Dawg in the saddle

From UGA Today

Caitlin Lyons’ lifelong love of horseback riding has shaped her as an athlete, an academic, and a wildlife conservationist.

Getting to the Mane Event

At 2 years old, Caitlin Lyons found love at first sight—not with a dashing hero or celebrity, but with horseback riding. 

“Once I got on my first horse, I just knew,” says Lyons. “And it didn’t take long for everyone around me to see how serious I was.”

Like many little girls, Lyons enjoyed horse-themed parties and visits to her favorite farm animals, but she also had a riding instructor before finishing elementary school. Two decades before she became an award-winning equestrian, Lyons was in the saddle more often than on a playground. When she turned eight, her mom gave her a short break from riding to see if it was just a passing phase. 

“I asked my mom every single day for three months when I was going to ride again,” says Lyons. “So that answered that question.”

An Equestrian Finds Her Calling

As a high school student, Lyons visited the University of Georgia after hearing about the school’s competitive equestrian team. When she stepped on campus, she once again felt an instant connection. 

“I came to UGA because of athletics,” says Lyons. “But once I got here, it was home. There’s no other way to describe it. I just knew this was where I was meant to be.”

Lyons loved everything about Georgia so much that her family relocated from Spokane, Washington, to Greensboro, Georgia, shortly after she was accepted at UGA. 

Attending UGA allowed Lyons to find her stride as an accomplished athlete. In 2024, she was named a finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. She also won the 2022 SEC Reining Rider of the Year and 2024 SEC Equestrian Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

A Horse by Any Other Name

Lyons rides different horses depending on the event and location, but her personal horse, 6-year-old Ava Grace—or Pumpkin Spice on her “spicy” days—holds a special place in her heart. 

“Horseback riding isn’t about jumping on an animal’s back and telling them what to do,” she says. “It’s about connecting. You can’t be in your head or anxious. You have to work together with a thousand pounds of living, breathing animal underneath you and know if they’re nervous or confident or confused.”

She describes horses as “big, snuggly dogs” and is quick to sneak a cookie or two to Bandido and Slash, who live in UGA’s stables. 

“Bandido is my favorite horse at UGA,” she says. “He has a really long, beautiful mane, and I couldn’t wait to wash, brush, and braid it every time I saw him. And Slash is so reliable. I’ve had my best rides on him because you can trust him to get the job done. I adore that horse so much.”

Riding into Animal Conservation

“One of the first things they teach you about horseback riding is that you always take care of your horse before you take care of yourself. Learning how to care for another living being that I love and adore has been a major influence on my character. It’s why I am who I am,” says Lyons.

While she has a lot of experience working with horses, her passion for animals extends well beyond the riding stable. She has always wanted to help with the conservation of endangered species. In 2025, she will graduate with a Master of Natural Resources degree from the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, a necessary step in her journey to working as a wildlife technician and eventually transforming wildlife conservation on a national level.

“Learning wildlife management at Warnell has taught me about the complexities of working with endangered species,” says Lyons. “It’s amazing how intertwined everything is and how much of a species’ survival depends on whether you can engage stakeholders in what you believe in.”

Just as she’s learned to build trust and care for horses, Lyons will use that dedication to protecting endangered species and their natural environments.