Off The Clock: Back in the Saddle

T.G.I. Friday’s Kathy Fiorenza renews her passion for riding horses.

By Maya Norris, Managing Editor -- Chain Leader, 12/1/2007

Kathy Fiorenza of T.G.I. Friday’s has been competing for the last three years in hunter-jumper competitions with her horse, All the Best, nicknamed Ali. The crossbred horse is of thoroughbred and Trakaener lineage. “Both Trakaeners and thoroughbreds are well-suited for jumping,” she says.

Kathy Fiorenza, director of operations for the central division of Carrollton, Texas-based T.G.I. Friday’s, has enjoyed horseback riding since she was a child. But it took a back seat for 20 years as she furthered her career. Fiorenza has since rediscovered her passion for the sport, riding both for pleasure and in competitions.

Fiorenza rides two or three times a week during the competitive season and at least once a week the rest of the year at a horse farm in Ostrander, Ohio. "It’s just one of those activities where you can really immerse yourself in it," she says. "There’s just something about being outside and riding a 1,500 pound animal that takes a lot of focus and a lot of discipline, and I think you walk away from that with a clearer way of thinking."

Lost and Found

Fiorenza started horseback riding when she was 7 years old. She continued to ride until she attended college at 18. Then as she began her career and rose through the ranks, including stints at the Hilton Conrad Hotel in Hong Kong and the Marriott Corporation in Upstate New York, Fiorenza didn’t have time to ride.

That all changed when she joined Friday’s 15 years ago and put down roots in Columbus, Ohio. It gave her the opportunity to try horseback riding again in 2001. "I just got a little bit older, and the career was a little more stable," she explains. "So I decided I wanted to go back and pursue it again because I had loved it so much when I was growing up."

Fiorenza not only rides for fun, but she also competes once or twice a month in hunter-jumper competitions, which take place in the spring and fall. She rides her horse over fences ranging in height from two-and-a-half feet to 3 feet. She usually places in the top three. And last year she won first place in her division in the Ohio Hunter Jumper Association competition.

To train for these competitions, Fiorenza focuses on jumping in the spring and fall and form and balance in the winter. She also does cardio and weight training two or three times a week to develop her upper- and lower-body strength to stay on the horse. "It’s very important because there are a lot of quick movements involved and you have to be able to adjust so that you don’t fall off," she says.

Horse Sense

In addition to training and staying focused while riding, Fiorenza says recognizing a horse’s nonverbal cues is also key to horseback riding—a lesson she learned the hard way. Even though Fiorenza rarely falls, she did break her tailbone about four years ago. "I was on a different horse, and he was a very high-strung animal," she explains. "Something spooked him, and he took off and left me behind."

The injury kept Fiorenza from riding for a few months, but it wasn’t enough to scare her away from the sport. "That was definitely the worse injury I ever had," she says. "But it certainly didn’t take away my enthusiasm for riding. Just like anything, if you love doing something enough, you don’t get dissuaded by the setbacks. You just persevere."