It's Always Family, Fun, and Horses for Equestrian's Alexis Potts

Alexis Potts comes from a long line of equestrian standouts. Her great grandfather, grandmother, and father are all accomplished riders, but the South Carolina junior made a name for herself after not only helping the Gamecocks win their fourth NCEA National Championship this spring but also earning NCEA Horsemanship Rider of the Year as well as SEC Horsemanship Rider of the year accolades. Despite her lineage in the sport, Potts hasn’t felt pressure earn those accomplishments.

“We are a very low pressure family,” said Potts, who shares a family nickname, “Pottsy” by her teammates. “We just like to keep it fun. That’s something that my dad (Western Coach TR Potts) brings into our team, which is very special. We keep our practices fun, and that’s why everyone likes to come to practice and work so hard. I’ve grown up going to the barn every single day, and it’s not a high pressure situation. It’s just fun.

“When I graduate, I’ll still ride, but I don’t want to go down the professional route. I’d like to keep my amateur card and just compete and show for myself. I love riding, so I’ll do it for as long as possible.”

Originally from Connecticut, Potts moved to Fountain Inn, South Carolina, in the third grade and has been riding horses as long as she can remember.
“There was never a day without a horse for me,” Potts said. “I was fourth generation on my dad’s side, so I was born into it. I joke that I didn’t have a choice, but I choose it every day! I love it more than anything. For me, it’s an escape from everything. When you’re riding a horse, you can’t think about anything else. It just makes the rest of the world disappear.

“The most fun thing is when you get to go fast! The most challenging thing is when you have to break things down and do the slower, more technical stuff.”

She spent her freshman year at Auburn, initially because it seemed to be a better option for her desired major, retail and fashion merchandising, before transferring to South Carolina after her father became the Western coach for Gamecock equestrian. She soon discovered it was a win-win situation.

“I wanted to go to South Carolina since I was four years old,” Potts said. “My dad has coached me my whole life, so there was no way I could compete against my dad. Here I am back in South Carolina, and it just feels like it was where I was always meant to be.

“When I first came here, I wondered if it was a bad decision for my major, but on day one at South Carolina, I became somewhat emotional because of how amazing the program is here. They were talking about the Master’s Tournament on day one, and because I took a redshirt year here my first year, I was able to go to work at the Master’s last year. That was such a great experience! I’m a huge Rory McIlroy fan, so to be there when he won for the first time was the icing in the cake!”

When she’s not on a horse, Potts is very engaged in fashion and started her own online boutique, called “The Frilly Filly.”

“I’d like to open that into a store front after I graduate,” Potts said. “I’ve had it since I was a sophomore in high school. It’s a little bit hard to keep it going while I’m in school, but my mom and I run it together. We do a lot of college gameday clothes, women’s contemporary clothing, and right now we’re doing a bridal collection.”

Some of her inspiration for going down the boutique path comes from her days as a pageant queen in high school.

“I had to have a lot of outfits for all of these events, so I got tired of buying them from other people and thought there was a way I could source them myself and sell them to other people,” Potts said.

Potts was outstanding for the Gamecocks this year, posting 15-1-2 overall record in Horsemanship with an undefeated 5-0-1 slate in SEC competition. She went 3-0 in the National Championship to earn Most Outstanding Performer honors. Her seven MOP awards were the most in the NCEA this season, and the most ever for a junior in program history. With all of her personal accolades, helping the team win the national championship is by far of what she is most proud.

“I’ve watched the sport my while life, and that’s always been the goal,” Potts said. “It seems so out of reach for so many people, so to go out and accomplish it, it doesn’t seem real. We put in so much work to make South Carolina national champions again. It’s a step in the right direction, and we’re definitely on the right trajectory.”

The good news for the Gamecocks is that Potts still has two more years of eligibility. When she’s not riding, in class, or working on the boutique, Potts enjoys frequenting coffee shops.

“I’ve tried somewhere around 15 different coffee shops around here,” Potts said. “I love coffee! I’d like to visit every coffee shop here in Columbia. Maybe that’s something I can check off the bucket list.”

That probably won’t be as difficult as all the other accolades she has earned, but if nothing else, maybe she can take a few minutes to bask in the glow of being a national champion and think about making another run at a title next year.