What’s so true about that statement is I knew at a very young age that I had a deep love for horses. It started when I was in Girl Scouts and was able to take a few lessons and do some trail rides. I knew that I wanted to be around them, I needed to be around them. When I began to learn to ride it was all I thought about, and all I wanted to do.

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But  as much as I loved it, being able to ride (as much as I wanted to ride), was going to have to wait. As I got to be a teenager the opportunities to ride became fewer and fewer because they became less available and more expensive. The worst part is, it was really the time in my life when I needed it the most. Teenagering is tough! Worrying about fitting in, what people think and say about you, having an unchecked wild side that can get you into trouble, searching for a reason to want to get up in the morning. We had a hard time and that was before Snapchat, and all the viral ways kids today have to deal with bullying and belittling.

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So that is really why I do this. I didn’t think that doing what I loved was available to me, because we couldn’t afford it. Having horses in your life was not really obtainable for normal working-class people. The work the Equine for Everyone does means that participating in this sport is possible for anyone who has the passion for it. It gives kids and teens a safe place to go to be themselves, to feel completely accepted. Seeing the light go on in their eyes, the idea forming in their minds “If I  can do this, I can ace that test, I can stand up for myself, I can make new friends…” Teaching that if you work hard you can have the things that you want.

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I get to help some very special kids learn some of the most important lessons in life. And that means everything to me.

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~ Jessica

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