I have loved horses all of my life. My favorite toy was a rocking horse that I would ride incessantly. My mother even decided that it was easiest for her to feed me while on it because I would refuse to get off even to eat! When I first saw a live horse, I was terrified by it's size, but after petting this "gentle giant", I was hooked! From that point on, I have been riding real horses, first at public riding stables and camps, and then with my own horses.
I was lucky and rode hunter/jumpers as a Junior rider. I concentrated on the equitation classes. The competition in these was quite stiff. I competed mostly in New Jersey, but also within the surrounding states.
I was married to an Army Officer for a number of years and we lived in Germany for over three years. While there I happened to see Willi Shulties, a world renowned dressage master, ride one afternoon and although I didn't know who he was at that time, I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen! -- and decided right then and there that I wanted to learn to do that too!
After living in Germany, I lived in Arizona.. As it happened, while living there in 1990, I was diagnosed with a type of very aggressive Leukemia. After, what I had hoped was successful treatment, I moved to the Seattle area to be nearer to the Fred Hutchenson Cancer Research Center, just in case I ever needed further treatment. Unfortunately, it turned out I did. At the age of 28, in Oct of 92, I experienced a Toxic Reaction to chemotherapy causing me to sustain a TBI--Traumatic Brain Injury. I couldn't walk, talk, or control my body the first week. It took two nurses to drag me into the bathroom when I needed to use it. When one is in the hospital they normally have a call button. Well, I had a 6X6 square pad that I would just swing my arms at uncontrollably until I hit it when I needed to call a nurse.
In Dec '92 , I decided to undergo a Bone Marrow Transplant, even though the success rate at that time was only about 25%. Although I experienced many complications, it seems now to have been successful!
About 6 months after this, I went to see an "expert" neurologist who made it clear that in her opinion I would never make any gains beyond the point I was at that time. At that point I was barely walking or talking, just starting to read and write again, and could not even read a clock. Needless to say I was emotionally crushed! There I was, I had been an athletic and intelligent young woman and now I was like a very young child and worse, not expected to "grow up" again.
However, I was
determined to ride again! I first tried to ride in the summer of '93 and could not even mount! I was so upset by this that I made a serious suicide attempt. When I then tried to ride again, it was at a riding stable that serves disabled riders of all types. At first, I could only walk, then after a while, walk and trot, and then walk, trot and canter. Through very hard work and determination, grit and stubbornness, I now am riding at a level greater than I did previous to my injury.
It was at this time I found that I needed a service dog to assist me in my life, and with professional guidance I learned how to, and began to train my own service dogs. Now after almost 20 years of experience in this, and have trained 3 of my own dogs in that time. Being a person who now feels very strongly about the rights of disabled individuals, I have decided to pass my knowledge to others and I have found a home, and a place to do this with the SPCA!
My dream is to compete as part of the US Para-equestrian team which represents our country very well at many international events including the Paralympics.
I also hope to help Jenny and the SPCA develop a therapy-horse program here on the property that has been donated to the shelter. It will take time and of course a lot of money and support, but having been a part of a horse-therapy program at another shelter while living in Washington state, it is something I know can be done here too. I also believe that once Pappi and I win the Paralympics, he will be happy to retire to the life of being a gorgeous as well as excellent therapy horse to kick off the new program.
