Ashley Johnson, 48, is a professional equestrian rider, coach and a sport psychology professional. She competes at the 5 Star division, the highest level of event competition. She’s spent decades atop a saddle in a high-risk sport. Johnson says that in her profession you get banged up a fair amount.
Back in the saddle: a peek into the perilous world of a 5 star equestrian
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Ashley Johnson, 48, is silhouetted against an overcast sky while atop her horse on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. Johnson said she has felt a connection to horses since she was young. “I learned to ride before I even remember learning to ride,” Johnson said. “It’s like floating in the ocean, it’s just a natural movement to me.”
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Ashley Johnson, left, coaches her student Anais Naoumoff while riding Sprout, a 14-year-old chestnut mare on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, at her barn in Ocala, Fla. Johnson has been coaching equestrian professionally since she was in high school. “I learned that I loved helping people and I loved helping the horses,” Johnson said. “I love the process of the development.”
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Anais Naoumoff, a 20-year-old equestrian student taught by Johnson, jumps over a hurdle on Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, in Ocala, Fla.
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Ashley Johnson wrangles a young colt at her barn in Ocala, Fla., on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Banks, the young colt, is a little sassy. He’s been sat in before, but he still has a bit of a buck in him, she said.
Valentina Sarmiento/WUFT News
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Ashley Johnson coaches her students from a golf cart while wearing a knee brace on Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. She carts a pair of crutches with her following a knee injury she suffered while training young horses two days prior at her barn in Ocala, Fla. “I’ve had veterinarians X-ray me before, instead of going to the hospital,” Johnson said. “Horse people are crazy…I was back on a horse as soon as I could walk which was about a week in.”
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Ashley Johnson wears a knee brace and carries crutches on Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. Johnson said she hit a sensitive spot behind the horse’s saddle making the horse buck. “When both of my feet hit the ground, the momentum from the horse twisted me and my knee — I felt it move. I felt the bones move, and it popped my ACL,” Johnson said.
Valentina Sarmiento/WUFT News
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Ashley Johnson catches her breath and attempts to recover after being bucked off her horse in Ocala, Fla., on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. “It’s a really interesting sport. You have to be able to take the good and the bad,” Johnson said. “It’s not like it’s all beautiful and it’s not like it’s all terrible, so you have to have a realistic view.”
Valentina Sarmiento/WUFT News