#paradressagerider

July 18th 2020: Shane and I are back in action after 4 months off because of COVID!Riding again felt amazing! It was a pretty great ride all things considered! I’ve lost some of my core and I started leaning back in the saddle because of fatigue again. I’m a little frustrated because of it but I know I’m going to work back up to where I was. We just focused on transitioning from walk to halt and getting him to walk with intention, and then went on a short trail ride around property. Shane was a good boy even though getting him to walk on in the heat took a lot of my energy. I’m really proud of Shaners for listening so well and I gave him lots of pats. ♥️😊🐴. . #horse #horses #equine #equines #equestrian #paraequestrian #dressage #paradressage #paradressagerider #therapeuticriding #equineassistedtherapy #therapyhorse #therapyhorses #usef #adultamateur #adultammy #teamcaf #grade1paraequestrian #shane #goodboy #americanpainthorse #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #thefutureisbright #workinghard #chasingdreams #strongereveryday #cerebralpalsy #disabledbutnotreally #breakingbarriers (at Quantum Leap Farm, Inc.) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCyoihiHblr/?igshid=1fm09ngu9jfrs

Hey guys! I’m really excited to share that I’ve finally started my lease horse hunt again! This little cutie is Emmaline, a four year old rescue mare owned by Jane Whitehurst of Nosara Farms. My parents took me out to see her on Thursday. She was previously feral so we don’t know what breed she is but she has a beautiful flaxen chestnut coat, a star on her forehead, and white socks on her back legs. She has been schooling training and introductory level dressage. When she met me, it was the first time she had ever seen a wheelchair, but she wasn’t bothered by it at all. Nothing seemed to phase her, even if I approached her from behind at a distance. She was super loving and gentle, and even let me lead her with no problems. Being with Emmaline felt like a dream. I have to wait for my barn to reopen again before I can try riding her because Jane doesn’t have a way of getting me on at her stable as of yet, but I really hope we mesh well together because it feels like a match made in heaven. Maybe I can go see her again soon. I’m really excited about the future that I might have with Emmaline and Jane❤️🐴. . #horse #horses #equine #equines #equestrian #paraequestrian #dressage #paradressage #paradressagerider #usef #adultammy #teamcaf #grade1 #leasehorse #emmaline #flaxenchestnut #goodgirl #dressagehorse #thefutureisbright #chasingdreams #strongereveryday #postivevibes #bigthingsarehappening #excitingnews #exciting #excitingthingstocome #lookingforward #disabledathlete #cerebralpalsy #disabledbutnotreally (at Nosara Farms) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBqJ5_wH65h/?igshid=1ovga67dx2o6x

Jan 14th, 2021: Today I got back on Shane for the first time since Christmas break and we had a great lesson! It felt really good to be back with my buddy. When I got on we had to lower my stirrup leathers by 4 holes because my legs are doing so much better with all of the surcingle work on Cappy and the hip flexor stretching I’ve been doing at home. I had a short lesson so Shane and I worked the first four movements of Grade I Intro B. Because I wasn’t as tight i was able to get Shane a little bit more forward which was great! He did really well with what we worked on today, aside from being a bit sticky with turning to the right which is new for him. He did shoulder-in instead at first, but after a few tries I was able to get him to circle right. I’m not sure if my cues were off, if he was experiencing tightness on his right side and it was uncomfortable, or what made him reluctant to turn right, but I know he did his best for me and that’s all I can ask for. I do know that my hands are my biggest enemy when it comes to my riding and it’s going to take a lot to reprogram my muscle memory to correct the issues I have, but I know I will be better with them if I keep working at it. I did try holding the reins with my whole palm closed around them instead of with my thumbs on top, and it allowed me to stay more open and balanced. I’m proud of myself and Shane for the work we did today. All the small improvements I have been learning about and making have been helping so much, and the future looks brighter all the time. Good boy Shaners ❤️🐴😊🇺🇸 . #horse #horses #dressage #paradressage #paradressagerider #grade1paradressage #equestrian #paraequestrian #usef #adultamateur #dreambig #workhard #hardwork #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #troxelhelmets #sponsoredrider #sponsorship #thefutureisbright #chasingdreams #breakingbarriers #strongereveryday #progressnotperfection #trustheprocess #cerebralpalsy #aspiringparalympian (at Quantum Leap Farm, Inc.) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKC-srrnQPZ/?igshid=14r7ze2w5rpvp

