Emma Young is a 16-year-old avid eventer and foxhunter in Ohio. Thanks for sharing, Emma!
Photo by Emma Young.
I’m thankful for my horse, my friends, and my family. I’m thankful for every bit of advice every trainer has ever given me. I’m thankful for every horse I’ve ridden, from the first pony who dumped me to the first horse I jumped and to the horse I get to call my own. I’m thankful for eventing — the jumping and even the dressage that comes with it. I’m thankful for early morning hacks, breathtaking gallops, cross country fences, and exhilarating fox hunts. I’m thankful for all my role models who inspire me to be a better rider.
I’m thankful for the smell of fresh leather, freshly washed saddle pads, leg wraps, and horse shoes (that stay on). I’m thankful for people who inspire me. I’m thankful for the vet who saved my old horse and the farrier that came on their day off. I’m thankful for schooling shows, hunter paces and clinics. I’m thankful for mud and for rain and for snow-even though I’m most thankful for sun. I’m thankful for trailers and cars and for keys. I’m thankful for my parents who support me in this expensive sport. I’m thankful for a sister that loves to ride too and I’m ever so thankful for the rest of my family too. I’m thankful for friends at school who try to understand what Eventing really is. I’m thankful for teachers who want me to learn. I’m thankful for helmets and cross country vests.
Photo by Jenifer Young.
I’m thankful for my first riding lesson and I’m thankful that I quit. I’m thankful I found the right path for me and I didn’t end up as a hunter/jumper, a volleyball player, or a track star. I’m thankful for my boss who gave me the dream teenage job. I’m thankful for the farm that helps kids with a therapeutic riding program. I’m thankful for duct tape and all that it can do, from packing a horse hoof to holding the feed tub lid still. I’m thankful for my trainer that showed me the ropes of eventing and introduced me to foxhunting. I’m thankful for foxes, hounds, huntsmen, and whips too. I’m thankful for people who trailer me places. I’m thankful for no-stirrup November and dressage December. I’m thankful for getting the chance to go on hacks with a four-star rider. I’m thankful for seeing the life of a working student up close. I’m thankful for the young girl at my lesson stable who dreams of big things. I’m thankful for those I call in need of an answer to my many questions.
Photo by James Young.
I’m thankful for the blanket that keeps my horse warm. I’m thankful for every horse I gave a test ride on and I’m ever so thankful I ended up with my guy. I’m thankful for button braids, white contour pads, and the sound of the bag pipes that make my horse close his eyes. I’m thankful for dreamers, for lovers, for those who inspire. I’m thankful for everyone and everything that has entered my life.
Happy Thanksgiving!
