Wilmington Sunday Spotlight: Darby Mullally

Wilmington, Ohio – This week’s Wilmington Sunday Spotlight shines on Darby Mullally, a talented 12-year-old rider who spent the weekend showing her two horses, Fiat and Glasgow, in the R+L Arena. From her very first rides on ponies to competing in Children’s Hunters, Darby has developed a passion for the sport and a love for animals that shines both in and out of the ring!

WEC: How did you get started riding?
Well, my mom rides and my sister rides, and I was born in 2013, when my sister was seven and she was doing short stirrup. There was this little pony at our schooling barn named Boo who I learned to ride on. I have just been riding ever since then.

WEC: Can you tell me about the horses you have here right now?
Fiat is here. He’s very kind and loves treats. Then there’s my other one, Teddy, who’s getting unbraided right now. He’s a little sassy, and he also loves treats. I showed in the pony divisions and I just recently started showing horses. This is my first show on Teddy and I did

WEC: What are your goals now that you have two horses in the Children’s Hunters?
I want to go to Capital Challenge with both of them and hopefully qualify for the Children’s Medal at Capital Challenge and the Children’s Challenge. Hopefully, I will go to Washington or Harrisburg too!

WEC: Can you tell me about your experience showing here at WEC – Wilmington?
I really like how many decorations they put up and the interesting jumps because they don’t really have those at other shows. The food’s good, the people are nice, and I love Melissa and Molly! Everyone is so kind here.

WEC: How do you manage school and riding?
My teachers are very flexible, which I’m very thankful for. They send all of my work with me, and we have a Chromebook at school that they upload stuff to Google Classroom on, so I just bring my Chromebook and do my work.

WEC: What’s your favorite part about this sport?
I really love animals, and I want to be a vet. My favorite part is definitely finding an animal that likes you and that you like. It’s just really fun.