Teal Dowling
Teal Dowling, a junior pre-med student from Spring Prairie, Wis., had a remarkable fall semester at Carthage. Teal received A's in all but one class, with only a B in genetics denying her a 4.0 grade point average.
Teal accomplished this while continuing to participate in high-level equestrian competition. She won her event at the U.S. National Championships at Louisville, Ky.
"The professors were very nice about being able to make up labs and move things around," Teal says.
Since she was 5, Teal rode horses three times a week. She has cut back to one day a week during the school year since enrolling at Carthage, but "I ride every day during vacations to make up for it."
Neither of Teal's parents owned horses, but her grandfather bought her one when she was 5. Teal says that was because her grandfather was in poor health.
"He wanted to see me with it before he passed away," she says.
Teal has won 40 national championships in the U.S. and Canada, with 80 top-10 finishes. She was 8 when she qualified for her first appearance at a national event, and won her first title at 14.
"You know how some people get passionate about something? Some people just can't stop running," she says. "I can't stop riding." She says riding gives her a rush of adrenaline that's hard to describe.
The pinnacle for Teal came when she was chosen National Horsewoman of the Year for 2005-06, an honor she compares to college football's Heisman Trophy. The award is chosen by a panel of representatives from equestrian governing bodies and the U.S. Olympic Committee.
A chance to compete in equestrian events at the Olympics is Teal's dream. But she says she would need to find a sponsor to provide a top-grade horse and trainer, and she estimates an Olympic-caliber horse would cost $250-500,000 to buy.
"You can put me on any mount in the world and I can get the job done," she says confidently.
Olympic equestrian competition is doable for the next 20 years. Teal turns 20 in February, and she says the average age of Olympic competitors is in their 30s.
Since Teal is a pre-med student, she was asked if she had considered veterinary medicine.
"I can work with people," she replied. "Animals, I'm a little more sensitive about."
She explains that when a favorite horse suffered a knee injury, and was unable to stand, "we put him down, I wanted to be there. After that, I decided I didn't want to be a vet. I decided I couldn't do that, I like animals too much."
Two other horse-related jobs are also out for Teal. She can't be a jockey, she jokes that "I'd have to be four feet tall and 75 pounds."
Becoming a trainer also has no appeal for Teal.
"You work seven days a week, you don't get vacations, and there's no retirement plan," she says. "You work until you wear out physically."
But Teal intends to remain around horses for a long time. She has begun a breeding business, and says she hopes to continue riding for decades.
"I saw a guy who was 80 win four national championships last year," she says. "A lot of people in their 70s and 80s still compete."