Most of my professional life has been in the equine industry. My career really went back to promoting, management, fundraising and the business side of the horse industry. I’d been on the production side to produce many horse events over my career, so when I took my granddaughter to our first versatility event, my only goal was to relax and for her to connect with the industry. After a couple shows, a friend loaned me a horse to show and goaded me into showing it, and I did. Now, I’m right in the middle of it with my horse, Willy. It was a real kick in the pants!
I am more of a performer than a competitor! My show goals were to not make a fool out of myself and be confident when I started, and still are today. At 72, what I like is challenging myself, not necessarily winning. I get my reward from feeling like I did ok and from supporting my friends, cheering from the sidelines. I enjoy and it makes me happy to be able to connect with other riders and my friends. The drinking, eating, camaraderie and storytelling is what I really enjoy. The camaraderie I’ve found is really special. I’ve seen a lot of barns, a lot of organizations, but the social aspect of all this drives it.
Without the people, the connections, I wouldn’t be doing this. I am a confident rider, but I don’t go out there to win. This is my family, the other riders, and competitors, and I want to spend time with my family, and my horse, Willy, carries me there.
When I’m not riding, RideLife is a digital platform that is like a pinball machine—we bounce a lot off each other. RideLife is easy access to my community. It’s easy to read and easy to connect. Everyone is lighthearted—there is no griping and moaning in there! RideLife is a positive, funny environment, but we also have educational opportunities. You tap a video, and you learn to change leads, then switch back and laugh about a cartoon someone posted!
I have a desire to continue to solidify friendships. When you meet someone in the arena or take a lesson with them, that’s a level of friendship, then when you have a cocktail with that person, you get on a whole ‘nother’ level! It is important to spend time with people who share your interests and that you can talk to and want to talk to. Horse people gravitate toward each other because we do similar things, and RideLife is providing us the ability to do more things than simply ride together. It is people to people, and sometimes on top of a horse. It’s the people that are learning and competing, it’s the personalities making our industry all go round. It’s a blessing in my life.
Comments