By PIPER KLEMM PH.D. AND MARLEY LIEN-GONZALEZ
In her final Junior year, Clara Propp has hung many accolades on the wall–an unprecedented three-time consecutive grand championships at Junior Hunter Finals, 2024 Individual Junior Rider Gold Medal at the North American Youth Championships (NAYC), and at the conclusion of a competitive 2025 WEF season, rising up the U25 ranks and establishing herself in the FEI system.
The Propp sisters, Stella, Juliette, and Clara, who all grew up riding together, shared a show ring, support system, and social media presence long before the term “influencers” became colloquially used in the horse world.
A Sister Bond Like No Other
Coming from a non-horse family in New York City, a chance pony ride at a birthday party inspired Stella to start taking lessons, which her younger sisters Juliette and Clara quickly joined.
The best part about riding together for the Propp sisters was spending time together. Clara says, “I was three or four when I started riding myself. It was really nice initially because we loved the horses and spending time with them, and then also loved being with each other.”
After school, on trips to the barn for lessons, the girls strengthened their bonds with each other and their parents. As the Propp sisters grew older, they helped each other navigate school, their social lives, and horses.
“I really don’t think I could have gone through school or riding without them,” says Clara of her two older sisters. “We had some of the same teachers in school, and they would give me tips on how to succeed in the class, which was immensely helpful. In general, they always gave me great advice because they have a couple more years under their belt. In riding, it was just so nice for me to have them as a support system because this sport can get a little bit crazy.
In Wellington, FL, where the Propps, their horses, and their trainer, Brianne Goutal, are based out of for the winter competition season, Stella and Clara can be seen buzzing around the Wellington International showgrounds to support each other at their respective rings.
“It was really nice to be able to talk with my sisters and have them to lean on when I had a bad day at the show or if something wasn’t going to plan, which happens all the time. And then, on a more positive side, they would always be the ones to celebrate my successes with me, and vice versa. We try our best to make it to each other’s classes because we know that’s something that’s really important to both of us.”
That support was crucial for Clara in late June of 2023, as she was heading into Junior Hunter Finals off of an extremely successful season with her long-time partner, Arabesque (Furstenball x Sir Donnerhall). Clara and “Annie” had claimed the Grand Champion title at Junior Hunter Finals in the 3’3” category in 2021 and out of the 3’6” group in 2022.
Says Clara, “I felt extreme amounts of pressure coming back to that show for the last time. Not from anyone. Brianne never puts negative pressure on me, and my mom’s very chill. I really don’t feel pressure from anyone on the outside, but I didn’t want to let myself down–and I didn’t want to do worse than I had done the year before.”
Annie and Clara did not disappoint. After executing beautiful rounds, they defended their title for the third consecutive year–earning Grand Champion in the 3’6” division for the second time. After that, Clara was ready to hang it up.
“Something that’s really hard with success is that once you’ve reached the top, the only way to go is down. And that’s like all I felt. It worked out really well, but after it was over, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m ready to move forward and start something new that I haven’t had as much success in.’”
But Annie, now Stella’s ride in the Amateur Owner Hunters, will forever be cherished by Clara. “I’m so grateful for the time I’ve had with Annie, and I’m so lucky to have been able to have that much success with her at a young age.”
A Shift in Focus
In the past three years, Clara has gone from no interest in the jumper ring to a string of current and prospective jumper talents. “I actually did not always want to do the jumpers,” says Clara, “I did not want to go fast. My first couple of years in the hunters, I was like, ‘This is what I’m going to do forever. I want to do the hunters professionally. I have no desire to do the jumpers.’ Then I felt a push to start something new and challenge myself.”
The adjustment to a different world with different rules was more welcoming than she had expected. “I feel a lot less pressure in the jumpers. I feel like, even if I have one or two fences down and the round was good, I walk away very happy,” says Clara, who often felt in the equitation and hunters that winning was all that mattered, even if that wasn’t the case.
