My, How Things Change

If eight years ago you would have told me that I was going to find a passion outside of horses, I would have laughed at you. No way! Horses were everything to me. I breathed, dreamed, lived horses. I had big goals and I was inspired. I won championship shows, three-star competitions, etc. I had the drive and the natural talent needed for it. A broken leg, big accidents, and aggressive problem-horses didn't scare me. Nothing stopped me. I was living the dream. My dream. I was to be a top equestrian... even my trainer had that vision for me.

I hit a milestone in my life, which was graduating high school, and started college. I was exploring new things, new ideas. My world was expanding; it was no longer that of an ignorant high schooler, it was now a little more open, a little less ignorant, and extremely hungry to learn more. I was doing well in my studies and doing fantastically as an equestrian.

While I was exploring new paths in my life, I started going to the gym regularly to help with my fitness at horse shows. They were getting harder and more competitive, so I wanted the extra push. I started doing spin classes to help with my cardio. One of the instructors then said, "Hey, you should try riding outdoors, I think you'd be good at it." I laughed and thought it was crazy, but the idea never went away. A few months later, I bought a bike, learned how to ride it (yes, in that order), and started cycling outdoors.

My, how things change.

I started like most cyclists started: I had no idea on what I was doing. I kept tipping over because I couldn't unclip. I then started training more on the bike. After I was done with training horses for the day, I would ride my bike for as long as I could. I started training for my first century and completed it four months after learning how to ride my bike. It wasn't fast, but I completed it, and that made me happy. As Don, the man who is guilty of planing the cycling seed in my head, said, "You will amaze yourself at the things you can do."

So I kept riding...

And then it happened. My primary competition horse got hurt. I wasn't able to ride him. The other horse I was competing was no longer in my line-up due to his owner going absolutely bat-shit crazy. I was only riding polo ponies, but polo wasn't my main event, Dressage was, and I was horseless for that. But my cycling kept me sane. I went out, rode more centuries than a beginner probably should have, started training for the Death Ride, and so on. I did the rehab I had to do on my horse and I kept playing at the polo field.

Later on, I decided that I wanted to try a race, so I bought a day license and raced my first crit. I was terrified, but I'm the type of person who needs a goal. This time it was with a different sport, a whole new world for me. It was fun, but I missed my Dressage. After the first road race, crit, and circuit race, I decided that I really liked it, so I made racing my new goal. I wanted to get better at it. I didn't have the natural talent I had for horseback riding, but I worked hard, and I was going to make it a goal to be a better racer since I had to rehab my Dressage horse.

So I kept racing...

And racing I did. I raced to victories, defeats, disappointment, and happiness. I found a new passion. My horse was hurt so I retired him, and I never went looking for another horse to compete with. I kept cycling. I used it as my main source of transportation to Sac State. It was a daily 55-mile round trip. I made a goal of becoming a CAT 3, and I accomplished that goal. And now I have more and more goals, none of them on horseback.

Don't get me wrong. Horses are still my passion. I won't be getting rid of my horse. If someone were to say, "Choose: The bikes or the horse," I would still choose my horse. He gave me so much and taught me a lot in my young life that I owe him a happy life. He will live carefree, semi-retired, and happy with me for the rest of his horsey life. The good thing is that I don't have to choose between the horse and the bike and I'll keep riding and racing my bike. For now, my horse dreams are put on hold. I won't compete for a while, I won't own a new horse for some time. I'll eventually get another horse when I'm ready and when I feel like competing in Dressage or endurance again. For now, I'll try my heart out at my cycling, and hopefully get a few more victories under my belt.