A Culver City High School ninth-grader, like a rhinestone cowgirl, is riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo.
Helena Rockwell won the championship, besting more than 40 competitors in the Los Angeles County Interscholastic Equine League in the jumper class, advancing the Carlson Park resident into rarefied competition and putting Culver City High School in fifth place overall in the Junior Varsity Jumper Section Standings. She took fourth in the recently concluded year-end event.
This was Rockwell’s first year of working jumpers and with a new horse called “Rhinestone Cowgirl,” which had performed dressage and had never trained as a jumper until Rockwell began riding her.
More than 500 participants and more than 60 private and public schools participate in the equine varsity and underclass leagues. Marlborough won the JV jumper division, followed by Beverly Hills, Chino, Royal and Culver City high schools.
During the year, Rockwell progressed from 12th-place to first before moving up in competition.
“We are all so proud of Helena’s accomplishments. She took a dressage horse and turned her into a jumper champion in such a short time,” said Helena’s mother, Jennifer.
