MY RIDING STORY

I started my riding journey when I first came into this world, but I started taking lessons and progressing in my God given passion when I was 8 years old. The second I got on that horse I knew this was going to be what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I knew I wanted to love and bless these animals for as long as I possibly could.

This was it. This was one of my biggest purposes in life.

I started my first riding lesson at a beautiful farm in Jefferson MA called Bella Wood Stables. I first visited the facility at my friend's birthday party. We all got a horse to ride on a trail ride down the road. It was one of the happiest days of my life. I had the biggest smile on my face and no matter what anyone said nothing was going to change that.

After that day, I began begging my parents even more to let me start riding lessons. Finally, they gave in, and I began participating in the lesson program at Bella Wood.

My first lesson I was cantering all by myself which apparently I was told that no one else did.

I had no fear what so ever. It's like God put no fear in my heart, because he knew this was what I was meant to do. From day one I wanted to jump the highest jumps, go the fastest speeds and ride the biggest and most challenging horses.

Not too long after my first lesson I found my first love. This pony was a large pony named Cinnamon. He was a chestnut with some white splatters all over him. I don't remember much of him but I do know I loved him with all my heart.

After Cinnamon I had a couple more ponies and horses I had the privilege to love and spoil for a couple more months. Unfortunately, over the span of the next 5 years I had to move from Bella Wood Stables to some other barns: Serenity Hill, Mesa Farm, Windstar Farm and Maplewood. At Serenity Hill I rode a horse named Peaches. I was absolutely was obsessed with her. I wanted that horse to come home with me and never leave my side.

Peaches

Peaches was a 15 hand, Palomino Paint horse who taught me that I can do anything. She started my love for horse showing by helping me win my first blue ribbon. Peaches taught me so much, and I miss her everyday.

After Serenity Hill, I moved on to Mesa Farm and then Windstar Farm. At Windstar Farm, I fell completely in love with a large bay pony named TJ. TJ became a huge milestone in my riding career, because I got the absolute privilege of leasing him for 3 years. He brought me all the way from cross-rails to 2'3 jumping. He taught me what it's like to actually ride and not just sit there, and he taught me how to jump. TJ and I had an amazing journey showing and hacking in the fields together. We won countless champion ribbons and flew by so many of my goals like it was easy.

Although my years with TJ were so rich and wonderful, as I got older, my growth my own growth in riding and where I wanted to go with it started to exceed a TJ's abilities. It completely broke my heart to have to leave him but it was time for me to move on because I just wasn't excelling as much as I should at that point in my riding.

TJ (2019)

At Maplewood, I got to ride some very fancy horses. Maplewood was a huge step up from any other barns I had ridden at. They were the pros. The ones to beat. There I started excelling in my riding and got to jump some bigger and more challenging jumps and courses.

I started riding Buddy who is a large pony and jumped fast, high, and insane. He was the speediest pony I've ever ridden, and he got me to where I needed to go. He taught me how to use my seat and to ride like a speed jumper. Although I loved Buddy, I needed to find a horse that was more suitable for me in size.

A little while after, I started horse hunting to find a horse I could love and cherish as my own. Eventually we found Luna, she was my first horse on trial there to buy. Her name was Jessica but I re-named her Luna before we even made the decision to bring her on trial (because who names a horse Jessica?). She was a 7 year old off the track Thoroughbred but we were told she was a Hanoverian which is my dream breed. She was one of the sweetest horses I've ever met, even though she needed constant reassurance; she was going to be an amazing jumper.

Unfortunately, when we had the vet come out to test her to see if she was healthy enough to purchase, she failed the test with kissing spine. Kissing Spine is a spinal issue that commonly occurs in race horses. On the race track, they run only in one direction, which causes their spine to rub together in a kissing manner. This causes pain and discomfort when they work. Heartbroken, we had to send her back to her original home, and I didn't even get to say bye to her.

Now at Maple Wood I didn't have my own horse to ride, so I was thrown into the lower lesson program where I regressed in my riding. I started to look for other barns to ride at.

Buddy (2019)

Eventually, I thankfully found my way back to Bella Wood Stables which was now owned by someone different and was re-named Golden Rose Equestrian. I started my journey here late August 2019 and started riding their lesson horses until I found my full lease, Ghost. Ghost is a 15 hand, 6 year old, Connemara, Irish Sport horse. He was the cutest and sweetest thing on the planet. I fell in love with him the second I got on him. The happiness he gave me was so incredible.

I started leasing him on September 1st, 2019. He was my first real time project horse. I was the only one that got to train him to be the cutest jumper, and I took pride in that opportunity. After a couple months we got to be in our first show. We ended very badly because he didn't want to jump the jumps. But we returned home with a goal and it just made me want to try harder.

Over the span of a couple months, Ghost responded to my requests in becoming a hunter jumper, and we just kept putting the jumps higher and higher. But by March he started to regress. He refused to go forward and decided he didn't want to do this job anymore. I had to make an excruciatingly hard decision to end my lease and look for a horse that already knows its job so I can end my Junior showing career with a bang.

Ghost (2019)

After a while of looking, in mid June we found Symphonee. Symphonee is a 17 hand, 15 year old Hanoverian. She knew her job, had done it all before, and was a true show horse. She was exactly what I was looking for. I had Symphonee on a 30 day trial and by July 11, 2020 I began full leasing this wonderful mare.

Symphonee has already brought me through so many milestones and goals. She brought me through my first 2'6 hunter derby where we got awarded 6th out of 22, which has been one of my dreams to compete in ever since I can remember. Symphonee took me over my first 2'9 3' jump course ever, and it just happened to be at a show. She brought me through an Equitation medal final and we scored 4th in a very competitive class out of 16. We scored a 2nd in a Hunter Classic at one of the highest showing grounds in New England. She is truly extraordinary and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us.

She is not an easy ride either. Although I know she knows her job, I need to be in control every step of the way. She makes me work which is something I have always loved about riding, the constant focus and how horse and rider become a team.

Symphonee (2020)

God given passion

From the moment I met a my first horse I knew in my heart that God gave me this passion to show my love for his creation. It's something I can go to and always be happy while doing. Horses have given me a safe haven. When I feel like the world is falling apart, riding isn't. Symphonee has brought me so much happiness and has exceeded my expectations for a lease horse. She never fails to impress me with her abilities and how much she cares for me.

This sport has truly given me another purpose and goal in life. I strive to be a professional trainer and rider and hopefully join the USA equestrian team and compete all around the world. My dream to compete in the show jumping equestrian Olympics has been on my heart for years on end. Ever since I started riding, I have always wanted to put the jumps higher and higher and compete in as many shows as I can, and the Olympics will definitely fulfill that.

Before trying to get on the USA team, I hope to compete at various famous, well known equestrian showing facilities - including the World Equestrian Center in Ohio, the Kentucky Horse Park, Texas Rose Horse Park, Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), Winter Equestrian Circuit (WEC), and the Palm Beach Equestrian Center. On my way to those big time show grounds, I have been working on my showing journey in New England, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island. I hope to go and compete at HITS horse show in Ocala Florida in February, COVID-19 permitting.

Symphonee at Hunter Ridge 2020

Symphonee at Fieldstone 2020