For the past eight years, Senior Ella Fusco has been actively engaged in competitive equestrian shows with her horse Mario. 

As Fusco is getting ready to go to college, she will be bringing her horse along with her; however, she said she wouldn’t be competitively showing anymore once in college.

“This is my last year competitively showing because when I go to college, my horse and I are going to relax and have fun. We might still do shows here and there, but we wouldn’t be going for points or ribbons,” Fusco said. 

Since this is her last year showing, for her graduation gift, Fusco gets to travel out-of-state for three weeks, starting in February to show her horse.

“I get to show my horse down in Florida, which has been a life-long goal of mine,” she said.

Fusco also mentioned that the hunter-jumper shows in Florida are some of the biggest shows when it comes to competing with your horse. She said that being able to ride her horse in one of those shows gives her a feeling of accomplishment. 

“I’ve worked so hard for the past eight years of my life and I fell in love with this horse. Mario is my heart horse and I wouldn’t want to do it with any other horse,” Fusco said. 

While she is spending the majority of her time with her horse doing shows, during her downtime, Fusco said she is taking the chance to explore Venice, Florida. 

To be able to spend her time in Florida managing both her events and school, Fusco applied to be a part-time student for her 2nd Semester of senior year with the help of her mom. 

Fusco will finish all her graduation requirements by the end of the school year and will be able to walk the stage with the rest of her classmates May 10.