A year ago, Payton Lussen was watching from the sidelines, thinking about the next time she could enter the ring. Today, she is back doing what she has loved for 18 years: competing.
Lussen, a junior psychology student from Columbia, Connecticut, is a member of the UT Martin Equestrian team. After spending time away from competition due to injury, she has returned to the arena with determination to continue what she loves.
Her time away began with an injury that forced Lussen to step away from the sport she has always known.
“The day before I was supposed to come back to Tennessee…I was on a horse at home that spooked at one of our doors…it knocked my head into the wall of our indoor [arena]. So I was unconscious, had a seizure, got put in an ambulance to the hospital and had three subarachnoid hemorrhages or brain bleeds, and then I also had a spinal fluid leak,” said Lussen.
The injury changed more than just Lussen’s plans for the upcoming season. It meant putting her life as an equestrian and student on hold while she focused on recovery.
Throughout it all, Lussen remained determined.
“I was hearing on the other side, ‘I don’t know if she’ll make it’, from her doctors or from her athletic trainer, right? But I never heard that from Payton,” said Equestrian Head Coach Kim Leiter-Janes.
Before the injury, Lussen had already established herself as a competitive equestrian. During her time at UT Martin, Lussen had been named Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Flat Freshman of the Year, made starting appearances in both Jumping Seat events, secured ECAC Fences Rider of the Week and multiple academic recognitions.
These accomplishments made Lussen’s time away from competition more difficult but gave her all the more reason to work and come back stronger.
“Payton faced the adversity that was in front of her,” said Leiter-Janes. “She could have been mad and stomped her feet, but she just kept working step-by-step until we got her back where she wanted to be.”
For Lussen, even the most difficult aspects of training took a new meaning.
“Who would have thought I missed all the hard days?” said Lussen.
Now, those hard times of training are back, and Lussen would not have it any other way. With her clearance to compete, her return brings both veteran leadership and skill to the team.
Coach Leiter-Janes and the team are eager to see her back competing in both Fences and Flat events.
“Payton brings a really cool maturity where she can dial us back in,” said Leiter-Janes. “She brings a lot of talent, so I’m excited to see her. It was fun to see her go in the ring again.”
For Lussen, being back in competition means everything, and the moments in the ring make the hard days worth it.
“Finishing my pattern, coming out to the whole team and all the parents cheering gave me goosebumps,” said Lussen.
Lussen and the UT Martin Equestrian team will be back in action at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex on Friday, Nov. 20 and Saturday, Nov. 21 as they take on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits and South Carolina Gamecocks.
