Throughout my life over and over again I have been asked what sport I play? My response. I am an equestrian. And every time people smirk as they respond, “that’s not a sport, the horse does the work and you just sit there."

But then it’s my turn to smirk. People think it’s not a sport. They think all we do is sit up there and smile. Well that’s funny, because let me ask you this : have you ever trusted something so unpredictable? Have you ever jumped over something taller than you? Does your sport involve falling ten feet from the air? Or require you to communicate with an animal that doesn’t speak the same language as you? Have you been bucked off a 1,200-pound animal onto the cold, hard, unforgiving ground and then a minute later asked to get back on?

I was 2 years old the first time I sat in a saddle. Six years old when I experienced passion. Seven years old when I learned failure. Nine years old when I understood dedication. Ten years old when I discovered patience. Eleven years old when I fell in love. And 13 when I finally found myself.

Being an equestrian is my past, my present and my future. I am who I am today because of it. It was in the saddle I discovered who I am, who I am not and who I wish to become. It’s with horses that I have shared both the happiest and hardest times of my life. It’s with this sport; yes sport, that I have found the person I am meant to be.

When I first started riding, my parents simply thought it was a phase -- little did they know it was a phase that would last a lifetime. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop them from supporting me. I can’t begin to tell you how many car rides to the barn my mom took or how many miles my dad drove to horse shows to watch me compete. They were there through every hospital X-ray, every blue ribbon won, and every tear-filled lesson or mud-soaked bath.

As an equestrian, we are often underestimated. Our teammates are ten times our size. Everyday we put our lives into the hands (or hoofs) of an animal with a mind of it’s own. People think it looks easy because of the money, time and discipline we put into it, but in a way that's a compliment. We work to make our sport look so effortless. If it looks like the horse is doing all the work, then we’re doing our job right.

But just like any sport, it’s not for everyone. Horses are animals and animals are unpredictable. They sense fear, apprehension, nerves or insecurities. One day they’re well behaved and the next day you’re on the ground because of the butterfly (they’re 1,200 pound babies). It’s a sport without any days off. The days it snowed and school was closed, I was on my way to the barn. The morning my horse was sick and didn't play in the game, I had to get up because the vet was coming. Days off aren’t a thing in the equestrian world; your teammate is a living animal.

There were countless times when I was forced between my social life and equestrian life. You wouldn't believe me if I told you how many parties I missed, how many hours of sleep I lost getting up before the sun, or how much money I spent on carrots.

So you have to decide if it’s all worth it: to fall down seven times and stand up eight. Not everyone has the drive to do that.

But the fear of falling has never stopped me from doing what I love, as the bond between horse and rider is unbreakable. The trust you put in them, it’s your life. And the trust they put on you, it’s an honor. They don’t have to do anything for you, they’re 1,200 pounds of pure muscle, but they do. They let us guide them over jumps and transport them hundreds of miles across state lines. The friendship you develop is irreplaceable because it was after the longest days that my horse was able to put a smile on my face. All the fights with friends or that bad test grade disappeared when I was with my horse.

There is a golden rule when it comes to being an equestrian. I have ridden at multiple barns, I have rode multiple horses and trained with multiple people and the rule carries through it all. And it’s a rule that applies not only with horses but in life as well. If you look down, you go down. You have to always be prepared, thinking one step ahead. You have to find your next jump before you clear the first one. There is no time to overthink in riding. You are forced to live in the moment, to make a split second decision and never look back.

Humility, determination and trust. I learned almost every life value from being an equestrian. Your trainers push you. Your horses test you. You learn to be the best version of yourself and you learn not to settle for anything less.

It doesn't matter the situation or who you're dealing with, sometimes admitting defeat doesn't make you weak. It took me countless falls and many years to realize that perfection is not what I should strive for, but rather it’s progress. I am allowed to end the day with an “OK” and that tomorrow I will not strive for perfection, but rather be better that I was today.

So thank you to all my horses for giving me the confidence to soar over jumps, for forgiving me when I made mistakes, for teaching me what it means to be patient. It’s from you I learned unconditional love. It’s because of you I learned what it means to have a teammate. It’s from you I learned what it means to have a true best friend.

Horseback riding was the first thing that allowed me to feel proud of myself, to be a leader, to rely on someone other than myself. And although an equestrian is not all that I am, it is a major part of the person I have grown to be. I have shared more than half of my life with the 1,200 pound, muddy, moody and most lovable animal there is and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

It's the empowering, riveting and a humbling feeling that overcomes you when riding a horse. It’s indescribable and once you know how it feels to fly fearlessly, you never go back.