Meagan and Neptune looking pretty in pink after a fun cross-country round at May-Daze H.T. last weekend. Photo courtesy of Meagan Majchszak.
Meagan Majchszak is hard to miss out on the cross country course. The 22-year-old eventer has an obsession with the color pink (cue Aerosmith) and has been known to take it out on her horses, including her current mount Imperial’s Catch (“Neptune”).
Meagan has been riding most of her life and discovered eventing at age 13, making her way up the levels to Intermediate with her late mare Caramba. The Cincinnati, Ohio native just graduated from college at the University of Alabama with a degree in biology and is currently working to finish up an MBA there as well she started during undergrad.
Meagan and Neptune were last spotted at May-Daze H.T. at the Kentucky Horse Park last weekend, where the 7-year-old OTTB completed his second Training level event. We caught up with her afterward to get the story of her history with the signature color.
EN: So you seem to really like the color pink. Has it always been your cross country color?
Meagan: “Pink is my ‘thing.’ Pink is my mom’s favorite color too, and I remember growing up, I tried to deny that pink was in my blood. But when I was buying my first pair of Woof boots at the beginning of my Pony Club days, I got pink and everything was pink from there on out — accumulating more and more each year, it seems. It’s just so fun and bright — I love it!”
Who knew an affinity for pink could be hereditary? Where it all started: Meagan and her D2 Pony Club mount Belle. Photo by V.W. Perry.
EN: Do you incorporate it into your dressage and show jumping gear as well?
Meagan: “I actually (reluctantly) don’t wear pink during dressage. I’m always on the lookout for a black pad with pink piping that I can use, but for now I can’t find anything subtle enough! I do always have pink bell boots on for warm up, though.
“For show jumping I try to add as much pink as I can get away with! I actually just got a super cute new jump coat that is navy with a pink collar and pink piping. My mom made me a navy and pink stock tie to wear with it, so that plus a pink piped shirt, pink bell boots, a pink crop, and occasionally a saddle pad with a hint of pink rounds out my pink gear for show jumping.”
Meagan’s new pink-accented show jumping coat (which she says she got half price from a horse show vendor — “fun colors don’t have to be expensive if you keep your eyes peeled!”) Photo by Ashleigh Hallmark.
EN: What about back at the barn?
Meagan: “Back at the barn, I have more than a few pink saddle pads, pink whips, pink halters, pink boots for my horse, pink water buckets and a muck bucket, a pink fan — pretty much anything that can be pink, is pink! My barn owner in Alabama even made and painted pink wheel chalks for my trailer!”
EN: How long have you been growing your collection of pink horse stuff?
Meagan: “My pink collection has been growing since I was about 13, when I first found Pony Club and eventing. Similar to horses, my affinity for pink is not a phase and has been growing stronger every year! My mom and I always joke that if I make it to Rolex someday, we will be arriving in a pink trailer! And I always hoped that if someday I was as good as Phillip Dutton, I could get a pink saddle like the blue cross county saddle he used to ride in.”
Meagan and Caramba down the huge bank at Chattahoochee Hills. Photo courtesy of Meagan Majchszak.
EN: What is your most prized piece of pink gear?
Meagan: “My most prized piece of pink gear — that’s a tough one. I just recently got a pair of pink bling Annie’s Equestrienne Apparel breeches that I wore at May-Daze, which I love! Usually my favorite pink piece is my latest addition! I’m also super particular about my pink jumping crops — usually I find them in the $5 bins at Rolex, but when I find ‘the one,’ I stick with it.”
EN: Anything you’ve got your eye on to buy next?
Meagan: “Remember when EN posted a photo of a pink-accented Devoucoux at the Rolex Trade Fair and everyone lost their minds? I was one of those people! That would be my dream purchase and probably one of the only things I’m missing in my collection!”
Meagan’s dream saddle as seen at the Rolex Trade Fair. (There’s a dressage version, too.) Photo by Leslie Wylie.
EN: Does the pink obsession extend beyond your horse life into “normal” life as well?
Meagan: “The pink obsession is far reaching in my life beyond horses. When shopping for ‘real’ clothes, my mom has to remind me that just because it comes in pink doesn’t mean I have to get it in pink. Most of my room is pink … I actually lose my pink-cased phone in the midst of the rest of the pink more times that I would like to admit — it all blends in!”
EN: You are the outgoing president of the Alabama Eventing Team, whose colors are red and white — which, some might argue, kind of clash with pink. How do you deal?
Meagan: “As outgoing president of the Alabama Eventing team, I’ve had some internal struggle between red/houndstooth and pink. At shows when I’m representing my team, I go all out with the red and houndstooth. Our team is on a tight budget, but we have managed to purchase some team gear. My mom even made us some white and houndstooth stock ties with the Alabama ‘A’ embroidered on them that we pass around for dressage and show jumping. My boot bag and garment bag recently wore out, so I got a set in red and houndstooth! Sometimes I do have to combine a few pink and red things, but I try to wear them separately so that the fashion police don’t take my horse away.”
Meagan and Neptune warming up for cross country in their Alabama gear. Photo courtesy of Meagan Majchszak.
EN: What does your horse think about your color scheme?
Meagan: “My horse is a gelding, which just goes to prove the old saying is true — real men wear pink! Whenever my friends tease him, I just remind them that he is color blind anyway, so he doesn’t mind! Being gray, of course he looks good in everything (but especially pink).”
It’s hard to be a model. Photo courtesy of Meagan Majchszak.
EN: You are a true inspiration, Meagan, and a hero to many of our readers who secretly want all pink everything but think they can’t because they’re not 8-year-old pony riders anymore. Do you have any parting wisdom?
Meagan: “I know some people don’t get the pink thing or think that it isn’t traditional enough for the sport, but the color of my clothes has no negative bearing on my respect or love for the sport. I take my riding and the care of my horse very seriously, but I think throwing in a splash of color lightens things up and brings some more fun to it.
“My parents like that I wear pink on cross country because it helps them identify me from across the field. I’ve been riding in pink for almost 10 years, and it has become a part of my identity. People that I met years ago showing or in Pony Club remember me by the pink, which gives me a cool way to connect with old friends. I hope people realize that you have more options other than black, white and navy if you want to let your wild side show! Go pink or go home!”
