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Anna Platek of Weston, Connecticut, has come a long way in only a few short years. Despite starting her riding career in seventh grade, last year she captured the Zone 1 Horse of the Year award on Vindoctro for the High Children’s Jumpers. “I never thought I would be able to do it!” said Anna.

Now a high school senior, Anna is balancing school, riding, and sports. “It’s been a hectic year,” she exclaimed. In addition to her AP classes, Anna played soccer in the fall. “Soccer is three hours a day so it takes up a lot of my time. But my parents said if I was going to ride that I had to play a team sport, too.”

She appreciates her trainers at Starbuck Equestrian, Amanda and Juliana Starbuck. “They have definitely helped me get where I am. They know I can’t devote all my time to riding and really understand how I have to balance my life. ” Anna is making the big jump this year to the Low Junior Jumpers. Her goal for the moment is “just to have clean, safe rounds. I want to be successful in my transition to that division and have a good final junior year; I really want to savor it.”

Some of her favorite wins have been the WEF Circuit Championship last year in the 15-17 High Children’s Jumper division on Limerick, winning the Children’s Hunter Pony class at the Marshall and Sterling Finals on Forever After and the Zone 1 championship with Vindoctro.

“Vindoctro is very big but rides like a small horse,” she said. “He’s very athletic; he’s in it to win it!” Anna is leasing Déjà Vu right now. “She is small and hot headed, 15.2, a little bullet, she’ll jump from anywhere!”

Anna plans to major in economics or biology in college, or perhaps pre-vet. “I’m definitely a math and science girl; those are the things I excel at.”

Anna describes herself as “very ambitious,” and the results speak for themselves. In a mere five years she went from beginner to winning HOTY for Zone 1 in a hotly contested division. Anna plans to ride in college, and whatever she does, we can be sure she’ll do it to the best of her ability.