Page 70 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2017

KIDS deck me a ruby
70 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • April 2017 FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net
-year-old 11
horsewoman racking up show awards
illian Gillis of Gulfport has been competing in equestrian sports from a very young age. In fact, her very first exhibition in the show arena was when she was only 18 months old. Granted,
cared much for prizes and ribbons, but she wanted to get back out there the next day and win.” Her reasoning? Jillian was up against a Canadian rider, and she wanted to win the Championship for her hometown.
back in those days the horse was lead by her mother, Jennifer Gillis, who kept control on the other end of a lead line as Jillian rode.
A girl couldn’t ask for a better role
model than her own mother, who has
more than 37 years of experience in
upper level equestrian competition.
Gillis has also coached junior horseback riding for 20 years, and even performed and trained at the popular dinner show Medieval Times. “At first I didn’t know how it would
be to coach my own daughter, but Jillian is the best student I could ever have,” Gillis said. “We have so much fun together, and that’s what matters.”
Today, eleven-year-old Jillian is quite the avid horsewoman, as is evidenced by her many championship wins. Last year, she competed
in the Gulf Coast Winter Classic and brought home the title of Circuit Champion. She and her Quarter Horse companion, Deck Me a Ruby — Ruby for short — compete in 15 shows each year, and recently showed in the 2017 Gulf Coast Classic.
“During the first week of this year’s Classic, Jillian had a rough first day,” said Jennifer Gillis, Jillian’s mother as well as her trainer. “She wasn’t particularly upset as she’s never
Jillian earned four Championship titles and two Reserve titles in this year’s Gulf Coast Winter Classic.
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster photos courtesy of Jennifer Gillis
We have so much fun together, and that’s what matters.
j