On Being A #HorseGirl

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been afflicted with a crippling disease known to many children and exacerbated by the internet: being obsessed with horses.

Getting the Dover Saddlery catalog was my super bowl and I pored over each page. I dreamt of having my own horse like some dream of winning the World Series or going pro. I wrote every single school project on horses or a book about horses, and drawings decorated nearly every surface. I finally was allowed to start riding at 6 and was met with riding a horse that seemed twice my height and was also the gentlest horse known to mankind. I was finally able to fulfill my dreams! Riding lessons consumed most of the next few years — moving barns that other friends at my school rode at and starting to show. Some of my fondest memories are spending Saturdays at the barn with money for pizza and going for long trail rides, or riding in the winter and having my Mom help me groom my horse after lessons. In line with my realistic and moderately concerning nihilistic attitude, even as a small child, I knew I would never be showing at A shows, but I was still so happy. Unfortunately, life and moving schools and eventually sports took the place of my #horsegirl dreams, but the love for horses never waned.

Fast forward to being an adult and realizing I had the freedom to pursue activities I wasn’t able to fully realize as a child. In Houston, I had the money to do so, but not the time as an Investment Banker. Once I moved to Richmond, I finally had the time, but not as much $ as a startup employee. I finally started again in April and it’s refreshing to revisit my inner child and to do something just for the sake of ~doing it~.

Without adieu, the three things I’ve learned pursuing riding as an adult:

A mix of taking it seriously but not seriously
The most obvious reason I take my lessons seriously is that I now self-fund this venture, not my parents (thanks Mom & Dad!). But I’ve also had to re-learn much of what I did as a child, as well as laugh at myself when I inevitably do something horrendous. Keeping my leg back and relaxing my torso? Say no more, fam. Coming from jobs based on output and being chained to the desk, it’s amazing to have something else with goals that aren’t dependent on a promotion or making more money.

It’s never too late to get back in the saddle (forgive me)
Thankfully, you can ride at any age, and I truly hope I’m able to ride for the rest of my life. That being said, with most activities, you can still pursue them or find an adjacent way to scratch the itch. The hardest part is getting started — especially in a sport where there is a bit of a barrier to entry. Once I went to my old tack shop, it felt like I had never left, minus the fact that I was shopping for tall boots and breeches, not paddock boots and chaps. I’m also thankful for tech fabric finally making it to the horse world — but that’s a story for another day.

Life is too short not to do things you’re passionate about
This is the most important thing — tomorrow is no time to say you’ll do something. We only get a defined amount of time on this earth, and I was freaking tired of having recurring dreams about riding because my subconscious knew it was something I wanted to do. COVID only exacerbated this feeling — there will always be next week, next month, or when I have more time, but those things aren’t guaranteed.

Chip chip & hop to it! 9-year-old Haley is cheering you on.