Taco is home in New Jersey and I’m getting ready to leave Wellington, but today I found out that Taco and I were FEI Para Champions for the White Fences Equestrian Center Championship Series! Thanks to all the sponsors that make this series possible. What a great show season! #champions #dressage #dressagerider #paraequestrian #paradressage #equestrian #disability #boxwheelchairs #saraschmittdressage

Photo by Kristin Lee I love the sport of dressage. I fell in love with it when I was introduced to horses and dressage after starting hippotherapy as part of my rehab. I continue to fall in love with it a little more each time I’m on my horse or I learn something new at the barn. Horses have been there to push me to some of my highs, and pull me out of some my lows. They’ve helped me become physically and emotionally stronger. When I got sick, I was in a hard place. I had bee

This past weekend I got to spend my birthday watching El Paso shine at his first horse show here in the states at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival! Thank you Sara Schmitt for taking him and showing him at second level. El Paso was calm, cool, and collected in such a big show environment and they took home two blue ribbons! It's so cool to see what a great horse he's going to be for me in the show ring. Thanks to Ria Ple for being groom extraordinaire while also showing th

Royal was a rockstar this weekend for our first show together. As we entered the show ring I could feel him relax as if he knew it was time to shine and take care of me. I couldn't have been more proud of him and grateful for this moment. Thank you to Sabine Schut-Kery for all your support, guidance, and training over the last few months. It's been so fun to watch our partnership grow and develop. Cesar, thank you for always taking such good care of Royal. I never have to

A couple weeks ago Royal and I moved barns. I'm grateful for what I learned at Lehua Custer Dressage and the strong, confident rider I've become, but it was time to move on and further our training. Royal got settled in on his first day here. He was welcomed by Cesar, his awesome new groom, who helped get him acclimated with everything. Cesar has given both of us nothing but the best treatment since we've been here. If I'm not at the barn, I know that Royal is going on wal

A couple weeks ago I traveled to the North Texas Equestrian Center run by our Chef d'Equipe, Kai Handt. I attended a Para Dressage Clinic with Olympic, WEG, and European Para Dressage Medal Winning Trainer David Amager. Head officials from the U.S. Para Equestrian Association, U.S. Equestrian Federation, and the U.S. Olympic Committee were also in attendance. The clinic was beneficial in so many ways. I was loaned a lovely mare named Touche to ride for the duration of the

The 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio was the first time that some of the games were broadcast live on network television in the United States. It was also the first time that mainstream society saw the disabled community for all the things we CAN do, not for what we can’t. Oftentimes, the disability community receives widespread attention during telethons, campaigns for medical research, or on the news when there’s some random act of kindness performed. In light of this exposure

The other day my beautiful Real Erbeo, Royal, arrived at the airport after a long journey from New York. Real means Royal in Portuguese, and I was lucky enough to meet him last month when I was in Pennsylvania. Lehua, Bryce, and I flew to the East Coast to meet Lehua's new baby Fortunate H2O and help with his Oldenburg inspection. Fortunato's breeder, Kendra, is a generous lady and asked her friends if they knew of any horses that would be a good match for me. Molly stepped

The Happiness Stories is a video series designed to look into the lives of many people who struggle every day with unrelenting disease & illness. Ron tries to see what everyone has in common. A plethora of smiles fill their faces each and every day despite their life struggles. The Happiness Stories aims to share the stories of many to inspire, to raise awareness, and to give the world a reason to smile. The first part of my story came out on The Happiness Stories last week.

A couple weeks ago I was contacted by Ron from The Happiness Stories, a video series designed to look into the lives of many people who struggle every day with unrelenting disease & illness. Ron tries to see what everyone has in common. A plethora of smiles fill their faces each and every day despite their life struggles. The Happiness Stories aims to share the stories of many to inspire, to raise awareness, and to give the world a reason to smile. We spent some time together