As an adult,the teaching became a huge part of my life.  I am thrilled when I experience the accomplishments of others and the look of success on a students’ face.  Riding is hard, so every challenge is a big one.  I was happy to pass on what I knew as well as continue on the learning journey for myself.

I have seen the tears of joy and frustration and I have watched the people grow. A very dear student of mine was moving away, and we were saying our goodbyes with heavy hearts, as we are community here.  I was assuring her that her new instructor would be great and she stopped and looked at me and said,”You have taught me so much more than riding”.  At that moment I knew that what I did was important.  The life lessons that I learned from the horses, were being passed on to my students in the same way I learned them. The tools that I have were being passed on, what a revelation.  I was thinking about all the things I have learned from the hundreds of horses I have ridden in my life and came up with this list

The list is long.  Like anything worth doing, the road is long and the journey endless but the rewards are amazing.  Riding is about the “moments” and isn’t that like life

Horses have been my passion since I was a child. Even as a nervous rider, I could not stop the draw to these magnificent animals and that passion has never changed.  Through school, career, motherhood, and life I have continued on this journey of passion and learning, residing at horizon equestrian for the past 19 years.

I have taught many people to ride.  Some serious and as passionate as myself, others a passing fancy or simply a recreational pastime.  Some competitive, others not, but all with an unwaivering desire to get to know and understand these wonderful creatures.
I never thought I had a very important job.  How important in the grand scheme of things, could learning to ride a horse be?  I have come to realise that it is never just about the riding, although that is a huge accomplishment unto itself.  But it is a much bigger picture than that. Riding has taught me so much about life.  As a child it taught me about commitment and responsibility.  It taught me to dig deep within myself when the going got tough and it taught me reward for a job well done.  I learned to be a graceful winner as well as a graceful  loser and it taught me patience and compassion.  Life skills, not just riding skills.