This post was written by one of the local barn moms. I asked her to share her story of discovering the world of horses through her daughter’s eyes.
Our family began the equestrian journey in 2020. My 11-year-old had just quit gymnastics and was figuring out what to replace it with. She never took to any of the mainstream team sports after trying it all. She wanted to try horseback riding lessons and she fell in love with horses the second she got on one.
When she fell off when riding, I thought, this is it and she isn’t going to get back on. Meanwhile, she dusted herself off and got right back on! This is the same girl, who during roller skating lessons, needed four classes to go from the carpet to the wooden floor. Her words were – “even if I break any bones, I will get back on a horse and keep riding.” In that moment I realized that horses are the best educators and they do it all without speaking!
Horseback riding has been very enriching. It has naturally thrusted my daughter out of her comfort zone. It taught our whole family the importance of “enjoying the journey” instead of always keeping our eyes on the prize. As a barn mom, I have learned that horses are intuitive and sense every emotion of the rider. Riding taught my daughter to be assertive without being told to because there’s no two ways about it while on a horse. It has helped her to be more responsible, committed, passionate, focus on joy and live in the moment.
It’s a joy as a mom to watch her overcome the hurdles while riding, hold her head high and ride away. I waited all these years to see the passion in my daughter. Little did I know she’d find it at the barn. Her eyes twinkle on the mornings she wakes up knowing it’s a riding day. She volunteered a whole week during the summer as a camp helper and finds every opportunity to be at the barn.
The NOVABarnMom.com has been an immense source of great information for our family as we grew up in a city and had no clue about the horse world! The blog has helped us with what to look for at a barn & a riding instructor, get over the hurdle of “how to put a bridle on a horse”, how to fall safely, and just getting familiar with the horse world because it is so different. I’m so grateful for the blog!
