I was 7 or 8 years old when I had my first riding lesson. My mom signed me up, another activity for me to try my hand in. I had tried dance, but was asked to leave because I didn't listen to the teacher, and was often found making up my own moves in the corner of the studio. My mom got that "maybe your daughter should try something else" speech. I was only 5 years old, and my dance dream (if I even had one) was gone. I then tried gymnastics, but it was during my "I only wear dresses" phase, and, let's face it, one cannot roll on the ground in a dress. So that was crossed off the list, too. My mom then thought about swimming. I did one winter season and never again would I wear a swimming cap and tightly suctioned goggles on my face.

I know I must sound a bit picky, but I was always one to march to the beat of my own drum every chance I got. I would put on plays in my bedroom and used every camera there was to record my performances so my parents could watch them all again and again. I sometimes would find myself pretending I was an anchor on the news, reading the make-believe headlines to my lovely audience (my Build-A-Bears and dolls).

I tried my hand at tennis and played in middle and high school, but wasn't really that great, nor did I desire to be. I had dabbled in school musicals and a couple plays, but stopped once my uncoordinated self picked up cheerleading. While I could never tumble (I often blame my height, even though I know this to not be true), it was truly a highlight of my high school career. But it wasn't until I had my first lesson in probably over 8 years that my true passion was discovered.

I had taken a few horseback riding lessons but stopped because one day before a lesson, my house got a phone call saying the little old pony I had been riding had died. I guess I was distraught enough and that was that; it was time for a new activity. Little did I know that as a sophomore in high school, I'd be reintroduced to riding horses.

To sum up this portion of discovering riding again, I'll just say I dated this boy who was very competitive when it came to horseback riding. I had gone to a couple of his shows, and watched him ride, and I honestly felt that I had never seen anything more beautiful in my life (not the boy though—the majestic four-legged creature he was on), and I began to fall in love (again, not with the boy, but with the horses). As we've all said before, "what a small world we live in." The barn I had first taken a lesson at was where my high school boyfriend once rode and where his mom would begin to give me lessons.

I began helping out at the barn before even getting in the saddle, and I think it helped me to understand that riding is the reward for the hard work one does in the barn. I had never been more confused before in my life when a camper, probably around 6 or 7, asked me to help pick her horse's hoof. But I went into his stall and tried my swing at it. I've always been a more visual learner, so watching kids ride and tack and untack their horses prepared me for my chance to get on. My trainer let me on a horse one day at the end of summer (the biggest one at the barn, so I was a bit nervous, to be honest) and I had never felt happier. Sitting up there made me realize that I wanted to try this, whatever this was. I was entering my junior year of high school, so my age definitely made me question starting something new so late, but then I realized something: who's to say you're too old to begin something new?

I began lessons once a week and was hooked. I convinced my parents to throw in some extra lessons here and there because I was determined to advance.

For those of you who have never ridden, or did once on a trail ride that one time, riding is hard. Here I am, riding this 1,000-pound creature, and I'm trying to make it do things with my legs. And boy were my legs (and what I had of ab muscles) sore those first few lessons. I learned how to canter a few months later and was overjoyed when I learned that I could show that spring. I was thrilled to wear what I kept calling a blazer and khaki colored breeches to compete.

I had never competed in anything before by myself, and even if the class involved kids much younger than me, I was perfectly okay with it. The more the experience, the better. I showed that whole summer and the next, and although it was nice earning those blue ribbons, it was never about scoring places. I was simply overjoyed at being able to see how I compared to others, in hopes of bettering myself as a competitor, rider, and person.

Horseback riding led me to discover how passionate I am about animals. Another trainer at my barn allowed me to intern with her for my senior project, and I was really able to understand what it takes to keep a barn running—everything from mucking stalls to playing with lambs when they're first born (because it doesn't get much cuter than that). While I was originally set on becoming a vet, as an English major, I am determined to incorporate horseback riding into my life forever, in whatever way it might present itself.

Last year, horseback riding led me to apply for a camp counselor position at a summer camp across the country. Even though it was going to be my first real time away from home, I felt at ease knowing that I'd be surrounded by horses. Because of this sport, I now work at a camp where every day of the summer, I get to share my biggest passion I have with campers. When a camper is nervous at first, I understand exactly how they feel because that was me not too long ago. It's truly a rewarding experience to see a child get that "aha!" moment and finally understand something about riding, whether it's just being comfortable on their trusty steed or understanding the rhythm of the posting trot.

This sport has allowed me to grow as a person, to understand that when you fall down, you can get back up and get back on (both figuratively and literally), and that you should never hesitate on fulfilling your life with things that make you happy.

Last semester, I participated in my college's equestrian team, and it allowed me to understand collegiate competitiveness. When people don't believe me when I say I've only been riding for about four years, it is one of the best compliments I could receive. However, with other adult responsibilities, and being a busy college student, I don't always get to ride as often as I like (also because we college kids are poor and horseback riding is oh-so-expensive), but knowing that gives me such a sense of relief. I realize that at 20 years old, I might never become an Olympic rider or compete in rated horse shows, but none of that matters to me. I continue this sport because I want to personally improve; there's no one I'm trying to beat. I'm just a girl who caught the "riding bug" a bit later in life, but wouldn't change that for the world. I'd like to think that I'm just on this beautiful ride called life (when you think of a horse pun, you just have to use it).