After about 7 years of dancing, Ava Nettleton, a current senior at The Morgan School, found herself at 12 years old at the end of her dance career, leaving her with an opportunity to try new things.

“I didn’t really have much of an interest in it for the last three years. I dreaded going to practice, and the only fun part for me was the performances, which is only about 10% of it,” said Nettleton.

After she stopped dancing at 12, she decided to start horseback riding. Growing up, she always had horses on her property at home and would ride them for fun, but it wasn’t til she stopped dancing that she decided to start competing in horseback riding.

Most people, especially in Clinton, CT, don’t get to say they have grown up owning and riding horses. It is something that is pretty unique to Ava and most others in town. They take a lot of care and constant attention. She owns 5 horses, 4 goats, and about 12 chickens on her property that need care every day.

“[Having horses] has definitely taught me to be very hypervigilant, always being prepared for things in advance and being very detail-oriented,” Nettleton said.

For competing in an equestrian event or a horse show, there are different divisions. Some are equitation, hunters, dressage, and jumping. Jumping, which is most popular and what Nettleton does, is the most laid-back when it comes to judging. It’s based on how fast you complete a certain number of jumps without knocking the rails over.

“My favorite is jumpers because it’s a timed event, and not technical like the other ones. I’m not being judged for my coat color or worrying about if the judge likes the color of my horse I’m riding. So all I have to worry about it being the fastest,” said Nettleton.

During her freshman year, she decided to join the fencing team. Her father was coached by Jim Barnett, the current Head Coach at the Morgan School, when he went to Guildford High School, and her brother, Cole Nettleton, also fenced his Freshman year at Morgan before homeschooling.

Nettleton’s mom really wanted her to do it,so she gave it a try. At first, she didn’t really like it and wanted to quit after only a month, but she ended up doing really well with it. She has done it for the past three years, but this year she is deciding to leave the team.

“I liked that I was doing well and that I was winning and placing well at tournaments, but I didn’t really like the sport itself. I started overcommitting myself to it because if I’m going to do something I’m going to do it 150%, so I started going to a club and doing it more often,” said Nettleton.

She started going to a club, for fencing, in Wallingford called Iconic. She would go a few times a week, but it started becoming too much commitment for something she didn’t really enjoy. But this winter, instead of fencing, she will be participating in IEA, the Interscholastic Equestrian Association. It’s essentially varsity horse riding, and they provide people with horses and also gear if needed. Before, she was doing it independently with her own horses, but both of her jumpers she used are retired, not due to old age and progressed arthritis. It gives people the opportunity to ride with it being more affordable, as it can be an expensive sport. She is in the Mystic Valley Hunt Club in Mystic.

“I have a group lesson on Sundays, and one jumping lesson a week. Then we will either be home for shows or travel for shows. You don’t know the horse, you just get on, and you go and jump around, but it teaches you to be a lot better of a rider because you’re not familiar with the horses, and they’re not used to you,” said Nettleton.

This fall, she decided to try out for the Morgan volleyball team. Being known for the only sport at Morgan to make cuts, she was not quite sure about it, but she ended up trying out and making the team. She started watching a lot of volleyball when she went and helped with the production of ValleyTV and filmed the volleyball games. She started learning how the game works and the rules.

“I started realizing how I’d already gone through three years of high school, and I hadn’t experienced a whole lot of stuff, so I realized how much easier it is to take hold of opportunities in high school, and then once you graduate, you really have to try hard to find them for yourself. So, I just decided, my motto would be to not have any regrets,” said Nettleton.

This winter, she also plans to play winter league lacrosse and try it out. She has also never played lacrosse before, so if it goes well, she plans to play in the 2026 spring season.

“It seems cool, and I have a lot of friends on the team, so I’m excited to see how it goes,” she said.

Compared to the “real world” or life outside of high school, it is very small, and there are a lot more things readily available at people’s fingertips. There are lots of events and things to be involved in.

Nettleton said, “I know everyone says that, but it’s so true. I wish that I had gotten more involved sooner. I’ve been involved in so many things this year, and I might be overloading my plate a bit, but I feel like I won’t regret it like.”

It’s important to make the most of the four years in high school because it only gets harder from here.