…Learning to Trust Myself
Tracy Cole, Mane Stream’s first rider (1972)
I started riding with Somerset Hills Handicapped Riders Club (SHHRC) in 1972 when I was 7 years old, and I have been riding ever since. It all started when I was asked by a doctor at Easter Seals if I wanted to learn to swim or learn to ride. I had wanted a pony for as long as I could remember, so the choice was obvious. It was the best choice I ever made.
By learning to ride, I became part of a team, with the horse as my other team member. This is important, because before riding I spent most of my time on the sidelines watching other people be part of a team. Riding gave me a chance to do things I could not do on my own two feet. Once that happened, a whole new world opened up for me.
At SHHRC I learned to walk, trot, canter, and jump a very low cross rail. While learning these skills, I went on some wonderful trail rides through the countryside and discovered how much fun it could be to gallop up the hill and wait for everyone else to catch up with me for a change. (If you walk slowly and are always trying to keep up with others, let me tell you, that kind of gallop is quite a rush! Dart and I did it as often as possible by his choice, not mine. I just told him to pick his own pace. Boy, am I glad he liked the rush too!)
I also learned about competition at SHHRC. I competed in the club shows, in-state shows, a national show, and an international show. During this time, I won some, I lost more, and I learned a lot. One of the things I learned was that after you have been there done that and got that T-shirt (hopefully with no grass stains!) it is better to stop competing to win and just compete to learn something either for yourself or for your horse. Then, when you are done competing it is good to pass on what you learned to other riders by either coaching or judging.
Finally, and probably the most important thing I learned from SHHRC, is that if I trust myself, I can make a lot happen. I learned to drive so I could get to my lessons, I got a job so I could pay for my lessons. I started travelling and wound up telling a lot of different people about how good riding is for me. I moved to my own place. Then finally, I did what I thought was at one time impossible. I became an instructor and now I teach others to ride so they can see how great the world can be.
I started riding when I was 7 years old in 1972 at SHHRC, and now, 50 years later, I am still riding, I am teaching, and I am mentoring instructors in training. What more can you ask for when you are doing something you love?
