A Wild Trip

I've had the same start to riding as many of you have probably had: local lessons on old ponies (most of whom are truly saints, but won't work for a dime); gradually moving up to ride in small hunter shows; joining pony club and progressing through the rating system.  I was fortunate enough to have enjoyed some small successes at this early level; I found that I enjoy performing in a high-pressure environment.

I sailed through this beginning stage of my riding career on a wide variety of leased or borrowed horses that I hardly ever got to ride for a consistent period of time.  Often it would be a struggle for my family to support me through this financially, but in the end I always pulled through and ended up in the saddle (even if it was someone else's!).  I started working at a barn when I was nine in order to pay for lessons and leases, logging many long hours as the resident barn rat.  I'm grateful that I was able to learn early on how much work it takes to stay afloat in this sort of business.  As I look back on those days now, I really was lucky to have had such a positive riding experience, especially since - looking back - I skipped learning many basic foundational skills.

When I started high school I was faced with a decision: to keep moving up in my riding (which would mean an alternative school situation for me so that I could travel) or to stay at the local level and have normal high school years.  Honestly, this was never even a choice for me.  I had long ago decided what I wanted as an equestrian, and so I didn't hesitate to move on and find new opportunities.  Now all that I needed to do was figure out where I could be a working student, and what discipline I would choose.

As an inherent risk-taker and adrenaline junkie, eventing was the sport that I instantly fell in love with.  Galloping at high speeds over uneven terrain and leaping terrifyingly high and solid objects was right up my ally - much to my parents' horror, I couldn't resist this siren call.  I ended up taking a working student position in southeastern Pennsylvania, which was about three and a half hours from where my family lived at the time.  My endlessly supportive and ingenious parents had already gotten me registered as a part-time homeschooled student at my high school, so I would be able to keep up with my classes mostly online.

This new lifestyle taught me a whole new level of discipline in my life, and increased my riding abilities tenfold.  It was here that I went back to the basics and re-learned many of the foundational theories of equestrianism.  At the time, it was tedious, often boring work, but soon I was able to reap the benefits and I started to jump up the levels quickly.

In my junior year, I came home to take a couple of courses physically at State High and run on the cross country team (which is the second best sport in the world!).  One of the courses I was taking was AP Spanish, which is a language that I'm now fluent in and is an immense help in the horse world!  I also took some time to complete a short exchange program in Mexico in order to cement my fluency.  But after a couple of months of this, I was getting bored, and soon found another working student position, this time in Virginia.

At Seneca Valley HT, summer 2011

This is where my horse at the time, Wild Trip (known to his friends around the barn as Indy), started to get past his behavioral difficulties and various quirks, and blossom into what is turning out to be my first upper lever horse and a real competitor.  So, all I can say at this point is... it's been a wild trip!