. They are then taken to the Long Beach Unified School District, Schools on Wheels, and Harbor Interfaith Shelter.
Haley rounds out her charitable activities by volunteering for the Peter Zippi Fund for Animals in Hermosa Beach. Founded in 1977 by South Bay veterinarian Dr. Alice Villalobos, the fund sponsors medical treatment, shelter, and adoptions for lost and homeless animals.
Setting her sights high is second nature for the high school senior. She is captain of the Peninsula High School equestrian team and is applying to some of the top universities in the United States. Most likely, she will find a way to have her beloved companion Benito close by wherever she goes.
My horse and I
by Haley Harrington
We race ahead
Through the
Sweet
Soft breeze
Towards
The stars
The moon
Towards the sky
My horse and I
His muscles
Ripple
His stride
Lengthens
We breathe
In time
My horse and I
My bare feet
Brush
His silky hide
Hands outstretched
To catch the
Velvet sky
Through the
Night
Through the
Dark
There is only
My horse and I
In this
Moment
We are
Flying
And in this
Moment
We are
Free
My horse and I
