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SIDELINESMAGAZINE | June 2026
prah Winfrey said, “Your true passion
should feel like breathing; it’s that
natural.” At age 4, Ashleigh Kloppman
was fortunate to find her passion when her
mother signed Ashleigh and her sister, Megan,
up for horseback riding lessons.
“It was supposed to be a fun activity for Megan
and me to do. We quickly fell in love with it
and after some time, my mom, Jennifer, started
taking lessons as well. Even though my family
had little to no knowledge of horses, we ended
up purchasing a horse, Prince, early on,” Ashleigh
said. “That’s how the journey began for everyone.”
A year later, the family bought a second
Quarter Horse, Treasure, that Megan mainly
HUNTER-JUMPER
Getting Back On
to Find Her Forever Horse
By Laura Scaletti • Portraits by Kelly Mudd
rode while Ashleigh took the reins on Prince.
“Throughout the years, my mom, sister and I
would ride together and began showing. For
the first few years, we did Western, but then we
transitioned to English and low-level hunters,”
she said.
Having a shared passion with her mom and
sister has helped Ashleigh navigate the ups
and downs that come with loving, riding and
owning horses—but it hasn’t been easy. Two
riding accidents and several injuries to her
heart-horse hopeful have threatened the dream.
Time and time again, Ashleigh has proven that
horse girls are resilient and will never stray too
far from the horse world they love.
HORSE GIRL
Growing up, Ashleigh was the definition
of a “barn rat” and proud to be one. Whenever
Ashleigh wasn’t in school, she begged her mom
to take her out to the barn. “I was at the barn
seven days a week and spent several hours there
each day. The more time I could spend at the
barn, the better. I didn’t mind getting dirty—I
cleaned stalls, played in the dirt and jumped
jumps in the arena on foot,” she said. “I was the
definition of ‘crazy horse girl’ as a kid.”
Thankfully, since the whole family got the
horse bug at the same time, Ashleigh’s love for
the sport and the animals was supported from
EI
H
LO
Ashleigh Kloppman and her
heart-horse, Millie, at Beverly
Equestrian in The Plains, Virginia.