Quick Chat: Kennedy Buchanan
March 05, 2025 | Equestrian, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
All athletes make sacrifices — some bigger and more challenging than others. For Georgia equestrian rider Kennedy Buchanan, growing up in the often scorching and dangerous heat of Scottsdale, Ariz., sometimes meant training at 2 a.m., when it was cool enough to not put her or her horse at risk.
Buchanan is the second collegiate equestrian rider in her family. The sophomore's older sister, Madison, rode for TCU from 2019-23. It was Madison's interest in horses and equestrian that first drew Buchanan into the sport.
During a recent Quick Chat, Buchanan talked about her start in riding, training in the middle of the night, where she might be in 10 years, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: Were you practically born on a horse as some of your teammates were, or did riding and equestrian kind of come out of nowhere?
Buchanan: I was a little bit more out of nowhere. My family isn't involved in horses at all, but my sister, when she was five or six, was obsessed with horses. My parents didn't think too much of it, like girls love ponies, and they booked her a riding lesson. And after that, she never left them alone about it. She would make little booklets about why dad should buy her a horse. She started doing more lessons and everything, and as her younger sister, I saw what my sister was doing and was like, I need to do that, too.
Frierson: What is your favorite thing about reining?
Buchanan: My trainer's German, so he's very specific about everything. And I just like how it's very technical. You wouldn't think it is, but like anything with horses, there's so much that goes into it that if you were just watching it, you wouldn't realize. And I think it's fun.
Frierson: Did you play a bunch of other sports when you were younger?
Buchanan: Through middle school, I did a lot of them. I did soccer for a long time. I did gymnastics, volleyball, but I was only ever serious about soccer. I remember my mom one day telling me that to get to the next level (in club soccer), you go to these tryouts or something. I was in the barn at the time and I was like, I'm not leaving the barn.
Frierson: Growing up in Scottsdale and the surrounding area, how do you deal with that kind of intense heat for months out of the year? If you're doing something outdoors, do you have to do it at 5 a.m.?
Buchanan: What we'd do is, because the heat can be dangerous for you and the horses, we'd train in covered arenas to get out of the sun. But once the hot months came you're basically nocturnal. The trainers would start at 10 at night and go all throughout the night, and they'd get done about 9 or 10 a.m.
In high school, I would wake up at 2 and go ride at 3 in the morning, and probably get back around 5 or 6, and then go to school. And I would do that five days a week.
Frierson: It's got to be hard to have any kind of life outside of riding and school with that schedule.
Buchanan: I was definitely more introverted in high school. I had my close friends, like my two best friends that I still have now, but definitely later on in high school, it started to affect it. But I just loved what I did and I was very focused on it. ... I had a goal, and it wasn't even about trying to sign with a good college, it was just to get better on my horse.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Buchanan: I can eat sushi every day. But in Athens, it's kind of hard. I haven't found any places I really love yet. ... Being from Scottsdale, close to Phoenix, you're in a city and there's a lot of food and things to do. I know Atlanta's right there, but it's an hour-and-a-half drive, and that's not realistic.
Frierson: Do you have a favorite sushi order?
Buchanan: I always get a spicy tuna roll, or sashimi, yellowtail, and stuff like that. I also love miso soup.
Frierson: How are you in the kitchen? Do you like to cook?
Buchanan: I cook a lot, actually. I make breakfast for myself every morning. My family cooks a lot, so I've been around them in the kitchen and paid attention and learned how to make things. In the dorm last year, I'd call my grandma and she'd tell me how to make tortilla soup for my roommates and some other girls down the hall. ... I just recently learned how to make banana bread.
Frierson: In a perfect world, what are you doing in 10 years?
Buchanan: I am starting to think about having my own business. I don't know, 10 years sounds so far away, but it's not that far away. My dad is a business owner (Paradigm Boats), so I feel like I have that mindset of wanting to work for myself. ... And hopefully I'll still be riding horses.
Frierson: Would you be interested in being a trainer one day?
Buchanan: I used to think I wanted to be a trainer, and then I worked for my trainers for a long time. There's just a lot that goes into it, and they never get a break or go on vacation. There's always something that has to be done. I'd rather own my own business and still be riding horses on the side.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
All athletes make sacrifices — some bigger and more challenging than others. For Georgia equestrian rider Kennedy Buchanan, growing up in the often scorching and dangerous heat of Scottsdale, Ariz., sometimes meant training at 2 a.m., when it was cool enough to not put her or her horse at risk.
