06/15/2026
I love this. But the title should have been “Why any kid should be riding horses”.
8 yr old me spent countless hours scheming with my friend Melissa how we could earn enough money to buy a horse for her back yard. There were definitely posters and presentations and extra chores and piggy banks counted over and over. Eventually I got my parents to let me take some lessons, and then more becasue I worked them off at the barn. That jump in and do anything I could to get what I wanted mindset served me well in every school and work situation I ever had, around the world and far, far beyond the barn.
I just heard another blurb from a podcast this morning with someone saying trainers don’t make enough, and we should charge more and horses just aren’t for everyone. While I do believe trainers and barn owners need to have a hard look at actual numbers and build businesses that are sustainable and that it’s undeniably expensive, I absolutely believe horses ARE for everyone. We won’t all have the same opportunities, but that doesn’t devalue the opportunities we do have, and create for ourselves.
No horse crazy kid (or adult) with a “what can I do” attitude should ever be shy to knock on my door.
