When you ask most people what they do for hobbies or sports, they answer, "I play (insert popular team sport here). I, on the other hand, ride horses. Jumping up on a 1500 pound animal and controlling it only using your hands and legs is far easier said than done. During the never-ending icebreakers that always seem to come with meeting new people, most would say sports that they played or what they did in their free time but I always seemed to be the odd one out when I said I didn't play a team sport or run for track and field or play an organized sport for my school. Even though I was always an anomaly, I wouldn't trade the bond that I have with these animals for anything.

When I took my first lesson I was only 6 years old. I was always obsessed with ponies and horses so my parents just figured it was a passing phase and decided to take me to a few lessons so I could do it once or twice and get my fix. What they didn't realize that this wasn't just a passing fad for me, this would become the biggest part of my life. I began taking lessons every week from then on. There's only been a few times when I would take breaks during the winter when there was no outdoor arena or it was too cold. I have done everything under the sun, from jumping 3 foot verticals to doing rundowns in the pen with reining horses. Every horse I have ever encountered had something different to teach me. Whether it be that I needed to be more firm or that I was being too lenient. I carry each lesson every horse I have ever been on with me. I can never repay them for what they have given to me.

Horses are quite obviously the biggest part of my life, hands down. I now have three of them and they are like children to me. They each have their own personality just like kids. No matter what, they are always there for me, they will keep all of my secrets and always listen when I have something to say. No matter what life throws at me I know I can go out to the barn, grab one of them and just forget everything going on in my life at that moment. They have the power to take me away from anything that's going wrong or when life is just too busy at that moment. No amount of money could ever make up for that. No person could ever give that to me.

There's a special bond between these animals and me. Whenever I look into my horse's eyes it's as if he's staring back into my soul. It's like no other feeling that I've ever experienced. That is why I am more than okay being referred to as the crazy horse girl. These are more than just animals. They are my life.