I’m a returning adult equestrian. I grew up riding, but decided to stop for a number of reasons. The latter was the final straw. I was a horse-obsessed child and for me to feel nothing but a pit in my stomach just before riding. Well- that wasn’t what I wanted in life. I stopped riding to focus on getting into college, going to school, starting a career in New York City, then getting married and starting a family of my own. When Is It Time to Start Riding Again? I dreamed of horses, waking in the morning, with the feeling of galloping through the woods on horseback and feeling the…

I always dreamed of having my own horse. I was an adult when I achieved that reality and knew from the beginning that any animal I had would be part of my forever family. No matter what. My experience as an equine bodyworker gave me certain advantages when I found out my little guy, Ferrous, had EPM previously and lived with anhidrosis (no sweat). I was able to work with colleagues in veterinary health to discuss supplements, boosting his immune system, and ways to reduce inflammation naturally. Then he was diagnosed with Chronic Lyme disease from tick bites and more recently, Cushing’s or PPID. The hits seemed to keep coming.…

When I was a teen there was a lot of pressure to fit in. Standing out made people a target. There was safety in following the crowd. I’ll be honest, that didn’t last long. I’ve always felt that being normal was a tad boring. Being myself meant embracing all the things that made me different and special. As I became an adult I gained more confidence to do my own thing, even if it didn’t fit the status quo.

You Won’t Catch Me Setting a New Year’s Resolution My social media feed is filled with years in review and resolutions for the coming year. It’s rampant. And good for you if that’s your vibe. Honestly, most resolutions last two weeks and fade away into nothingness. Winter is not the time for new beginnings. For me, it’s a time of self care and self reflection. I refer to it as Hibernation Season. The winter season is a time when nature pauses and everything stills. Nature takes a break and pauses until spring. As such, we should take the hint and do the same. Rather than power through the holidays only…

Confession: It’s Easy for Me to Rationalize the Things Holding Me Back. A few years ago I published a fun little book based on excuses equestrians. I had used many myself but it was fun to source them from others and have a little giggle. If I am being honest, and I always try to be honest, I make a lot of excuses to myself. I am slow as molasses when it comes to horse riding and stepping out of my comfort zone. So slow that even I get annoyed with myself. Case in point, I’ve been really wanting to get Delight off property and on the trails. I know…