Blake Vines | Reporter
Lila Badham isn’t your typical jumping seat.
The Honolulu native was introduced to horses at six years old by a family friend who loved to ride. She never looked back.
“Ever since I started, I just knew I wanted to have horses in my life forever and just see where this sport can take me,” Badham said.
Once she began riding, she never stopped. Around 14 years old, she began competing at mainland competitions in California to gain professional exposure and get her name out into the equestrian world.
“It was definitely hard being based [in Hawaii] and going back and forth six or seven times a year,” Badham said. “It seemed like a really great way to get an education while continuing to do my sport.”
The travels pushed her outside her comfort zone, while pairing her love for the sport with the possibility of creating a new future. The competitions became a regular part of her life as she focused on becoming a collegiate athlete.
“I miss the people, my family and the community, I just wouldn’t be where I am without them,” Badham said. “They raised me and instilled a lot of values in me that I still hold, so I definitely miss them. They have always been so supportive [of] me and had my back.”
Moving thousands of miles away from home is always difficult, but for Badham, it felt like the culmination of years of hard work.
“Committing to Baylor was a very important moment for me,” Badham said. “It showed that someone else saw something in me, even if I didn’t have as big of a record or resume as a lot of these other riders that were getting recruited.”
Not having much of a resume is a bit of a downplay. Badham placed in the top 10 in multiple national shows in 2024, including a fourth-place finish at the National Horse Show Hamel 3’3 Championship and an eighth-place finish in the west coast branch of the USHJA Jumping Seat Medal Finals.
“Hawaii is definitely farther than we go to recruit, but Lila made herself seen by competing in those major events,” head coach Casie Maxwell said via email. “Her work ethic [makes her stand out]; she shines in the weight room and is a natural leader in that space.”
Badham has made a strong impact on the team since arriving in Waco. In the Bears’ recent intrasquad tournament on Sept. 17, Lila produced one of the highest fence scores of the day and was named the event’s Most Outstanding Performer (MOP).
“She is a wonderful person to be around and brings tremendous positivity wherever she goes,” Maxwell said. “Her energy is contagious, making her a natural leader on our team.”
Badham and the Bears will open their season at 1 p.m. Friday in Athens, Ga., against No. 1 Georgia. The meet will be streamed on SEC Network+.
