Reed Kessler Video Interview, U.S. Olympic Equestrian

Despite being disqualified from competition, U.S. equestrian Reid Kessler is still holding onto her dreams of bringing home an Olympic gold medal in the future. Kessler, 18, became the youngest American to compete at the 2012 London Olympics in her sport.

Born in Armonk, New York, Kessler almost seemed destined to be an equestrian from the time she was born. “I’ve been riding my whole life,” Kessler told Uinterview in our exclusive video. “Since I was six months old, my parents put me on a basket on my first pony and tied my stuffed animals to the trees, and that’s how I learned to steer. My parents were riding for thirty years. My trainer is my godmother, Katie Prudent, so it’s always been riding for me.”

From her early days of riding, Kessler started participating in competitive jumping at the age of 12, and hasn’t looked back since. Four years later, Kessler won her first major award after beating out Herves Godington in the Land Rover Grand Prix. The next year, Kessler won the U.S National Show Jumping Championship.

While Kessler is still trying to get used to her sudden rise to stardom, along with the amount of media attention she has been receiving, all the praise and media exposure have not surprised any of her teammates. “She’s a very talented girl and was beautifully managed and has a great support team behind her,” two-time Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward told Newsday.