From Playtime to Reality

I wanted to take some time to write about my story. I want you to know me on a more personal level, so let me introduce myself, my name is Katherine.

Here is my mom on her grandfather's horse Frisky.

It is very unusual when someone asks me where I found my passion for horses and riding, but I guess on the rare occasion that I am asked this question, I always say it's because of my mom. My mom grew up in the great state of Texas and she was constantly surrounded by farm life and of course horses. She always tells me stories of her riding days and shows me pictures of their horses from when she was young. When she married my dad and moved to Arkansas she was confined to small spaces and city life. Close to two decades after my parents married, they and my two older brothers were blessed with a baby girl that they named Katherine. Finally my mom had a little girl to give her childhood Breyer Horses to. I grew to love horses just like my mom. My closet was filled with Breyer Horses, horse books, cowgirl boots, and stuffed animals that were either horses or dogs. This love for horses became an obsession all thanks to my mom.

The very first time I was on a horse was when I was two and my cousin put me on top of an unbroken mini pony that was at my uncle's house in Texas (I'm sure most of you will know how this ended). As soon as I touched his back the mini pony bolted and I fell off. Somehow I wasn't traumatized and I soon began to take riding lessons at the age of five. Around this time my mom decided to adopt 3 quarter horses that had grown up together. There were two mares, Bo Riley and Pepper, and a gelding, Joe. Bo and Joe were supposedly broke but no one really knew, my mom was just glad to have horses again. As I went through the early years of elementary, I played several different sports and I would take riding lessons occasionally. Even though I did not take riding very seriously, I enjoyed spending my free time with our horses or playing with my toy ponie

After taking riding lessons off and on for several years, I decided I was ready for a change. The sports I played were never the right fit for me and I wanted to take riding more seriously. My mom began asking friends from the equestrian community about a trainer who would be a good match for me. Someone recommended this trainer who had just returned home after being a working student in Texas. I went to have a lesson in the January of my 4th grade year and it altered my life forever in the best way possible. I loved this trainer and I have now been riding with her for over 6 years. She has become my role model, my support system, and one of my closest friends. I started training on a regular schedule and literally jumped into the show season. That summer I spent every other weekend at a hunter jumper show. After a year of jumping I got some crazy idea to compete in Dressage on a hunter pony named Chopper. After attempting to teach him Dressage through the summer, I decided it was time to try a Dressage show. When we got to the show, Chopper's eyes had an allergic reaction and his eyes were swollen shut. A temporarily blind pony was not going to stop me from competing so I trotted into Intro test A and B on a blind hunter pony. It was definitely an experience to remember.

The summer before my 6th grade year my mom and I had decided to start looking for a horse of my own that was both safe and held potential in the dressage ring. We came across this older OTTB that grabbed our attention enough for me to go to Texas and try him out. We fell in love with this gentle, bay gelding and he was given to us for free. We ended up naming him Gatsby for no real reason other than liking the name. He ended up needing a lot of training and was more green than we expected. We trained him for over a year into the winter season, hoping to show him for the first time that year. One day that winter Gatsby came up to the barn lame. After not getting better a couple of weeks later we took him to the vet only to learn he had a major abscess in his hoof and had torn a ligament. This meant the end of the world to me, but little did I know God had bigger and better plans for me. Gatsby is now healed and enjoys his days as a retired horse on our farm. He has also earned the right to be lazy and act like a grumpy old man when he pleases.

When we learned that it was time to look for a new horse I began a long search that felt never ending. Six months after we began looking, my mom came across a Facebook post about an 18h, bay, Russian Hanoverian gelding for sale. He had grown up on a breeding farm that had run out of money and could no longer afford the business or horses. After sitting in that pasture for several years the seller bought him and broke him so that he at least knew walk, trot, and canter under saddle. He looked promising to my trainer, so my mom took it a step further and contacted the seller. Someone had already planned to take him for a month as a trial period and they would've had first decision. The trainer gave my mom a window for me to come and try him so that we could have the opportunity to buy him. The only problem was that I was supposed to be at camp during that time. My mom decided to try him herself and so she did and she called me to give me details and sent me pictures and videos of him. We risked it and decided to buy him before I ever met or rode him. Oliver became a part of our family.

Almost three years after buying Oliver, we have decided that one of the biggest risks my family has even taken, has been the best decision we have ever made for myself. He has become my once in a lifetime horse. We definitely had our struggles and still have plenty. What's funny is that years later my trainer told me how worried she was when we brought Ollie home, because he was actually kind of crazy and extremely green. It even took about a year for Oliver and I to start to work together and really form a trusting and honest relationship. He has forced me to grow stronger and more confident as a rider and person. I owe our unbreakable bond to the tears of frustration that I have cried, the pain and anxiety that we have endured, and the struggles that we learned to overcome. I can't describe the love I feel for this amazing creature, but any rider who has met their once in a lifetime horse can relate. Ollie brings me so much joy and is the only thing that has even been able to help my anxiety disorder. Oliver inspired my motto "a ride a day keeps the anxiety away" which I know we all believe is true. I am so incredibly thankful for the way Oliver has changed my life.

Meet my dork of a horse, Oliver!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you feel as if you know me on a more personal level!

Wishing you sunny days and happy rides, Katherine.