10/27/2023
When you get on a horse for the first time, and the universe decides you will be a horse girl, there is an identity that is hurled upon you- you don’t matter. Your horse is more important. Winning is more important. Your barn is more important.
Don’t stop for a snack. No time to p*e. Sleep at the barn if your horse seems sick. Don’t let anyone help- you’re a tough girl and can manage on your own. Learn large animal medicine. Learn hoof shapes and care. Learn pasture management. Learn how to drive the tractor. Learn equine nutrition. Learn how to back up a trailer. And be good enough to get to the Olympics.
And I see this every👏day👏 when professional riders come to us looking for SM guidance.
In 2016, I received a call that my little brother broke his neck and was going to be a quadriplegic for the rest of his life. He would never walk again. He would likely never feed himself again. And he would forever need the help of someone else.
It was devastating but so eye-opening when your world is flipped upside down. So I gave up horses and took a break to go take care of my brother.
In those three years without horses, something very valuable happened- I met myself.
Turns out, I don’t have to know it all. I don’t even have to do it all. I don’t have to clean stalls to feel worthy. I don’t have to spend the night at the barn to feel like I made a difference. I don’t have to be the one to back the trailer to feel like a genius.
Being so much more than a horse girl is exhilarating and unfortunately so underrated. But being a person who is unique and multi-faceted, I think, makes me a better horse girl. So please. Please please please. Do not let this industry make up its mind for you, and do not be ashamed to be a beautiful person before being a horse girl.
📸 a friend & the brilliant talent