Buchanan is the second collegiate equestrian rider in her family. The sophomore's older sister, Madison, rode for TCU from 2019-23. It was Madison's interest in horses and equestrian that first drew Buchanan into the sport.
During a recent Quick Chat, Buchanan talked about her start in riding, training in the middle of the night, where she might be in 10 years, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: Were you practically born on a horse as some of your teammates were, or did riding and equestrian kind of come out of nowhere?
Buchanan: I was a little bit more out of nowhere. My family isn't involved in horses at all, but my sister, when she was five or six, was obsessed with horses. My parents didn't think too much of it, like girls love ponies, and they booked her a riding lesson. And after that, she never left them alone about it. She would make little booklets about why dad should buy her a horse. She started doing more lessons and everything, and as her younger sister, I saw what my sister was doing and was like, I need to do that, too.
Frierson: What is your favorite thing about reining?
Buchanan: My trainer's German, so he's very specific about everything. And I just like how it's very technical. You wouldn't think it is, but like anything with horses, there's so much that goes into it that if you were just watching it, you wouldn't realize. And I think it's fun.
Frierson: Did you play a bunch of other sports when you were younger?
Buchanan: Through middle school, I did a lot of them. I did soccer for a long time. I did gymnastics, volleyball, but I was only ever serious about soccer. I remember my mom one day telling me that to get to the next level (in club soccer), you go to these tryouts or something. I was in the barn at the time and I was like, I'm not leaving the barn.
Frierson: Growing up in Scottsdale and the surrounding area, how do you deal with that kind of intense heat for months out of the year? If you're doing something outdoors, do you have to do it at 5 a.m.?
Buchanan: What we'd do is, because the heat can be dangerous for you and the horses, we'd train in covered arenas to get out of the sun. But once the hot months came you're basically nocturnal. The trainers would start at 10 at night and go all throughout the night, and they'd get done about 9 or 10 a.m.
In high school, I would wake up at 2 and go ride at 3 in the morning, and probably get back around 5 or 6, and then go to school. And I would do that five days a week.
Frierson: It's got to be hard to have any kind of life outside of riding and school with that schedule.
Buchanan: I was definitely more introverted in high school. I had my close friends, like my two best friends that I still have now, but definitely later on in high school, it started to affect it. But I just loved what I did and I was very focused on it. ... I had a goal, and it wasn't even about trying to sign with a good college, it was just to get better on my horse.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Buchanan: I can eat sushi every day. But in Athens, it's kind of hard. I haven't found any places I really love yet. ... Being from Scottsdale, close to Phoenix, you're in a city and there's a lot of food and things to do. I know Atlanta's right there, but it's an hour-and-a-half drive, and that's not realistic.
Frierson: Do you have a favorite sushi order?
Buchanan: I always get a spicy tuna roll, or sashimi, yellowtail, and stuff like that. I also love miso soup.
Frierson: How are you in the kitchen? Do you like to cook?
Buchanan: I cook a lot, actually. I make breakfast for myself every morning. My family cooks a lot, so I've been around them in the kitchen and paid attention and learned how to make things. In the dorm last year, I'd call my grandma and she'd tell me how to make tortilla soup for my roommates and some other girls down the hall. ... I just recently learned how to make banana bread.
Frierson: In a perfect world, what are you doing in 10 years?
Buchanan: I am starting to think about having my own business. I don't know, 10 years sounds so far away, but it's not that far away. My dad is a business owner (Paradigm Boats), so I feel like I have that mindset of wanting to work for myself. ... And hopefully I'll still be riding horses.
Frierson: Would you be interested in being a trainer one day?
Buchanan: I used to think I wanted to be a trainer, and then I worked for my trainers for a long time. There's just a lot that goes into it, and they never get a break or go on vacation. There's always something that has to be done. I'd rather own my own business and still be riding horses on the side.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
Players Mentioned
Western
/ EquestrianGeorgia Equestrian NCEA Championship vs SMU Highlights
Monday, April 21
Georgia Equestrian - Tessa Brown's PenPal Program Feature
Monday, April 21
Georgia Equestrian NCEA Championship vs SMU Presser
Saturday, April 19
Georgia Equestrian NCEA Semifinal vs. Texas A&M Highlights
Friday, April 18