“If I had a little mistake in the other rings, it would completely tank the score, and it made me walk away feeling not good enough and not happy about what I’ve just produced. Whereas in the jumpers, if I add a stride somewhere or get a little deep or a little long, I can still walk away feeling really good about the round.”
In October of 2024, after a season of showing at Indoors, Clara publicly announced on her TikTok account that she was shifting her focus solely to the jumpers, despite having one junior year of competing left.
Roughly halfway through that final year, Clara says, “I’m really happy about my decision to switch completely to the jumpers. I think it will also help me improve a lot just focusing on one thing, because at one point I was doing three rings at once, and that was super difficult.”
While balancing the three rings at once was a challenge, Clara is grateful for the well-rounded skills that come from competing in many different disciplines and is applying everything she knows to ride strong and confident jumper rounds. “I’m really trying to work on improvising. For example, if my horse shifts really hard right in a right-leaded bending line, I can adapt to a new plan in that moment and leave out a stride. I think that improvising is so important in the long run. It’s such a good skill to have because, again, things don’t always go to plan, and to just be able to quickly change your plan could be the difference between a clear round and having four faults.
At home and when not showing, the Propps rarely school over jumps. At the encouragement of Goutal, who puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of flatwork, Clara takes a dressage lesson once a week. “You don’t always need to fix your mistakes while jumping. You can fix your jumping mistakes on the flat and with tools such as pole work and ground work.”
Clara also spends a lot of time getting her fitness to a high level outside of the saddle. She started taking pilates classes after hearing that it improves balance and core strength, and believes that strength training is not discussed often enough among female riders. Ultimately, she says, “The stronger you are, the better you’ll ride.”
The Special Devon Atmosphere
Last May, in the $20,000 high junior jumper classic at the 2024 Devon Horse Show, with the winning time, Clara experienced a heartbreak rail down at the last fence with Cocolina (Conthargos X Papillon Rouge) to finish second.
“That was a really amazing night. I always think that night classes at Devon are such a good experience and an amazing class that they offer. But last year specifically was very special. I left feeling very happy and accomplished because the jumpers just do that for me–even if there’s one mistake, I still feel very satisfied with the round overall.”
When she had the last rail down, the crowd sighed with her. “Devon is exceptionally special. The crowd just adds to the atmosphere. Especially in the night class, there are so many people watching–everyone’s kind of following along with you and riding along with you. It’s one of the only shows that has a crowd like that, especially for juniors, and I just think it’s really cool. It’s one of my favorite horse shows.”
It was also the start of an amazing season for Clara and “Coco”. The pair later went on to capture the gold medal in the Junior Individual Final of the North American Youth Championships (NAYC) at Traverse City Horse Shows in August 2024.
Of Coco, Clara says, “I can really rely on her. I know I just have to do my part because she’s literally always doing hers. She’s always trying 10 out of 10 over every single jump. It took me a little bit to get to know her because she’s a little quirky, and the special ones always are. But once we figured it out, we really trusted each other, and it really showed at Devon last year. She’ll always be a very special horse in my career.”
Social Media
When competing in the pony divisions together, the sisters formed the face of The Propp Ponies, or theproppponies, as they’re known on Instagram–Bio line: some of us never outgrow the “I love horses” phase.
Now, though only Stella and Clara ride, they remain prominent members of the industry and very active on social media. Clara has over 60 thousand followers on TikTok, where she posts clips of her horse show lifestyle with fitness, health, and routine day-in-the-life focused videos.
“I’m really grateful for my TikTok account. It’s a lot of fun for me, and I’ve met a lot of really cool people and been able to work with really cool brands and collaborate with other really amazing, talented, and nice riders,” says Clara. Though criticism is something she has accepted as part of sharing her life online, when faced with harsh comments, Clara appreciates the overwhelming support and kindness she gets from others.
“I’m just trying to do what’s best for me and do what I think is best and have a really positive platform.”
