Kansas University junior Blaine Muhl is pictured with her jumping horse, Asher, Dec. 16 at Hunters Ridge Equestrian Center in Louisburg. Muhl recently placed 12th in a World Championship and has been riding since she was 3 years old.

Blaine Muhl knows what it means to get back on the horse.

She’s been doing it almost all her life.

The Kansas University junior’s equestrian affection set in at an early age. Her passion for horses and the sport escalated quickly, leading Muhl, of Leawood, to first ride at the age of 3 and to participate in her first show when she was 5.

“This was her first love,” Muhl’s mother Holly said. “I don’t know if she was born with it or what. She’s just always loved it.”

She loved it even when it didn’t love her back. Muhl’s mother recalled an incident when a police horse bit Blaine on the hand. That didn’t change anything.

Her love of riding and thirst for adventure — she refers to herself as an adrenaline junkie — brought her to start jumping horses early, too. The feeling of being in sync with such a large animal is something Muhl said was nearly indescribable, ‘floating’ being the only word akin to how she felt when airborne for those few seconds.

When she was young, Muhl suffered an accident during a show when her horse stopped short of a jump. She was thrown from the animal head-first into the obstacle, which then collapsed on her. Even though Muhl emerged from the debris unharmed, it kept her mother from watching for a while.

“It’s very difficult for me,” Holly said. “Ever since then I have a terrible time watching it.”

But for Muhl, falling off the horse was just part of the deal.

So was the practice and training. Working with Paula Pray, her trainer, Muhl attended as many as 20 shows all over the country each year. The travel and her education sometimes affected how much time she could devote to training.

“Blaine has always led a really busy lifestyle,” Pray said. “So consistency has always been really difficult.”

Up through high school, Muhl focused much of her time and energy on horse riding, skipping out on common school events such as most dances and sporting events. Looking back, Muhl said she doesn’t regret her decisions at all.

“I almost wish I had done it more,” she said.

Doing it more would have meant more cross-country travel to ride in shows. It would have meant more time training and more time away from school, something Muhl knew well after taking a few years off to focus on her craft.

But the constant struggle to balance the two sides of her life, riding and education, eventually caught up with Muhl. She had been at the top of her game, claiming the Reserve World Championship in one of the youth classes. But after all the success, she started a downward slide she referred to as her “slump.”

“I was doing basic things wrong,” Muhl said. “I couldn’t make it around a course. I was screwing up on the fundamentals. When it’s something you’ve been doing for that long and you can’t put the basics together, you wonder what’s going on.”

Muhl was in the second semester of her freshman year at KU when she decided she needed a break from competitive riding. The choice, which came as no surprise to her family and trainer, took Muhl away from shows for a year.

“I wasn’t mature enough for all of it,” she said. “I considered not riding. At times I thought I should just quit.”

But Muhl didn’t quit. Instead, the year away gave her some much-needed perspective. She returned to competitive riding and focused on school equally. She had gained the determination to do what she loved.

“This is definitely what I want to do for the rest of my life,” Muhl said. “I’m not going to take a break again.”

In November, Muhl competed in the World Championship Show through the American Quarter Horse Association. In her first year at the more competitive amateur level, Muhl made the finals in the fence-jumping portion of the show. She laughed when recalling that her father was sleeping when the results were announced. Muhl ended the show in 12th place, earning her the same world ranking.

“She’s really good at stepping up at the big shows,” Pray said. “She knows when to turn it on.”

But for Muhl, the success meant something else.

Her comeback was complete.

Muhl will get to enjoy a break from competing during the short two-month off season, which ends in late February. In the meantime, the KU junior will focus on schoolwork for her two majors and one minor. After that it’s back to the grind, which she said has gradually gotten easier to handle. With retiring one horse to a life of leisure and a baby horse needing to be trained, Muhl will continue her hectic lifestyle for years to come.

“You can do it as long as your body wants to let you do it,” she said. “And that’s what I plan on doing.”