Most people don’t get to bring home the horse they took lessons on, but that’s exactly what happened when I was eleven.
Lady Be Good was a retired hunter jumper, and I was over the moon to call her mine.
Lady and I rode every trail we could access on four hooves and also made the local show
circuit, racking up a rainbow of ribbons, which I proudly hung on my bedroom wall. With Lady,
riding was easy. I knew I was fortunate, but didn’t grasp just how much so at the time.
Lady taught me that horses were the most wonderful creatures on earth. It’s because of her that
I fell in love with them.
Next came Dee, a powerful mare who tested my newfound abilities. She was an ex-race horse
who only ran away with me once, luckily within the confines of a pasture.
Dee was no show horse, but together, we learned two sports she could excel in—barrel racing
and pole bending. She was especially talented at the latter. Dee taught me that if I worked hard
enough, anything was possible.
P.K. taught me a different sort of lesson: patience. After Lady and Dee, I was accustomed to
horses doing what I asked. P.K., however, had her own ideas. Though she was extremely quick
and could make a nice barrel pattern, this wasn’t what she cared to do. I was frustrated more
often than not when it came to working with P.K. And in time, she learned she could get me off
with a few well-placed bucks.
P.K. taught me that my ideas aren’t always the right ones. She also taught me to pay attention
when a horse displays negative behavior. Oftentimes, it means they are hurting.
When Hershey came along, I realized he might be my toughest challenge yet. He didn’t buck,
but he would spook at nearly everything imaginable. After hours and hours of riding, he
improved, but I could never completely let my guard down.
Training Hershey for barrels was a task. At first, he didn’t appear to have an athletic bone in his
long, lanky body. However, Hershey taught me that perseverance pays off. We started slowly,
but continued to improve over the years. Hershey made my barrel racing dreams come true,
winning numerous buckles, a trophy saddle, my hometown rodeo, and even a horse trailer.
There have been other horses in my life, but when I think back on the ones who’ve influenced
me the most, it’s been these four.
As riders or trainers, we may believe that we’re the ones teaching the horse, but I happen to see
it the other way around. Each of my horses has been a teacher, and they’ve taught me some of
life’s most important lessons. They’ve shown me what kind of person I am, but more importantly,
what kind of person I want to be.
