Hello from the beautiful Pacific Northwest! My name is Stacy, and I am an amateur equestrian. If that statement sounds like something from a meeting for addicts, it may not be far from the truth. Can you identify with me? My desire is to share a little about my own experience riding horses in the hopes of encouraging others and making the whole journey a little better for everyone. This is a bit of my story, and I want to share it with you.

The Beginning

Although I didn’t grow up riding horses, they have always filled my dreams. The mystic, wild and romantic beasts that reared up in movies always left me feeling fiercely independent and courageous. I LONGED to ride but felt it wasn’t possible since I was from a completely non-horse family. Riding horses was something other people did, not us. Soon the fascination with horses turned into a fascination with boys, and it would be many years before I rediscovered this intrinsic longing.

The Second Beginning

Fast forward to life as a 40-year-old with at least one mortgage, four teenagers, a husband, and a job. My two daughters were in middle school when the oldest gained a horse-loving locker partner who invited her over for a ride. One ride turned into two, three, a half-lease, and finally, a first horse purchase. Many were the sordid adventures of a non-horse woman trying to corral two teenage girls and an independent mare, but suffice to say, the girls stopped riding and I started.

I started, and I can’t stop.

The beginning of horse love! No judgement on the flip-flops, people. I wasn’t a horsewomen yet!

The Middle

This is where I am now, the middle. Through eight different horses (2 owned- the rest “borrowed”), countless “how-to” horse Google searches, various sore muscles, and many worn-out pairs of breeches, I continue to ride. Do you desire to learn and grow as much as possible in this crazy equestrian pursuit? Training for it demands not only your body but your heart and mind as well. Learning to ride a horse well is hard work. Not just in the physical soreness and clumsy “where is my body awareness” way, but mentally too. It requires steadfast consistency, a sense of humor, and an ability to look toward the long term.

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Join me on this journey to excellent horsemanship. We can support each other, learn together, mourn our losses and celebrate each baby step forward. By following the Riding in Circles blog feed (as well Riding in Circles Equestrian on Facebook and Instagram) you will have access to all that we learn while sharing our experiences, lessons, tips, and brilliant ideas about the horse world. I am excited to be on this adventure with you!

Stay Tuned!