[RC] How did you get started? - Mollie Krumlaw-Smith
Though my parents were (and still are) *anti*
horse, I was lucky enough to grow up in an environment that allowed me to start
riding at a very early age, when I was old enough (like 8) to clean stalls I
would work in a couple of neighbors barns for riding time and managed to ride 3
or 4 times a week. Because of some wonderful people and great
opportunities along the way I was training by the time I was 15. I went through
many horse sports between the ages of 12 and 22, really because I was interested
in everything that could be done on horseback. In my early 20's I started
dressage (on Arabians of all things :-0 ) and was tossing around the
idea of making that my career. I'd already started college and a good
friend talked me into finishing my degree (accounting/finance/information
systems). Good choice.
In the mid 80's I was bringing back one of my
horses from a long illness and it was suggested that I do some trail riding
with him. I moved to Cincinnati about then and met someone who did
CTR. They talked me into giving it a try. I did a few
rides and had a blast. Then I was thrown a curve ball and was in a
very serious automobile accident. Spent three months in the hospital being
rebuilt and another 6 months learning to walk again. The left side of my
body had been for the most part shattered. By the time I could even sit on
a horse again it was almost a year later. It was pretty clear on the first
ride any type of career in horses was out of the question. I'd just lost too
much range of motion on my left side. So I started doing a lot of trail
riding because it was much easier on me to ride down a trail than to hold a seat
in the ring. Eventually I could ride long enough and well enough to toss
around the idea of the CTR, if was a lot of fun and I didn't have to worry as
much about my seat. That's what started this whole distance thing.
Now, 20 years later, I've been able to accumulate around five or six
thousand CTR miles and close to 3,000 in endurance.
Just goes to show you just never know where you'll
end up. :-)
MKS
#8945
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