5 Things I Love About Riding Horses by Kylar Terlip

1. The Friendships
When I first started riding horses, I had no clue the impact it would have on me, especially when it came to the friends I would meet. Most people grow up and get to see their best friends everyday, I get to see mine a couple times a year. While that does make friendships harder, it makes the time you get to spend with them so much more special. They support you in ways that people that don’t ride horses just can’t and they understand the blood, sweat, and tears that go into being successful in the industry.  You get to celebrate the victories and weather the slumps with your best friends, which is one of my favorite things about my best friends also riding!

 
2. The Places I've Visited
Most people dream about getting to travel all across the United States, but thanks to horses I have had the opportunity to. I get to visit some amazing places, all while doing the sport I love.  It makes it a lot of fun when you haven’t had a successful show, but you still got to visit some amazing places. 

3. The Time I've Spent with Family
The thing I love most about riding horses is the amount of time it has allowed me to spend with my family. Most high school aged kids don’t get to spend just about every weekend traveling with their parents (and grandparents in my case), but I wouldn’t change it for the world. They support me in every way that they can, whether that be driving, helping me clean stalls, or just being there for me when I am in a slump. They support me 110%, even though it is a huge financial and time commitment. I am the one who gets the rewards of riding horses, but I could not do it without the support of my family.

4. The Lessons Learned
The lessons that I have learned from riding horses are irreplaceable.  In most sports, you have a team to fall back on, so if you aren’t on your “game” then other people can pick up the slack. That is not the case when it comes to horses. No matter how trained a horse is, they still need some guidance at times and if you don’t do your part, the outcome will probably not be what you wanted.  The horses also count on you for pretty much everything. They cannot feed, water, or clean up after themselves, so great responsibility comes with owning horses. I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity for horses to teach me how important it is to be your best and the responsibility of taking care of an animal.

5. The Athletes (the 4-legged kind!)
The final thing I love about riding horses are the actual horses. They go out and do their jobs, all because we ask them to. They don’t understand the amount of money they just won or how prestigious the event was, they just go out and do their jobs. They are a thousand pound animals that are so willing to do whatever a human asks of them. All they want in return is some treats and some attention.
~Kylar Terlip