Dec 5th 2020: Hi guys! I wanted to introduce you to Cappy! He is the horse I am taking lessons on at Emerald M therapeutic riding center! He is teaching me how to build a stable seat and acquire seperation of aids so that I can communicate with him more effectively. He tripped twice today and I stayed stable with the exception of some minor shifting. I feel more confident and secure each time I ride him which is huge! I haven’t been working with Cappy that long but he has such s fun loving and goofy personality that is easy to love! He is also a great teacher and really gets moving when you are doing the eight thing so you instantly know if you are making progress. I’m really excited to keep getting stronger with his help! I gave him some treats after my lesson and he was nuzzling all over me trying to find more 😊❤️🐴🇺🇸 . #equestrian #paraequestrian #dressage #paradressage #paradressagerider #seat #core #strength #improvement #learning #teacher #horse #horses #usef #oyes #myariat #partnership #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #thefutureisbright #strongereveryday #chasingdreams #breakingbarriers #reachinggoals #aspiringparalympian #cp #cerebralpalsy #disabledbutnotreally (at Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIZHi-Qnxfq/?igshid=1463da46ixzco

Jan 6th 2021: It’s my first lesson of the new year and look, I’m standing all the way straight! It took some support from awesome people and a pillow, but I did it! My left leg didn’t want to stretch down while I was on Cappy, so we opted to dismount early, love on him and do some standing and stretching instead! It felt really good to be able to fully extend my knees, as my hamstrings are so tight that when I stand on my own with support, I am still crouched down. Although today didn’t go as I had envisioned for myself because my body was being uncooperative , I’m still proud of what I accomplished and that we were able to come up with another strategy to improve my riding! Huge thanks to Cappy for being such a good sport with my awkwardness today. . P.S. look at the awesome new Troxel Liberty Helmet my parents got me for Christmas! . #paraequestrian #equestrian #paradressage #dressage #paradressagerider #progressnotperfection #onedayatatime #stayingpositive #makingstrides #usef #adultamateur #horses #thefutureisbright #chasingdreams #breakingbarriers #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #strongereveryday #dreambig #workhard #cp #cerebralpalsy (at Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJt3YLNnOJ0/?igshid=u3ynrbanf2n1

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I hope you have a wonderful time celebrating with friends and family! I wanted to share some extra footage and pictures from my practice of Grade 1 Novice Test A. I’m still so proud of how Shaners did with this practice and I’m very excited to film it. After we film Novice Test A, I’m going to go back and do Intro Test B because I skipped over it. We may be going a little out of order but that’s okay, you live and you learn. ❤️🐴😊🇺🇸 . #youliveandyoulearn #liveandlearn #horses #horse #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #paraequestrian #dressage #paradressage #dressagerider #paradressagerider #dressagetest #usef #oyes #oyesequestrian #adultamateur #adultammy #kerrits #kerritseq #myariat #troxelhelmets #goodboy #thefutureisbright #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #chasingdreams #breakingbarriers #strongereveryday #aspiringparalympian #cp #cerebralpalsy https://www.instagram.com/p/CIDwjyPHORr/?igshid=18rfpx8e4ltk2

Look everyone! My show outfit is complete! Never thought I’d be able to say those words. I’m feeling so over the moon right now! Can’t wait to wear it on Friday as I perform the Grade 1 team test during my lesson! I’m hopefully going to enter some virtual shows in the near future, so it will get a lot of use! I feel so close to my dreams right now it’s unreal. My passion for horses and dressage is so deep that I don’t even have to be around horses to get excited and feel complete. This is a huge deal for me and another one of my small goals I can cross off the list 😊❤️🐴🇺🇸 . #horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equine #equines #equestrian #paraequestrian #usef #adultamateur #adultammy #teamcaf #dressage #paradressage #paradressagerider #goals #horseshow #showoutfit #showing #dressageshow #thefutureisbright #strongereveryday #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #chasingdreams #breakingbarriers #aspiringparalympian #hardwork #dothework #cp #cerebralpalsy #disabledbutnotreally https://www.instagram.com/p/CG0rz5JnzG7/?igshid=17pp0eg0qiv0q

Dec 19th, 2020: I audited my first dressage clinic today, a Bill McMullin clinic at @lchequestrian ! It was so much fun watching everyone work with their horses and learning more about trot and canter work for various tests, as well as piaffe and passage, all of which I know about but haven’t personally experienced. I also spent a lot of time watching the riders position and tried to take away some things I could apply to my own riding. The best part of it all was getting to reunite with @lisahellmer07, her family, and all my favorite horses at the barn! It was amazing to see everyone after so long apart, and so hard to leave. Lisa, thank you for always being so warm and welcoming, and for letting me be a part of your life, it really means a lot to me ❤️🥰🐴🇺🇸. . #dressage #dressageriding #dressageclinic #dressageclinics #firstclinic #goals #reachinggoals #paradressagerider #paradressage #horses #friends #equestrian #paraequestrian #learning #thefutureisbright #team #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #teamwork #support #supportteam #breambig #dreams #hardwork #workhard #makingconnections #chasingdreams #breakingbarriers #strongereveryday #cp #cerebralpalsy (at Lisa Hellmer Dressage, LCH Equestrian LLC) https://www.instagram.com/p/CI_lZDPnl4T/?igshid=sebfaaqbfu3k