FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM)-- A young Fayetteville horse rider goes home with multiple awards, but that is not what draws her to the arena.
Sunday (July 16) was the last day for the Northwest Arkansas Hunter Jumper Association's Summer Classic Horse Show and many riders showed off their skills.
One rider though said she was never supposed to be able to do this again.
A year and a half ago, Megan Morris was riding with her horse through some jumps.
She said there was a misconduct between her and the horse and they crashed.
Morris spent a week in the Intensive Care Unit at a Springfield hospital.
From there she spent about five weeks recovering.
President of the Board of Directors for NWAHJA, Karen Davis, said there is a bond that is made between rider and horse that requires a lot of trust.
“That gives people the ability to communicate and learn life lessons with an honest partner at a young age before having to go out as an adult and navigate what’s happening in their life," Davis said.
Morris learned to never give up because not long after her recovery, she was back on a horse.
She said this is just what she does.
Morris grew up on a farm with relatives who were also into riding.
The sport is in her genes and she said its all about having fun.
This weekend she won several awards with her horses.
The ribbons and the plate are the last thing on her mind.
“Just getting to go around the arena is success," Morris said. "It’s just fun. I just get to go out there, I don’t have to worry about winning. Literally the ribbons are the least important thing to me. It’s just having a good fun round.”
This event has been going on for about eight years, according to Davis.
She said it takes about 60 hours over five days to prepare for the up to 120 riders in the program like Morris.
Davis explained they are a non-profit organization that relies on donations and sponsors to put on shows.
They even give out a scholarship every year.
Morris won this scholarship a few years ago.
She plans to go to college to study agriculture education and go from training horses to training students.