Meet the La Cueva senior going to Georgia on an equestrian scholarship

Like a lot of little girls, Hallie Blair dreamed of one day owning a pony.

While that’s little more than a passing fancy for some, Hallie’s vision only became more resolute with time.

“My dad made me a promise that by the time I was in middle school, he would get me a horse,” Hallie said. “He thought it was just a phase, but of course, he would always keep his promise if it wasn’t.”

It wasn’t a phase. In fact, it was the furthest thing from it. Though Hallie’s parents weren’t what you would call “horse people,” her aunt was well acquainted with that world, which was how Hallie ended up with a horse named Batman in the sixth grade. While Batman is now retired and serves as a therapy horse in Park City, Utah, for people with disabilities, Hallie has continued to reach great heights with her riding.

Currently a senior at La Cueva, Hallie will attend the University of Georgia on scholarship to ride for the school’s equestrian team in the fall of 2025. She specializes in reining, which is designed to show off the skills and abilities of a horse through a pattern of movements, all of which are scored by judges based on the quality of each maneuver.

“When we tell people about it, it’s kind of like the difference between figure skating and ice dancing,” says Hallie’s mother, Wendy. “Ice dancing is very graceful, whereas figure skating is really much more dynamic with the lifts and jumps and such — and that’s really what reining is.

“It is very much a very athletic type of sport on a horse. They’ve got spin maneuvers. They’ve got really fast circles. They’ve got running slides and stops. That is really the hallmark of reining riding.”

Hallie won her first belt buckle — symbolizing a championship or significant victory — in 2016 and has been building her collection ever since as one of the top reining horse riders in the country. Some of that hardware, along with her saddle and other awards, were on display for national signing day at La Cueva on Nov. 13.

La Cueva’s athletic program is no stranger to success, but Hallie’s talents were initially viewed as little more than a curiosity by her peers.

“I didn’t really let anyone know until probably like ninth grade when I knew that I wanted to be scouted for a collegiate equestrian team,” Hallie said. “So I had to be really active about it on my Instagram, and then people started finding out. They think it’s just a hobby, but they think I can’t go anywhere from it. People call me a ‘horse girl,’ and I don’t really care.”

Perceptions did change somewhat when it became known that Hallie had earned a full ride to Georgia for her riding exploits.

“Now they call me a D-1 horse girl,” Hallie said.

What her classmates also might not know is the dedication required to reach this point. Multiple times per week, Hallie hits the road — either to Scottsdale, Ariz., for training or other spots around the country for shows. It took some time for her teachers to come around to her schedule, but Hallie always made up the work.

“She’s a 3.9 student, and her teachers really like her,” Wendy said. “I mean, maybe there was one or two that were upset that she wasn’t in class all the time. We actually had to go to a parent-teacher conference. I said, ‘Listen, this kid isn’t ditching … she’s gone for a purpose.’ And if the purpose of high school is to further your education and go on to college, that’s what she’s working for. Eventually, they all understood, and now, they’re all very supportive of her.”

Hallie is also something of an underdog in her sport of choice. Many athletes who compete in reining and other equestrian sports are horse trainer’s kids, which means they have all the resources they need within close proximity. That Hallie earned a scholarship without that type of pedigree is a testament to her work ethic.

“It makes me push myself to my limit because I only get to ride a couple times a month,” Hallie said. “I go to the horse shows, and I’m expected to perform as well or better than the girls who ride every day. And that’s who I was competing against for a college spot because college coaches love to look at the trainer’s daughters. I just love that it pushes you so hard.”

The playing field is leveled in college reining because riders from both teams compete on the same horse. In past years, Hallie grew accustomed to facing competition with high-priced horses.

“Sometimes it’s hard to compete against a girl with, like, a $300,000 horse because it’s just a machine,” Hallie said. “But when you go to collegiate riding, you’re competing against a girl on the same horse. So it’s all strategy.”

To put it another way: “Holly competes right now on a Camry, against girls who have got Ferraris, basically,” Wendy said.

Regardless, Hallie did enough to impress the Bulldog coaching staff. And since it’s program with seven national championships, that carries some weight.

“Hallie comes to Georgia with a wealth of experience in the reining arena on the big stage,” western associate head equestrian coach McKenzie Lantz Breuker said in a statement. “She rides with very decorated professionals who have helped prepare her for what comes ahead. Hallie is a great showman that has an attention-grabbing style that will prove well in the college setting. She has gotten to show various horses in her career which will help to lay a foundation in her collegiate riding.”

In the present day, Hallie’s immediate family is a lot closer to being “horse people” than they were at the beginning. After all, it was kind of mandatory.

“Oh my gosh,” Wendy said. “I went from knowing nothing — I still say I don’t know anything — (but) I do know more than probably the average person, but it’s a lot (to learn).”

Hallie may have defied the odds to get to where she is, but she doesn’t necessarily look at it that way.

“I don’t think I ever counted myself as an underdog because I just knew where I had to be, and then I got there eventually,” she said.