How I got my groove back

It's true when they say, "once a horse girl, always a horse girl". Reading through so many of your blogs I find solidarity in the fact that MANY of us are re-riders, those who strayed from riding/horses for one reason or another, but found ourselves bitten by the horse bug once again, falling as madly in love as we did as children. We might be a bit more sensible these days, but something about horses throws all sensibility out the window.



After high school, I quit riding. I had an instructor, who while being a very accomplished Dressage rider hailing from Meredith Manor, enjoyed drinking a bit too much. Riding with her was both thrilling and terrifying. She got me over many hurdles as a teenage rider and allowed me to muck stalls for lessons and ride her sale prospects (and any bad pony she had lying around -- I was a TINY teenager) -- but because of her issues, she had a temper not to be reckoned with. If a horse was acting up and she swung a leg over, the horse would literally tremble underneath her (and this is a woman who weighed 90lbs dripping wet) -- she lashed out, a lot and as I got a bit older I started to stick up for myself (and some of the horses). It was at this stage that she and I parted ways. An OTTB that she was selling had freaked out the day before and violently bucked off the assistant trainer. She was hoping to show him to a client and asked me to ride him so they could see him go. His reason for bucking off the other trainer was not behavioral, he had reacted poorly to her saddle and subsequently was even more sore (from thrashing himself all over the place) the next day. He was going pretty nicely on the flat and she asked me to take him over a small vertical. As I did he started bucking afterward, he was obviously in a lot of pain and as she cranked the fence up his behavior got worse... I stated to her quietly, that maybe it was best that we just stick to flat work since he's sore  and she snapped back at me saying, "If YOU don't get him over that jump, I WILL"... it was that moment, for the first time in my entire life, I spoke up for myself (and for a horse) in a way that I knew would have major consequences. I hopped off, walked him over to her, handed her the reins and left. I never went back.

It would be years until I would start riding seriously again and I catch rode anything I could over the years after leaving my trainer. It was a tight knit community around that part of Florida and I knew that for awhile, showing was out of the question. I used my skills to train unruly horses for people as favors just so I could keep a leg over a horse. After college I didn't ride for years. When I'd go to Ireland to visit family, I'd have my Dad find a place so I could go XC riding. It would always rekindle that fire that I knew was burning quietly inside.

Fast forward to 2008 and I was introduced to another "horse girl". She had a very similar upbringing around horses and was currently volunteering for an equine therapy center, exercising riding the horses. She practically begged me to come out and see what it was all about. I thought it couldn't hurt just to be in proximity to horses again and maybe I'd find some joy in simply grooming and handling them -- ha! Within a few weeks I was hooked on being around the fantastic horses (most of which are drafts or draft-crosses) and the students were amazing. There's nothing like seeing an autistic child hop on a horse and start talking in a way that has their parents stunned. Or a child with CP who's completely wheelchair bound that is hoisted onto a giant draft horse and it steering it around practically unaided. It's just mind-blowing. *Seriously, if there is an equine therapy center near you, go volunteer!

Timber -- a former logging horse. He is easily the biggest horse I've been around. A gentle giant.

That's me trying to reach his withers. How cute is his muzzle?

It wasn't long before I got a chance to prove my worth exercise riding. I was given a fat pony of mixed breeding who literally had no withers. I was warned that ALL saddles slip on him and that plenty of people had found themselves riding half around his belly mid gallop! Needless to say, my balance was tested that day as we galloped through the woods (the farm backs up to a huge park) and I knew, wobbly legged and all hopping off this pony that the bug had bitten me once again.

I spent the next 2 years volunteering there, meeting amazing families and their children, bonding with students and horses and getting my sea legs back. Nothing like galloping a draft horse to help you get your groove back! After about a year I knew I wanted to get back into riding more seriously, which led me to finding my trainer (there's actually a really cool story behind that, I'll save it for another day) leading me to Kiki, which brought me here to you!


Sadly, bureaucracy and politics would lead me to saying goodbye to that center. After the equine director left, decisions were being made for the horses by people who had zero horse experience and I was watching horses fall apart because of it. It was sad, but there was little I could do to change what was happening. The director of the program personally called me to get feedback about what I saw going wrong and what I thought could change. She understood my reasons for leaving but was sad to see me go.

Sergio was my favorite exercise ride (Haflinger/Belgian). He was wicked fast (gave the thoroughbreds a run for their money on gallops) and chose his riders very carefully and was just a blast to ride. He'd make a fantastic event horse!

I mentioned in a previous blog that there was a woman who had a mare for me to ride. She was the previous equine director that I worked under at the former program. She JUST opened up her very own Equine Therapy Center! I could hardly contain myself with enthusiasm! Classes started a few weeks ago and I start volunteering this Saturday. We (the boy and I) will be going every other weekend. I know how valuable volunteers are for programs like this and I couldn't wait to sign us up. She's excited not only to have me ride her mare, but that she has someone with equine therapy experience coming out to help!

I'll keep you guys posted on how things go!