Member-only story
I Was Like Them For One Fleeting Moment
A small victory in my struggle to be “normal”
It was a rare instance of feeling like I fit in among able bodied people, something I often strive for but am rarely able to accomplish. I have a serious movement disorder from a severe stroke 21 years ago.
I have been riding in an adaptive equestrian program for 20 years. I generally don’t feel like a “normal” rider. But at my last lesson, a volunteer commented on my boots and a conversation ensued which made me feel like I was one of them, even briefly.
Many of the volunteers are serious “horse people.” They own horses and ride regularly. I don’t own a horse and can only ride when there are kind volunteers to help me.
I complimented a woman with an English accent on her jacket that was emblazoned with the logo of the facility in the barn before my lesson.
When the class was over, I walked through the now empty viewing area where a few volunteers had congregated. The same woman I had seen in the barn earlier, said “I love your boots! Are they Ovation?”
“No,” I said, “I think they are Ariat.”
It felt cool to understand what this woman was saying about riding boots. My boots are something that has made me feel more like an “official” equestrian.
During this random encounter with the volunteers, I felt like I was one of them.
You might enjoy this story of the boots:
© Victoria Ponte 2020.
