Here, students are involved in numerous activities and athletics. For a few select students, a majority of their time is spent in the barn at the crack of dawn and completing the necessary chores for their horses.
 Most high school students cringe at the word “chores,” but for the students who raise, train and ride horses, it is something they are accustomed to.
 “I wake up at 6:30 a.m. every day during the summer to start my chores,” senior Taylor Jacobs said.
 Jacobs has been around horses for as long as she can remember. “I grew up with my family raising horses,” Jacobs said. “I am used to the chores and I actually don’t mind it.”
 For Jacobs, completing chores isn’t a hassle at all. She enjoys going outside to clean, feed and brush her horses. “I love being out there with my horses,” Jacobs said. “My favorite part is getting to ride my horse and then practicing for competitions.”
 Like all athletes, horses need to exercise and practice to be performance-ready. Jacobs performs in numerous competitions but her most common entry is in the halter division, which is judged by the muscle and body of the horse.
 In 2009, Jacobs and her Pony of America (POA) won the halter division at the State Fair and placed second in 2010. Jacobs has received numerous awards with her POA and for the past four years they have gone undefeated in open shows.
 Along with her POA, Jacobs also has a quarter horse that she competes with.
 Last year at the State Fair, Jacobs was in the Top 10 Showmen and the Cowgirl Queen Contest, where she represented the Southeast Polk FFA.
 Looking to the future, Jacobs sees herself continuing her passion with horses. “Raising horses has been a tradition within my family and someday when I have a family of my own, I want to pass it down to them,” Jacobs said.
 “I love the time I get to spend with my family because of the horses. It is something that my sister and I enjoy and I get to share my passion with her,” she said.
 Along with Jacobs, there are other students here that share the same love and passion for their horses. Senior Kelsey Meiners has been around horses for the majority of her life as well.
 “When I was six years old, my parents bought my brother and me riding lessons as a Christmas present,” Meiners said.
 Almost every child wishes for a pony for Christmas, but after Meiners completed her riding lessons she fell in love with horses and decided that she was going to make horses her passion.
 As Meiners became more involved with horses, she became the owner of an Arabian horse, which in the horse industry is one of the more elite horses.
 People who, like Meiners, spend much time and energy riding horses are called “equestrians.” Meiners competes and shows in a category called “equitation” which is judged on her skill in how she handles her horse and how the horse responds to her.
 Before Meiners can compete, she has to get both her horse and herself ready for show. “It takes about an hour and a half to get completely ready,” Meiners said. “I clean the stall and bathe, brush and spray his coat with shine spray.”
 Last year, Meiners rode on a team of five with the Chrishan Park Barn. Meiners and her team competed at nationals where two of the girls on the team were deemed national champions and Meiners was the reserve national champion.
 “I loved the feeling I would get when I went out in the ring,” Meiners said.