Dear My Once In A Lifetime Horse,

Where do I even begin? When I look back on the months and years that I have been lucky enough to ride you and own you, I start to question what I did to deserve a horse as wonderful as you. You forgive me for my shortcomings. (And trust me I have many of them.) I don’t always find the perfect distance to the jump, and I can have a tendency to hold my hands too high and let my leg slide all over the place, both on the flat and while jumping. Sometimes I pull on the reins harder than I need to because I’m too scared to let go, but you show me time and time again that when I let go amazing things can happen—not just in riding but in life as well.

I still remember the first day I rode you and nearly made you take a 2’9” oxer from a standstill—it was then that I knew you were the perfect horse for me. After all, what horse would trust a new rider enough to get from side A to side B in about the worst possible distance? Little did I know at the time that this was only the beginning of what would become a very long and challenging journey? I have fallen off of you more times than all of the other horses I’ve ridden combined. There was even a point in time when I’m pretty sure I had more bad shows than good shows on you, and there was also a time where after almost every lesson on you I would go home and cry because I didn’t think that it was going to work out. It tore me apart inside to know that as much as I loved you, I couldn’t ride you well. I had this super talented horse in front of me, yet I could barely jump a line without you grabbing the bit and taking off.

But I was determined. I was going to do anything and everything in my power to become a better rider in order to allow you to shine and show off your full potential. I knew it was going to be hard, but I was going to learn how to ride you no matter what life threw at me or how many times I had to eat dirt to get there. As we slowly started to put courses together I finally started to feel like we were getting somewhere. I felt as though maybe one day I would truly be able to ride you—this wonderful horse of mine. Maybe someday I’ll be able to show you off and jump you around a “big girl course.” I kept my eyes up and my heels down and continued to practice day in and day out. And eventually that dream of mine came true, but not without the help of some truly wonderful trainers along the way. (I owe everything to you guys.) I learned how to ride you, and while we still have a long way to go I know that we are far better than we once were.

However, a lot of horses are able to teach people how to become better riders, but only the rare horses—the once in a lifetimes horses like you—are able to teach people how to be better people. You taught me patience and perseverance. You taught me how to rise up to a challenge instead of shy away from it and how to always chase after my dreams. You’ve taught me that the best things in life aren’t easy, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You taught me how to be confident not only in my riding but also in myself, and how to love and love relentlessly. You’ve taught me that life isn’t always going to be perfect, and sometimes the only thing you can do is to make the best of the moment you’re given. You’ve taught me how to slow down and enjoy the little things in life by teaching me how to enjoy all of the things that go along with owning a horse.

Throughout the years that I’ve owned you I have had to deal with some challenging life events, and I have had to make some big decisions. Some of my best thinking has occurred by talking things out with you while going on a trail ride or sitting in your stall while you ate hay and listened to me go on and on about my life problems. I can’t tell you how many decisions I’ve made while in your presence or how many times you’ve caught my tears as they fell down my face because I thought I wasn’t going to get through something.

Not everyone will understand it when I say that you’ve changed my life, but I know that I understand it. Thanks for making me the person I am today because without you I would truly be lost. I will never be able to repay you for the impact you have had on my life.

Love,

Your Extremely Blessed Owner