My whole life, I’ve been a western rider. I ride western on all sorts of horses. A few years into my riding career, I made the switch to being an english rider. At that point, I became an all-arounder and I LOVE it. The only thing is that, I’m more of a western rider. I grew up riding in a barn that was more western than english, which explains a lot about me and my riding styles and habits. When I moved off to college, everything changed for me. I absolutely love my school. However, just because I love it, doesn’t mean that there’s nothing I would change about it. Like I said before, I’m an all-arounder, but I think I’m a better western rider than english rider. As it turns out, I’m going to a school that has a really big english program, a decent-sized dressage program, and no western program. Before you jump to conclusions and think that there’s zero western here, there is! My school has an extremely small IHSA western team. We compete at high levels in our region. We work just as hard as everyone else. Since we’re a small team, it’s hard for us to keep up with the hustle and bustle of the english barn. Sometimes I have issues realizing that I’m in a barn filled with english riders. Sometimes I feel like I’m being judged because of the fact that I’m a western rider, that I’m not following the “norm.” You know what, I don’t care. I’m proud of my accomplishments in the western world and I’m proud to be a western rider. Don’t let people tell you what you can and can’t do. It’s your life. Now take the reins and ride.