I was afraid to canter. In ten years of horseback riding lessons, I had become adept at walking or trotting through obstacle courses and trails. I didn’t think the fact that I had a disability was what was holding me back. There was something about the feeling of going too fast that made me feel like I was going to fall off the horse. I had made great progress in my adaptive lessons in spite of being disabled by a stroke when I was 25. Riding was instrumental in my recovery.
I saw tremendous gains in strength, balance and coordination as a result of regular riding lessons. I had gained so much more from my involvement with Take The Reigns Adaptive Riding Center. I was able to attend gala events among New Jersey’s horse country elite, as well as compete in their annual horse show where I usually won Champion in both the walk/trot and obstacle course classes.
Yet, the cantering class had eluded me. I often resented the younger riders competing against me who were able bodied but had emotional disabilities. Kim was 14 years old and suffered from autism, but was physically fit as a fiddle. I watched her as she effortlessly walked the obstacle courses before the competition. If I wanted to walk the course, I would need assistance on the uneven terrain of the show ring. I always felt she had an unfair advantage, but was never really sure since I couldn’t imagine what her life was…
