By Matt Browning

Dawson Archibald of the Andover eCademy was chosen as the Shelter Insurance Athlete of the Month for March. Archibald is a highly accomplished equestrian and recently was named the Triple Crown champion.

“It was a tremendous honor,” Archibald said. “I was so proud to share it with my family, trainers, and my horse, Cash. Winning the Triple Crown was my biggest dream and when it came true I felt as if I was on cloud nine.”

Archibald has been in love with horses since her grandmother signed her up for riding lessons when she was six years old. Archibald started with Cheryl Manahan at Wichita Riding Academy and now trains with Todd Miles of Milestone Stables out of Tennessee.

“Todd found me all of my current horses and continues to make all my wildest dreams come true along with my instructor, Macey Miles,” Archibald said. “Macey is also a Triple Crown winner making winning the same title all that much cooler.”

While equestrian is not as mainstream as most other sports, the amount of time, commitment and training is grueling.

“Equestrian sports take a huge amount of time, mental power, physical strength and hours upon hours of practice,” Archibald said. “It is a true test of teamwork and perseverance. You must have an incredible drive to be able to wake up every day and push just like with every sport.”

Archibald plans to go to college online so that she can remain in the horse industry. Her dream job would be teaching equestrian.