Asking for a pony is something many kids do at some time in their life. Most kids’ parents fulfill that dream by taking them to a petting zoo or maybe horseback riding once or twice. But freshmen Peyton Vargus gets to live that dream every day.

Horseback riding for more than six years, Peyton got her start through a family friend and practices mostly three times a week.

We had like a family friend and he got married to this girl and they ended up moving out to a farm so they had like a ranch and they all and horses,” she said. “Then Anna, my school friend, started going there, and then my family wanted me to go there and check it out and I ended up falling in love with it.”

But Peyton doesn’t just ride horses, she also competes in various events.

“I do like barrel racing so it’s just like the adrenaline rush you get when you’re like running with an animal,” Peyton said. “ It’s like something that is indescribable until you actually do it.”

Although fun for Peyton, horseback riding is a little scary for her mom Karen Vargus.

“I know that it is something that she loves, and it’s truly a passion so I am happy that she found something that she really enjoys, but it does make me nervous,” Karen said. “God forbid something would happen and she gets injured. so that’s always in the back of my mind, but I know she really loves it so I just accept that.”

Part of her passion is beyond her control as her horse Bugsy doesn’t always do what is wanted or expected.

“Things don’t always go as planned, you know you’re dealing with an animal and Bugsy can sometimes be unpredictable,” Karen said. “So as much as you practice or go over something, he has a mind of his own.”

Seeing Bugsy act up is something her teammate, and Vandeventer Middle School student, Kennedy Cockrell has seen firsthand, and it’s made Peyton fearless.

“Her biggest strength is probably like controlling her horse because her horse is really crazy sometimes,” Cockrell said. “And she also gets over her fears really fast and never gives up. She helps me in ways if her horse is being bad and she fixes it, she teaches me when my horse does that same thing how to correct it and to like not give up.”

Already helping teammates, Peyton doesn’t plan on pursuing horseback riding as a career, but she does see it remaining in her life.

“I would like to continue this for a while, but I personally wouldn’t like to go into a career with it,” Peyton said. “But I would like to own horses when I get older and live on a farm, but hopefully my kids are interested or something and then I’d be there supporting them.”