another horsey announcement!!

Posted on February 15th, 2012 by Tonia 6 Comments

It’s time to reveal one of the reasons I have been so sporadic with my blogging lately. The truth is, I have been preoccupied by a pretty huge thing happening.

The whole story:

I’m lucky enough to live only two miles from the barn where I board my horse. It’s a great farm with an indoor arena to ride in all winter long and a big outdoor for summer riding. The owners (we’ll call them C&D) are a husband-wife team and they are two of the most compassionate and giving people I know.

C&D started an equine therapy program for at-risk and disabled youth that runs all summer long at their farm. They also rescue neglected and abused horses, rehabilitate them and find them good homes. Apart from that, they’re always running around helping out however they can in the greater community. It’s an honor to call them friends and to be a part of the wonderful community and atmosphere they have created at their barn.

Recently, C and I have been talking about starting a schooling program at the barn. There doesn’t seem to be anyone in the area currently offering beginner lessons, but C has always had too much going on to be the one to stand out there every day giving lessons. She asked if I would want to be the one to do it (UM, HELLO!! YES!!!) So, it sounds like I will be offering beginner and novice lessons at the barn this summer!

I’m really stoked!!  Teaching riding lessons/horsemanship is something I have wanted to find a way to do for a long time. I had the most amazing riding coach growing up, and having that positive influence in my life made an enormous difference.

I’ll be starting the program at the barn from nothing- there is zero in place right now- so I’m feeling a little daunted by how much there is to do in order to be ready to take on students this summer. I’m currently researching hands-on programs for new instructors that help focus, encourage, and prepare you to start teaching lessons. I found one in Oregon that seems to share many of my horsemanship philosophies (because in the land of working with horses, there are many ways of doing things) and I’m planning on doing an online clinic with them this spring. I just want to make sure I am giving my students the best of my abilities.

You guys. I have never in my life liked answering the all-too-oftenly-asked question, “So, what do you do for a living?” I was “just a salesperson” or “an account executive” or “a customer relations rep”. Those jobs are fine for folks who want to do them, but I have never wanted to do anything but be around horses, so for me it was like squishing a circle into a square space: painful and not meant to be.

But NOW. Being able to say, “I’m a riding instructor” will be my proudest moment ever, every time I get to say it. This is NUTS!! I am excited, can you tell?? :)

But there’s a snag…….C&D don’t currently have a horse or pony that would be suitable to a student who has advanced past walking and trotting on the lead line and is ready for MORE (particularly jumping). It became clear that if I wanted to create a lesson program at this barn, I would need to find a pony that could take my students from the very beginning stages all the way to jumping a course at a horse show.

I started looking around and reaching out to my connections in the horse world. My riding coach from back in the day emailed me saying she has a nice little gelding for sale right now who seems to fit what I’m looking for. I jumped in the car and went to see him that same week. He’s a Welsh cross, 13.1 hh, chestnut with a flaxen mane, matching white socks in back and a star on his forehead. In other words he’s FREAKING ADORABLE, as all ponies tend to be. I mean, it’s a horse, but super tinier. There’s no way to not be cute with that recipe, ya know?

Anyway, so I rode him and he’s great and he’s in my price range (which was limited. I never thought I’d find a pony THIS nice for the price I was shopping in, but here he is! Meant to be!) so we made an offer and his owners accepted it and we’re picking him up TODAY.

UWEHFUWHVJNEWUFYGQDHQ!!!!!!HADBFWEhbqsjfgwjenfkwQQQ!!!!!!! Sorry. I think I just need to end this post right now. I realize I’m insane.

But first, here’s a picture of him from a horse show this past summer (I doctored it up a little):

6 Comments

  1. Pam says:

    That is SO very exciting!! And to be able to say “I’m a____” (fill in the blank with dream title) with pride, is the best thing ever!!! I’m terribly happy for you and can’t wait to read all about it as you go along.

  2. Kathi Zurkowski says:

    Congrats Tonia! Perfect work for you:)

  3. Trish says:

    thats great! I am an equestrian also – I have desert bred (Saudi Source)arabians. Check out my riding instructors website-ride with excellence. She teaches the Monte Foreman method, which I think is absolutely wonderful. It isn’t english, it isn’t western, it’s learning how to ride a horse. I learned in my 30s, and am 47 now, with 2 big powerful horses. She has taught me how to handle them in a way that I feel safe (i.e. I know how to shut them down if I need to). But the most important thing to me is that I am having fun.

    Good luck and I will be looking forward to hearing about your progress!

  4. Cathy schroeder says:

    Oh Tonia ow wonderful (although each time you posted about some exciting news I thought you were pregnant!) this is so exciting, now you own 2 horses! We are so happy for you. What a dream come true!

  5. Caitlyn says:

    does your pony do birthday party rides =)

  6. MelD says:

    Tonia, that is fantastic news!! And I bet your Welsh cross is LOVELY, that is bound to be a great little all-round pony for your purpose – congratulations!!

    Also on your new career – as a teenager I really wanted to be a riding instructor but the “official” training programs weren’t for me, either in Switzerland or England, I didn’t fit in with them and it never worked out for me, so I went the way of the owner/trainer as a hobby, instead. In the intervening 30 years I have come to learn that there are many roads to Rome and the way your path is taking you to that end is as good as any – so important for the courses you do to fit your criteria! Isn’t the internet cool for this kind of research and to find like-minded folk… just wonderful.

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