I owe it all to the polo club.

In five days, I leave for Seattle to try working at and living on an eventing farm.  I am very excited as this is what I've been wanting to do with my life and I owe it all to the polo club.  I am very grateful to have had polo in my life for the past year as the Cincinnati Polo Club really helped me get back into horses and find my true passions in life.  However, polo is not the equestrian sport for me as I've always been an odd person to play on a team and sports like that make me incredibly nervous.  However, in eventing, it's just the horse and me on the course- and that's the way I like it.

Before I met the polo club, I was a total mess.  I tried to kill myself and was undergoing therapy to try to snap me out of it, but nothing really helped until I met them.  In a strange roundabout way, I owe my life to the Cincinnati Polo Club and the great people within it.  They've all been incredibly supportive of me and really helped me get through a rough time in my life, whether they knew it or not.

I never flat out told them my story, but I never felt like I needed to.  They welcomed me with open arms regardless of how I dressed, what my previous job was, and what color my hair was.  I've never felt like I belonged anywhere or that I had true friends, but that all changed when I met the polo club.  I am sad to leave them behind, but I am incredibly excited to start this new chapter in my life that they have helped create.  I will never forget them and what they have done for me.

They will always be my friends and my family.

The horses I have loved

Horses are very important to me and they always have been.  I love the way they look, the way they move, the way they smell.  I love their soft noses, their mirror-like eyes, and the way they know what you're thinking.  They are kind, honest creatures- much unlike humans.  They do not judge, they don't care what your label is, and they don't care how much money you make, or if you live with your parents.  They care about how you ride, if you ride, and their basic needs.  If you take care of them, they will take care of you.  They're amazing, beautiful creatures.

I rode horses regularly from when I was eight-years-old up until I was 16.  I can remember the name of each horse I've ever ridden and their personality.  Cheval was a grumpy, red horse.  Butkus didn't like being near other horses.  Field was a beautiful grey Arabian who lost his best friend to a lightning strike.  The electricity went through Charlie and paralyzed one side of Field.  I rode him once, but he was my favorite.  Juice and I were buddies.  He taught me to jump and really helped me become a balanced rider.   He was the first and only horse I've ever fallen off.  I loved Winton, even though he seemed to always be disappointed when I brought him his tack.

Dallas was another favorite.  He seemed to tolerate me very well.

I rode Domino and Tara at camp.  Both of them had babies, which made me consider that the camp was not the best place for horses or people.

I was completely horse crazy.  I read books about horses, watched movies about horses, dreamed about horses...  they were a part of who I was.