30 Day Challenge - Day 17

Your equestrian idol.

Hmm... This is a tough one for me. I don't really follow that many "big name" riders that closely so I can't tell you if there's one that really sticks out for me.

But, there is a local trainer though has to be my current idol. She goes by JF here on the blog and she's just so amazing. I've been taking lessons with her for about 4 years and she is amazingly supportive. She rides western only but also does classical dressage (in a western saddle). She taught me even more about training horses and starting babies than I had already known when I met her. JF introduced me to competitive trail - she hosts several shows at her barn every year and has also hauled me to other trail shows. We share the same love of going galloping on the beach and try to do so as much as possible over the summer. She's just altogether awesome :)


JF competing in a timed trail competiton.

Almost every summer for the past three years I've gone and stayed with her for at least a couple weeks and just played with horses 24/7. I would bring a horse or two and work with them, get pointers, and then help work with all the other training horses and do chores. All at no charge. She is really supportive of all my horse-related and training endeavors. At one point she offered me half of her barn to train out of - I wish I had accepted! But at age 15 with school (taking advanced courses) and my own horses, I just couldn't do it all.

I wish I could explain to her how much she has inspired me, and not only in horses. As a trainer she is always calm and fair to the horse. She is very modest. She knows that you can never stop learning and takes part in clinics and lessons. She also has amazing people skills which is very valuable when working with difficult clients. So she has to be my equestrian idol!